Singapore Also Can

But in 'all fields of human endeavour' lies human beings, from emperors to pariahs. Foreign domestic workers free up many citizens so they can contribute more to the economy. Take foreign domestic workers away both the economies of Singapore and Hong Kong will collapse. So will the exporting countries of these workers be similarly affected. In a way these workers are 'partners' (or unsung heroes) in a sphere of prosperity that will play a very significant role in the future of Singapore, Hong Kong, and this region.

 

It is understood now. Thanks Uncle Loh for highlighted my comment to the Moderator.

This thread is totally different with 'Malaysia Boleh Spirits' thread, where has been banned by Kwun due to more and more politic talks inside. But, i find it it would be better if the thread is remain for us, at least, one of a platform to get top know the things happened around Malaysia whether in the past or present, GOOD or BAD things, POSITIVE and NEGATIVE critics.....

I am truly sad about 'Singapore Also Can' since only great achievements that are allowed to be discussed. Other than that, all swept under the carpet, especially under Uncle Loh house's carpet.

I salute Uncle Loh for so patriotic and love his own country, Singapore.

Singapore Boleh!!

 

thank you for your sharing...my maid comes from indonesia...she had worked in singapore for 4 years before coming to work in hong kong

she told me that her master in Singapore was very very very very cruel to her:crying: ...from her description, i really couldn't believe that such thing could have been happened in this world!

 

To all and particularly my respected Uncle Loh and Moderators with due respect:

firstly, i think we need to recognize and ACCEPT that there are positive AND negative sides of things that are happening in a country.

secondly, we cannot just bury our head in the sand and merely keep on protraying a one-sided blooming picture to the world...it's like political indoctrination...thread on political indoctrination should be banned from this forum

if we accept that the world contains angel and evil, why can't we accept that the angel and evil are in Utopia and in Hong Kong or actually everywhere.

Thus: "Utopia also can...Utopia also can go wrong" will certainly provide a balanced view to the people in this world.

To conclude,
1) if uncle Loh insisted that only positive things can be said here, he had to pay an advertising fee for political indoctrination. Then he has exclusive right to sell a positive utopia.

2) If not, the other should be entitled to post their opinions without personal attacks.

3)I respect it very much if the Moderator have decided to close the thread because of politics and potect other minors from getting indoctrinated .

thanks

Zard.

 

I love Singapore Day.. i love to attend this kind of event. Even there is Indonesia Day or Malaysia Day.. best time to meet people.

 

Singapore suffered two major setbacks recently, both economic. Its flagship carrier SIA saw its 4Q profit dived 92%. Its state investment body Temasek incurred terrible losses from its Merrilli Lynch/Bank of America purchase and ultimate disposal.
Air Asia, a Malaysian budget airline operator, is expanding when others are down-sizing. I understand they have suddenly become Singapore's largest airline operator with many new international routes. Is this true? Are there other budget airline operators in Singapore?

 

JetStar and TigerAir. Both is not doing well.

 

It isn't true that badminton doesn't have any standing in this AYG.

In fact, all NSAs were encouraged to apply to partake in the AYG. However, only some sports took up the challenge. It is an opportunity for smaller NSAs to test their organisational and logistical capabilities in preparations for YOG next year.

I believe SBA is more or less equipped to ensure everything runs smoothly for YOG.

However, I am also disappointed that SBA decided not to host badminton for AYG.

 

Of course there are both good and bad employers and domestic helpers. After all they are human, just like all of us.
However, if you get feedback from domestic helpers about their ranking of countries, from preferred to bad, Singapore comes out better than Malaysia. This is solely due to better pay.
But when you compare Singapore with say Hong Kong, then Singapore comes out very poorly. In Hong Kong it is mandatory to give a domestic helper a day off every week, although some bad employers abuse this by giving them a day off once every two-weeks. In Singapore there is not a single day off for the helper. Also I think government levy on the employers is effectively a cut in the pay of the domestic helper-it is an abuse of power and it extracts a pound of flesh from the helper. Hong Kong is no different from Singapore in this shamless exploitation of the helpers, but Singapore is a bit too mean on this.
I have had many domestic helpers and they all get a day off every week. If they want to earn more money instead of taking their free day off, I always pay them. All the helpers I have had always end up being paid their long service gratuity. There are some bad employers who terminate their helpers before they are legally entitled to long service gratuity. But such employers get a very bad name among the domestic helpers. You will be surprised how fast the news of good and bad employers get passed around quickly.
Almost all helpers are short of money most of the time. That is why you can find many financial institutions trying to lend them money at very high interest rates. As the interest rates are so high the helpers never get out of debt. Employers should find out such needs of their helpers and advance them the money without any interest instead of seeing them being perpectually indebted to the financial companies.
Domestic helpers come from impoverished background. They leave behind a family with high expectations. Employers should make them feel at home. Things like introducing them to other helpers from the same country, bringing them to a mosque, encourage them to form a group of friends from like minded helpers. This make them feel more like being treated like a human being. Bad employers always give the excuse that when you introduce other helpers to their helpers, they will learn all sorts of bad things. This is nonsense.
My current helper is an Indonesian who has worked in Singapore, and she feels that she was treated like a slave there with not a single day off. Apparently, this is not illegal in Singapore, which is rather surprising.
She has been with me 3 years 5 months. She has from her earnings bought land, built a house, supports her unemployed husband, son, parents, sends her earnings home, bought cows and goats and her husband gives his village a feast twice a year as a form of thanks giving. I take great pride in seeing how her work has benefited her family and in a small way her country. I have also treated her to Hong Kong's Disneyland. You will be surprised that if you treat your helper like a human being you get a very good helper. But it is best for the State to be more fair-minded. If the State sets a good example, others will follow. How about passing a labour law that makes it mandatory to give a helper one day off every week? If her employer gets a day or even two days off in a week, why not the helpers?

 

Loh, Singapore has no written law allowing domestic helpers any day off in any two-year contract. Some helpers who have more bargaining power like those from the Philippines demand to have a day off once a month or once in two weeks if they are really indispensable. It is all up to the employers. In Hong Kong some tycoons pay a King's ransom to their helpers, but stories like this are too few to count. In Singapore helpers are also not entitled to any statutory public holidays. In Hong Kong helpers get the day off during a statutory public holiday. You have to pay them if they choose not to take a day off. You will be surprised how much more helpers can earn if you pay them in lieu of their once/week off day plus all the statutory public holidays.
I used to stay with one of my brothers when I visited Singapore but have stopped that. I now stay over in JB, whenever I visit Singapore, where I have another brother and a niece and either hop over to Singapore or my brother in Singapore comes over to JB to see me. We just felt uncomfortable about how their helper was being treated-a very formal master and slave relationship as he is very much like 'Chairman of the Board" type even in retirement.

 

I have had Chinese, Philippina, and Indonesian domestic helpers over the last 32 years in HK and I have not found a single one that is bad. I have been conned into signing two contracts with Philippina who had no interest to work for me, only to stay legally in HK. But I don't blame them as they had a desparate need to stay in HK for a short while. I suffered no losses.
One of my longest serving helpers is now a Canadian citizen, working as a nurse there. I helped her with her migration to Canada. I have also employed her two sisters one time or another over the years. All three sisters were invited to my son's wedding reception/dinner at the HK Island Shangrila some years back, and believe me they were very appreciative, because the costs involved were not insubstantial. They never fail to call me or my wife every year during our birthday.
I think bad helpers has more to do with how we treat them. Indonesians are very religious. If you disallow them to pray five times a day and/or fast during the Ramadan, do you expect them to be nice to you? If you have a large serving of assorted fruits after dinner and you do not give them an equal share, do you expect them to behave? My helper even gets an equal share of my very expensive dishes like abalone, top grade sea cucumbers, etc. I allow her to pray five times a day and to fast two days in every week in addition to the one month Ramadan fasting month. This in fact has made her more productive and more trustworthy. But many employers think otherwise, saying that they will be too weak, and will have less time, to work.