This article first appeared in the Q1 2021 issue of the SID Directors Bulletin published by the Singapore Institute of Directors. Please click on the excerpt below for Braema’s full article.

Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA), together with the Cross-Regional Center for Migrants and Refugees (CCRM) and the Civil Society Action Committee (AC), is organizing the #JusticeForWageTheft Poster Competition as part of the Justice for Wage Theft Campaign. The competition aims to raise awareness and visibility on the issue of wage theft experienced by migrant workers who have been forced out of their jobs, forced to go on unpaid leave without being given their earned wages, salaries, and benefits, and forced to return home into situations of debt bondage.
THEME OF THE COMPETITION: Wage theft against migrant workers and all related issues such as non-payment of wages and end of service benefits, forced unpaid leave or reduced wages, and lack of efficient and just redress mechanisms.
The competition is open internationally. All artists aged 18 and above are qualified to apply and submit an entry. A regional winner will be determined for all six regions across the globe while a global winner will be chosen from the regional winners and will be determined through a panel of judges and via online voting. The selected entries for both the regional and global level will win a cash prize.
You may access the full mechanics of the competition via this link: https://bit.ly/2EHgdbT
To join the competition, please submit your entry via our entry submission form: https://bit.ly/3mQ3Ye3
All entries must be submitted on or before 28 October 2020. Winners will be announced on 11 November 2020.
Please feel free to widely circulate information on the competition among your network, along with the mechanics and flyer of the competition.
Thank you and should you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact MFA.
Change is upon us, let us dare to make it a transformation towards justice and peace.
As you are probably aware, Singapore civil and migrant workers’ rights activist Jolovan Wham is being investigated for holding up a placard with a smiley ☺ in a public space outside a police station. He was alone. You can read details of this on his Twitter account at https://twitter.com/jolovanwham/status/1263022005223165957
Several people have also expressed their support for a more open and accessible civic space by posting images of themselves with a smiley on their personal social media accounts. Others have also sent Jolovan Wham their own smiley photos for his Facebook page (https://m.facebook.com/jolovan.wham).
MARUAH, as a human rights organisation, states again that amendments to the Public Order Act (2017) mean further restrictions, crippling civic space. Human Rights Watch, in 2017, stated that Singapore’s definition of “public assembly” in the Public Order Act is extremely broad, which means that it can be interpreted to encompass everything from handing out leaflets on the death penalty to an individual standing silently holding a placard. (https://www.hrw.org/report/2017/12/12/kill-chicken-scare-monkeys/suppression-free-expression-and-assembly-singapore).
We would like to invite members and friends of MARUAH Singapore to show your support for civic space by submitting a photo of yourself with a smiley face.
Here are two samples:
MARUAH Singapore will collate the photos into a Zoom-style layout with the following message –
We support smileys and individuals’ peaceful voices in public.
#InSolidarity for Civic Space
#InSolidarity Against the Public Order Act(2017)
Please submit your images to maruahsg@gmail.com by Friday, 5 June 5.00pm. Do let us know if you need any further information.
Thanking you #InSolidarity,
MARUAH Singapore
Organised by MARUAH with technical support provided by Shape SEA
Please check back this post over the next couple of days as we upload additional presentation material.
Labour Day is special to all of us, as workers.
Have a Meaningful Labour Day as we remember those who have lost jobs, our dedicated front liners, all essential workers, healthcare workers and support staff, NGOs, union leaders, the civil service officers, multi-Ministry task force, government leaders and international leaders all and you and me…
Why meaningful? These are uneasy times, also very special as it makes us understand more on the types of jobs and the workers. What are the new norms? How do we value the work of each other? The invisibility of so many workers, some whom we have overlooked.
Thank you for your interest and time.
A Meaningful Ramadan to all Muslim views and to many Migrant Workers who are Muslims too.
– Braema Mathi, MARUAH Secretary
Recording of the webinar
Speaker’s presentations: