Integrate, not segregate
Integrate, not segregate
ST's senior political correspondent Lydia Lim wrote well on the issue of our treatment concerning the foreign workers in the light of the saga in a certain private residential area in this little red dot.
When I first read about the violent objections raised by the residents in this area (not that what they raised were not valid concerns), but I felt that some were fairly blown out of proportion and too much of stereotyping.
The picture together with this write-up on 14th Oct 2008 sums up our attitude towards these foreign workers. We had often fail to consider the human rights and benefits of these bunch of people. We had often put ourselves high above them and treated them in fairly demeaning manner. We had often been suspicious of them as if every single one of them are up to no good. We had also been utilitarian in our attitude - when we need them, we bid them come ... when our chores are completed, we tell them "GO" ... at the rate our society is going, I'm really worried about the kind of generation we are raising up ...
The writer also commended another neighborhood for their good work in integrating the foreign workers staying in their area to help patrol the area and organizing community activities which included them. This is what we should do if we want to be a gracious community and society.
I understand the valid concerns for security and so on, but taking a step to think about the sort of images our citizens had "procure" in the hearts of other nationalities, dare we to say we are not "tempted" sometimes, to defend ourselves and yell, "NO, we aren't what you had perceived us to be ... give us a chance to prove it ..." then where's the chance we should be giving to someone who needs our embrace and love when this country is where they can call their home while they are here??
ST's senior political correspondent Lydia Lim wrote well on the issue of our treatment concerning the foreign workers in the light of the saga in a certain private residential area in this little red dot.
When I first read about the violent objections raised by the residents in this area (not that what they raised were not valid concerns), but I felt that some were fairly blown out of proportion and too much of stereotyping.
The picture together with this write-up on 14th Oct 2008 sums up our attitude towards these foreign workers. We had often fail to consider the human rights and benefits of these bunch of people. We had often put ourselves high above them and treated them in fairly demeaning manner. We had often been suspicious of them as if every single one of them are up to no good. We had also been utilitarian in our attitude - when we need them, we bid them come ... when our chores are completed, we tell them "GO" ... at the rate our society is going, I'm really worried about the kind of generation we are raising up ...
The writer also commended another neighborhood for their good work in integrating the foreign workers staying in their area to help patrol the area and organizing community activities which included them. This is what we should do if we want to be a gracious community and society.
I understand the valid concerns for security and so on, but taking a step to think about the sort of images our citizens had "procure" in the hearts of other nationalities, dare we to say we are not "tempted" sometimes, to defend ourselves and yell, "NO, we aren't what you had perceived us to be ... give us a chance to prove it ..." then where's the chance we should be giving to someone who needs our embrace and love when this country is where they can call their home while they are here??
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