The Banglah in Serangoon Gardens dilemma
I am ashamed of how our country and our culture treats our foreign workers. This is hardly a sentiment unique to me. After stewing in the xenophobic, racist and (big one for me) CLASSist broth for a while, I decided to write a letter to the Straits Times.
" I am writing in response to the recent debate over the settlement of foreign workers in an old school in Serangoon Gardens. Minister Mah Bow Tan had previously said that foreign workers cannot be segregated from the rest of Singaporean society and that more can be done to facilitate co-existence. Yet, some of the latest official developments seem to suggest otherwise. The recent decision to house foreign workers is accompanied by plans to create a buffer zone between the estate and the dormitory, with additional boundary fencing. I wonder if this measure does not prevent co-existence and mutual understanding between residents and foreign workers? Further, while the implementation of house-rules and curfews serve to assuage the worries of some residents, it seems also to further police and alienate these workers from Singaporeans. These measures could also serve to reinforce the common notion that there is a need to be fearful of these foreign workers. Could these barriers to co-existence not be removed to foster greater understanding between Singaporeans and those who work and live among us? I find this important especially since there are plans to set up more similar dormitories for foreign workers. Given the projected increase in foreign workers in our midst to meet the demands of our economy, there is a pressing need to recognize and accept these workers into our living spaces as a move to strengthen our social fabric. Serangoon Gardens could well serve to be an example of how locals and foreigners -both workers and talent - can truly share the same spaces, reinforcing that Singapore is really the multicultural society that it prides itself to be."
This afternoon, an email landed in my inbox.
My letter was deemed one of "more than 70 a day" which cannot be published.
You know what is a more pressing social issue for the Forum page?
"Why must Night Safari have Halloween themes? would it not scare the animals and small children?"
This is why Singaporeans will learn at a retarded rate. Cos the media are so goddamn scared of offending the status quo.
" I am writing in response to the recent debate over the settlement of foreign workers in an old school in Serangoon Gardens. Minister Mah Bow Tan had previously said that foreign workers cannot be segregated from the rest of Singaporean society and that more can be done to facilitate co-existence. Yet, some of the latest official developments seem to suggest otherwise. The recent decision to house foreign workers is accompanied by plans to create a buffer zone between the estate and the dormitory, with additional boundary fencing. I wonder if this measure does not prevent co-existence and mutual understanding between residents and foreign workers? Further, while the implementation of house-rules and curfews serve to assuage the worries of some residents, it seems also to further police and alienate these workers from Singaporeans. These measures could also serve to reinforce the common notion that there is a need to be fearful of these foreign workers. Could these barriers to co-existence not be removed to foster greater understanding between Singaporeans and those who work and live among us? I find this important especially since there are plans to set up more similar dormitories for foreign workers. Given the projected increase in foreign workers in our midst to meet the demands of our economy, there is a pressing need to recognize and accept these workers into our living spaces as a move to strengthen our social fabric. Serangoon Gardens could well serve to be an example of how locals and foreigners -both workers and talent - can truly share the same spaces, reinforcing that Singapore is really the multicultural society that it prides itself to be."
This afternoon, an email landed in my inbox.
My letter was deemed one of "more than 70 a day" which cannot be published.
You know what is a more pressing social issue for the Forum page?
"Why must Night Safari have Halloween themes? would it not scare the animals and small children?"
This is why Singaporeans will learn at a retarded rate. Cos the media are so goddamn scared of offending the status quo.