The Queer Librarian: News, Information, Resources

The Straits Times, Sep 18, 2008

Let's get down to business

THESE articles in The Straits Times deserve commendation: Miss Li Xueying on religious diversity last Friday ('Tackling religious taboo'), Mr Wong Kim Hoh on transsexuals ('When papa became mama', Sept 6) and Miss Tan Hui Yee on migrant workers ('Standing up for foreign workers', Sept 10).

They are expressions of corporate social responsibility of your newspaper and are in line with the goals of major corporations, business tycoons and religious leaders. Your publication is world-class in promoting social responsibility in this part of the world.

It's time Singapore incorporates social responsibility in our culture. We have read much about our necessity to import foreign talent so that Singapore can become a financial, medical and research hub, and make its contribution to the global society. While appreciating foreign talent with great skills, we must not ignore foreign workers with less skills who work among us here.

The construction industry is highly dependent upon workers in this region who come here to work in tough, physically-demanding conditions. They build our buildings, lay our roads, clean our environment and yet find it so difficult to rest from their daily
labour with proper housing. Our domestic workers have left their own homes and family to work in ours, looking after our children and aged parents, and yet do not have a fair contract and time to rest.

People with different sexual orientations are being discriminated socially and economically even though they are our own fellow citizens.

Foreign sex workers come here to secure an income to feed their families in their poor rural societies. How do we show kindness, care and concern when we turn a deaf ear to the cries of such people in our midst?

Some corporations and a few churches are actively engaged in the alleviation of poverty, elimination of HIV/Aids - especially in the African countries - and reduction of global warming. Our own business establishments need to exercise corporate social responsibility.

Each of us can make a difference and work together to build a kind, caring and compassionate society.

- Rev Dr Yap Kim Hao

Source: The Straits Times
Copyright Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. Permission required for reproduction.