Ever since Stay-Home Notices (SHNs) became a thing, Singaporeans have been taking to social media to share their comfortable hotel stays and sumptuous meals while they spent 14 days in a hotel to make sure they were Covid-19-free.
On the other hand, migrant workers have allegedly been living in cramped, unsanitary conditions, with Covid-19 spreading in dormitories forming new clusters.
Their lodging conditions were so shocking, even former diplomat Tommy Koh took to Facebook to express his disappointment.
Once again, a netizen has highlighted how differently migrant workers are treated, just by comparing two pictures of SHN meals in a Facebook post dated Wednesday (8 Apr).
The netizen uploaded 2 pictures of meals served to migrant workers and Singaporeans during their SHN.
You can probably guess which one was which.
Not only were migrant workers allegedly given “difficult-to-chew old vegetables”, the netizen also spoke of how meals clearly lacked nutritional value, consisting of a few chunks of greens and a small piece of meat.
The workers had allegedly received “sour”, “spoiled” food before, too.
The more decadent of the 2 meals was what a Singaporean reportedly enjoyed while serving his or her SHN. From the picture shared, it looks like they had at least 4 different dishes, some fresh fruits, a bottle of water and even a jar of chili sauce to go with their meal.
Honestly, it looks like way more than enough for one person.
The pictures shared were enough to elicit responses from many other netizens.
Many were concerned for migrant workers, and disappointed that they weren’t given better meals. They are as deserving of a comfortable SHN and good food as anyone, regardless of their nationality or societal standing.
The plight of migrant workers has mostly gone unseen in Singapore for far too long. Sadly it’s taken a pandemic to bring them to light. At least now we can finally look into these inequalities, and implement changes for the better, as shared by this netizen.
Some netizens even posted links on how to help the migrant worker community, which you can access here.
It’s unfortunate that this issue has only been uncovered as of late. However, we’re better informed about it now and this will probably cause conditions to change for good.
Singapore wouldn’t be where it is today without the contribution of millions of migrant workers. They are an integral part of society, yet they’ve gone unseen and at times even mistreated due to prejudice.
Now more than ever, they need our support. Here’s another article you can read for more ways to help them out.
Even if you’re not able to contribute in monetary ways, just showing you care with a smile or wave is enough.
Migrant workers are people too, and they go a great deal for our country. It’s about time we start giving them the respect and appreciation they deserve.
Featured image adapted from Facebook.
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