Beyond heroism: Sinkhole rescue prompts questions about how migrant workers are treated

Independent Singapore

2 days ago

SINGAPORE: As the silence of dawn on a typical Saturday dominates Singapore, the morning stillness was crushed when a gaping 3-metre-deep sinkhole swallowed a black Mazda on the road. While speechless bystanders jumbled for help, a group of migrant workers at an adjacent construction site did not falter and immediately lent a hand.
According to the latest BBC story, in just a few minutes, they had pitched a rope into the pit and dragged out the traumatised woman to safety. Video footage of the daring act spread like wildfire across social media. Praises were fast — 'heroes,' 'lifesavers,' 'brave souls.' But behind the viral minutes was a more profound, more painful reality about the people behind the heroics. A lifesaving act, a spotlight on inequality
Subbiah Pitchai Udaiyappan, the site honcho who led the rescue, told reporters, 'I was scared, but every feeling was that this woman must be rescued first.'
Udaiyappan has been working in Singapore for over two decades, and just like the other six men who assisted that day, he's part of the 'unseen' labour force that fuels one of Asia's wealthiest countries. They are the migrant workers who've reached over a million and mostly come from nations such as India, Myanmar, and Bangladesh, to take on the roughest, least wanted jobs in shipping, manufacturing, and construction. See also Pritam Singh updates: Another $700K paid to lawyers for AHTC trial
While the city-state's luminous horizon and economic strength have been built on their backs, their existence remains a world apart. They reside in jam-packed dorms far from the city's suburban areas, are paid as little as S$300 per month, and are habitually conveyed in the back of open-air trucks — a mode of transport that has been associated with numerous losses of lives in recent years.
As the image of the valiant rescue disappears into the next news series, the country found itself wrestling again with an ancient question – 'Why is it that the people Singapore relies on in its most defenceless moments are treated as 'throwaways' the rest of the time?' Gratitude or tokenism?
In the days ensuing the tragic episode, Singaporean bureaucrats presented the seven men with commemorative coins as awards to acknowledge their valour and daring. Some commended the gesture. Others saw it as a bare minimum.
'No amount of 'thanking' them for their heroism should excuse the exploitative economic model that oppresses them every day to sustain the lives we live in Singapore,' wrote activist Suraendher Kumarr.
Such sentiment reverberated online. While a few Singaporeans called for monetary compensation or even perpetual residency for the workers, others pushed back, contending that Singapore provides several prospects and better opportunities compared to their home countries, which should be enough.
A Redditor bluntly snapped: 'I spoke to one slave recently and he was full of praise for his master… This is what you would sound like in the American South circa 1860.'
Another netizen defended local treatment of workers, saying, 'Their pay is equivalent (or more) than a university grad back in their country… Our treatment towards them needs the change, not the pay.'
It's a discussion that's long festered in the city-state: 'Is offering economic opportunity sufficient when the structure still downgrades the very people society hinges on?' Beyond the headlines
Some Singaporeans attempted to go beyond giving applause. The non-profit 'It's Raining Raincoats' raised more than S$72,000 to recompense the seven men in the sinkhole rescue. Advocacy groups have introduced writing workshops, art expositions, and cultural interactions and conversations to bridge the social divide.
Thus far, total change remains vague. Work permit holders — unlike overseas professionals — have no route to permanent residency, irrespective of how long they've been staying in the country. They can't even tie the knot with Singaporeans without government consent.
The rulebooks mirror a vital rift — they are here to work, not to belong.
For a brief moment, these workers were heroes. But if Singapore is to truly honour them, it will take more than celebratory coins and social media thumbs up. It will take a change in policy making, challenging prejudices, and building a society where every individual — notwithstanding where they come from or how they got to Singapore — is treated with respect. Because occasionally, the marginalised people are the very ones who hold the centre together.