Speech by Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs, Mr Edwin Tong SC, at Swing and Soirée for the Migrant Cause, ACMI Charity Golf and Dinner 2025

Your Excellency Hiroshi Ishikawa, Ambassador of Japan to Singapore

Mr Raymundo Yu, Chairperson of ACMI

ACMI Board of Directors, Board of Trustees, and Executive Team

The many donors and volunteers

Our migrant brothers and sisters

Distinguished guests

Ladies and gentlemen

Introduction

1.             Good evening.

2.             When I was first invited to this evening’s celebration, I had a conflict in my schedule. But an old friend, Mr Andrew Yeo over there, from whom I learned everything I know about the law, because he was my senior – so, everything I know or don’t know is his fault – called and said, “Look, you know, ACMI is a really good cause. Can you make some time in your calendar and come?”

3.             I looked up ACMI – I must confess I didn’t know what ACMI did before – and I saw your purpose and mission, and I felt it was a good cause. So, I am very glad to be here, to support ACMI.

Importance of Migrant Community in Singapore

4.             I thought this evening I would spend a few moments to explain to you why I came at that view.

5.             Singapore is the nation that is built by migrants. We won’t be where we are today, on the cusp of celebrating SG60 – 60 years of independence, of progress, of prosperity, of development – without our migrant brothers and sisters.

6.             In fact, all of us, at some point in our family, we were migrants. If you look down on migrants, you don’t treat migrants right, you don’t include migrants in what you do, then we all won’t be here as well. So, I think it is really important to look at the work that ACMI does, and support it with everything that we have.

7.             Our own forefathers arrived here in Singapore many years ago with very little – big dreams, but with not much in their pockets. They came from various parts of Southeast Asia, from China, from India, from Europe, and laid the foundation for what we now call home.

8.             Today, we have a population of about 5.5 to 6 million residents. About 30% or 1.86 million are non-residents, and of that, 1.2 million are work permit holders, which means that they are migrant workers. So, that is a big part of Singapore – 1.2 million out of the 6 million resident population.

9.             They are the silent force behind Singapore’s development. They get up early. They rise before dawn. They build the homes we live in. They pave the roads that we drive on. They maintain the spaces that we use every day. They look after our seniors and our families. They are in the hospitals, shipyards, kitchens, construction sites, Changi Airport, Tuas Mega Port, you name it. They are very much instrumental in the construction of all that keeps Singapore running.

10.         Most of them leave their own families, their own communities, and their own cultures behind. They leave everything to come out to make a living in Singapore, and they endure great hardship in doing so.

11.         Like all of us here, they too have their own mothers and fathers. They are sons and daughters, and also husbands and wives themselves. But they are driven by a single, very powerful motivation to earn a living, and to go back home and give their own loved ones a better life. So, I believe they are not just workers in our community. They are part of our fabric of our community. They are all people with hopes, with dreams and with their own stories.

12.         For all of us who benefit from this hard work, and the sacrifices that they made each and every day, I think the least that we can do is to stand with them, to support them in whatever way that we can.

13.         In this regard, the government is firmly committed to making sure that we protect and support our migrant workers.

Support for Migrant Workers

14.         Over the years, we have sharpened our laws. We have enhanced the protection. We look now very carefully at standards, such as payment of salaries, stipulated rest days, decent living conditions, health care and safety, avenues for proper redress when things go wrong.

15.         We have also changed our laws such that if you abuse someone who is a foreign domestic worker – someone who is vulnerable and not in a position to take a position against you – if that case is made up, the punishments are more serious, more severe. That is to discourage any such conduct against the most vulnerable.

16.         We look after their social welfare, their mental well-being, and take care to find ways to integrate them into our community, which I think is really important. They are not just here to work; they are also here to be part of our community – to enjoy, to understand, and to appreciate the culture that we know so well, and that they have now come to embrace as well.

17.         So, I believe that the work that ACMI does, and the initiatives you have, aim to ensure their well-being, their safety, and their dignity as well.

18.         But at the same time, we all know that policies and laws alone are not going to be enough. Systems work best when there is heart behind the system. So, we partner very closely with employers, with NGOs, with unions, with many parts of the community, to offer emergency shelter, to offer counselling, to offer legal aid, and many other forms of support.

19.         For example, the Migrant Workers’ Centre and Pro Bono SG, which is the pro bono arm of the Law Society of Singapore, launched a Migrant workers’ Law Centre just two months ago. It provides on-site legal advice, guidance, and representation – something that my ministry, we take very close to heart, because we believe that access to justice is not just for a few privileged people, not just for Singaporeans, but for everyone who works, lives and thrives in our ecosystem.

20.         We also look after the migrant workers facing issues, such as workplace injuries, which happens from time to time, employment or salary disputes, repatriation concerns, scams which they are also victims of, criminal, and other legal matters.

21.         But at the heart of all these efforts is a really simple proposition. In my view, migrant workers are not just our labourers. They are people with lives, with aspirations, and with their own families. So, to me, supporting them is not just a matter of complying with the law, not just a matter of compliance with regulation, but a matter of good conscience. We want to build a more inclusive, respectful, and humane environment for all who work and live in Singapore.

22.         ACMI is one such NGO amongst many in Singapore, working alongside the government, providing holistic support for migrant community. ACMI not just takes care of immediate needs, but also uplifts our migrant community to meet their future needs. It offers practical skills and language courses – from English and Mandarin, to computer literacy, dress making, baking, and so on.

23.         We want them to work for us, but we also want them to leave with a new skill, learn how to make the nonya kuehs for example, learn how to cook, learn how to bake, bring back something of the Singapore culture with them. Let’s be generous and share in this respect.

24.         ACMI work also fosters community, by connecting migrants to locals through shared activities. It provides emotional and spiritual care, offering counselling, referral services and pastoral support. It walks alongside migrant workers, not just as service providers, but really as friends and as companions.

25.         A memorable example – one that I was reminded of recently – was when ACMI facilitated participation in the Papal Visit festivities last September, when Pope Francis came to visit Singapore in a historic visit. For many Catholic migrant workers, that was a historical, once-in-a-lifetime, pivotal moment of connection, and of deep joy.

Appreciation for Migrant Community

26.         As I wrap up, I want to just say that, amongst all of us here who are supporting ACMI work, we all owe a deep debt of gratitude to our migrant workers – not just for the work that I mentioned earlier, but also for the moments that where they go above and beyond to help.

27.         I want to cite some examples so that you remember.

a.             Just a few months ago, in April, four migrant workers risked their own lives to save children trapped on a third storey ledge during a serious fire at River Valley. I think you would have read about it, heard about it. They thought nothing about themselves, but the safety of those who were trapped in the fire – no safety gear, no hesitation, just pure instinct and courage. They saw our children as one of their own, and that was why they did it.

b.             In July 2023, a construction worker leapt into a canal in Bukit Timah, to save a mother and her son trapped in a sinking car.

c.             A bit earlier than that, in January 2021, landscape maintenance workers responded to a cry for help, and rescued a six-year-old, clinging on to a third-floor window ledge in Hougang.

28.         These are three amongst many examples. The stories are not just heroic, but they are human. They show that they are part of us. They show that our migrant worker friends also care deeply about the society and the community that they live in. They also show how they see Singapore – not just as a place of work, but also as their home – and how when faced with a crisis, the instinct kicks in, and they do what families do – they step in to help.

29.         Because they have shown us such loyalty, we really must do the same.

Conclusion

30.         So, to our migrant brothers and sisters here tonight, thank you very much. Thank you for your sacrifice. Thank you for being away from home. Thank you for being a part of our community. I hope that your time in Singapore will be fulfilling, but most importantly, will also be safe, and a springboard to a brighter future for you and your families.

31.         One last word to all the donors and volunteers – thank you very much. Your kindness and your generosity have made tonight possible. I hope that you will continue to give, not just in financial terms, but to give your time and talent, to serve and stand with the migrant community.

32.         Finally, to Raymundo and your team at ACMI – thank you for leading with compassion and for building a community where we don’t just say, as a slogan, that no one is left behind, but that we do it every day in practice, in the words that we choose, and in the deeds that we carry out.

33.         I hope that we will all continue to give, serve and walk this journey together.

34.         Thank you very much.

Last updated on 9 July 2025