I am deeply concerned about the predicament of thousands of Malaysian workers stranded in Singapore following the announcement of its “circuit breaker” measure from 7 April to 4 May to curb the spread of Coronavirus in the island republic.
According to a news report dated 20 April 2020 in the South China Morning Post, these unfortunate workers have been asked to take unpaid leave and are legally barred from taking up any part-time jobs while waiting for the situation to return to normal.
I have been told that they are hesitant to return to Malaysia for fear that they will be unable to go back to Singapore, thus putting them in a Catch 22 situation. The problem was not caused by them and they cannot resolve it because of the prevailing extenuating circumstances brought about by the pandemic.
The Malaysian Director-General of Health Ministry Dato Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah has urged these workers to remain in Singapore as he feared their return will cause the spike of Covid-19 cases in Malaysia.
However, with the rapid increase of Covid-19 cases in Singapore over the last few days where it reached a record jump 1,426 cases in the last 24 hours (20 April 2020), it has caused much anxiety among Malaysians there, especially the blue-collar workers in the non-essential businesses which were ordered to shut down.
Sadly, thousands of these workers are in dire straits, being stranded in Singapore without any income and proper accommodation. Since the Malaysian government ordered them to remain in the island for two more weeks from 7 April 2020, the onus is on the Malaysian federal authorities to help them out pending their return. The Malaysian government has a moral and legal obligation to ensure their well-being at all times.
According to the Singapore Straits Times, there are at least 45,000 Malaysians across the Causeway, many of whom are looking to return home. However, they must possess a Covid-free medical certificate or be quarantined if they fly back to Malaysia.
On the other hand, I appeal to the Singapore government, as the host country, to make reasonable provisions to facilitate providing free covid-19 swab-tests for these workers so that those found negative could be issued with a certificate confirming there eligibility to enter Malaysia, in line with the legal requirement for returning Malaysians.
It is undeniable that Malaysian workers have contributed in no small way to the present success of Singapore. They have contributed to CPF in a big way as well. I therefore appeal, yet again, to the Singapore government to consider granting them the same benefits as those enjoyed by Singaporean during the pandemic. This, if implement, would be a great relief to the thousands of workers caught up in this pandemic without any social safety net.
I also urge the Malaysian government to immediately assemble a special task force comprising representatives from the Foreign Ministry, Health Ministry and Home Ministry to look into the welfare of this large number of Malaysian blue-collar workers in Singapore or facilitate their return to Malaysia as soon as possible.
Teresa Kok