Social Justice and Migrant Workers
Reflections on “A Good Work for Migrant Workers”
By Alston Ng
At 7.55 pm on April 25, Singaporeans all across the island stood at their balconies and windows to join a nationwide choir and sing the all-time NDP favourite “Home.” The karaoke session, according to its organisers, was intended to “rally Singaporeans to show our support and appreciation for our healthcare and migrant workers.”
However welcome as a gesture of solidarity, I was afraid that this symbolism of ‘standing in solidarity’ might become an easy substitute for taking action to do the unenviable work of actually caring for the vulnerable and marginalised.
But that was perhaps not the case with the 50 odd TMC worshippers who had dedicated their evening that day to gather on Zoom, where they learnt how they could support the migrant worker community. Inspired by the notion of ‘reverse missions’ (i.e. ministering to the unchurched in our neighbourhoods), the Young Adults ministry (“A Good Work”) gathered Rev. Dr. Daniel Koh, Ps. Samuel Gift, Koh Shuwen, and Jillian Goh in a video conference to share biblical insights on and their personal experiences in caring for migrants.
To have garnered such a response in short notice was half the battle won. But the work ahead lies in translating ‘mere interest’ into ‘sheer effort’. And if there’s any encouragement, the conference indicated that there is indeed a groundswell of support from within TMC to do more for – borrowing Rev. Koh’s description – “the last, the least, and the lost.”
As one of our TMC participants aptly observed, to maintain ‘neutrality’ in a time where thousands are living hand-to-mouth and staring down in dismay at the inevitability of falling prey to Covid-19 is precisely the behaviour of the priest and the Levite in the parable of the good Samaritan. To quote South African theologian Desmond Tutu, “If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.” To be silent - to look away from a neighbour in need - is to be complicit in his suffering.
For starters, one way of getting involved would perhaps be to give generously and cheerfully to organizations like Ps. Samuel’s Hope Initiative Alliance (HIA), which currently provides food and other forms of relief to workers trapped in their dormitories. According to Ps. Samuel, the most urgent need now lies in factory-converted dorms. In some instances, residents in these dormitories are, in effect, abandoned by their employers to fend for themselves.
But beyond performing everyday gestures of kindness, I believe we need to look deeper – deeper within ourselves, deeper into the foundation of our economic structure, and deeper into our identity in Christ – to speak truth to power. I believe we need to recognise that the reason for the outbreak of Covid-19 in the dorms isn’t ‘poor hygiene’ or ‘uncivilized behaviour’ or ‘cultural problems’ on the part of the migrant workers, but our nation’s addiction to cheap labour in pursuit of prosperity. The result? Our modern society’s inability to view the migrant workers in our midst as anything more than what Rev. Koh calls “economic spare parts.”
Rev. Koh continues that we need not be politicians to “be prophetic and (speak out) against wrong policies, against mistreatment.” His diagnosis of contemporary Christianity is incisive and sobering: we might have perhaps become too ‘spiritualised’ with our heads up in the clouds, and so we forget what it means to keep our feet planted firmly on the ground, to be sent out as disciples, to love our neighbours.
And we need not look further than our own estates, our roads, our hawker centres to know that the migrant friends – some 1.4 million strong in tiny Singapore – are our neighbours.
To take the call to love our neighbours seriously, therefore, is to stand in solidarity with the workers by doing the thankless dirty work that love requires. ‘Lending our voice’ to the migrant workers’ cause must go beyond convenience, abstraction and the many clicks of ‘Like’ or ‘Share Now’ on Facebook.
To learn more about how you can meaningfully contribute to the migrant workers cause, you may get in touch with Ms. Cheryl Sim (cherylssim@gmail.com) and Mr. Jestyn Koh (jestyn.k@gmail.com). The graphic below, graciously created by Ms. Xinnie Ng, summarises what was discussed during the video conference. Additional notes and references to other relief organisations are also available at https://drive.google.com/drive/u/2/folders/10E3ENyqf-7IRob3x8PnDeqa1GfttlV3O.
