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Letters | Coronavirus in Singapore: city failed its migrant workers and is rightly criticised for it
- The government has now taken some steps to redress its oversight, but should still be held accountable for ignoring the problem of crowded workers’ dorms
- It is also no use denying the presence of racism against foreign labour in Singapore
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I refer to Mr Lee Teck Chuan’s letter of April 26, claiming an incorrect extrapolation of the prevalence of racism against foreign labour in Singapore.
The Singapore government has indeed done well in safeguarding the lives and livelihood of migrant workers. But highlighting measures like protecting livelihoods, and providing food and SIM cards, does not justify the racist undercurrents, nor address a problem that some Singaporeans refuse to acknowledge.
When the virus swept the cramped dormitories, social media was full of voices laying the blame on foreign workers, saying they came from cultures that had lower hygiene standards. Even more alarming was the lack of empathy. Some are reported to have said that the accommodation “met international standards”.
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Rights groups including Transient Workers Count Too had warned about the cramped living conditions. It was a problem the government overlooked, as Singapore was then riding high, lauded worldwide as having set the “gold standard” in its response to the pandemic.
Ministers like Chan Chun Sing mocked Hong Kong back then. He might have been better off demonstrating some humility in knowing that the authoritarian government in Singapore isn’t perfect and is capable of mistakes too.
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How, then, did the infallible Singaporean government overlook warnings about crowded dormitories?
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