Foreign worker refuses to sit on bus stop bench to have lunch in fear of dirtying the seat

Amidst the contentious (and honestly ungracious) decision made by Wisma Atria shopping mall on banning construction workers from using its public toilets, one Singaporean’s encounter with a worker plucked the heartstrings of many. 

Andriko Ali — who goes by Iko Pai Kia on Facebook — recently posted about the time he saw a construction worker squatting on the wet pavement while eating his lunch. This despite the fact that there was a bus stop bench readily available near him. 

Speaking to The Straits Times, Andriko said that though he didn’t expect the post to go viral, he urged Singaporeans not to judge foreign workers too quickly as they’ve played a part in helping to build the country. 

The issue of foreign migrants and the perceived social conflicts unfairly associated with them has been a hot topic in recent months, with the biggest one appearing in Parliament.

Member of Parliament Denise Phua referred to South Asian workers congregating in Little India on their days off as “walking time-bombs“, while also suggesting other alienating measures to keep them away from the populace. Surekha A. Yadav recently did a fine op-ed on the existence of apartheid, racism and classism in Singapore, check it out on the Malay Mail Online.