This is a work of fiction.

James : Good morning Raj, thank you for speaking with me.

Raj : Good morning James…. i like reading your work…. my friends in the dormitory also like reading your stories… we pay only for 1 copy and we distribute among a few thousand of us….

James : Errr….. ok…… Raj… i understand from you that…. one of the most valuable commodity …. at the moment… is a bottle of saliva…. can you tell me more about that…why is that so?? ?

Raj : Of course…. you see…. as long as someone tested positive in a dormitory…. the rest of us don’t need to work….and we still get paid…

James : Intriguing… please tell me more.

Raj : Covid scares people… rich people…. they have everything to lose… whereas for us…. it’s just a cold…. a reason to rest for 2 weeks…Last time… when i fall sick…. fever…. i only get to rest for 2 days at the most…. now… for a simple cold…. i get 2 weeks…. what’s not to like about this… ?

James : Oh…. i see…..

Raj : I’m not done…. and when we are resting…. we get paid…. that is the most important part…. we get paid for doing nothing…..

James : oh wow….

Raj : There’s still somemore…. we get free WIFI…. we have charging points… we get free food…. so many free things…. we have people taking care of us……and we are getting paid…!!

James : I know.. you said that already….

Raj : I’m here on contract…. 2 years…. so after my contract…i go home…. i don’t care….haha… i have not done a single day’s work since middle of march… i still get paid…. i get food and lodging….i get WIFI… this is the life man….!! i love Singapore….hahaha.

James: Raj… nothing is free…. and do you know who is paying for all these things you are enjoying… ?

Raj : My boss…. i don’t care about my boss… they make big money… drive big car… wear gold watch… our pay is low… cheap for them….

James : I don’t think that’s the right mentality to have…. Raj… this is a difficult time for everyone….

Raj : but it has always been difficult for me and my friends…..are we wrong to take a well deserved break… ?

James : Tell me about the saliva Raj …

Raj : Some of us keep bottles of our saliva…. even before we are tested positive…. if one of us gets it…. the others will distribute the saliva….

James : Why on earth would you do that… ?

Raj : Simple…you take one for the team…. and you make yourself sick…

James : You are putting your life in danger…..do you know what you are doing… ?

Raj : Yes…we know…. we did it because we know Singapore got good healthcare … you won’t let us die….. and Singapore got money…

James : This is quite disgusting Raj… do you know what you are saying….

Raj : Why is this disgusting… ? You make us live in such horrible conditions…. work for such low pay…. we build the houses you stay in.. for low pay…… is that not disgusting… ?

James : Raj…. getting yourself infected… just so you can skip work and freeload off the system is wrong…. Do you know the amount of money that is being sunk into this….??

Raj : I am here on 2 year contract James… some of my friends are were on 3… we just want to get our money… and go home safe… the rest… we don’t care…… Just imagine this… there is so many of us in the dorms…. we just need 1 or 2 to fall sick… they have a good rest… the rest of us get to rest too… isn’t this the best thing to ever happen for us… ?

James : I feel sick talking to you Raj…. The government committed to take care of all of you…. but in the end, you are taking advantage of us….

Raj : You are wrong James….

James : How so… ?

Raj : to you, it might seem like the government is throwing a lot of money to keep save us, but to me and my friends, they are throwing the money to keep you safe…

James : How does that work ? please explain….

Raj : If we go out and work while infected, we infect the others. We work in schools, hospitals, by the roads, everywhere…. by keeping us in and not allowing us to work… the government is keeping you safe….

James : and people like you are doing the opposite… getting infected on purpose… taking turns to do it….

Raj : It’s just a cold to us James… it’s just a cold…. getting a cold in Singapore….. beats getting it anywhere else…. so many people taking care of us…

James : Do all of your friends agree with this… what you all are doing…

Raj : No… of course not… we are the black sheeps… i’m not proud…. i never said i was… but this is just human nature…. who doesn’t want to get paid for doing nothing…. i spend next to nothing these few months… i send my money home…

James : Are you not concerned that someone might die for this…. one of your friends… or countryman who is not as fit and strong… or perhaps he has some underlying conditions….who is going to take care of his family….

Raj : It is a risk we are willing to take… we have seen the rewards… months of no work…of food and drinks… of watching videos on our phone….and there is money James…. money for us…

James : So … can i say the root of the problem is money….and that the solution to this… is to stop paying you guys when you are not working…

Raj : Unfortunately… yes…. When the money stops….. the nonsense stops…

James : So the only way out…. is to make everyone else who are following the rules suffer together with you and your friends….

Raj : I’m afraid so…. the moment we know we are not getting paid as long as work is not done…. no one will want to get infected anymore….

James : This is really sad Raj….

Raj : No don’t be sad James…. no one was sad for us before Covid…. no one came and look at the state we live in…. no one cared about the rats, the cockroaches, the bed bugs, the sanitary situation…. no one…. you don’t need to be sad now….

James : Many companies are going bust…. with no work done… your bosses don’t get paid…. where are they going to find money to pay you…. ?

Raj : The government will make them pay us…. they got gold watch…. big car… stay big houses…. they won’t suffer…

James : You are wrong Raj…. everyone suffers….your bosses companies will fold… and there will not be a single cent left to pay you…. and if you for a moment think your boss get to where he is today by letting anyone…. and i meant anyone….. worker or government ….. milk him of his money…. you are wrong…..

Raj : What… ?

James : There is a limit to everyone’s tolerance…… and bank account…. and i assure you… when the time comes when your bosses need to consider between having you leeching off him …. or keeping his big houses and gold watch….. i have no doubts which one he will choose…

Raj : Impossible… the government will make my boss pay me….. its the law….

James : The law cannot do anything to someone who has nothing else left to lose….and at this rate…. i see more business owners throwing in the towel…. easier to let things collapse… …. and start over… than trying to pick up the pieces…

Raj : I don’t believe you….

James : when everyone finally wise up to what you and your friends are up to Raj….. you will never step foot into this country again….you are a disgrace to the rest of your friends who come here to work in order to provide for their family….

Raj : hahaha… you don’t scare me James… no one will know… we all take turns… each of us just need to fall sick once….and the rallying call has gone out… look at the numbers you get everyday….even if just 10% of us are willing to take the risk….. it will take us years to get through and by then…. most of our contracts will be over…. hahaha….we will be gone…. we go back… with our money….

James : Everything you are enjoying…. comes at the expense of us taxpayers…

Raj : everything you are enjoying around you James…. comes at the expense of the blood and sweat…. of many foreign workers like me…

James : No Raj…. not like you……. not like you….

Raj : Hahaha….. are you done with your interview…. ? would you like a bottle of saliva James… you can take MC… from work and still get paid… hahha

James : I’m done with the interview Raj… thank you for your time…..and you can keep your saliva….

Raj : Then i’m going to go back and enjoy my day watching the latest hollywood film on a pirated website before my dinner arrives…. hahaha….

James : I have a friend over there by that bar…..

Raj : What about him… ?

James : He would like to buy you a whisky…

Raj : why….. I love Whisky….. thank you….

James : Good….. go ahead and ask for a Hibiki…

This is a work of fiction