Black or white or yellow?
You remember the days of the Samsui women in Singapore? The days when the country just started. Those ladies in their red head dresses slogging it out at all the construction sites all over the island. With nothing but the sole purpose of earning whatever little they can to feed themselves. Can't you imagine if all these didn't happen? What would we turn into? Still stuck in being a third world country? I don't know.
Fast forward to now. The throngs of foreign workers that you see at Serangoon Road on weekends are the Samsui women of modern times. Think about it, where would your expressways, roads, office buildings or even your homes be if not for them? PIE will still be the pie that people make in the oven. Orchard road will be indeed be filled with orchards of orange, papaya or watermelon? You take your pick.
The way how some ignorant Singaporeans put them down is simply embarrassing. Without them, would you want to replace them? Paid that few hundred dollars a month, no CPF contribution, working under the elements. We CAN replace them, but do we WANT to? As a citizen in a first world country, can we bear to bring ourselves to that 'lower' level?
If you go on to argue that we indeed started with us working in the construction industry and there wasn't an influx of foreigners into the country, we could still have developed in the way we are. Since that never happened, so I guess we just to deal with the current situation.
Ever wondered why there are racism, it is because businesses found cheaper and more effective people to replace the native population. And as the native population start to lose out, they turn their hatred to those who came to replace them. Those same people that left their family behind back at home. Working here without the knowledge if tomorrow will be their last.
Just think about how lucky we have been. It is really time to reflect upon ourselves. We have been ugly. Peace.
CJY, this is a little something for the friendship :)
Fast forward to now. The throngs of foreign workers that you see at Serangoon Road on weekends are the Samsui women of modern times. Think about it, where would your expressways, roads, office buildings or even your homes be if not for them? PIE will still be the pie that people make in the oven. Orchard road will be indeed be filled with orchards of orange, papaya or watermelon? You take your pick.
The way how some ignorant Singaporeans put them down is simply embarrassing. Without them, would you want to replace them? Paid that few hundred dollars a month, no CPF contribution, working under the elements. We CAN replace them, but do we WANT to? As a citizen in a first world country, can we bear to bring ourselves to that 'lower' level?
If you go on to argue that we indeed started with us working in the construction industry and there wasn't an influx of foreigners into the country, we could still have developed in the way we are. Since that never happened, so I guess we just to deal with the current situation.
Ever wondered why there are racism, it is because businesses found cheaper and more effective people to replace the native population. And as the native population start to lose out, they turn their hatred to those who came to replace them. Those same people that left their family behind back at home. Working here without the knowledge if tomorrow will be their last.
Just think about how lucky we have been. It is really time to reflect upon ourselves. We have been ugly. Peace.
CJY, this is a little something for the friendship :)
posted by Danny at 02:02
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