Singaporeans' reaction leave me seething

Foreign workers at void decks leave residents seething
Happy hour sessions disturb residents, but police say workers are breaking no laws


EVERY NIGHT, ESPECIALLY AT WEEKENDS, foreign workers get together at Block 651A, Jurong West Street 61. After one recent, particularly noisy, happy-hour session, a resident of the block wrote to The Straits Times to complain about the problem. The residents have formed a vigilante group to 'catch' workers who sleep or urinate at the void deck. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND LIM

I was aghast with this article in Sunday Times (25 Nov) which reported about foreign workers who were a nuisance at void decks. This is once again evidence of the cocky Singaporean flexing its citizenship 'rights' and muscles.

1. I believe that people form a community, not clean empty silent pillars and buildings (yes, cats have every right to reside in our neighbourhood as well).

2. I believe that tolerance and education is the way to go, and NOT teaching our children social and racial bias (and that includes throwing bags of water and urine at the foreign workers, you stinking Singaporean!)

3. I believe that we should raise our children in natural environments and teach them to navigate from there, NOT raise them in a sterile unnatural one (so that they won't die and run to mama when they go into the wide world of their own!)

What disturbs me is once again our instinctive reaction to demonize that which is racially and culturally different from us. What disturbs me again is the PM's soothing words of 'you see...they contribute significantly to our economy..' to placate the people.

Must we often be reminded of monetary and economic value to have tolerance in place? How about we allow the foreign workers to continue with their revelry because they are humans, they need enjoyment, and they basically love community, especially in a faraway land? Do we get rid of our elderly if they 'do not contribute significantly to our economy?' (but yes, we do don't we, except for the rich ones).

I understand the residents' concern for basic safety, that some of the workers get drunk, urinate and they litter. I believe that rather than turn aggressive, one can speak to the town council and suggest that they speak to the companies to educate the workers. Complaining and displaying revulsion to and fear of them does not speak of us well as an apparently civilized and educated society and to those with precious babes with them, as parents. After all, if the PM has said that they have contributed to our society, we should also display understanding of their needs. I believe that the workers go to the void deck because they have no other place to go for their merrymaking (yes, suggest a pub would you), and you know something, I don't think they are the worst culprits of littering (psss..who have been keeping our neighbourhoods clean, despite Ah Boy's frequent littering and Ah Pek's obsessive spitting?)

Noise and laughter need not be restricted to parties and 'designated areas' you know. A true neighbourhood shows that they can and should be found anywhere. Now that is what I truely call the Life of the party.