Singapore — Lawyer and opposition leader Lim Tean took to Facebook to speak up about how fake certificates and qualifications can pose as a detriment for Singaporeans.
In a recent Facebook post, he started by saying that fake certificates steal jobs from Singaporeans.
He added that fake qualifications and certificates are used by many foreigners to secure jobs in Singapore, depriving Singaporean citizens of positions.
“It has become the most fashionable and effective way to steal the breakfasts, lunches and dinners of Singaporean workers and their families,” Mr Lim wrote.
Earlier this Tuesday (Jul 27), two Indian nationals have been convicted for presenting fake qualifications to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) when applying for a work pass. Bailwal Sunil Dutt was sentenced to jail for one week, while Sutradhar Bijoy was sentenced to four weeks. They have been banned from working in Singapore permanently.
Indian nation Bhandare Raghavendra who is another work pass holder has been charged with the same offence as the two men and will show up in court on Aug 5.
Mr Lim urged the government to put more effort into tracking down such individuals who make use of false qualifications and end up depriving Singapore Citizens of jobs. He added that he believes there are thousands more with false qualifications and certificates in Singapore who are still yet to be caught and punished.
At the end of his post, Mr Lim established that it is the duty of the Singapore government to ensure that Singaporeans can continue putting food on their tables and that they do not have their jobs snatched by others who make use of false qualifications. This duty and responsibility should not be pushed to employers since it involves the interest of a nation.
You Zi Xuan is an intern at The Independent SG. /TISG