The main threat, quoted by the majority of Singaporeans, was their security.

Have Singaporeans forgotten that these foreign workers are the ones who take on jobs that we do not fill? Have we forgotten that foreign workers are humans too?

Comments such as “they stare at us” and “give them an isolated area” all point towards an idea of social exclusion and marginalisation.  

Giving these foreign workers designated secluded living areas and carefully selected public spaces would further minimise the amount of contact they would have with Singaporeans. This forms the basis of social exclusion that only further widens the barrier of “us” versus “them.”

However, this sense of xenophobia is acute because it does not apply to all foreigners in Singapore, but particularly to blue-collar workers. These workers are often viewed as inferior, a public nuisance or threat.

This leaves us to re-think the notion that Singapore is indeed a multi-cultural society.

Many locals have never tried to start a conversation with these workers and most do not have an idea of what they are like. No doubt, not everyone can be personable, but making an attempt to simply greet them or acknowledge their presence would go a long way to make the workers feel a part of our society.

In NUS, a similar sentiment seems to exist among local students. It is not rare to hear a Singaporean student complaining about foreign students in class or on campus housing where they live together.  

This discontent is usually targeted at students from countries such as China and India.

This discrimination comes to the forefront when Singaporean Chinese and Indian students try to distinguish themselves from their counterparts from China and India.

Many of these Singaporeans also consider any associations with these foreigners as an insult.

Have Singaporeans forgotten their roots or have they simply become too self-indulgent?

Criticising the government for not planning ahead with regards to the housing problem appears valid but it does not address the situation at present.

Singaporeans still have a long way to go before being well and truly able to be receptive towards blue-collared foreign workers.

A first step could be looking at the possibility of educating locals on strongly held stereotypes. One such stereotype is the conception that all foreign construction workers here are a homogeneous group.

Such is the prevalence of this notion that these workers have been colloquially nicknamed ‘Banglas’ in reference to their supposed nationality.

This stereotype is highly inaccurate as these workers come from a diverse array of countries like India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and even Thailand and Burma.

Today, the term ‘Bangla’ is looked upon as a derogatory connotation by many Singaporeans, leaving us to question just how gracious a society we have become.

This draws parallels with the situation in the United States before the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Then, white Americans freely referred to African-Americans derogatorily as inferiors and of lower societal status.

But at the same time they could not discount the fact that the African-Americans have been a tour de force with regards to shaping their cultural heritage and pushing for a progressive society.

Singapore has made giant steps of progress since independence, and it is important for us to acknowledge that this progress is in no small part due to the efforts of the blue-collared foreign workers in our midst.

Only when people freely live and walk side by side with one another regardless of their ethnicity, nationality, and socio-economic background can we truly consider ourselves to be a refined citizenry.