According to news reports, an alleged social worker has aired some rather scarily ignorant and bigoted comments on her Facebook (FB) page.
It would appear that this individual is not a social worker. Rather, it has come to our attention that she runs a social enterprise that helps a marginalised group of people in Singapore. The headline is therefore misleading by calling her a social worker.
Nevertheless. as an individual who runs a social enterprise, it is shocking that she could possibly hold such views.
In her FB post, she has allegedly said: “Foreign workers now live comfortably in army camp, SCDF Academy, stadium, cruise ship, floating housing, HDB flat. They are beginning to get used to this comfortable life how to go back to slum living when Covid is over. Obviously these workers don’t make an effort to recover”
The other post said, “Are tax monies used to pay for these foreign workers accommodation, medical and their leave of absence? Since they’re paid to stay at 3* staycations and don’t need to work why bother to recover soon? If these workers don’t recover in 2 weeks, shouldn’t the government sent them packing home? How is the government going to penalize the dorm operators?”
There are so many things wrong with her posts. Firstly, COVID-19 is a physical disease that has affected the entire world. Many people have lost their lives and continue to lose their lives to it. It is not about “making the effort to recover”. Clearly, this so called do-gooder has no concept of medical science whatsoever.
Secondly, why shouldn’t migrant workers “get used to this comfortable life”? Don’t they deserve not to live in “slum living”? What is she trying to say? That a comfortable life is above their station? What kind of classist world view is that? Pretty appalling coming from anyone – even worse from a person running a social enterprise for a marginalised community!
Also, why is she assuming that our migrant workers are living comfortably now? Has she not read reports of cramped accommodation overflowing with rubbish and substandard food? Has she not seen reports of potential suicides, and their fears for their livelihoods?
These issues are being covered in the international media. Perhaps, she does not read the news? That is a scary thought – that someone running a social enterprise for marginalised people has no concept of international news or human suffering.
Given that she has likened the dormitories that our migrant workers live in to “slum living”, she is clearly acknowledging that these living conditions are wanting. Yet, she has not condemned the fact that they had to live in slum like conditions in the first place. Is she condoning the putting up of our migrant workers in slum like conditions in the first place?
She also does not seem to have much faith in our government’s ability to bring in changes to improve the plight of our migrant workers after this whole pandemic blows over given that she seems to think that they will be going back to “slum living”.
This post exposes so many ills in our society.
The biggest of which that those in our “helping” sectors could hold such views. Might be worthwhile for the government to address this.
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