Discrimination is a Killer

Recently I read an opinion piece by Renee Graham, a Globe Columnist that stated “Being a person of color isn’t a risk factor for Corona Virus. Living in a racist country is”.

Racism is a killer. In a pandemic like the one we are in now, it can be a mass murderer. And despite of what we are facing now, discrimination is unstoppable. Don’t get me wrong, by quoting this, I’m not saying that Singapore is a racist country. Instead, I’m referring to some Singaporeans who don’t even think twice before they burst bubbles. It is not only about color, it’s wrong to treat people differently just because of their race, ethnicity, culture or profession; we’re all human beings. What I want to discuss here is discrimination against foreign workers.

Last Friday April 10, 2020, The Straits Times published an article that highlighted a Corona Virus update from dormitories – with 287 cases as the highest cases in a day. Reading the comments under the article I became very upset. There were comments along the line of: “better get all your maids to go for a test too and advice those workers to stop visiting their maid girlfriend” or “those workers should stop patronizing red light district for prostitutes” and “some foreign domestic helpers have Bangladeshi or Indian boyfriends, some sell themselves during their day off too, I see many helper on Skout asking men to pay her services”.

These comments are below the belt. If you have something to say, you can do it with good manners. We as domestic workers have no problem if we have to go and get tested, as this is for our own good. But before you say something harsh about FW’s (Foreign Workers-male) and MDW’s (Migrant Domestic Worker-female), think again.

Aren’t many Singaporeans also patronizing those red light districts? And how would those commenters know if helpers on Skout ask men to pay for their services, unless they were on it themselves, looking? If some of the helpers have Bangladeshi, Indian or whatever race boyfriends, what’s the problem with that? Are we not allowed to like or love them, just because we are helpers? Is that a crime?

As my co-writer Iya said in the anthology Our Homes, Our Stories: “Our hands has five fingers with different lengths, just  the same as every other person in Singapore.” These foreigners you are discriminating are  working hard, even if some employers maltreat them; because they want to give the best for their family back home..

If FW’s and MDW are showing some public display of affection, often people take photos, upload them on social media and let those netizens criticise it like they’ve done a horrible crime. Of course we understand right now we need to practice social distancing, but even before, this happened. It’s normal to show affection for a couple in a relationship. And if there are some helpers and foreign workers, who do more than they should do still, you can’t  think that all FW’s and MDW’s are the same. You never know what  they are going through – each person you meet has a story to tell, so instead of being judgemental, just listen well! It’s so unfair to judge  MDW and FW’s and exclude us from the things that human beings are free to do, just because we are helpers or construction workers.

I’m wondering if these people have ever imagined their lives without a foreign worker to collect their everyday trash, trim their garden, fix their leaking pipes, renovate the broken things inside their house, re-construct the road so that they can drive conveniently? Have they ever thought to figure out what to do in their everyday lives without a foreign helper to cook their meals, tidy their bed, clean their house, stay up late at night, when their kids are sick and look after them in their absence.

‘Do unto others as you would like them to do unto you’. Remember domestic workers and foreign workers are human beings that work hard. For them, this time of Covid-19 is as bad as for anyone, maybe worse. Don’t judge them without knowing them. They don’t deserve to be discriminated!

Written by Miriam

*Cover photo taken from CNN, all credits to the original photographer and is used for illustration purposes only