TR EMERITUS

My back was aching from the cleaning, but the clinic was going to open in another hour and I couldn't stop to rest. Otherwise, I would be cleaning while the patients were walking in and it would be inconvenient to them. Unknown to most people, after I lost my job in the middle of June, I took up a cleaning job for about 2 weeks. A friend of mine had asked me if I knew anyone who could do some cleaning work for the clinic that he works at, as his cleaning lady was going on leave. I volunteered as I had just got out of a job, and I thought that it would be a useful experience to learn from. I had to clean for 6 days a week and it was a part-time job, which meant that I needed to clean for 4 hours a day. Every morning, I would start with cleaning the toilets, sweeping and mopping the floors and wiping the counter, tables, chairs and beds with Dettol. It was quite a big clinic, so it took several hours to get through the whole place. Before I had started cleaning, another cleaning auntie had shared with me on her experience. Once, when she was scrubbing the toilet bowl, as her brush went into the depths of the bowl, the shit which were stuck inside loosened and were released back into the toilet bowl. It was horrifying. On the first day of my job, I thought to myself if that would happened. When I was on the job, I would take breakfast every morning, and wonder to myself if I would see shit later, and if it would then overturn the appetite. I can imagine how you would need to train for a very strong stomach to handle that! Thankfully, on my first day, as I surveyed the three toilets - there was a male and female toilet, and a toilet for users on wheelchairs - the toilets were clean. The cleaning lady before me had been meticulous in her job and had obviously taken her job very seriously. She had different brushes for the different toilets, and had arranged her things very neatly. I felt that I had a responsibility to make sure that I upkeep what she did, and maintained the cleanliness. I scrubbed the toilet bowls, urinals and the floor and washed the basins with detergent. Later on, I also used detergent and bleach to mop the floors and Dettol to wipe the rest of the furniture. By the end of the two weeks, my hands and feet were very dry and there were signs of cracking. Everytime as I poured the washing powder onto the toilet bowl or floor, I thought to myself that this was what the cleaning aunties and uncles had to do almost everyday. I wondered what side effects it would have to their health. Not only that, they would also be in close contact with the lingering dirt and dust. So, you can imagine if the cleaning aunties and uncles were working for the past 30, 40 years of their lives, how this would have quite drastic effects to their health. I was only working for 2 weeks and I was already thinking about this. I wonder how it would be for someone who has to clean for several decades, knowing and bearing with the effects it can have on one's health. My Encounter With S*** Shit did come a few days into the job. One day, when I went to do my daily inspection of the toilets before I started cleaning them, I saw one of the toilet bowls with pieces of shit in it. I think the cleaning lady would be quite used to it by now and might have handled it better than I would. At home, we would ensure that our toilets are cleaned after each use, so the toilets were generally clean. Even if I were to use it, I would wash it clean after every use. Thus when I saw the pieces of shit stuck onto the inner walls of the toilet bowl, I started spraying water to wash it away. But it was a very resilient piece of shit! It just wouldn't go away no matter how I sprayed at it! Then, I thought to myself, why not sterilise it with the washing detergent, in the hope of "cleaning" it? What was I even thinking, right? But I did. So I poured washing powder on it, then washing detergent, and then bleach. But it still wouldn't go away! So, I thought, OK, let the detergent stay for now and hopefully that would make it easier to wash later on. I started scrubbing the floors and the other toilet bowls. But it was not long before I was worried if the shit would actually solidify further under the detergent which would make it more difficult to clean later on, and quickly used water to wash the detergent away. The shit remained, unmovable. I know, the whole cleaning the shit felt like a whole operation, right? Finally, I decided to leave it, wash the other parts of the toilet first and cleaned that toilet bowl the last. When I finally did, I scrubbed at the shit with the brush. Thankfully, it did go away with the scrubbing! The toilets that I was working with were generally well-maintained and the users also helped to keep it clean. But I can't help but imagine how the cleaners who had to spend their whole day cleaning toilets at the shopping malls, which were used by thousands of people everyday, and had to maintain it at daily intervals! Imagine the amount of shit splattered all over! It reminded me of how the toilets were well-maintained in some of the other countries that I had visited, in Australia, some parts of Europe, and in South Korea. This got me thinking - the cleanliness of our toilets isn't only the job and duty of the cleaning auntie or uncle, but also of all the users, to help maintain it, so that we do not stain the toilet bowl or cause the pee to be sprayed around. It meant that we should try to keep the toilets clean and wipe off any stray shit or pee, so that we could help keep the toilets clean. Perhaps the Japanese, for example, are more socially conscious of their responsibility, also because from young, children are taught to clean the toilets in their schools, so that they know how it would feel like to clean, and how it is thus appropriate for them to also make sure they do not dirty the toilets, and to keep it clean for the next person. This also reminded me of a teacher when I was in school, who actually brought a toilet seat to an assembly session, to teach us the methods to shit and pee properly, so that we could keep the toilets clean. I actually thought what he did was a really good lesson, but I don't think it ever caught on. Should Our Elderly Still Be Working In Menial Jobs In Their Golden Years? Back to my cleaning. By the end of the week, my back was aching badly. It felt sore. Even two weeks after I stopped cleaning, I still felt the soreness on my back. I've always thought that our elderly shouldn't be working in their later years, especially in menial jobs, and should be able to retire gracefully and with dignity. Now that I've actually worked as a cleaner, I am even more convinced that our elderly shouldn't be working as cleaners, as odd-job labourers or cans and cardboard collectors! In their old age, their bodies would be more tired and it would take longer for them to recover. I cannot imagine what it is like for them to have to clean, day in, day out, for 6 days of the week and as long as 12 hours a day! I don't think it's quite humane or respectful to treat our elderly in such a way! In other countries, say in South Korea, for the elderly, their idea of keeping active is to go trekking on the weekends. And if you travel on the metro, you would see the elderly dressed in their hiking gear on weekends, to go trekking in their mountains. And they would have earned enough before their retire to afford to buy the gear as well! However, in Singapore, I just don't think it's quite right that the idea of keeping active for our elderly is to clean at a coffee shop. In a way, I knew what it was like to work the whole day in a menial job. In the second week of cleaning, I was also helping my dad. So, I had to clean in the morning, rush home to scrub myself clean, then rush down to help my dad for another few hours. I had to stand around for the whole day. On the first day that after it happened, I woke up feeling really tired. My hands and legs were aching and I had to go through another day or standing, washing and moving around. I really didn't want to get out of bed. So, you can imagine what it's like for our elderly to work for the whole day and hardly resting, and how it would be quite unbelievable for them to have to do this, at their age, some as old as 60, 70 or 80! I really don't think it's right for us or for the government to allow this to happen to them. At the coffee shop, there is an old lady who is already 87. She would be at the coffee shop collecting cans almost every evening. When she sits down to eat, you can see her hands shake feebly. But she is still working. Once, I saw her trying to step on the cans to flatten them. But her legs no longer have the strength, and it was taking a long time, so I helped her to flatten them. A friend of mine came by and helped to collect cans for her, so that she could rest. Should We Pay Our Low-Income Workers Such Low Wages When Every Job Has Its Value? If you speak to many of the elderly, they would tell you that they want to be treated with respect and with dignity. Isn't that what all of us want? As such, it is honestly quite pathetic that we pay them such low wages and when they need help from the government, the government would give them a paltry amount, some as low as just $100 to use every month. Every person has dignity and wants to live with dignity. The very least we could do is to pay people well, and if they need help, not to throw them a little bit of cash but to actually give them enough to put them back on their feet. Otherwise, why would I even want to take money from you if it looks like I'm begging from you? As a cleaner, I was paid $20 for 4 hours. This meant that I was earning $5 an hour. This is already very low, but I understand that for some cleaners who were working 12 hour days, 6 days a week, and as late as last year, they were only earning $800 a month! This is even lesser than $3 an hour! And can you imagine that this hasn't changed for the past 20 years? I honestly cannot imagine how anyone in their right mind would allow this to happen. Actually, once you work as a cleaner, you begin to realise how even as a cleaner, you need to be committed to your job, to do your job well. You need to put in effort and it does require skills. Where are you going to clean today, how are you going to clean it, how do you work efficiently? These are all things to think about. And how do you clean the toilet as clean as you can? It requires skills, handwork, commitment and passion, even as a cleaner to do your job well. It's not some menial job that we should just chuck some people into. Just because we don't work in these jobs and we think they have little or no value, then decide to throw some random people to do the job and then give them low wages, doesn't mean they are deserving of this. Once we really do the jobs that they do, do we realise that their jobs are very important as well. I was comparing what I was previously doing in the office with cleaning. What makes cleaning lesser than what I was doing in the office? In fact, cleaning was so much more tiring. Sometimes you don't have time to rest, not like when we are in the office. Once you go on the job, you understand the value of the job and the worth of the people doing these jobs. I've always believed that low-income workers shouldn't be paid such low wages of $800 or $1,000. Now that I've worked as a cleaner, I truly believe that they deserve much higher wages, of at least $1,500. In fact, I still think that this is too low. I would think for the current cost of living in Singapore, they should be paid at least $2,000. Recently, if you've read an article on The Online Citizen, they had found how a cleaning company, with contracts with the government, is earning millions in profits. If they increase the wages of their workers by twice over, they would still be earning millions! Makes you wonder if we should be paying our cleaners only $1,000 when these companies can pay them $2,000 and still earn very comfortably. If our government does not want to enact laws to protect their wages in spite of the clear imbalance, I really question what the government is doing for the citizens. We Need To Protect Our Low-Income Workers What I find worrying too is that in some of these jobs, they might be contract positions, or you might only be paid if you work. If you don't, you don't get paid. On the second week of the job, I fell sick on one of the days. I came down with fever and a flu. I couldn't go to work. Imagine for someone who was earning only $3 an hour, every hour sick is every hour wasted which could help to earn even as little! They might also not have additional insurance from the company or not be able to afford to buy insurance. So, if they had to see the doctor or go to the hospital, each such decision is a very tedious one! A low-income person might choose not to spend $40 or $50 to see the doctor, because he would have to lose a day of earnings or two, just to see the doctor! And if you had to go to the hospital, you might have to lose half a month of what you earn just to go to the hospital. Already, $1,000 is barely enough to survive on. Thus a person might put off even seeing the doctor, and fall sicker and sicker. Makes you wonder, if it's right that the government continues to spend only 30% of total health expenditure when other countries with prices as high as Singapore would see their governments spend as much as 85% on total health expenditure. Learning To Respect All Workers Because All Of Us Have Our Value After two weeks of cleaning, I am so much more convinced that we need to pay our low-income workers well. If wages had caught up with inflation and has rose as fast as that of the highest-income, the minimum anyone in Singapore should earn today is $2,000. But today, there could still be as many as 40% of Singaporeans who earn less than $2,000. After working as a cleaner, you realise every job has its value, every person has their worth and that no matter what job you do, it takes effort and skills. And it's a job that requires your commitment and your passion to do well in. Commonly, we think that some jobs do not require skills but once you work in the job, you realise it requires a special set of skills which you never knew was needed, until you actually do the job yourself. Then, you learn to respect the job for what it is and the people who do the job for who they are. I do appreciate taking up the job as a cleaner. It gave me a very valuable insight which you would not have, unless you take on the job by yourself. It gives you a new found respect for our cleaners, and our low-income workers. It gives you the realisation that they deserve our every respect. Some people look down on people who take on menial jobs but when you really work in these jobs, you realise that they are every way as equal as we are and deserve as much respect, if not more than we do. And when you realise that, you will understand and be affirmed that we should pay everyone fair wages and appropriate wages, so that people can earn enough to live decently and with dignity. And by this, I mean at least $1,500 to $2,000, with Singapore's current cost of living. As I was working as a cleaner, I kept thinking to myself that the MPs and ministers need to work as a cleaner for at least 2 weeks or a month in their life. Once they do so, they will realise how it's hard work. Then, they will stop telling us that the $1,000 that they are paying to cleaners on their 'Progressive Wage Model' is good enough. It is not, when $1,000 is not enough to live on in Singapore and when some cleaning companies are earning millions in profits and have more than enough to give back to their workers, and still earn millions. Update On My Legal Case Also, a quick update, my pre-trial conference will be held tomorrow, on 17 July, at 2.30pm at Chamber 4A at the Supreme Court. It will be a close-door session where both sides will submit their affidavit. The prime minister has filed for a summary judgment, which means that he wants the court to pass the judgment without going through a court trial, and then go straight to asking the courts to award the damages. The court hearing will be held on 18 September at 10am. My lawyer, M Ravi, will fight the case for me and to resist the summary judgment.   Roy Ngerng * The author blogs at http://thehearttruths.com.    Read More →

MP Hri Kumar and Minister Yaacob Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC MP Hri Kumar appears to be challenging the decisions of NLB and Minister for Communications and Information, Dr Yaacob, to remove and destroy the 3 controversial children books from the public libraries: And Tango Makes Three The White Swan Express Who’s In My Family? They were withdrawn because they were deemed to be not “pro-family” by the Government. MP Hri Kumar posted a Facebook message yesterday (16 Jul), saying that he has no argument with NLB vetting books for public consumption, but he does not believe homosexuality "falls in the category of issues which should be excluded". He said NLB's response could have been to place the books in a separate section, where children can access them under adult supervision. He opined that excluding such books, or worse, destroying them, will send a confusing message about the role of the NLB. He wrote: I disagree with NLB’s decision to pulp the three children’s books. Here is why. I do not agree with the argument that destroying books is akin to censorship, and that all censorship is bad. There are some publications which clearly do not belong in our public libraries. There can be little argument that NLB should remove books which, say, encourage criminal acts or propagate racist doctrines. NLB’s officers must therefore be given some discretion to vet and exclude books. The real question is whether homosexuality falls in that category which should be excluded. This is where the conservative and pro-LGBT groups will never agree, and no amount of argument will make either side change its mind. As I have said previously, society will evolve on this issue and it is those who are not entrenched in either camp who will determine its direction. I do not believe homosexuality falls in the category of issues which should be excluded. In fact, neither does the NLB. It says it carries such books in the Adult section. But I think most neutrals would agree that children should read books with controversial themes supervised. I love to read to my 6 year old daughter. She will ask the most interesting questions, and have her own insights. It is a learning process for both of us. Like me, most parents consider reading to children a joy and a privilege. We take an active interest in explaining to and guiding our children on what they read, especially if the books raise difficult issues. And if parents prefer to keep such books away from their children or to tell their children that such books are “wrong”, so be it. That is their prerogative. Parents should be given an option. The solution could therefore be to have the books placed in a separate section, which children can only access with an adult present – much like a “PG” movie. Excluding such books, or worse, destroying them, sends an altogether different and confusing message about the role of the NLB. The NLB obviously has some work to do to repair its image, and make clear its mission. I hope it will not run away from this. This is a good opportunity for the NLB to explain its processes and consult the public on how it can serve it better. This is not going to be an easy exercise, and NLB cannot hope to please everyone. But it can demonstrate that it is open to all views and will do its best to find common ground. I think Singaporeans will appreciate that. Last Friday (11 Jul), Minister Yaacob wrote on his Facebook page explaining the Government’s position on the matter and why he supports NLB's decision to remove and destroy the books: I refer to NLB’s statement, “NLB Takes a Cautious Approach in Selecting Books for Children”. https://www.facebook.com/nlbsg/posts/10152225024695924 The withdrawal of the three children’s titles from our public libraries has sparked much discussion online and in the media. Those who object to NLB’s decision and those who support it are equally vocal and energetic in their views. This is not the first, nor will it be the last time that public institutions like NLB find themselves facing such a controversy. I wish to explain the Government’s approach, in the hope that this will help all sides understand what the withdrawal is about – and what it is not about. Firstly, the withdrawal was not based on a single complaint, without an attempt to assess the merits of the complaint. NLB has a process where its officers carefully consider such feedback, before making a decision. Secondly, this is a decision only with respect to the children’s section in the public libraries. NLB is not deciding what books children can or cannot read. That decision remains with the parents, as it always has been. People can buy these titles for their children if they wish. Rather, NLB has to decide what books should be made readily available to children, who are sometimes unsupervised, in the children’s section of our public libraries. For the adult sections of the library, the guidelines for what is suitable are much wider, and a much wider range of titles are on the shelves. Thirdly, NLB’s decision was guided by community norms. Public libraries serve the community and it is right that they give consideration to community norms. The prevailing norms, which the overwhelming majority of Singaporeans accept, support teaching children about conventional families, but not about alternative, non-traditional families, which is what the books in question are about. This approach is shared between all public agencies dealing with the education and care of young Singaporeans. Like in other societies, there is considerable effort by some in Singapore to shift these norms, and equally strong pushback by those who don’t wish to see change. Societies are never static, and will change over time. But NLB’s approach is to reflect existing social norms, and not to challenge or seek to change them. Would Dr Yaacob recant his position and agree with MP Hri Kumar? Or would MP Hri Kumar back down later instead? After all, Dr Yaacob is the Vice-Chairman in the CEC of PAP. In terms of rank in the party, Dr Yaacob is the number 3 person after Secretary-General Lee Hsien Loong and Chairman Khaw Boon Wan. MP Hri Kumar is not even inside the CEC of PAP. What do you think?    Read More →

Commuter Chua He An: "After 40 mins of waiting.... " (Photo: Chua He An) I refer to the 14 Jul 2014 Straits Times letter “Be appreciative of Singapore's good public transport system” by Ms Gina Ng. Ms Ng wants those who complain about MRT delays or breakdowns to consider MRT’s 25 years of faithful good service and not take it for granted. But MRT delays, congestion and breakdowns have persisted for nearly three years already. It is not a one off delay or breakdown that Singaporeans can understand. How long must the delays or breakdowns persist before Ms Ng would agree to complain? 25 years? Ms Ng points to more buses being added to shorten peak hour waiting time. But what is the point of adding more buses when the roads are jammed during peak hours? Ms Ng cites her visitor friend often praising our public transport for its efficiency and convenience. Can Ms Ng also share where her friend comes from? Taipei or Timbuktu? Ms Ng praises Singapore trains as affordable, takes you anywhere and equipped with air conditioning. But the recent public transport study by Credo gives Singapore a lowly score of only 3 out of 10 for public transport affordability and 4 out of 10 for network density. The table below shows that when these two factors are considered, Singapore ranks lowly amongst First World cities. City Affordability Network density Average Hong Kong 5.5 10 7.8 New York 5 8 6.5 Tokyo 5 8 6.5 Vienna 2 10 6 Stockholm 1.5 10 5.8 London 1.5 9 5.3 Madrid 2.5 7 4.8 Berlin 2 7 4.5 Copenhagen 2 7 4.5 Seoul 6 3 4.5 Los Angeles 4 4 4 Melbourne 2 6 4 Sydney 2.5 5 3.8 Paris 3 4 3.5 Singapore 3 4 3.5 Toronto 3.8 3 3.4 Chicago 3 3 3 Ms Ng postulates that Singapore complainers have not experienced worse transport systems in other cities. But most First World cities have transport systems comparable to or better than ours. Is Ms Ng referring to worse transport systems in Third World countries? What’s the point of comparing with Third World countries? Do Singaporeans deserve Third World transport systems? If we do, then what’s the point of paying million dollar minister salaries and enduring their constant self praise? Ms Ng urges Singaporeans to appreciate and not take our transport system for granted. It is Ms Ng who should appreciate the situation as it is and not take Singaporeans’ good will for granted. Thank you Ng Kok Lim Straits Times, Be appreciative of Singapore's good public transport system, 14 Jul 2014 MANY Singaporeans use public transport daily. With a range of different MRT train lines and bus services available, travelling has been made easy for us. Many changes have also been made to improve our transport system, such as shortening the average waiting time during peak hours by increasing the frequency of trains and buses. However, many people still take our public transport system for granted. For example, when there are delays with MRT trains or bus services, people start to complain. And in the event of a train breakdown, people often show their unhappiness by posting negative comments on social media. The MRT system has been serving us for the past 27 years, and only in recent years has it started to show signs of its age, with breakdowns and delays. Those who complain about the system often ignore the fact that it had been serving us perfectly for the past 25 years! Our bus services have also improved over the years. Buses are either replaced or upgraded every few years. Most buses in Singapore are wheelchair-friendly, making it more convenient for those with disabilities to travel about. Buses here also have air-conditioning, and more buses have been added to facilitate the large number of users here, shortening the waiting time during peak hours. My friends who visit Singapore often praise our public transport system for its efficiency and convenience. It is affordable and the trains take you just about anywhere, and every new train station is equipped with air-conditioning. It could be that Singaporeans have not experienced the high costs and the inconvenience of less well-maintained transport systems in other cities, and so they fail to appreciate our local system. Singaporeans should not take things for granted, and should be more appreciative of our transport system. Gina Ng Hui Li (Ms)  Read More →