I was having dinner at a restaurant in the Triple One building on Saturday. It has a full view of Orchard Boulevard Road.
I noticed an MPV parked alongside Paterson Road with 2 domestic helpers almost struggling to help an elderly man onto his wheelchair. The driver, a big man of about 1.9m was standing on the side barking orders at the two petite helpers. Another vehicle with a family was parked behind and from the flurry of activities, I can only deduce that the driver is a family member.
My reaction was one of disappointment that a huge effort by two female helpers could have been an act of filial duty that would have also been easily carried out by this able-bodied male family member. This could have been done as a matter of practical need as the the elderly could have fallen from the car.
I think even a concierge or valet of a building would have felt this act of compassion.
A separate incident - this time involving a young mother in her early 30s at Parkway Parade. She was with her three kids.
Except for the toddler carried by her helper, the other two are quite big waking on their own. The helper was walking behind with both the toddler in arm and a big bag. She kept having to adjust as the total weight must have been a real strain on her small frame. Certainly the Ma'am could have 'helped' the helper instead of risking her tripped over with her kid?
To be fair, I do not pretend to know the dynamics of these families.
However, I think the behavior of the employers touch on human decency or rather, lack of.
I agree that we need to seriously look at how we treat our domestic helpers - and this must go beyond not calling them maids - I am more concerned that we have become a society that is over-reliant on them for even the most basic of chores.
The longer term implication of this mentality is what this signals to our young and how they will treat others in turn.
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