Pope Francis urges Singapore to take better care of migrant workers

SINGAPORE — Pope Francis on Thursday praised Singapore’s economic strength as a testament to human ingenuity, but urged the city-state to also look after its most vulnerable, particularly foreign workers, as he opened the final leg of his tour of some of Asia’s poorest countries in one of the world’s richest nations.

Singapore celebrated his arrival by unveiling a new hybrid orchid named after him, the “Dendrobium His Holiness Pope Francis.” The orchid was presented at an official welcoming ceremony and “radiates a serene and pure beauty” of ivory-white petals with a pink tinge at the center, according to the National Parks Board.

Francis arrived in Singapore from East Timor and began his official program on Thursday with a meeting with President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, before addressing government officials and the diplomatic corps at the National University of Singapore.

Read more: What You Need to Know About Pope Francis’ Historic Asia Trip

There, Francis marveled at Singapore’s modern skyscrapers “that seem to rise from the sea” and the government’s commitment to sustainable development and providing social housing and quality education and health care to its people. But he urged authorities to look out for the poorest and beware of rewarding excellence at all costs, a reference to Singapore’s highly competitive work and education culture.

“I would like to emphasize the risk that arises when we focus exclusively on pragmatism or when we put merit above all else, namely the unintended consequence of justifying the exclusion of those on the margins of society from the benefit of progress,” he said.

In a joint appeal by the first Latin American pope in history, Francis called in particular for decent wages and working conditions for migrant workers, who have helped Singapore become one of the world’s most advanced financial powers.

“These workers make a great contribution to society and deserve a fair wage,” said Francis.

Singapore has no minimum wage for locals or foreigners.

Singapore was the final stop on Francis’ 11-day tour, the longest and farthest of his papacy after stops in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and East Timor. The economic disparities were clear on arrival Wednesday, when Francis touched down at Singapore’s high-tech airport aboard the only plane operated by Aero Dili, the national airline of East Timor, where about 42% of the population lives below the poverty line.

Read more: China’s presence in East Timor is invisible, but indispensable

Singapore has long been hailed as a success story, transforming from a resource-starved colonial port to a financial and trading powerhouse in just a few decades since independence from Malaysia in 1965. The former British colony enjoys one of the highest standards of living in the world and is known for its safety and low crime rates. But it is also one of the most expensive cities to live in, and the competitive work environment makes for stressed, overworked people.

Francis’ praise for the country’s astonishing economic growth was telling, given that he has long been known for his distaste for the excesses of capitalism. According to the International Monetary Fund, Singapore’s gross domestic product per capita of $133,740 was the fourth highest in the world, higher than the U.S. and other developed countries.

Foreigners make up more than a third of Singapore’s workforce. According to official data, the 1.5 million-strong foreign workforce includes 286,000 domestic workers and 441,000 in construction, shipping and maintenance jobs, which underpins Singapore’s trade-dependent economy. Many are migrant workers from Pakistan, Bangladesh and other poorer Asian countries.

Human Rights Watch said in a report last year that foreign migrant workers face labor rights violations and exploitation, including exorbitant debts to recruitment agencies, non-payment of wages, restrictions on freedom of movement, confiscation of passports and sometimes physical and sexual violence. It said domestic workers are excluded from many key labor protections, such as limits on daily working hours, sick leave and annual leave.

Francis is visiting Singapore to encourage Catholics, who make up about 3.5% of the population of just under 6 million, while also highlighting Singapore’s tradition of interfaith coexistence. According to a 2020 census, Buddhists make up about 31% of the population, Christians 19% and Muslims 15%, while about a fifth of the population said they had no religious faith at all.

In his address to the Pope, President Shanmugaratnam stressed Singapore’s commitment to environmental sustainability and interfaith harmony, both of which he said were the result of decades of hard work and dedication.

“We are a multiracial, multireligious and multicultural society,” he said. “So for us, solidarity and harmony have been, and will continue to be, the core elements of our national development.”

He praised Francis’ consistent call to care for God’s creation and said Singapore had also made sustainability a priority since independence nearly six decades ago. Singapore’s greening plan to 2030 includes greater reliance on solar energy, waste reduction and the imposition of carbon taxes to transition to a low-carbon economy.

Read more: Singapore to build world’s largest facility to increase ocean’s carbon removal capacity

“As a small city-state, we have tried to find a balance between development and environmental responsibility,” he said.

Francis said Singapore’s environmental policy is a model for the rest of the world, calling it “a shining example of what humanity can achieve by working together in harmony, with a sense of responsibility and a spirit of inclusiveness and brotherhood.”

Francis will celebrate Mass at Singapore’s National Stadium later on Thursday and will lead an interfaith youth event on Friday morning before returning to Rome.

Dozens of people came to greet him Thursday morning as he arrived at the parliament building for the official welcoming ceremony, cheering as his motorcade passed by.

“We just wanted to make sure we caught his attention and really showed him our love and warm welcome here in Singapore,” said Lissy Puno, who made posters and bracelets to commemorate the visit.

—AP writer Eileen Ng contributed from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.