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SCMP Series
Top 10 most-read Letters to the Editor 2020
3 of 10
1
China’s coronavirus numbers just don’t seem to add up
A worker walks among beds in a convention centre that has been converted into a temporary hospital in Wuhan, Hubei, on February 4. Photo: AP
2
What is China not telling us about the novel coronavirus?
A woman walks past statues wearing face masks, as the snow falls in Beijing on February 5. Photo: AP
3
Singapore deserves to be blamed for failing migrant workers
Migrant workers wear masks while queuing at a meal distribution point in the Little India district of Singapore on May 6. Photo: EPA-EFE
4
Could Singapore offer migrant workers a path to citizenship?
Migrant workers wait in line at a meal distribution point in the Little India district of Singapore, on May 6. A majority of Singapore’s Covid-19 cases are from the foreign worker community, who live in crowded dormitories. Photo: EPA-EFE
5
Does Chinese arrogance make some people turn against them?
Chinese tourists take souvenir photos with the national flag on Quanfu, one of the Paracel Islands, in Sansha prefecture of Hainan province in the South China Sea, in September 2014. Photo: AP
6
What I know about Lee Suet Fern
Lee Suet Fern (far left) and other family members of the late Lee Kuan Yew arrive with his portrait at the start of the state funeral at the University Cultural Centre in Singapore on March 29, 2015. Photo: AP
7
Singapore is now home, but Hong Kong is where the heart is
The people of Hong Kong left an indelible mark with their silent, stoic belief in doing the right thing the right way. Photo: Winson Wong
8
Three ways for China to win back the world’s trust
A security officer walks past a display at the PT Expo in Beijing last October. Photo: AP
9
Lee Kuan Yew was proof autocratic government can be good
Founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew addresses delegates at the Global Brand Forum in Singapore in August 2004. Lee was autocratic but revered as a statesman and nation builder. Photo: AFP
10
Cathay fate shows how Hong Kong is now toxic for businesses
Hong Kong’s popular tourist and shopping district of Tsim Sha Tsui on October 17. Photo: AFP
Migrant workers wear masks while queuing at a meal distribution point in the Little India district of Singapore on May 6. Photo: EPA-EFE
OpinionLetters

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”.
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.

How, then, did the infallible Singaporean government overlook warnings about crowded dormitories?

“Thoughtful” Singaporeans might argue that governments cannot be held responsible for every wrong decision. I do agree.

However, a healthy society needs checks and balances, not just a tough government. Such societies embrace diverse points of view, and benefit from having a free press and public voices that can question and dissent government decisions, if needed. The sycophancy usually exhibited by The Straits Times, and the Pavlovian response from many Singaporeans who jump to their government’s defence at the first sign of criticism, only serve to reinforce the mistaken perception that the government can do no wrong.

Despite the tables having turned, Hong Kong politicians will not take a leaf out of Chan’s book and throw darts at Singapore. Not because Hong Kong doesn’t have straight talkers, but because they are a lot more circumspect and a lot less condescending.

Also, if they did, they would be questioned and possibly chastised by both the people and the media in Hong Kong.

Gauri Venkitaraman, Lam Tin

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