Workers’ Party chief Pritam Singh brought up a number of “ground realities” in his latest Facebook post, including a hoarding problem of an Eunos resident and the fire hazard it may cause, as well as workplace deaths among foreign workers.
Mr Singh, the Leader of the Opposition and MP for Aljunied GRC, said that he had personally talked to the resident regarding the hoarding issue.
“Last week, I asked aunty if she was ok for us to follow-up with her and if we could help her dispose some of the items within her flat, provided she was agreeable.”
He added that hoarding poses a real fire hazard, citing the recent case wherein one resident died. This has prompted the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council, the Members of Parliament, and town councillors to work alongside residents to keep common areas clutter-free.
However, in many hoarding cases, clutter is accumulated in residents’ homes, which is not within the control of the Town Council.
Mr Singh compassionately acknowledged that “The individual reality behind hoarding is complex. Some residents have a deep sense of ownership to their items while others want to retain keepsakes that connect them to their past.
These can be old bottles, magazines, and a vast array of what some or many of us would consider to be non-usable items.”
Officials, therefore, “move carefully and thoughtfully, and to the best of our ability since each case can be very different.”
He also recognized that the hoarding case he assisted with is just one among the many that social workers in local Family Service Centres and community organisations aid with.
Mr Singh then thanked the foreign workers and local cleaners who do the actual work of clearing much of the clutter.
“A big thank you to them and our residents too, who support our conservancy workers by helping to keep the estate litter-free,” he wrote.
He then went on to the topic of “tragic workplace deaths mainly affecting our foreign workers in Singapore over the last few days and weeks,” which he said had been talked about in the house visit the night before.
“I spoke at some length to the dwellers of one unit, six South Indian foreign workers who are in the construction industry. They all hold jobs in a supervisory capacity and it was reassuring to realize they take workplace safety very seriously.”
The WP chief added, “I really wish we see the back of this unfortunate spate of workplace fatalities soon. Because behind each accident is a person with loved ones back home. And they want to see their husband and/or daddy come back home safe.”
As of Aug 14, there have been 32 workplace deaths in Singapore for 2022. /TISG