On recognising foreign workers' contributions
Rabbit rescue reveals workers' real character
I REFER to the letter by Mr Arthur Lim 'Appreciate the good foreign workers do' (The New Paper, 24 Aug).
26 August 2009
I fully agree that it is time we give some recognition and credit to foreign workers who have contributed to the development of Singapore.
Sometime last year, I received information that a rabbit was seen roaming around a construction site in Bishan.
I went there to find out more about it. I was initially apprehensive that either the rabbit would have met with an accident or would have ended up as a meal for the workers there.
After waiting at the worksite for a while for a fellow bunny rescuer, I asked the foreman about the rabbit.
I must admit it was unnerving to be among so many foreign workers who were probably wondering what I was doing there.
I barely managed to communicate with them in basic English, but they quickly understood my intention and sprung into action to locate the rabbit.
Apparently, they have been feeding the bunny for the past three months.
After a three-hour search we managed to locate the rabbit.
I offered to buy them drinks as a token of my appreciation, and they agreed eventually after declining politely at first.
I learnt a few lessons from this saga.
I shouldn't have assumed that the workers would have eaten the rabbit, simply because of a notion based on hearsay.
Our complacency has made us so selfish that even in emergencies, all we are concerned about is to take photos and note down 4D numbers.
We sometimes turn a blind eye to cries for help, even in times when it doesn't cost anything to make a call for assistance.
These are times, when shunned foreign workers are first on the scene to help out people who have been in an accident.
Isn't it sad that in times of danger, it's people not related to us who risk their lives to help, instead of those who share a closer, common trait?
Let's start to look at these people in a different light.
FROM READER DELPHINE GOH
Charlie, a construction worker from India, fed this abandoned cat until she acquired a liking for curry rice! She was later brought for neutering, boarded and then rehomed!The cat, named Cai-Lee (after Char-Lie), was adopted by Mary, who took this photo on 11th August 2009
