The mass
media, mouth pieces of the PAP government, tried to play down the
incident by saying that MOM had sent in insufficient resources. The
truth is MOM had sent in the wrong types of resources. Read the Open
Letter from the Westlite Dormitory's Workers below.
"Open letter to Minister of Manpower Tan See Leng:
Please do not call us “your brothers”
If we are truly your brothers why do you surround us with riot squad and policemen?
If we are truly your brothers why do you send in armored vehicles to surround our work camps?
If we are truly your brothers why do you allow the work camp bosses to treat us so?
Do you not know that the food we eat is infested with worms, flies and maggots?
Do
you not know that the Covid-19 infected and not infected are all
huddled together in the same room waiting to get infected and maybe die
if help does not arrive in time?
Do you not know Minister that
some of us have taken to sleeping on the cold hard floor in corridors to
try to escape from the contagion?
Minister we are not your brothers.
We are only your work slaves!
There are two thousand of us here, a quarter of whom have been infected?
Why do you send in armored vehicles instead of ambulances?
Why did you not send in doctors and nurses. Instead you send in soldiers and policemen?
Truly Minister we are not your brothers because brothers do not treat each other like criminals.
We are here to work to build your industries your infrastructure and your homes.
You
must not forget we are workers and not work slaves. The least you can
do is to accord us some respect and treat us decently as human beings.
Workers from Westlite Dormitory."
.
Original letter in Chinese below:
致：新加坡人力部部长陈思龙
请不要称我们为“你的兄弟”
如果我们真的是你的兄弟，你为什么要用防暴队和警察包围我们？
如果我们真的是你的兄弟，你为什么派装甲车来包围我们的宿舍楼？
如果我们真的是你的兄弟，你为什么允许宿舍的老板这样对待我们？
难道你不知道我们吃的食物里都滋生了蠕虫、苍蝇和蛆吗？
难道你不知道受感染的和还没受感染的都挤在同一个房间里等待被感染，如果沒及的被送院处理都可能会死的？
你不知道部长，我们中的一些人已经习惯睡在走廊里冰冷的硬地板上以避免被感染。
部长 我们不是你的兄弟。
我们只是你的工作奴隶！
我们这里有两千人，四分之一被感染了。
你为什么派装甲车而不是救护车？
你为什么不派医生和护士来。 相反的，你却派士兵和警察來？
真正[sic]的部长，我们不是您的兄弟，因为兄弟不会被像罪犯一样的对待。
我们在这里致力于建设您们的工业和基础设施和您们的家园。
你一定不要忘记我们是工人，而不是的工作奴隶。 你至少能做的就是给我们一些尊重，把我们当作人一样体面地对待。
Westlite宿舍的工人
14.10.21
The
President must immediately launch an investigation at the national
level, covering not only the Westlite Dormitory but all the Dormitories
in Singapore, to find out the bad living conditions, ill-treatment of
foreign workers, lack of medical support and supplies, segregation of
Covid infected from the healthy ones, and more.
Somebody has to be made responsible for the bad and strong-arm handling of this issue and be sacked!
Whoever
gave orders to deploy the armoured vehicles and police special forces
ought to be sent to IMH for psychiatric observations, and charged in
court thereafter.
The burning fire of anger must be nipped in the bud/butt.
May Justice prevail!
LIPS
10/18/2021
Westlite Incident: Excessive Use Of Ugly Force
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7 comments:
When locals cannot do much due to high handed clampdown, it is left to foreign workers to take up the cudgel and let the cat out of the bag. This is a very bad wake up call for the Government, as the incident is undoubtedly reported worldwide. A show of force using the riot squad to back up the normal police suffering from foreign worker's phobia? It seems hardly enough to rattle the dorm residents judging from their comments.
The issue will not led to goodwill, and foreign construction workers may shun working in Singapore. If they do come here, out of necessity, they will hold this mindset that this is the kind of treatment they expect from the Singapore Government.
The Government will have to crack it's head to handle this very, very carefully and if bosses are at fault, quick action must be taken or it will spill over to other forms.
The majority of Singapore's top levels management are fair weather leaders and fair weathe politicians, protected by the Draconian and Dracula Laws that they have enacted with the rubber stamping President and Parliament.
Once there is a crisis, they are totally lost. They don't even have proper contingency plans. If there are, the plans are mostly outdated.
A case in point is the COVID-19 crisis which they claimed to be very well-prepared during the early months of the Pandemic, when there was a severe shortage of clinical masks for the public. And they advised the public
"Do not wear masks if you are well; wear masks only when you are unwell!"
Such uninformed, unscientific and unhelpful advice they also anyhow gave! Shocking!
Comments from TRE:
TRE Techie:
October 16, 2021 at 6:55 am (Quote)
"What we have here is one rookie minister trying to play fast and loose hoping to placate the affected workers, even without fully understanding the gravity of what “兄弟” means in China.
In China, when someone calls you “兄弟”, it is not a joking matter and most take it very seriously. “兄弟” in China means it is a very serious relationship as if it were a family member, not anyhow call for fun one. “兄弟” means if I am broke, you give me money or feed me, “兄弟” means if I kenna bully, you whack the other party for me, “兄弟” means if I have no place to stay, you take me in. “兄弟” (aka 战友) in the army and police even means they will take a bullet for you, if they have to.
“兄弟” certainly do not send armored vehicles and riot police to surround a “兄弟”‘s house, just because they have some grievances. Whoever called the police or ordered that ought to be slapped. If it were only the police, still understandable, but riot squad?
If the rookie minister had actually wanted to placate the angry workers, he should just simply apologise and then make things right, instead of paying lip service and using “兄弟” to try to ‘connect’ with them. But then, it is never in the LEEders’ dictionary the word “sorry”, is it?
That having said, I would be very careful if I were MOM, the dorm operators and employers. Unlike Sinkies who are basically selfish and ballessly “you die your business”, the PRC Chinese are very united. I have seen an entire village surround court buildings and police posts, an entire village surround a driver because he knocked down a cow and I have also witnessed home buyers surround a developer’s office when they did not receive their title deeds on time, just to name a few.
If this matter is not handled correctly and amicably, once a group of them has decided to call it quits and return home, most if not all of them would likely follow suit. If that is their wish, then I have no doubt the China Embassy in Sinkieland would arrange for chartered flights to send them home.
Even though most of them have debts due to the agents that brought them to Sinkieland, but since their plight is already now widely shared on Wechat (making it a matter of national interest), it is highly possible that their “brothers, sisters and countryman” back home will crowdfund them to pay off the debts. I have witnessed so many a time when a million is raised within an hour for a newborn to undergo an operation. The local authorities may even get involved and support them in whatever way they can. Who knows, public pressure may even force the agents to write off the debts or risk becoming public enemy number 1.
I cannot imagine where the Sinkie employers would stand if they lose 2000 of them overnight. There is also the possibility that no PRC workers would want to come work in Sinkieland in the near future, especially with its “living with the virus” policy.
My friendly advice for that rookie, sincerity and practicality is what counts, unlike daft Sinkies, lip services and motherhood statements do not work on these PRC Chinese. They are far more intelligent and practical then the 61% Sinkies. Maybe he should have just shut up in the 1st place, since the complaints were against the dorm operators and employees, not the gahment.
IMHO, the workers are not asking for too much, just basic dignity and to be treated as ordinary human beings, is that too much?"
Why Singapore PM never sign CECA with China, Indonesia and Malaysia?
Why only signed CECA with India?
If CECA is so good for Singaporeans, then Singapore leaders should sign more CECA with other countries, isn't it?
What is there to prevent Singapore government from signing more CECA pacts with other countries?
Bros? Hahaha
Ask the familee,
OYK in denial.
Obviously flip-flopped, said not flip-flop?
Caused more preventable deaths than necessary, said prevent massive deaths?
Very cunning. Turned the table the other way to favour himself?
How can trust him?
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