Bus Drivers

I am glad that there are several opinion pieces in the Straits Times about how we need to do 'soul-searching' over the recent SMRT strikes. But I cannot empathize. With the journalist I mean. Call me pretentious or hipster if you like, but I've never seen them differently. Common humanity has always been a strong ideal in my life. From the street sweeper to the CEO of Citibank, I believe that all should be treated with equal respect and dignity. The journalist says that 'we've all been there' when she describes how she abhors foreign workers and ignores them. That just screams auntie to me. I've always smiled at the cleaners in my school, the bus drivers on my way up the bus, I've spoken to strangers on the bus before, and of course to the numerous wise taxi drivers, and many a times given directions as I'm sure anyone would have with a smile. I cannot understand it that after so long, humanity is still climbing out of the dark ages of mindsets and culture. That so many still cling to discrimination and class.

When news broke of the strikes, I was not concerned at the illegality of it. I mean come on, seriously? The fact that there was even a possibility of wage discrimination in such a publicly regulated company disturbed me deeply. Yet the media don't seem to care as much as the poor Chinese workers do they? How can it be that in our 'first-world' transport system and economy, there exists an underbelly, a different society altogether that accepts wages close to the minimum wage in China (but facing the higher cost of living here)? If a country lays claim and ambition to becoming a first-world society, then all who reside should be given equal rights and ownership of public infrastructure.