Hundreds, if not thousands of Malaysian workers scrambled to enter Singapore before midnight last night (17 Mar), to evade the Movement Control Order.
From bus captains to office workers, the Causeway hadn’t seen a crowd as huge as this before. Among the people surging in was Ms Siti, a Malaysian who works as a cleaner in Singapore.
Like many others, she had no choice but to leave her family behind to continue working here during the lockdown.
With only a day to make preparations since the order was announced on Monday evening (16 Mar), Malaysian workers and their employers in Singapore had a lot to do in very little time.
Their main dilemma was between staying in Singapore, or going home and taking 2 weeks of no-pay leave.
For many whose families depend on their income here, the choice was clear.
Firms that desperately needed manpower gave workers time off yesterday (17 Mar) to settle whatever they have to back home.
One such worker was Ms Siti, who travelled to JB at 10am yesterday to “pack her clothes, [do] some home cooking and to make alternative care plans for her children while she’s away.”
A resident who stays in the area Ms Siti always works in shared the cleaner’s predicament on Facebook yesterday (17 Mar).
The post, which has garnered over 1,200 shares at the time of writing, generated many gracious comments from Singaporeans.
According to the resident, Ms Siti’s employer, cleaning company Veolia, has kindly arranged for free accommodation for her till 1 Apr.
She can thus continue working without worrying about foregoing her income or spending on a place to stay.
People like Ms Siti who make the long commute to Singapore every day to perform tasks that many locals here wouldn’t deserve more appreciation for their hard work.
Beyond that, her willingness to sacrifice time with her family to earn an honest living for them is a noble one.
For those who know such individuals, let’s do our best to help them settle in over the next 2 weeks.
This situation is difficult for them too, and they would probably appreciate any help they can get.
Featured image adapted from Facebook and The Star.
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