Pope Francis praised Singapore and its citizens for their hard work and ingenuity, but he urged them to be mindful of the poor and of the migrant workers who do much of the hard labour. Source: CNS.
“I hope that special attention will be paid to the poor and the elderly – whose labours have laid the foundations for the Singapore we see today – as well as to protecting the dignity of migrant workers,” the Pope told government and civic leaders yesterday.
“These workers contribute a great deal to society and should be guaranteed a fair wage.”
More than 40 per cent of Singapore’s workforce is made up of foreign workers, many of whom are migrant workers with a two-year work permit, which does not allow them to bring their families with them or to switch employers once they arrive in Singapore.
The government also does not mandate a minimum wage for work-permit holders. They primarily work in construction, manufacturing, domestic service and in the shipyards.
Pope Francis had arrived in Singapore – often named as the world’s fourth wealthiest nation – from Timor-Leste, one of the world’s poorest countries.
Meeting government and civic leaders in a theatre at the National University of Singapore, he described the country as “a commercial crossroads of primary importance and a place where different peoples meet”.
About 75 per cent of the citizens have Chinese ancestry, but there also are large numbers of people of Malay or Indian descent.
Singapore “has not only prospered economically but has also striven to build a society in which social justice and the common good are held in high regard,” the Pope said, pointing specifically to efforts to help citizens “through public housing policies, high-quality education and an efficient healthcare system.”
“I hope that these efforts will continue until all Singaporeans are able to benefit from them fully.”
While the city-state is a modern seat of international finance, it does suffer from wealth inequality with about 25 per cent of the population being considered poor.
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In wealthy Singapore, Pope urges care of the poor and migrants (By Cindy Wooden, CNS via USCCB)
