It takes only one article from States Times Review to have the Singapore government sitting up and dealing with a decade-old problem. Alex Tan’s warning of a foreign worker riot is nothing short of a genius stroke.
In a day after his article warning about mental health issues from the massive confinement, the Singapore Ministry of Manpower activated all resources to clean up the dormitories. Bin collection tripled to three times a day, workers get snacks, more food and safe distancing was enforced. Face masks were immediately issued to all 19,800 foreign workers in the quarantined dormitories.
10 cleaners were immediately activated to S11 dormitory, which has the largest infection cluster. Toilets were cleaned at regular intervals, and the 12-bed room were reconfigured to reduce overcrowding in the sleeping quarters.
Unfortunately, the unsung hero received a POFMA order with the government threatening to jail Alex Tan with a 3 years’ jail and S$100,000 fine. The States Times Review editor is unfazed and said that he is unconcerned with the number of POFMA orders he gets. He is however glad to see the workers now have a better life.