Riots In Little India
Last night, Singapore got a taste of riots, and no, it was not started by someone opposing the government. Instead, it was sparked by the death of a South Asian foreign worker in a traffic accident. Details surrounding the incident are still not clear, but it led to the wrecking of an ambulance and several police cars. It took the Gurkha regiment to actual quell things down.
I do not want to speculate about the incident, but it does show how fragile the peace and security in Singapore actually is. After all, the incident was started by what seemed to be a traffic accident.
What would it take for violence like that to start from a misunderstanding between two groups of different origins? Singapore would look in horror at foreigners tear down our streets for nothing done by a Singaporean! Or are we implicitly guilty too?
I think that there is something fundamentally wrong with how we look at migrant labour, especially those earning a lower wage. We somehow want them to work, but do not think that they have any real rights. We do not even want them on our public transport system or living amongst us. These people are human after all, and have minds and feelings too. They obviously know how others view them, and this does build resentment.
The resentment builds within, and can exhibit itself in surprising fashion. So, all it takes is for any incident to trigger a riot or such. For actions like these do not result from logical and rationale actions, but those of despair and desperation towards the lack of equity.
If we in Singapore do not ensure some form of social equity and justice for our migrant workers, how are we to hope that they will just go on with their work?