I saw...
I was having a late dinner at Hougang just now. While having dinner, I saw an old man, with a green t shirt, a cap and a cloth.
He was limping towards an empty table, with a cloth in hand, started wiping the table while clearing up the empty plates.
The old man looks to be around 60 to 70. The wrinkles on his face marks the path of time. His hands, wrinkled, with green veins popping out. He shuffled with a limp, as if every effort to move requires him to exert every muscle in his office.
He had a tired look, his eyes, as if resigned to fate.
His trembling hands carried the empty plates and bowls, with the dirty cloth in hand, shuffling and limping towards the collection point.
At the collection point, there was this young man. Fit and strong, standing down there, having the easy job of sorting the plates and bowls. If the plates and bowls are not empty, he would just poured them into a trash bin and sort them accordingly.
A job that even a three year old or a elderly that could do.
The old man handed over the plates and bowls and continue shuffling to another table.
However before he could move, a stout, pot bellied Indian stopped the old man. He gestured towards the old man and for awhile, the old man watched him intently.
Without a word, the old man took a bag of plastic bags and proceed to stock up the stalls. While the old man was busy, the stout pot bellied Indian was eating nuts and chatting with other cleaners. Young and fit Indians.
It was not long before there was another empty table. The stout pot bellied Indian called to the old man and pointed to the empty table. Gesturing to the old man to stop stocking up the stall and wants him to clear the table immediately.
The old man, without a word, a complaint, set down the plastic bags to one side neatly, shuffled and limped towards the table. While the stout pot bellied Indian continue chatting with the Young and Fit cleaner.
My heart broke when I saw that scene.
This is a man who had gone through life almost more than any of the cleaners being deployed.
This is a Singaporean, who MM Lee has mentioned, the generation that remembered, the generation which built the foundation of our modern Singapore.
This is an individual who had to struggle with such little dignity and pride, in order to survive in our country.
With the FT lording over the old man, while being biased towards his own fellow country man, is this the Singapore that we want to see?
While the Fit and Young man at the sorting station stands down there and do simple job, the old man has to shuffle and limp around.
A bloody contrast, a young FT having an easier job than an old Singaporean.
What has the country done for the generation that Remembered, Contributed, Built and Brought our glory today? Is this the future that you want to see? Is this the way of how the country treated the contributors?
Is this what we really wanted and is this how we take care of the ones who had help built what we are today?
He was limping towards an empty table, with a cloth in hand, started wiping the table while clearing up the empty plates.
The old man looks to be around 60 to 70. The wrinkles on his face marks the path of time. His hands, wrinkled, with green veins popping out. He shuffled with a limp, as if every effort to move requires him to exert every muscle in his office.
He had a tired look, his eyes, as if resigned to fate.
His trembling hands carried the empty plates and bowls, with the dirty cloth in hand, shuffling and limping towards the collection point.
At the collection point, there was this young man. Fit and strong, standing down there, having the easy job of sorting the plates and bowls. If the plates and bowls are not empty, he would just poured them into a trash bin and sort them accordingly.
A job that even a three year old or a elderly that could do.
The old man handed over the plates and bowls and continue shuffling to another table.
However before he could move, a stout, pot bellied Indian stopped the old man. He gestured towards the old man and for awhile, the old man watched him intently.
Without a word, the old man took a bag of plastic bags and proceed to stock up the stalls. While the old man was busy, the stout pot bellied Indian was eating nuts and chatting with other cleaners. Young and fit Indians.
It was not long before there was another empty table. The stout pot bellied Indian called to the old man and pointed to the empty table. Gesturing to the old man to stop stocking up the stall and wants him to clear the table immediately.
The old man, without a word, a complaint, set down the plastic bags to one side neatly, shuffled and limped towards the table. While the stout pot bellied Indian continue chatting with the Young and Fit cleaner.
My heart broke when I saw that scene.
This is a man who had gone through life almost more than any of the cleaners being deployed.
This is a Singaporean, who MM Lee has mentioned, the generation that remembered, the generation which built the foundation of our modern Singapore.
This is an individual who had to struggle with such little dignity and pride, in order to survive in our country.
With the FT lording over the old man, while being biased towards his own fellow country man, is this the Singapore that we want to see?
While the Fit and Young man at the sorting station stands down there and do simple job, the old man has to shuffle and limp around.
A bloody contrast, a young FT having an easier job than an old Singaporean.
What has the country done for the generation that Remembered, Contributed, Built and Brought our glory today? Is this the future that you want to see? Is this the way of how the country treated the contributors?
Is this what we really wanted and is this how we take care of the ones who had help built what we are today?
posted by ghostie | 11:32 PM
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