International Herald Tribune (14 November05): Singapore shocker - Maid's day off
Foreign Workers in Singapore
-International Herald Tribune, 19 November 2005
Regarding "Singapore shocker: Maid's day off" by Philip Bowring (Views, Nov. 15): Foreign domestic workers receive full protection under Singapore's laws. All employers must provide adequate rest, meals and ensure work safety, proper housing and prompt payment of salary. They have the same rights as all employees they can accept or reject work conditions, including the number of rest days.
2. The Singapore government does not tolerate abuse or exploitation of foreign domestic workers. Upon arrival in Singapore, they are educated in their rights through mandatory courses on safety and well being, and provided telephone numbers they can call for help. In 1998 we increased the fines and jail terms for offenses against foreign domestic workers. This has markedly reduced abuse cases.
3. According to Bowring, some allege that "only 'brown people' or those from non-Confucian societies" are employed in the most menial jobs. But Singapore accepts foreign workers from many places, including Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and South Korea. That the majority come from the Philippines, Indonesia and Sri Lanka reflects their choice to work in Singapore because of better employment opportunities and conditions compared to other countries. Bowring says that Singapore faces difficulties because the income gap is widening, and the Malay population remains behind the rest. Singapore cannot escape the forces of globalization. The wages of less skilled workers are under pressure from the abundant low-cost labor in China and India. But even low-income workers in Singapore have seen rising wages and benefit from quality education, health care and public housing. Although the Malay community still lags behind the other groups, it has made enormous progress, especially in education. Singapore Malays outperform students in most developed countries in mathematics and science. Bowring criticized Singapore for "dispersing minorities around public housing" estates and acting firmly against incitement of racial and religious hatred. But our policy of integrating ethnic groups within housing estates and schools has worked. It has enabled us to build trust and confidence in a multicultural society and increasingly to discuss sensitive issues openly, such as Islamist terrorism.
4. Post-9/11, many nations are grappling with issues of national and religious identity. We have seen riots and even murders in the name of religion in European countries. Against this backdrop, Bowring's attack on Singapore's pragmatic and integrative approach appears puzzling, if not misguided.
K. Bhavani
Press Secretary for the Minister of Information
