It is common on weekends to see dark-complexioned foreign workers shopping at NTUC FairPrice supermarkets.
In groups of two to three, they appear careful in deciding what they will buy and are often seen chatting among themselves. While they speak softly, they are far from diffident. They may be cautious about what they spend on but they do not appear hard-pressed.
This is a sight that never fails to move me and set me thinking……What is human dignity？ To have a sense of dignity, I think one should at least have the means to afford daily necessities and not suffer from feelings of inferiority due to poverty.
When I first came to Singapore, I was shocked and awed by the wide array of products displayed in supermarkets. I never knew one could be spoilt for choice！
As far as I can recall from my childhood memories, a shop was where one could buy soy sauces and vinegar. As for food, it was either bread or dianxin. Even when they had lost their freshness for being on the shelf for too long, they were still beyond the reach of me and my peers.
When I found a respectable job after completing university education, my salary was barely enough for meals after paying for transport fees, let alone for buying new clothes.
Which is why I often feel grateful to Singapore for giving me a sense of dignity.
When my father, an elderly man who has been self-reliant and self-disciplined all his life, sighed of late over being reduced to poverty by the rising cost of living and medical fees, it was the Singapore dollar which I converted into Renminbi that helped to preserve his self-respect.
I'm even more deeply indebted to Singapore for the self-esteem I enjoy as a woman. There is no sex discrimination here and people get equal pay for equal work. The familiar textbook principle of “to each according to his work” is a practice here.
Jobs are available if one is prepared to work hard. A woman who is economically independent is also psychologically independent - there is no need for her to rely on her husband or any man for that matter.
I can create my own universe if I'm so inclined and not just hold up “half the sky” as Mao Zedong has said.
Equality of men and women is not a slogan. There are many avenues for upgrading one's skills. By acquiring expertise in the latest technology and knowledge, I can compete with men on brain rather than brawn power.
Women are also protected by effective laws and are no longer the weaker sex. The sense of dignity is real, not just a notion. Domestic violence is not a family matter as the authorities will intervene.
My mother, a long-time women's rights worker in China, couldn't help recalling many past incidents when the culprits had gone unpunished for abusing and assaulting women, when she saw a picture in Lianhe Zaobao some time back that showed a wife-beater being taken away by the police.
Singapore has given foreigners like myself equal opportunities to pursue their dreams. It has given us not only the jobs that we need but also human dignity which cannot be bought.
。The writer who does accounting work, came to Singapore in 1997 and is now a Singapore citizen. Translated by Yap Gee Poh.
周末,在職總平價合作社,不時會看到面孔黝黑的客工在選購物品。他們?nèi)齼蓛?時而小聲商量,時而認(rèn)真挑選。他們的聲音雖小,卻不含卑下,神情雖謹(jǐn),卻絕不窘迫。
這情形常常令我感動頗深,駐足良久……什么是人的尊嚴(yán)？從容面對生活必需品,有足夠的財力和心理儲備應(yīng)對它,不必因阮囊羞澀而自慚形*,尊嚴(yán)才有了基礎(chǔ)。
記得剛剛來新加坡時,面對超級市場豐富的貨品,震撼繼而自卑。原來可以有這么多的選擇！兒時記憶中,商店是售賣醬油和醋的地方；食品只有兩樣——面包和點(diǎn)心。且不說它們常年擺在那里,僵硬而陳腐,對于我和周圍的人尚屬可望不可及。
等我大學(xué)畢業(yè)后有了一份體面的工作,拿到的薪水卻是搭了公車就不夠吃飯,遑論添衣。
常常感激新加坡給了我人的尊嚴(yán)。我的父親,一個自尊自律了一輩子的老人,面對高漲的生活費(fèi)和醫(yī)藥費(fèi),發(fā)出了“窮困潦倒”的悲嘆。若不是我以新加坡幣換成人民幣,他何以維持尊嚴(yán)？
更要感激新加坡給了我女性的尊嚴(yán)。這里沒有性別歧視,同工同酬。在新加坡,“按勞分配”這個熟悉的、書本上的詞走入生活。
只要勤勞,工作機(jī)會有的是,有了經(jīng)濟(jì)上的獨(dú)立才有精神上的獨(dú)立、人格上的獨(dú)立；不必依賴丈夫或某一個男人,不僅是“半邊天”,如果我喜歡,還可以撐起自己的一片藍(lán)天。男女平等不是一句口號,這里提供許多進(jìn)修提升的機(jī)會,掌握現(xiàn)代科技和知識令我不用在體力上與男性一較高下。
健全的法律保護(hù)女性,她們不再是弱者,尊嚴(yán)是實(shí)實(shí)在在的。家庭暴力在新加坡不是家務(wù)事,有人管。我的母親,一個中國資深的維護(hù)婦女權(quán)益工作者,看了《聯(lián)合早報》上丈夫毆打妻子被警察當(dāng)場帶走的新聞,忍不住講起一件又一件婦女被殘害的往事,兩相對照,感嘆噓噓。
美麗的花園城市,清新的小島之國,你給了異鄉(xiāng)人平等,給了我們機(jī)會,還給了我們理想,不僅給了我們工作,更有千金難買的寶貴的尊嚴(yán)！
。作者在1997年來新,現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)是新加坡公民。目前從事會計工作
In groups of two to three, they appear careful in deciding what they will buy and are often seen chatting among themselves. While they speak softly, they are far from diffident. They may be cautious about what they spend on but they do not appear hard-pressed.
This is a sight that never fails to move me and set me thinking……What is human dignity？ To have a sense of dignity, I think one should at least have the means to afford daily necessities and not suffer from feelings of inferiority due to poverty.
When I first came to Singapore, I was shocked and awed by the wide array of products displayed in supermarkets. I never knew one could be spoilt for choice！
As far as I can recall from my childhood memories, a shop was where one could buy soy sauces and vinegar. As for food, it was either bread or dianxin. Even when they had lost their freshness for being on the shelf for too long, they were still beyond the reach of me and my peers.
When I found a respectable job after completing university education, my salary was barely enough for meals after paying for transport fees, let alone for buying new clothes.
Which is why I often feel grateful to Singapore for giving me a sense of dignity.
When my father, an elderly man who has been self-reliant and self-disciplined all his life, sighed of late over being reduced to poverty by the rising cost of living and medical fees, it was the Singapore dollar which I converted into Renminbi that helped to preserve his self-respect.
I'm even more deeply indebted to Singapore for the self-esteem I enjoy as a woman. There is no sex discrimination here and people get equal pay for equal work. The familiar textbook principle of “to each according to his work” is a practice here.
Jobs are available if one is prepared to work hard. A woman who is economically independent is also psychologically independent - there is no need for her to rely on her husband or any man for that matter.
I can create my own universe if I'm so inclined and not just hold up “half the sky” as Mao Zedong has said.
Equality of men and women is not a slogan. There are many avenues for upgrading one's skills. By acquiring expertise in the latest technology and knowledge, I can compete with men on brain rather than brawn power.
Women are also protected by effective laws and are no longer the weaker sex. The sense of dignity is real, not just a notion. Domestic violence is not a family matter as the authorities will intervene.
My mother, a long-time women's rights worker in China, couldn't help recalling many past incidents when the culprits had gone unpunished for abusing and assaulting women, when she saw a picture in Lianhe Zaobao some time back that showed a wife-beater being taken away by the police.
Singapore has given foreigners like myself equal opportunities to pursue their dreams. It has given us not only the jobs that we need but also human dignity which cannot be bought.
。The writer who does accounting work, came to Singapore in 1997 and is now a Singapore citizen. Translated by Yap Gee Poh.
周末,在職總平價合作社,不時會看到面孔黝黑的客工在選購物品。他們?nèi)齼蓛?時而小聲商量,時而認(rèn)真挑選。他們的聲音雖小,卻不含卑下,神情雖謹(jǐn),卻絕不窘迫。
這情形常常令我感動頗深,駐足良久……什么是人的尊嚴(yán)？從容面對生活必需品,有足夠的財力和心理儲備應(yīng)對它,不必因阮囊羞澀而自慚形*,尊嚴(yán)才有了基礎(chǔ)。
記得剛剛來新加坡時,面對超級市場豐富的貨品,震撼繼而自卑。原來可以有這么多的選擇！兒時記憶中,商店是售賣醬油和醋的地方；食品只有兩樣——面包和點(diǎn)心。且不說它們常年擺在那里,僵硬而陳腐,對于我和周圍的人尚屬可望不可及。
等我大學(xué)畢業(yè)后有了一份體面的工作,拿到的薪水卻是搭了公車就不夠吃飯,遑論添衣。
常常感激新加坡給了我人的尊嚴(yán)。我的父親,一個自尊自律了一輩子的老人,面對高漲的生活費(fèi)和醫(yī)藥費(fèi),發(fā)出了“窮困潦倒”的悲嘆。若不是我以新加坡幣換成人民幣,他何以維持尊嚴(yán)？
更要感激新加坡給了我女性的尊嚴(yán)。這里沒有性別歧視,同工同酬。在新加坡,“按勞分配”這個熟悉的、書本上的詞走入生活。
只要勤勞,工作機(jī)會有的是,有了經(jīng)濟(jì)上的獨(dú)立才有精神上的獨(dú)立、人格上的獨(dú)立；不必依賴丈夫或某一個男人,不僅是“半邊天”,如果我喜歡,還可以撐起自己的一片藍(lán)天。男女平等不是一句口號,這里提供許多進(jìn)修提升的機(jī)會,掌握現(xiàn)代科技和知識令我不用在體力上與男性一較高下。
健全的法律保護(hù)女性,她們不再是弱者,尊嚴(yán)是實(shí)實(shí)在在的。家庭暴力在新加坡不是家務(wù)事,有人管。我的母親,一個中國資深的維護(hù)婦女權(quán)益工作者,看了《聯(lián)合早報》上丈夫毆打妻子被警察當(dāng)場帶走的新聞,忍不住講起一件又一件婦女被殘害的往事,兩相對照,感嘆噓噓。
美麗的花園城市,清新的小島之國,你給了異鄉(xiāng)人平等,給了我們機(jī)會,還給了我們理想,不僅給了我們工作,更有千金難買的寶貴的尊嚴(yán)！
。作者在1997年來新,現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)是新加坡公民。目前從事會計工作