To The Moon

Setting: Morning lull at a hawker centre prata stall. Muthu is flipping dough on the hot griddle.

Customer Boy sits at a table nearby, sipping kopi and scrolling through his phone, looking up to share the latest news.

Customer Boy: (taps screen, looking across the counter)

Muthu, you saw the news about Ripon Chowdhury or not? The Bangladeshi worker who was campaigning for a $2,000 minimum wage for all foreign workers—his Work Permit renewal just got rejected. He’s going home already.

Muthu: (presses down on a crispy prata with his spatula, listening quietly before speaking in a calm, measured tone)

Aiyoh... I heard a bit about it. Look, end of the day, everybody wants to earn better income for their family back home. That desire itself is natural. But in a host country like Singapore, there is a way to handle things, and there is a boundary you cannot cross.

Customer Boy:

Precisely. The MOM statement was quite direct—saying nobody forced him to accept the job terms when he first came over ten years ago. So why suddenly push for sweeping policy changes for everyone now?

Muthu:

(wiping the stainless steel counter with a cloth)

That is where the misstep happens. When you come to work here under an agreed contract, you are an individual employee. If you feel your skills have grown and you deserve more pay, you go to your employer. You speak for yourself. You negotiate your own increment based on your own hard work. That is fair and respected.

But when you start trying to organize, lead campaigns, and stage movements to demand nationwide wage changes for every foreign worker... brother, you must know your position. Singapore’s labor policies are decided through proper government and tripartite channels, not through public agitation. Once you step into that space, you are taking a massive risk. You must be prepared to lose everything—your permit, your livelihood, your right to stay here.

Customer Boy:

Do you think he genuinely believed in the cause, or was he being used?

Muthu:

(shakes head thoughtfully as he serves a plate of fresh prata)

That is the saddest part. You have to ask yourself: who was really behind the scenes shaping the narrative and pushing the campaign? Sometimes, a worker gets caught up in the spotlight and ends up becoming a mouthpiece for outside agendas. In the end, those advocacy groups or external organizers go back to their comfortable lives. But the man on the ground? He bears 100% of the penalty.

Now his permit is non-renewed. Even if Singapore were to adjust wage floors or housing standards down the road through official reviews, he won't be here to see any of it. After more than ten years of honest work, ending your stay like this... it’s just not worth it. Work hard, care for your family, speak up for your own progress, but never let yourself become a puppet for somebody else's game.