The United Nations have dedicated this year's theme to upholding the ideal of “Equality: Reducing inequalities and advancing human rights”... The past two years since the pandemic broke out have exacerbated existing inequalities; whatever is left of our fundamental freedoms were also severely threatened... In our 2015 commentary, Think Centre highlighted the extensive and lingering presence of repressive draconian laws... it would have been unimaginable to think the situation could worsen.... the introduction of POFMA and FICA... only reflect the adversarial and suspicious attitudes and lack of faith in the citizenry by the incumbent political leaders...
Keep Reading →The 13th post-independence general election held last month on 10 July marked a remarkable and historic milestone in Singapore’s political development. Remarkable as it was held amid an ongoing global pandemic, historic for the largest voter turnout, the largest number of political parties contesting, and a respectable number of votes for alternate parties…. Singaporeans need to re-think about the adequacy of our current political system and prepare for discussions for reforms that will enable us to build a “new normal” that respects human rights and democratic participation… We should revert to single constituencies to allow each individual MP to achieve the mandate required to make it into the legislature… The welfare of workers both local and foreign which once had taken a backseat to the interests of shareholders and business owners became so bad that it could no longer be ignored. Migrant workers residing, or more correctly now, trapped, in dormitories were the hardest hit… The neglected segment of the workforce now contributes more than 94% of the total number of infections… The calls for electoral and political reforms are not made in a vacuum. Better political institutions and practices will almost always lead to better decisions that affects the daily socio-economic pressures Singaporeans face.
Keep Reading →The four recent reported instances of migrant workers who endangered their own lives, and in one case who was found dead, is an alarm that the authorities should heed and respond to accordingly... Many of them still live in crowded conditions, face prolonged uncertainty over employment and income, risk of infection, it would be inevitable that their mental health would suffer. Furthermore, current conditions also risk exacerbating pre-existing health issues, disability and disease among these workers... Think Centre reminds the government that Singapore is a signatory to the recent ASEAN Consensus on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers which obliges Singapore as a Receiving State to "protect the fundamental human rights, promote the welfare and uphold the human dignity of migrant workers through appropriate measures that ensure fair treatment towards migrant workers and prevent abuses, exploitation and violence towards them"...
Keep Reading →The pandemic has also exposed some old myths. With the Circuit Breaker in place, Work-From-Home has become the default norm. Services workers are now seen as very important to upkeep the sanitation and essential to keep the operations of supermarkets running. Even as cheers and claps for health care workers are replicated here, heroes being made out of food delivery workers and cleaners, there is a lag and gap in the national conversation to redress them through better wage structures and policies.
Keep Reading →Currently, the Singapore’s Constitution forbids discrimination only on grounds of religion, race, descent or place of birth. To align itself with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 on achieving gender equality, Singapore should 1. End all forms of discrimination against women and girls everywhere. 2. Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation. 3. Eliminate all harmful practices such as child, early and forced marriages. 4. Recognise and value unpaid care and domestic work. 5. Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life. 6. Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights.
Keep Reading →Our island state was founded more than 50 years ago on the basis of “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”. .. Half a century later, these very ideals have been eroded to the point where the livelihood of citizens are threatened ... wealth inequality has not improved in the last 5 years and income growth has slowed across the board except for the wealthiest. No matter how much assistance the government gives, there will always remain a segment of the population that cannot catch up. This is when social expenditure of the government must increase. .. The current exploitative nature of work is unsustainable where its workers clocked 2,371.2 hours in 2016, the longest in the world. .. It is ironic that the hardworking and old Singaporean workers cannot afford to retire even after a lifetime contributing to the nation’s economy. .. what then is the social contract of Singaporeans with regard to its employers and government?
Keep Reading →A pioneering leader in our struggle for independence against British rule, he was a leader of the Barisan Socialis, co-founder of the People’s Action Party, and an ardent trade unionist. Mr Fong Swee Suan left his mark on the early struggles for Singapore’s political freedom, self-determination and fight for the common workers’ dignity.
Keep Reading →Ever wondered how much the uncles and aunties who clean after we eat at food courts and hawker centres earn? The construction workers who build our homes, bridges and roads? Do we think that amount they get accurately reflects the true value of their contribution to our society and economy? 50 years of single-minded focus on economic development has made it almost impossible for a large segment of workers to find decent work and provide for their families. Most Singaporeans work amongst the longest hours in the world. Wages remain depressed and stagnant for many while companies continue to increase their profits. The only way for real productivity to increase is to strengthen and build the resilience of workers through real strategic investments in their skills and capability and not just as an afterthought. For the longest time, the benefit of a company’s increased profits has gone to shareholders and directors, who even with rising operational cost would rather pass the burden to the consumers and workers than deduct their own salaries, bonuses of directors and top management. We have enabled firms to make careless use of this cheap labour. To protect the workers adequately, we urge the government to harmonise the Labour Laws with International Labour Standards as reflected in the 1998 ILO Declaration which spells out the fundamental principles and rights at work. This is a similar call to many of the countries that made recommendations to our government at the recent Universal Periodic Review conducted by the United Nations in Geneva. Think Centre urges the Government to amend or remove outdated policies to protect the rights of all workers and their families.
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