#KitaJagaKita: Singaporeans Are Helping Stranded Malaysians With a Place to Stay

By Karissa Lund  •  20 Mar 2020 in News

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You can define humanity in a lot of ways and as cases of Covid-19 continue to surge, a little bit of kindness is what we all need. Just check out the hashtag #KitaJagaKita on your social media platforms and you’ll be surprised with the amount of Malaysians that are going out of their way to help each other at times like this.

This sentiment has spread across the crossway to Singapore too! Netizens down in SG are opening their homes to Malaysian workers who are stranded without accommodation after the Restrictive Movement Order (RMO), last Wednesday.

According to The Star, in response to a report about 20 Malaysians spending the night outside Kranji MRT station, many Singaporeans offered to house the workers in their own homes or to provide them with food and blankets.

A generous citizen, Eriyani Bakeri, offered one of her family’s spare rooms for free. Although she was not well-off, the housewife said she was saddened by the plight of the Malaysian workers in the aftermath of RMO and was more than happy to cook more food for her guests.

Charity organisation – Homeless Hearts of Singapore is doing their part by linking up Singaporeans who have rooms to offer to the Malaysians.

Ummar Hasim, on the other hand, called on fellow Singaporeans – through the Couchsurfing SG Facebook page to open up their homes to the workers. The group, of which he is a member, lets Singaporeans host travellers during their stay there.

Another SG citizen, Levin Foo, ordered 40 sleeping bags, 40 blankets, as well as some hand sanitisers and masks to distribute to workers still searching for a place to stay. The self-employed 36-year-old said the items cost about S$700 (RM2,130) in all and were sponsored by a friend.

“They have to leave their families to come to Singapore to work. Some Singaporeans don’t understand this,” he said.

Minister for Culture, Community and Youth – Grace Fu, urged members of the public to contact the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) if they knew of any Malaysians who needed temporary accommodation. Fu said various Singapore government agencies were helping house Malaysian workers at the Jurong East Sports Hall, which has been converted to a temporary relief centre.

The workers are given a ‘ready pack’, which includes items such as toiletries, towel, toilet paper and a sleeping bag. They can even shower and wash up before leaving for work in the morning.

At times like this, we need to think about the less fortunate but most importantly, we need to act too. Do as much as you can while moving as little as possible. Whether it’s donating money to a charity, helping your neighbours to get some groceries, or even tipping your food-delivery rider.. let’s help each other as much as we can!

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