Open Letter to President Tharman

Dear President Tharman Shanmugaratnam,

I hope you are well. The contents of this letter, though not a secret, is Singapore’s dirty little secret. Since our independence, we have overcome so much adversities and solved many problems. To be honest, if we put our minds to it, we can actually address this issue and be a world leader in how to deal with migrant workers. In Singapore, we have 2 sets of foreign labour (The Foreign Talent & The Foreign Expatriate). Both groups are present in Singapore to solve ONE main problem, fulfill Jobs that the local labour is not able to. The Foreign Talent is usually grossly underpaid, while the Foreign Expat is definitely handsomely paid, to say the least. We used to have this narrative that foreign talent are here because the local labour force do not wish to perform these jobs. Well, the reality is that locals do not wish to take up these jobs because the pay is peanuts.

Working in major industries such as construction, marine shipyard, and process (CMP), these migrant workers, who make up more than 15% of Singapore’s labour force, form the backbone of Singapore’s development and are an essential part of the economy.

1. Exorbitant Agent Fees
2. Misplaced Jobs / False Salaries
3. Food /Living Conditions / Health Insurance

Workers still pay exorbitant fees to Agents in their home countries. Its not uncommon for workers to get assigned to jobs that they did not even apply for or being paid salaries lower than what was informed to them. They have no choice but to accept it as they are usually in debt having borrowed monies to settle the Agent fees. Some workers spend their first 2-3 years working just to pay of their agent fee debts. Living conditions are still sub par. For those who are going to say otherwise that the dormitory situation has improved, the improvements are hollow. Would anyone of us be satisfied if any of our parents were to live in such conditions. The food situation needs a major overhaul. In fact, the food supply situation is appalling considering the first world country we claim that we are. They are not even second or third class in this country. They are excluded from society. Its ironic considering we are a migrant country.

These problems have been there for decades. The solutions are not easy. But neither are they impossible. I truly believe that that starting point is in recognising that they are indeed problems.

The first step to solving a problem is admitting there is one.

I am not merely loading everything on the President to solve this. I know enough capable individuals who are truly passionate about this issues. Ofcouse, if we had the weight of the presidential office behind our actions, this letter may end up being more than just words.

Should the President be willing to hear more, we even have a white paper with how we plan to solve this humanitarian problem.

Yours Truly
Thinesh Kurunathan

PS: We, the citizens of Singapore, pledge ourselves as one united people, regardless of race, language or religion, to build a democratic society based on justice and equality so as to achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation

PPS: We kept this letter intentionally short.

Contact Details
theguruproject.sg@gmail.com
65 9185 2251