No more strike-free Singapore

To be more precise, the almost strike-free Singapore which I am very proud of. Singapore has been strike free for the past 26 years and the last strike that took place was in 1986, against an American oilfield equipment company Hydrill. Sadly, on 26 Nov 2012, few days ago, this is no longer the case. 171 China bus drivers from SMRT decide to stage a protest and their actions disrupted multiple bus lines, causing much inconvenience to commuters. Anyway, here's my reaction when my sis told me about the strike.

Sis: Bus drivers are going on a strike
Me: Okay, which country? Hong kong?
Sis: Singapore
Me: Huh you siao?  
Sis: Yes, if you dun believe me, go watch the news
Me: Oh then they must not be Singaporeans then
Sis: Yes you are right!   

What does the short exchange between us above indicate? It is not our culture to protest or go on a strike. And if I can feel this way, this shows that many other Singaporeans feel like wise, which further fuels the animosity between Singaporeans and foreigners. Even if there is no animosity, an unintentional segregation among the respective groups is bound to take place, then there will be no such thing as a melting pot in here.. hahah... It is a long term issue. Even if we want to show displeasure, we will not resort to such extreme measures. And this act has led to online netizens' rage and all the anti-foreigners nonsense starts again. Some of my frens commented that Singapore is slowly losing its peace and harmony because of all these black sheep. Hmmm... I cannot help but to agree with them to a certain extent. Since protesting is pretty much the norm in China, that's why these workers assume that they can do that in another country. This, I do not appreciate. Please read up on our legal system before acting drastically. On the other hand, these workers are kind of  pitiful as well, especially those drivers who were coerced into not reporting to work even though they feel otherwise. After all, acting collectively appears to be more powerful. These drivers are paid 1000 plus but their malaysian counterparts are getting 1400 plus when they are performing the same job. That's the root of the problem. SMRT needs to be more transparent in its payout system and to address the issues clearly to the drivers. There must be a reason for the huge disparity in income. My guess is probably because food and lodging are provided for the Chinese and not the Malaysians. But then again, can that add up to 400 bucks? Cant wait for the SMRT spokesman to address this issue soon. It really deserves a good explanation. And I feel sad that Singapore is no longer that strike free :( No more copy cats in the future please! Let this be a rare, isolated case. I still love Singapore very very much.