December 10, 2024
SINGAPORE – Bangladeshi worker Basir Uddin loves to fish whenever he gets time off, joining many other anglers at his favourite spot, Bedok Jetty.
The 38-year-old electrician, who has been working in Singapore for 15 years, told The Straits Times that each time he casts a line, he is reminded of his time as a boy fishing in the river back home in Bangladesh.
“If I miss home, I fish. It makes me feel like I am back at my home town,” said Mr Basir, who also counts Kallang River as one of his fishing haunts.
But Bedok Jetty is still his favourite. On his trips there, he has caught a “big catfish”, and once pulled up a haul of more than 1kg of smaller fish – the catch would later become a meal that he shared with friends.
Mr Basir is one of four migrant workers who have been featured on a new concept train sharing their stories about how they spend their time off in Singapore.
The train – which has photographs and stories printed on its interior of these migrant workers talking about what they do for leisure – will run from Dec 9 to 22 on the East-West and North-South lines.
The initiative, meant to celebrate International Migrants Day on Dec 18, is aimed at helping commuters gain a better understanding and appreciation of the migrant community here. Commuters can also scan a QR code where they can leave encouraging messages for migrant workers here.
The project is a collaboration between the Ministry of Manpower’s Assurance, Care and Engagement group, social enterprise Holdinghands Studio and SMRT Trains.
Asked about how it feels to have his picture on the train, Mr Basir said: “It’s unbelievable, and very exciting. I never expected that this will happen in my life.”
For now, Mr Basir said he spends less time fishing because he is studying part-time for an advanced diploma in mechanical and electrical engineering. In his time in Singapore, he has worked on buildings such as the Scotts Square shopping mall in Scotts Road.
Another migrant worker featured on the train is Ms Quijano Ruby Ledesma, a Filipino domestic worker, who loves to hike.
Ms Ledesma, who came to Singapore nine years ago, has a 218-member WhatsApp group called “Ruby and friends”, where she organises hiking and trekking trips here and abroad.
When she turned 44 this year, Ms Ledesma hiked the 3,726m Mount Rinjani in Indonesia with eight other people.
She counts that three-day trip as her most memorable hike in 2024 – her friends celebrated her birthday on the summit, with cake.
“Next year, I want to start hiking in my own country and Gunung Tahan, a four-day climb, in Malaysia,” said Ms Ledesma.
Speaking at the launch of the concept train on Dec 9, Senior Minister of State for Manpower Koh Poh Koon said the initiative is something “to remind all of us Singaporeans that migrant workers… are an integral part of our economy and our society”.