Ministry of Manpower: Foreign worker captions were not from Mr Teo

Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has clarified that the Minister of State for Manpower Teo Ser Luck did not make the comments attributed to him on an MOM Facebook post.

On Dec 11, MOM uploaded a picture to their Facebook page showing Mr Teo lying on a bed in an unnamed dormitory.

Accompanying the picture was the caption: "I learnt that some workers prefer to sleep without a mattress as they are used to it back in their home country."

Some Facebook users thought that the caption was insensitive.

Johnny Tang wrote that he felt the post was both insensitive and condescending.

However, others defended Mr Teo by saying that at least he visited the dormitories to see what life was like inside.

The response the post generated saw it go viral and picked up by foreign media such as the BBC.

However, the quote did not come from Mr Teo.

A ministry spokesperson said that the photo and accompanying caption were put up by the MOM Facebook administrator.

"We regret the unintended implications, and any misunderstanding that the post has caused. To avoid further misrepresentation, we will remove the captions and put up a clarification post on the MOM Facebook page.

"To avoid further misrepresentation, we will remove the captions and put up a clarification post on the MOM Facebook page." (Read the statement in full below.)

The caption was removed at about 8pm on Friday (Dec 18).

 

PHOTO: FACEBOOK SCREENGRAB/MINISTRY OF MANPOWER

 

The photo is one of eight MOM uploaded to show Mr Teo's visit to a foreign workers' dormitories ahead of International Migrants' Day.

International Migrant's Day is an international day observed annually on Dec 18 to commemorate the sacrifices made by migrants workers all over the world.

The MOM spokesperson said that the visit was to show appreciation for the wellbeing of the worker's who stay at the worker's dormitories.

While MOM did not say which dormitory Mr Teo visited, they hope that the public can refocus their attention to show appreciation to the foreign workers.

"Our work to improve the experiences of foreign workers in Singapore will continue through the joint efforts of the tripartite partners, NGOs and the general public."

 

THE MOM STATEMENT IN FULL:

“The Facebook post of MOS Teo Ser Luck visiting a dormitory, including the captions, were put up by the MOM Facebook Administrator. MOS Teo did not make those comments. We regret the unintended implications, and any misunderstanding that the post has caused. To avoid further misrepresentation, we will remove the captions and put up a clarification post on the MOM Facebook page. 

Foreign workers have contributed much to the development of Singapore. The visit to the dormitory is to show our appreciation, and our care and concern for their wellbeing from housing to food, and exercise to entertainment in their dormitories.  It is unfortunate it was over shadowed by this turn of events.

As we celebrate International Migrants Day today, and over the weekend, we would like to appeal to the public to refocus our attention on showing appreciation to our foreign workers. Our work to improve the experiences of foreign workers in Singapore will continue through the joint efforts of the tripartite partners, NGOs and the general public.”