Written by: Isabel Phua (Photo by: Isabel Phua)

Does our love for others include low-wage migrant workers?

Xenophobia: an intense and/or irrational dislike or fear of foreigners.

I don’t deny that I used to be a xenophobe. I grew up well-acquainted with racism, as I would hear jokes about “blacker” people and people’s fear of Bangla construction workers. As a child, these Bangla workers were portrayed as scary perpetrators by others: “Don’t be naughty ah; if not, I will ask the Bangla worker to catch you!” I was taught to stay away from them, as they were perceived as “dangerous”.

It is commonplace in Singapore to complain about these low-wage migrant workers — coming from Bangladesh, China, Philippines and other nations — especially on public transport. “Very smelly leh.” “Why they talk so loud ah?” I used to get annoyed and offer hostile glares at Mainland Chinese workers whenever their heavily-accented bellows would resound through the SBS bus. Whenever I noticed construction workers at the void deck giving me long stares, I would writhe in disgust.

However, when I was 17, I started to develop a burden for the marginalised in Singapore society. This included the migrant workers who left everything behind to earn a higher wage in Singapore than their hometowns for the sake of providing for their families.

This burden grew when I did a five-month internship in Mauritius. I could work up to 14 hours everyday for a month, and my pay was a mere $200 per month (that works up to 80 cents per hour). My living conditions were infested with rats, gargantuan spiders, wasps, among other creatures. My ethnicity was also highlighted wherever I went as people would shout “Chinois!” (“Chinese” in French) at me in the supermarkets and some would muster “你好!” (“hello” in Mandarin) with such dreadful intonation. I even learnt the Creole language just so that I could understand what the locals were saying.

When I received my first pay cheque, I immediately exclaimed to myself: “Oh my gosh, I am just like a Bangla worker!” The brief five months spent in Mauritius grew my heart of empathy for the migrant workers in Singapore, as I managed to catch a glimpse of what their lives might be like, only that they have it much worse than me.

We cannot declare that we love God and His people, if we limit our love to those of a certain colour or stature. God’s heart is indiscriminate — He is no respecter of class, wealth, or ethnicity. He loves these migrant workers in the exact same measure as a Singaporean professional, and He implores us to extend our love to them. Especially when socialised in a culture full of prejudice against these migrant workers, I believe that we can begin with changing our mindsets and attitudes towards them.

In Luke 10, before the Good Samaritan helped the Jewish man, he had to overcome ethnic and social discrimination. He made a choice in going against whatever he had been taught about the Jews before nursing the injured man.

I can identify two challenges for us where these migrant workers are concerned:

1. Recognise their identities

Let us not assume that all chocolate-skinned construction workers are from Bangladesh and all domestic workers are from The Philippines. In the same way that Singaporean Chinese get outraged when others think that Singapore is “an island in China,” we need to find out more about their nationality and not label them under a facile blanket term.

When I was in Mauritius, I never failed to feel insulted whenever my work colleague would call me by my race instead of calling me by my name. It got to a point when I just stopped responding to people who reduced me to my skin colour. In the same way, whenever we get the opportunity to speak to a migrant worker, let us not label them as “pinoy,” or “Chinaman,” or “Bangla,” but spend the effort in learning their name(s) and addressing them by it, especially if you often see them at your office area or near your home.

It is also paramount to recognise their identities in the same way our Heavenly Father recognises them — as His people and children. We need to align our hearts with His and we need to take on God’s standards in how we speak to them.

In Luke 19:1-10, Jesus saw Zacchaeus, the tax collector, beyond his reputation and social status. He chose to stay at Zaccheaus’ house, in spite of people’s judgement that “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” Likewise, we will never reach out to these workers if we perceive ourselves of a higher social status. Many of us might differentiate ourselves from them based on our level of civility and education, yet many of these migrant workers actually have degree or diploma qualifications back home!

I personally got to know Prasanth, a construction worker who has a Diploma in Computer Engineering. He used to work at a British telecommunications firm in India, and decided to move to Singapore when he was promised a better paying job that was touted to be related to his field of expertise. Instead, he came here only to realise that it was a construction job that demanded him to work 14 hours a day. However, he did not let this setback hinder him from learning Japanese and English, so as to communicate with his Japanese boss. He now works in the office in the same construction company.

In the same way that God has called us by name, let us go beyond skin colour and socio-economic status in our interactions with people who are trapped at the margins of society.

2. Provide Practical Help

The Good Samaritan also provided practical help as he “went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine”. He “set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’” (Luke 10:33-35 ESV)

There were close to 30 deaths between January 2014 and June 2014 in the construction sector — five more deaths than in the same period last year. Major and minor workplace injuries also climbed to 6,284 in the first half of the year, up from 5,522 in the same period last year — this is a 14% increase. (The Straits Times, 2014) Many of these workers sustain injuries as they were exhausted from the long working hours and hence were not fully alert at work. (TODAY Online, 2014) In the case of injury, many companies have not only been unwilling to pay for their medical fees, but have sent them home without a legitimate reason. Some have prevented them from working, and this only means that they are put in a dilemmatic situation as they cannot remit money back home. Many have spiralled down into depression and have even committed suicide because of their dire situation.

Many of these workers are in a similar situation as the injured Jew, and desperately need someone to help back them up. In Deuteronomy 10:18-19 (NLT), the Jews also had foreigners living in their neighbourhoods, and God commanded that they need to show love to them and to help them practically by “[giving] them food and clothing.”

As a volunteer in an organisation that advocates for the dignity and rights of migrant workers in Singapore, I have come to learn about many of their urgent physical and emotional needs. Many of them owe huge sums to their employment agent back home. It is common for Bangladeshi construction workers to be charged an exorbitant $8,000, instead of the standardised, albeit unknown, $3,000. This has only driven them to work 365 days in a year in the determination to clear off their debt and to ensure that there is sufficient money sent home to their family.

I know of HDB estate bin cleaners who live in the dumpsters; forced to cook and eat beside the rubbish chute just because their employers have not found suitable housing for them. There are domestic workers who have not been paid their due wages, and there also are those who have suffered verbal and physical abuse from their employers. Yet, whenever I ask them about their thoughts of Singapore, all I hear are: “Singaporeans are all very nice,” “Singaporeans are so friendly,” and “We want to stay here.” Whenever I hear their jovial responses, I cannot help but apologise to them as they have been treated unfairly.

As Christians, we need to “defend the poor and fatherless,” we need to “do justice to the afflicted and needy,” and we need to “free them from the hand of the wicked.” (Psalm 82:3-4) The church in Singapore has to play a more significant role in alleviating poverty and injustice, especially when our nation has been incredibly blessed in many ways. Many Singaporeans are professionals (doctors, lawyers, social workers) and/or are financially blessed — these skills can prove to be helpful to the migrant workers, be it providing pro-bono services to injured migrant workers, donating a sum of money, starting a weekly commitment to bless a group of workers in your neighbourhood, or simply treating your foreign domestic helper better.

My prayer is that your heart will come to feel the pulse of God’s love for His beloved people as you align your heart to His. May your life model after the Good Samaritan — he did not stop at bandaging the Jew’s wounds, he went all the way in ensuring the recovery of the helpless.

If you would like to get involved in some way, here are some organisations:

www.home.org.sg

Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME), is an anti-trafficking organisation against human trafficking and labour exploitation.

www.twc2.org.sg

Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving conditions for estimated 1 million low-wage migrant workers in Singapore.

www.healthserve.org.sg

HealthServe is a non-profit community development organisation dedicated to serving the interests of the migrants, disadvantaged and poor in the local  community, regardless of ethnicity, gender, language and religion.

www.myhelper.sg

MYHELPER is a registered social enterprise dedicated to alleviating the debt burden of domestic helpers, ensuring their psycho-social well-being during their stay in Singapore, and providing them with skills that will enhance their employability after the end of their contracts.

[author] [author_image timthumb=’off’]https://selah.sg/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Isabel_bio.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]ISABEL doesn’t bother about brands, be it in terms of fashion or the chicken essence. She also has a heart for the nations. Catch a glimpse of this heart @ipxyyy.[/author_info] [/author]