Oct 04 2008
DEBUT EPISODE : “A Place Called Home”
A topic that’s had everyone talking - Setting up a Foreign Worker’s Dormitory in the heart of Serangoon Gardens, a middle-class residential area in Singapore.
At first, the 600 foreigners to be housed in this dormitory were meant to be ‘labourers’. Following the uproar against this idea, only those from the ‘maintenance and service’ industry will be staying there.
What came out of my debate with a few of the residents there?
Some said, a sudden surge of hundreds of foreigners into the area, would bring into question issues such as pollution, safety and having so many single men looking for “entertainment”.
The opposing camp spoke of discrimination, the fact that our ancestors were immigrants themselves who helped build Singapore, and that chances are - More of such dormitories will be set up in other private residential estates in the future.
Inside a 2-storey terrace house: “Home” to 42 foreign workers
Aside from dormitories, we featured other types of housing like this place you see above. Where the tenants slept in beds, on wooden planks because the mattresses were infested with bed bugs. One bedroom’s windows were completely boarded up. They showered, washed their clothes and cooked their meals in the same area due to a lack of space.
Get Rea! asked- Is Singapore only home to locals and well-heeled expatriates?
At the end of the day, it’s all about meeting a person’s needs. The need for food, shelter, personal safety, healthcare and human affection. But does meeting one person’s needs have to mean sacrificing the needs of another?
The NEW season’s first episode “A Place Called Home” on
Monday, 6 October at 8.30pm and 11.30pm that same night.
On Monday night, after Get Rea!’s episode was over, we received an SMS from a civil servant, sent in her personal capacity:
“We have been dealing with infrastructure and trying to resolve the problem of housing shortage etc for foreign workers every day, and I must admit it could get a little operational at times… that I didn’t truly understand their plight. The episode has really enlightened me. I was really saddened by the last quote. Thank you for teaching me lessons that I otherwise could have missed in my daily rush against time.”
8 responses so far
we need foreign workers as say in Lee Hsian Loong national rally 2008 to help in our construction projected areas . People complaint because of many problems of a foreign worker such as making loud noises , lottering around ,etc .
what happen if we do not have foreign workers?
They will have less tourism site
Hi, Cheryl. It’s gd tt u’ve brought this thorny issue out. To me, it’s a shame that the SG residents are behavin’ such to havin’ a dorm to cater to the foreign workers. Their cries & moans are pathetic!. The list of reasons given by them are shameless!. I mean, SG is neither a Holland V nor Sixth Ave!. Hell, SG doesn’t even come close to Katong or say, somewhere nearer, Seletar Hills estate!. What drop in property when SG is sandwich by HDB towns like AMK, Toa Payoh & Serangoon North???!!!. They say tt an addition of abt a thousand or two wl cause congestion!. What rubbish!. These are workers who are on shifts even on wkends!. Moreover, many of the ppl who patronise the many shops & eateries are non SG residents fm neighbouring housing estate residents. Lastly, they talked abt safety. Are they already branding these workers even before they are housed there?. Aren’t the residents bein’ bias here?.
I think the Sg residents are just bein’ petty. They shud just shut their mouths & get on wz their lives wz or w/o the influx of foreign workers livin’ in their midst.
I watched this episode tonight and it saddened my heart to see how these foreign workers live. Most of them just want a better life for their families back home. I am not sure why people feel that they are here to take away our peace and well being. If you look at any world conflict today you will realize that the source of the problem steams from social isolation and non-addressal of people’s basic needs of acceptance and human affection. I think people are under the assumption that we are importing robots to do our menial jobs. These people are human and have feelings and needs just like the rest of us. We are so blessed by having an opportunity to live in Singapore can’t we just open our hearts and share a little with these people.
I am a PR here in Singapore and I have been here long enough to understand how both sides feel. Singapore has been a very safe place to leave. An introduction of something new in your place like Serangoon Gardens will definitely create questions and fears. Why? Simply because it is foreign in nature. It is natural. Even our bodies continously fight off any foreign inside us. On the other hand, (like me when I first came here) it is your first prerogative to find a place to stay. No one wants to sleep on parks or sidewalks. We must understand that they are people and people that has a need. Solution, we must talk to our Resident Committee or our MP’s about how can they safeguard them. I am not saying that there are threats but honestly, I don’t like seeing people drinking and getting drunk on the street or even seeing a group of people sitting on the sidewalk and looking at you. There must be safety nets and guidelines that these foreign workers must follow. Curfew is one and a security guard to guard the entry and exit point of the dormitory. Have people log-in and out. They will be paying rents on those dormitories so better put some security in. There are so many ways we can make it safe and feel safe. CCTV cameras can be put in place. Like myself, I would really feel better if you feel safe in the home that you live in. Hey! If you put security measures in place, it will benefit both the foreign workers and residents. Let us understand one another and help each other, whether foreign or local, so that we can live in harmony. “Racial Harmony” remember….
Cheryl, great job in going to the heart of the burning issue and providing us very touchy stuff.. As much as we do empathise with the foreign workers, we do hope all of us can strike a balance in this place we called home.
Hi Cheryl,
When I was doing my attachment at a construction site during my long-forgotten days at Poly, I was shuttled to the site from the company’s head office together with 2 Bangladeshi workers. We striked off quite well and later knew that they lived in a make-shift quarters behind the head-office’s warehouse. One of them was a university graduate back home. The other a high school teacher who was married. They told me they cannot make ends meet or jobs were unavailable then and had to come to Singapore. Personally, I felt that the Serangoon neighbourhood is having that elitism factor that the upper quartile of Singapore society has. Face it,a sizeable sum of these foreign workers are actually well-informed and educated. Maybe we should stop stereo-typing them and be more accomodating.Thanks.
Hi Cheryl,
I think you have done some brilliant work at just the right time. I am a PR and came to Singapore more than 10 years ago. I am sad when I think of the treatment meted out to us during our initial stay even in rented HDB rooms. I with a group of friends work among the migrant workers and have been to their dormitories. I thought that one day Singaporeans need to see on TV, the plight of migrant workers and the inhumane conditions that they live in. This is a far cry even from the village environment the workers come from in their own countries. I would love to have a video of the program posted in your blog so that I can share it with those who missed the telecast. Good job and keep it up.
Hi Cheryl
Like your programme Get REa! as you really make it REA!, perhaps…. perhaps you may want to visit my blog at http://doodahdee.blogspot.com and gain inspiration to make a REA! programme out of it…. hopefully…