My sister was heading to work one day when she saw an elderly with a Filipino maid.
Yes, nothing was wrong until the maid starts screaming and shouting at the elderly who had told the maid that she could not walk any further and needed to rest.
What the maid had said exactly?
"Who do you think you are?? I'm going to leave you behind."
I would love to curse and swear at that woman.
Firstly, she forgot that she is merely a maid.
Yes, a domestic helper written on her work permit.
Secondly, she forgot that that elderly lady is her employer.
Thirdly, she forgot that she will someday grow old.
And God is fair so she will have her own fair share.
Fourthly, she forgot that she is working in Singapore and we are law abiding citizens.
As much as I am disgusted with maids coming to Singapore and having affairs with Bangladesh or Vietnamese laboured workers, there is not much I can say.
They are human.
They want relationships.
They crave for the attention since home is so far.
They can kelentong their employers so they won't get caught.
Fair enough.
THAT I shall leave it to them and their human consciousness.
I don't care.
But elderly abuse?
NO WAY!
I know an elderly whom I love deeply was abused by the maid and family or whatsoever.
Yet, there was nothing I could do because the elderly was senile and could not speak.
I could not gather anything so evidence was flimsy.
But God is great.
By the time there was enough evidence, it attracted the social services attention.
The thing is, you cannot expect the elderly to talk back to the maid, scold her or do as she pleases.
She is old and hence at the mercy of those younger than her and relents to the abuse.
But we, us as a society are able to do something.
Approach her, get her work permit number and send a complain to the embassy.
If the maid refuses, you may call the police.
Do it for the sake of the elderly.
Someday, especially when you are old, you may need help from a stranger too.
The law in Singapore protects anyone residing in their country.
There are maids who fake abuse and they get to be headliners in the tabloids.
Indonesian maids especially.
They are known for being so nasty and rebellious that employers eventually vents their anger on them.
If the law protects foreign workers, then it goes without saying that the law should protects us as well.
While maids and labourers are briefed about the working laws in Singapore, I hope the country emphasizes the importance vice versa because I was oblivious about this as well until we discussed it on Twitter.
I am not a hypocrite.
My family engaged a maid to clean my house, iron our clothes, make our rooms, packs me food, get my drinks and shoes ready at the door when I leave home. Get my glass of water in my room when I get home.
I still address her as my maid.
So it is really no difference trying to call her my helper.
She chose to be employed as a maid.
We pay her salary as a maid.
It is the same theory as anyone being paid as a customer service officer or a cashier or a storekeeper.
That title sticks to you until you get out of a role and move.
A cleaner will always be a cleaner.
You can call a cleaner an Environmental Engineer if it makes you feel better but you will still treat him like a cleaner.
Worse, cleaners are usually cranky and grumpy, which will turn you off and is largely why they remain where they are.
To be honest, how much humility do we really have in all of us?
Never a 100% and to be honest, it too may not be one of my greatest virtue.
We (silently) differentiate ourselves in race, employment, income, cars, houses, bags, shoes, clothes etc etc.
But we too need to remember that regardless of their status, all of us are human.
Being humane is mandatory.
Being nice is secondary.
Get my drift?
