Focus turns to bag-carrying maids in Singapore

Apr 20, 2011, 6:14 GMT

Singapore - A picture of a maid in Singapore apparently carrying her employer's bag on his way to work has drawn attention online, days after a man in military uniform was snapped making his maid carry his kitbag, a news report said Wednesday.

The picture posted this week on Stomp, the citizens website of The Straits Times newspaper, showed a man in office clothes walking down the street empty-handed next to a woman carrying a large briefcase.

'I have seen this man and his maid before. It's the same scene almost every day, but it never really struck me until I saw the picture of the NSF [soldier],' said Singapore resident Debra Palmer, who sent the photograph to Stomp.

A picture of a man on compulsory national service (NSF) with a maid carrying his bag was posted on Stomp three weeks ago, prompting widespread and often satirical debate on the city-state's military and youth, criticizing in particular its overreliance on maids.

'To me, this is the same as the earlier picture, just that the man is not in uniform,' The Straits Times quoted Palmer, 31, as saying.

The latest picture has drawn more than 120 comments, the Straits Times said Wednesday. Many of the comments criticized the man, but others felt there was nothing wrong.

The soldier should have carried his own bag 'because Singapore trains the army guys to be strong and independent,' one comment read. But 'the uncle is not an NSF,' the post continued, using a common term for an older man, 'so no one cares.'

Almost all affluent Singaporeans employ foreign maids, who are mostly from other parts of South-East Asia, South Asia and China.

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