Serangoon Gardens.
Nestled amidst lush greenery and exuding old-world charm, it is an estate known for its laid-back tranquility, private residences, good food and quaint shop houses. It embodies a town stuck in the 70s; never quite catching up with urbanisation like the rest of the island. Never intending to, it seems. Quite happy to remain a self-sufficient little nook until it is thrust into the spotlight with its furore against housing foreign workers in an unused school compound.
Are the residents wrong in wanting to protect their homes and way of life? It is very natural to reject anything intrusive. Having a thousand foreign workers right there in the heart of this idyllic enclave does seem intrusive enough. But are the residents truly so wrong?
Conversely, are the foreign workers wrong to leave everything behind and try to eke out a living here? To be rejected before they set foot in the estate; to be petitioned against; to be perceived as trouble-makers; to be looked upon upon. Among them, I'm sure there are literate ones who are educated enough but chose menial labour here because of lack of opportunities back home. They are those who read the papers and who care about issues in society like you and me.
Both groups are not fundamentally wrong. Cicero says it very well "to each his own'. But can they co-exist peacefully? If the proposal becomes a reality, what then? A flurry of moving out, greater protestations and even street demonstrations?
An article in CatholicNews (Sept 28, 2008) by Fr Luke Fong touched me deeply. It says "Do not be afraid of foreign workers in the neighbourhood". It goes on to evoke our conscience with a heart-tugging hypothetical scenario: "
At the end of life, we find ourselves at heaven's door. Jesus comes to meet us. We are so glad to see him. We have waited for this moment all our lives. But then he says: "Remember, I wanted to live just 100 metres from your house, but you wanted me to live in Tuas and Choa Chu Kang. You were more concerned with the value of your property than your humanity. I gave you the opportunity to love me in the strangers from Myanmar, India, China and Thailand. But you rejected it and chose instead to go on annual foreign missions and to give generous financial donations on Mission Sunday. You came to the Adoration Room weekly to get close to me and yet when I wanted to sit next to you on Bus 317, you refused me."
Nestled amidst lush greenery and exuding old-world charm, it is an estate known for its laid-back tranquility, private residences, good food and quaint shop houses. It embodies a town stuck in the 70s; never quite catching up with urbanisation like the rest of the island. Never intending to, it seems. Quite happy to remain a self-sufficient little nook until it is thrust into the spotlight with its furore against housing foreign workers in an unused school compound.
Are the residents wrong in wanting to protect their homes and way of life? It is very natural to reject anything intrusive. Having a thousand foreign workers right there in the heart of this idyllic enclave does seem intrusive enough. But are the residents truly so wrong?
Conversely, are the foreign workers wrong to leave everything behind and try to eke out a living here? To be rejected before they set foot in the estate; to be petitioned against; to be perceived as trouble-makers; to be looked upon upon. Among them, I'm sure there are literate ones who are educated enough but chose menial labour here because of lack of opportunities back home. They are those who read the papers and who care about issues in society like you and me.
Both groups are not fundamentally wrong. Cicero says it very well "to each his own'. But can they co-exist peacefully? If the proposal becomes a reality, what then? A flurry of moving out, greater protestations and even street demonstrations?
An article in CatholicNews (Sept 28, 2008) by Fr Luke Fong touched me deeply. It says "Do not be afraid of foreign workers in the neighbourhood". It goes on to evoke our conscience with a heart-tugging hypothetical scenario: "
At the end of life, we find ourselves at heaven's door. Jesus comes to meet us. We are so glad to see him. We have waited for this moment all our lives. But then he says: "Remember, I wanted to live just 100 metres from your house, but you wanted me to live in Tuas and Choa Chu Kang. You were more concerned with the value of your property than your humanity. I gave you the opportunity to love me in the strangers from Myanmar, India, China and Thailand. But you rejected it and chose instead to go on annual foreign missions and to give generous financial donations on Mission Sunday. You came to the Adoration Room weekly to get close to me and yet when I wanted to sit next to you on Bus 317, you refused me."
How often have we tried to do grand and visible things God's name but forget the suffering in our own backyard? Have we forgotten that a foreign worker is also someone's son, someone's brother, someone's father? When it rains, he feels the cold. When the sun's out, he feels the warmth. When pricked with a needle, he bleeds.
When denied and rejected, he bleeds too. In his heart this time and the wounds might never heal.
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