Janitor PTE LTD

I've been wanting to blog about the worker bees here in Singapore for a while. Wanting is pretty descriptive because I also mean that I've wanted to write about them and give that writing the honor, pride, and justice it deserves. I've wanted to construct this with a minimum of my usual sarcasm and rapier wit so I could seriously concentrate on the praise and respect factor.

Without sounding like I'm a Billy Bragg pro-Socialist, because I am defiantly not, I do have to say that SG is definitely a place where there is honor in seemingly menial labor and there is a lot of cheap labor to go around. Most labor comes from India or Pakistan and they are largely unsophisticated folks from simple means but with the undeniable trait of ambition and adventure that replaces complacency.

If I had the daunting task of becoming part of the labor force then I would want to do it in Singapore. Despite high prices (even for Asians) and expensive tastes, there is nationwide respect for the lady behind the counter, the guy clearing your table at KFC, the old cobbler with a portable store on the corner, and the senior citizen volunteering at the airport (I grandfathered him into this blog since he's a grandfather).

Laborers usually have their home totally subsidized by the government so they can count on not having to pay out that part of their monthly nut. In addition there are plenty of government subsidies available that make the island liveable. The downside is that few rise beyond labor BECAUSE they're nut is covered and there's little incentive beyond entrepreneurialship to achieve more.

The guy clearing my table at KFC still sticks in my mind with the utmost respect. He was an older gent from either Pakistan or India. He walked with kind of a shuffle, seemingly from a birth defect, old age, or a past injury. It was noticeable but once you saw the smile on his friendly face and the pride he took in his work nothing else registered. He was happy, courteous, and noble despite easily contrived outward appearances. I noticed his shoes. They were black but heavily worn and only slightly wrapped around his feet. They looked so small and uncomfortable. I could only imagine that he got them hand-me-down from another worker who had upgraded.

But these were his shoes and they completed his uniform perfectly and I saw his pride. I almost wanted to take every Singaporean Dollar in my pocket and go buy him the best shoes I could find but I knew that would be a moot gesture. His pride would not let me intervene and I totally understand. All I could do was choke back tears, of joy NOT pity. Joy in him revelling in his job. It was a compelling and moving scene and it will always stick in my mind to acknowledge that level of pride, praise menial labor and keep my ass in check at the same time.

There's a Jimmy Buffett song that called "It's My Job" that really says it best...

In the middle of late last night I was sittin' on a curb

I didn't know what about, but I was feelin' quite disturbed

A street sweeper came whistlin' by, he was bouncin' every step

It seemed strange how good he felt, so I asked him while he swept

He said, "It's my job to be cleaning up this mess And that's enough reason to go for me It's my job to be better than the rest And that makes a day for me."

FYI: PTE LTE is the equivalent of ", Inc." in the US, as in Blackwater, Inc. You see PTE LTD written after everything from Han's Delightful Chicken Stall No. 5 PTE LTD to Orchard Towers PTE LTD. I thought it was wholly appropriate the other day when I say a facilities guy in my office wearing a JANITOR PTE LTD.

JANITOR PTE LTED expressed so perfectly the pride in profession and I applaud that.