MP Cheryl Chan reminds public to show kindness to cleaners and essential workers

It is important for the people of Singapore to show kindness and care to cleaners and essential workers on a daily basis, said Member of Parliament (MP) for Fengshan Cheryl Chan in a Facebook post on Tuesday (21 March).
She said this following an incident that happened at a bus stop in front of 85 market in the beginning of the month where someone left some “watery stuff and sticky stains” on the seats.
Due to this, Ms Chan explained that many commuters were reluctant and “naturally worried” to sit or go anywhere near the seats at the bus stop given the current COVID-19 outbreak in the country.
“Though maintenance of the bus stop was not Town Council (TC) cleaners’ job, but to allay users concerns and for public hygiene, I had to request their help to clean up quickly and disinfect the area. Was it April fool’s joke or someone spilled something and walked off? Nobody knows,” she wrote.
Ms Chan remarked that people should always think twice before they litter or vandalise anything. If they’ve done it unknowingly, then they should have the common courtesy to clean up the mess before they leave.
“What I know is in our daily acts, any trash that we leave behind, littering—high rise or indiscriminate thrashing, spitting, vandalism, spillage, etc,; we should seriously think twice before doing it or walking away,” she noted.
She added, “And if the act was accidental, at least have the courtesy to clean up or cover up the area and not disappear. Doing the right thing is in fact a sigh of self respect.”
Ms Chan also emphasised the importance of migrant workers in Singapore. This is because the country relies heavily on them to clean the neighbourhood, construct roads and houses, and more, and they should be appreciated for their hard work.
“There’s much news about the foreign workers in the dormitories recently. We may have forgotten how much we rely on these workers. Be it to clean our neighbourhood, construct our roads & carparks, prune the trees, build our homes, malls & offices, and the list goes on. Seldom do people remember the hard work and who were behind these completed tasks,” she stated.
Given this, Ms Chan urged the public to appreciate essential workers and cleaners as this “appreciation is a reflection of who we are and comes from within, not just on formal appreciation day”.
“Kindness begins from you and me. Let us do it as the bigger and better person because you can! Big Thank You to all our essential workers!” she concluded.