4/19/2020

Covid19 - Singapore is the best place to be in for foreign workers

The Covid19 pandemic has brought out the good side and the ugly side of many countries. The Americans under the fumbling Trump who did practically nothing in January and February other boasting that the virus is under control in America, and the virus would ago away miraculously in April, but with more than 600,000 infected cases and more than 30,000 American death, he is now blaming and fighting with everyone.

He fought with the media and reporters, he fought with the governors, he fought with his team, and wanting to sack Fauci, his medical adviser and an expert in infectious disease. Then he turned international to blame China for his failures. Latest he blamed WHO and decided not to pay America's due to WHO in the tune of US$400m.

Many countries also showed their ugly sides by throwing out their migrant workers, leaving them jobless, without food and a roof over their heads, ie leaving them to die. Some were also deported.

The best place for foreign workers to be in at a time like this is Singapore. Singapore is doing everything possible to help the foreign workers here, feeding them, taking care of them, providing them free Covid19 testing, free hospitalisation, free medical care, and protecting their jobs. The PM even went on air to assure their families back home that they need not have to worry as the Singapore Govt is looking after them and would make sure they would return to them safely.

This is Singapore at its best. This is Singapore's Gold Standard in fighting this Covid19 pandemic. Singapore is an example for the world to follow. And every foreign worker would be tested, free of charge. Unlike in the USA, many would not be tested as they did not have enough test kits. Also, in the USA, testing for Covid19 cost US$200 even for Americans.

And oh, foreign workers in Singapore can complain to the govt about their poor accommodation and environment and the govt would listen to them and take appropriate actions to improve their lives. This would not happen in any other country in the world. Foreign workers would normally be left to their own devise and booted out of their countries when they become a nuisance or no longer useful.

See how good Singapore is for foreign workers. But please do not rush to come here. We are flooded with too many foreign workers and many are positive with the virus. If more foreign workers are to come, Singapore will be overwhelmed and there may not be enough of everything for Singaporeans.

Just be patient. After this thing is over, Singapore will open its doors again, wide wide, for 10m or 20 million people to come and live and work here.

I am not sure if the poor and jobless Singaporeans are treated that well, free food, free lodging, free medical, jobs protected, etc etc.  So much sayang sayang.

43 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just one sentence as I see it:

The whole charade is about "Growing the GDP at ALL COSTS"!

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Covid19 is a timely reminder that putting too many people into this island has severe consequences.

Anonymous said...

COVID-19: A Stark Early Warning For Singapore

Japanese doctors have warned of health system 'break down' as more new cases surge, like in Singapore.

Initially, like Singapore, Japan also appeared to have the virus "under control", but now it has recorded a continuous spat of new cases rising day by day.

Doctors in Japan have warned that the country's medical system could collapse amid the second wave of new COVID-19 cases.

Emergency rooms have been unable to treat some patients with more serious health conditions due to the extra burden caused by having to test, isolate and treat patients of the COVID-19 disease.

Shockingly one ambulance carrying a patient with COVID-19 symptoms was turned away by 80 hospitals before he could be seen.

Japan now has surpassed the 10,000 mark of confirmed cases yesterday, and more than 200 people have died of Covid-19 infections. The capital Tokyo remains the epicenter of COVID-19 infections in the country.

Groups of doctors at GP surgeries in the city are assisting government hospitals with the testing of potential Corona-Virus patients in order to ease some of the strain and stress on the national health system.

"This is to prevent the medical system from crumbling," said Konoshin Tamura, the Deputy Head of an Association of GPs.

"Everyone needs to extend a helping hand. Otherwise, hospitals would break down," he added.

Two medical associations said the Corona-Virus outbreak was reducing the ability of Japan's hospitals to treat other more serious medical emergencies.

Hospitals are already turning away patients, and all this while the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 remains relatively low compared with other countries.

Doctors have complained of a lack of protective equipment, which suggests Japan has not prepared well for the virus. This is despite the fact it was the second country outside China to record an infection, way back in January.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been criticised for not introducing restrictions to deal with the outbreak sooner, for fear of harming the economy. Ironically, his fear has now materialised because of his delay in taking drastic decisive actions. Singapore's Sin-So-Able also same same?

Abe's Administration has vigorously argued against Tokyo's Governor who wanted tougher measures introduced more quickly.

Only on last Thursday did Abe announced a State of Emergency to the whole country and accelerated the speed and volume of testing by introducing drive-through facilities.

In recent weeks, Japan has conducted far fewer tests than in other countries and this has rendered tracking of the spread of the disease meaningless.

According to data from Oxford University,
Japan last month conducted just 16% of the number of PCR tests that South Korea did.

Unlike South Korea - which has brought its outbreak largely under control through a programme of large-scale testing - the Sin-zoro Abe government said that carrying out widespread testing was a "waste of resources, time and money"!

Sounds familiar anywhere? Kee chiew!

Anonymous said...

Doctors in Singapore dare not warn the Gabramen lah.

Not only doctors, all civil serpents also dare not tell the Gabramen about potential bad news lah.

Even million-dollars pay-correct Ministars also dare not tell their Paymaster any bad news lah.

This has become the "political correct" system and culture of kiasiism in Sickapore lah.

That's why so many people sick now!

You all don't know meh?

Virgo 49 said...

Dec and Jan China had reported the Presence of the Virus.

Even in Dec, they were to delay a week or two in finding and confirming the correct source and diagnosis, these jokers like DT and Abe can now pointed fingers after a few months that China is NOT transparent.

BLAME games.

Frankly, even after this Toyota Corona virus has pass. Sinkiekand's leaders would still wants to have the same or even more of these workers.

We have many forthcoming mammoth projects coming up.

The Airbase, Marina Gateway II of the PSA ports.

Extension of many feeder MRT lines.

Many HDB flats to be built for the new Citizens.

Billions or even trillion in the making.

So, brace yourselves and live with it.

Unless you want to get away to Matland on Silver Haired Scheme.

But must keep your hair silver like so many of our Great Leaders and especially one lovely Top Leader wifey.

Anonymous said...

Now that Trump is obviously failing in his attempt to stick the blame on a Wuhan lab for starting the coronavirus, he is latching on to another area to demonise China, the number of infections.

This time though, he does not want to have the honour of making America Great Again, by being No. 1 in coronavirus infections. He is very generous and wants to make China greater instead. I think China should report a 1.4 billion infections with an equal number of deaths, so that Trump can keep his rabid trap closed for good.

But, I doubt that pussy mouth will stay closed. He needs diversions and he needs to use all the opportunities to campaign for re-election in November. His business is suffering and he is short of time in promoting himself without the rallies. Opening up for business to help his struggling hotels and resorts, and being able to stage rallies is his primary concern, no matter how many more Americans are going to die. And he is using his 'living dead' supporters to do the dirty work of protesting against lockdowns to get the States to open up.

Who, in reality, is the biggest liar in this world? China for reporting false figures? Or the world's biggest circus led by a proven multiple times professional liar? Not only that, he has an entourage of lapdogs that have the same trait of lying through their noses, each time they opened their mouths.

By accusing China of falsifying reports, does the world not been made aware that the USA is actually the one that has been proven beyond doubt to have conned the world about truthfulness? The proven spying on allies and the sale of rigged decoding machines are just examples. What about other covert operations against allies that have not be disclosed?

Trump has succeeded in starting a civil war between the State Governors and his 'satanic' cult followers over the lockdown. This, he will blame the State Governors for sure. This, together with all the anti-China rhetoric, serves to divert all the attention away from his massive failure over the coronavirus fiasco.

Virgo 49 said...

MOH put a Porfma on The State's Review for reporting that the MOH is reporting wrong figures.

The problem is that they reported another 942 cases and total is 5992.

Their mistake is that they are so meticulous in listing all the patients cases.

In their sheet, they have patient 6042 and 6051.

So if last patient is 5992, then why have these numbers?

People are very sharp nowadays as many of us have done statistical work during my years of working.

So, who is bluffing

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

SSSSssssshhhh

Anonymous said...

Hi Virgo

It even looks like some of our Great Leaders are contemplating taking up the Silver Haired Scheme in Matland by keeping their hair silver.

Too many applications and Matland may upgrade the scheme to Golden Haired Scheme. Better hurry!


Anonymous said...

Japan, Indonesia and India are in the same situation. Minimal testing, thus fewer infections. They have large populations. Japan had all the motive because of the Olympics.

When the tsunami comes, it will be uncontrollable! Like the USA. Hope they will not blame China and the WHO as well!

Anonymous said...

此地无银三百两。
哈哈��
The Proof is evident of itself.
Lolx.....

Anonymous said...

With effect 11 am today (19 April, 2020), all outlets of Mc Donald (suay to be having same name as Donald Trump) in Singapore be closed until 4 May.

All American outlets in Singapore should also be closed. Otherwise, the Pussy-Grabber Dotard Trump will complain not fair and impose sanction on Singapore, how?

Anonymous said...

Bangladesh treats their own returning workers worse than trash.

When the first batch of around half a million mass returnees arrived from China in February, they were all quarantined at the Ashkana Hajj Camp in Dhaka. The returnees complained about being subjected to discriminating treatments, including poor hygienic conditions and being crammed in small spaces covered with vomits caused by food poisoning. However, the authorities ignored the situation.

In mid-March when the second batch of Bangladeshis banished from Italy arrived, they were taken to the same inadequate quarantine spot.

Not protecting its citizens, the Bangladesh police have gone more scrupulous by taking advantage of this crisis to humiliate, harass, exhort and beat the lower- income and even many healthcare personnel.

Anonymous said...

Singapore Hits Second Place Silver Medallist For This World Infections Olympics!

MOH announced a new daily high of 942 cases on Saturday (18th Apr), bringing the total number of infected Covid-19 cases to 5992 with 11 deaths, plus two confirmed Covid19 patients considered as deaths not due to COVID-19 infections but heart failures. This brings Singapore to become the Second Most-Infected Nation (after USA) in the world from the 5th position a few days ago.

The land mass of Singapore is about 277 sq miles (719 km²), roughly 1/10 the size of Wuhan city in China.

PM Lee had, in a recent Facebook post “hope” that Singapore would be able to achieve by 17th April “positive results”, like what New Zealand has managed to do, which is to reduce the infection rate.

However, the daily figures since 17th April have been surging upwards, suggesting that Singapore has yet to reach Covid-19′s peak and therefore PM Lee's hope for “positive results” would continue to remain as a hope of hopes until some light can be see in the dark tunnel of hopelessness..... so far.

Anonymous said...

What have the 'human rights protectors' and 'high grounders' have to say about this?

They had a lot to say about Myanmar's mistreatment of the Rohingyas. There were deserving reasons for that and all conveniently ignored.

And I though Malaysia was one country that championed the Rohingya issue to no end. Why did they turn away the Rohingya refugee ship recently? Why didn't Malaysia take them in, the same reason they were blaming Myanmar?

Blur Like Sotong said...

FACTS STRANGER THAN FICTION

Very funny and CONfusing that fatty son of gan classify six different McDonald's outlets at six different locations far apart as ONE cluster? Then when people put it as six clusters, will they kena POFMA? This is called intelligent accounting?

Also within just 7-8 days, from 35 clusters climbed to 77 clusters. That means the clu8have more than doubled.

Actually, the cases are all out there already. But because of more tests being conducted, then they discovered the cases increasing. But the cases are already there, waiting to be detected by Sherlock Holmes.

But Sin Jia Poh has no Sherlock Holmes, so the detective works have to be done by over-worked police officers. Now also NS soldiers involved to help in tracing and tracking.

Nowadays, after 17 April, the reporting format also changed to become CONfusing and unclear and unspecific. Left to our interpretation and guesswork. No wonder, somebody's websites and Facebook kena POFMA.

Anonymous said...

China has sent medical supplies and medical experts to help more than 170 countries affected by the virus.

Trump is boasting and bragging about sending ventilators and help to Mexico, Spain, Italy and S Korea. The ventilators are coming, in a few months time. We would have thousands of ventilators to offer to our cronies.

By then the virus in S Korea would have disappear. S Korea is now registering single digit cases daily.

How many countries have the Americans helped as of today? None. But the Americans have hijacked several countries' purchase of masks and ventilators, Spain, France and Germany were complaining.

Anonymous said...

'By then the virus in S Korea would have disappear'.

But Trump would claim all the credit.

He has not done that yet, despite sending hot farts to Italy, Spain and France, because they are still not out of the woods yet.

Had China accepted aid from Trump, he would have claimed all the credit for stopping the spread in Wuhan. But the outcome did not follow his script and vitriol follows suit as expected.

imho said...

China sending aids to countries and usa only plays blame game.
Usa is no longer world number 1.
Completely lost the plot.

Anonymous said...

Trump's USA is behaving like a spoilt kid throwing tantrums.

Xi's China is behaving like a matured adult doing things and helping others quietly and steadily, irrespective of criticism or praise.

That is the huge contrast between the two.

A true world leader should behave with magnificent magnanimity.

Anonymous said...

It is unfair and unkind and unbecoming to house the foreign workers in ulu ulu and far away places. These workers contributed a lot to the development and progress of this island. Be grateful.

Would it be nice to house them in district, 9, 10 and 11? There are a lot of big houses and space that are quite empty and sharing them with the foreign workers would be a really nice thing to do instead of dumping them in HDB estates.

Anonymous said...

The should be a few foreign workers' unions formed to represent them to bring important or urgent matters up to safeguard their rights and interests. Each representing a different group of occupation.

Then all these various individual unions will form a umbrella union like the NTUC (better known as CUNT).

Since CUNT has over the last 30-40 years refused to represent them or do something for them, these new unions must not go under CUNT.

P/S: CUNT stands for Controller of Unions for National Traitors.

Anonymous said...

SCMP:

Temasek Holdings denied speculation that Chief Executive Officer Ho Ching makes S$100 million (US$70 million) a year.

“This claim is false,” the Singapore state investor said in a rare statement addressing the pay of the top executive, who’s also Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s wife.

“Furthermore, Ho Ching’s annual compensation is neither the highest within Temasek, nor is she amongst the top five highest-paid executives in Temasek.”

If top 5 salaries are $100-$105 million; No. 6 salary can still be at $99 million !

Anonymous said...

Anon 6.01

I think you are talking about The Istana, which would just be nice. The Indian deity residing there will get along with them fine. Same race, same language and probably also same religion.

Someone said must share, so why not?

Anonymous said...

Even under CUNT, they will still want to bring it under NTUC umbrella eventually, by hook or by crook. Maybe. after sometime, they will say it is infiltrated by whatever sympathisers or that some CUNT officials are digging their fingers into the pie, so have to deregister or come under you know who. The choice is there. Cannot run one!

Another reason is that with such a large number of them unionised, $9 (?) or more monthly protection money is a few million more in the kitty. Any money making venture is an opportunity for NTUC to undertake. They are even in the business of providing funeral services.

Anonymous said...

Ho Ching's salary claim is false? Can prove of not?

Anonymous said...

If whoever said that Ho Ching's salary is false, he/she must show the truth. Otherwise, any deliberate dishonest cover-up agent can just say that it is false and then go into a hairy-fairy round about around the mulberry bushes to throw you off the main issue.

Caution Better Than Cure said...

It has been proven that YOU can catch COVID-19 more than once.

So, even if YOU have recovered from YOUR first dose of COVID-19 suffering, YOU are not immuned nor invincible!

Get this into YOUR head!

Caution is always better than cure.

Anonymous said...

Singapore has about 2.5 million foreign workers or more (unofficial figures).

If each foreign worker were to contribute just $5 per month to join the New Foreign Workers' Union (NFWU), multiply $5 by 2.5 million = $12.5 million per month of easy money for the NFWU. In one year, the collections would amount to $150 million.

That is a huge sum of money that can serve as Reserves for rainy days, like this COVID-19 Crisis, for the foreign workers.

OF course, NTUC would probably be waiting on the sideline with mouth watery and opened wide wide, like a crocodile, to devour this new baby wholesale with flesh, bone, hair, clothes and shoes together in one single gulp?

So, a new law must be invoked to protect this new baby from crocodiles, hyenas and pythons.

Virgo 49 said...

Their PooFma laws no need to prove that they are wrong.

They said you Wong, oops wrong, you wrong.

AG told the Judge when he said the accuser nust prove that the defendant is wrong, the AG lambasted the Judge saying they no need prove that they are wrong.

The defendant must prove that they are Right and the Aggrieved Party is wrong

But the Aggrieved Party no need to show any proof that they are Right.

So without their proving that they are Right, how can the Defendant proved that they are wrong?

Confusing, isn't??

Virgo 49 said...

NTUC won't dare to unionise them.

The Indians won't take any unfairness lying down as Sinkies lah.

When their own Indian leaders are dissatisfied with the Central or Head Office Union leaders they would turned the world upside down.

Just see them protests and riots in their own Country.

Sinkies branch leaders are just toothless paper tigers.

They are mostly been coodled and brought over by the Management lah. Extra promotions and even special bonuses etc.

The Central or HO or their IAO just Bullshits sit with them like a dummy lah.

Any negotiations behind closed doors, ordinary union members know nuts what's going on.

So, they can just come out and convince their members that these are the best benefits and bonus that their bosses or management give lah.

Most would simply trust their Union Leaders and no fish prawns also good lah.

Now seemed prawns more expensive than fish.

Those non members ones also will get the same benefits lah as per their CAs.

Just wayang, wayang, Tripartite or Sar Kar lah.

Anonymous said...

Before this COVID-19 Singaporeans treated the foreign workers in Singapore like trash. Now the Singapore government is in a corner, ie. cannot deport the infected, must keep the constructions going, and any mistreatment might get a bad name internationally, the government has no choice but to do what they are doing now.

Examples of mistreatment of foreign workers in Singapore are,

1 They travel to and from work like cattle in cattle trucks, no safety at all.

2 Very poor and cramp lodgings, glaring evident now.

3 Poor pay and overwork

4 Many more

Anonymous said...

I remember one TV show long long ago. It is all about guessing the right answer.

So if the first answer is $100 million and the MC said wrong, he might also say, too high or too low. If he said too low, then the audience can raise it to $200 million. If he said too high, then the next answer might be $90 million.

And it went on and on until the right answer was called.

So, what is the right answer now that $100m is wrong? The right answer can also be $100.1m or $99.9m.

Anonymous said...

The Union represents the workers' interest.

The Union also represents the Government, because of who is sitting at the top. Not only the top, but many lower ranked leaders as well. How did we end up this way?

Many companies and NGOs have CEOs seconded from the Government, or are headed by ex Government leaders. Whose interest do you think the Union will look after in terms of priority?

Behind closed doors they 'nag go shake' and as Virgo said, they then just come out and convince their members that these are the best benefits that their bosses or management give.

Ya, no fish prawns also good!

Anonymous said...

So Sia Suay !

Bloomberg Headline: Singapore Now Has Most Coronavirus Cases in Southeast Asia

Anonymous said...

After this crisis, when all the problems of dormitory living are laid bare, and the Government realised the heavy responsibility of looking after them in times of crisis, maybe the Government will allow foreign workers to be unionised, which will make sure they well looked after by errant employers.



Anonymous said...

@ 11.07pm

Do you think the errant employers are PAP Cronies?

Thick Skin Shameless Minotaur said...

Sin-gap-ore is an accidental island city state run by a full and complete set of government that numerous other bigger countries do not have that luxury of such compliments to run their much much bigger cities.

The job of running such a well established city, already developed by the British Empire, under the leadership of Sir Stamford Raffles, is so easy and simple, yet so many MPs, mayors, town councils, CCCs, CCs, RCs and Statutory Boards are required to prop up a group of pseudo politicians who are in it not for any altruistic reason nor conscious passion but for the MONEY.

AND as time past, the subservient citizens meekly allowed salaries and bonuses paid to this bunch of half-hearted, part-timers to become the highest in the world.

For at least 20 years now, such incomparable rewards and remunerations have been enjoyed unconscionably be the pseudo politicians and yet when a crisis appears, their incompetence is glaringly and easily exposed.

SHIA SUAY! Think Skin.


Anonymous said...

Maybe they will give them citizenship to buy HDB flats.

Maybe they will allow them to live in HDB estates as your neighbours.

If this dreadful thing happens, caveat, it would be like letting wildlife to live among the sheep in HDB estates where the womanfolks, children and oldies will be at their mercy. Or letting a wolves into chicken pens.

Anonymous said...

How plausible is it that big fat companies, making fat profits in normal times, cannot pay salaries for just having to close business for a month or so and have to lay off workers to save on manpower costs? All these fat cats are just pretending to fall down, since the Government is offering generous support.

The most illogical thing is perhaps just pushing the burden onto the Government in this bad environment, while reaping the rewards during good times. Pushing the burden of looking after and paying these sick and unemployed workers and even paying part of their salaries means the burden falls on you and me when this is over, while the fat cat employers merrily continue to make fat profits and stash them away.

What is the Union doing, allowing some companies to lay off workers just like that. Some employers are now using the excuse that this is a temporary matter of asking workers to take unpaid leave, or saving expenses using the excuse of furloughing workers. What if the workplace lockdown persist for another month or more. How are these people going to survive without a job and knowing that most families have little to spare, living from one pay check and eagerly waiting for the next?



Anonymous said...

Hi
Gd Day All.
Just like all of You that l luv You All.
Take Good Care.
Yours Most Loving
COVID-19

Virgo 49 said...

Hi Anon 10.12.

Last year made 100 millions goes to Directors and share holders pockets.

This year just made 50 millions, anyway still made 50 millions, retrenched and their hai kow yew structuring and get rid of high salaried employees and other workers.

When something serious strikes, or mild recession. Good lifes subsides by the Govt with tax payers monies.

That's why in one of my posts, need to have them put a 20 to 30% of their yearly profits into a fund, still under their name and control by MAS or another Govt Authority.

Theybcan used their own Reserve funds to save themselves.

This is what's olden days Chinese Businesses do.

Not to spend and give out yearly profits to all and sundry.

Their profits did they share with the tax payers that help them now when they are doing well?

Virgo 49 said...

Just to add the Wayang toothless unions will just be on their side lah.

Saying Global happenings and restructing lah.