SINGAPORE: “Southeast Asia HATES Singapore!” was the sharp opening line, delivered without hesitation by a Singaporean woman in a viral Instagram video, igniting a heated regional conversation about wealth, labour, and who really pays the price for the city-state’s success.
Speaking candidly, Lia @ahlianlia argues that Singapore’s global reputation for efficiency and prosperity sits on an unequal power structure. In her own words, she said it’s “similar to Qatar and Dubai, our wealthiest built their wealth off the exploitation of Southeast Asian migrant workers, even as they built our skyscrapers, raised our kids, and cleaned our homes.”
Her claim is not dressed up for comfort. “The hate is valid,” she says, pointing directly at a system she believes has long benefited the privileged while quietly exploiting migrant and domestic workers who keep the country running.
“Many domestic workers are forced to work 14 hours a day, 7 days a week…”
In her video, Lia lays out conditions faced by many domestic workers in Singapore, describing how “many domestic workers are forced to work 14 hours a day, 7 days a week, with only 1 guaranteed day off a month.”
She also adds that “there have been many documented cases of them enduring physical and emotional abuse, with their passports confiscated.”
The situation, she notes, is not limited to households. Construction workers, who form the backbone of Singapore’s physical expansion, are described as living “in poor dormitory conditions, transported to dangerous working sites in flatback trucks.”
These statements echo long-running concerns raised by advocacy groups and human rights organisations, especially following the pandemic-era spotlight on migrant worker dormitories.
A historical parallel that “eerily similar to the realities many migrant women in Singapore face today…”
Lia draws a striking historical comparison to underscore her point. Citing activist Angela Davis, she recalls how post-slavery domestic labour in the US South involved “black women forced to live in the homes of employers, working 14 hours a day, and only seeing their families every 2 weeks.”
She then delivers the line that stops many viewers cold: “That’s eerily similar to the realities many migrant women in Singapore face today.”
The comparison is uncomfortable and deliberately so. It reframes modern domestic labour, which is supposed to be a fair private arrangement between employer and helper. Yet, it remains part of a broader economic structure that echoes older forms of inequality.
“Singaporeans turn a blind eye to the same reason Americans did then…”
Lia does not absolve everyday Singaporeans from responsibility. Instead, she challenges the collective willingness to look away.
“Singaporeans turn a blind eye to the same reason Americans did then, because capitalism makes exploitation invisible when your whole survival hinges on it,” she remarked.
She also references the late human rights advocate Anthony Bourdain, who once critiqued the idea that outsourcing domestic labour freed up time for Singaporean workers. According to Lia, that time was not used for rest or balance, but “to be overworked, economically productive, and wealthy.”
In this system, she argues, “improving migrant worker conditions is a threat to that arrangement,” which explains why “just like its hyper-capitalist cousins, corporate Singapore were fiercely protected.”
“I grew up rich and Chinese… an immense privilege that emerged from these inequalities and exploitation…”
What has resonated strongly with viewers is Lia’s refusal to position herself as an outsider to the problem. “I grew up rich and Chinese, the most privileged position to be in Singapore,” she says directly.
She acknowledges that the life she now leads, moving to Australia, travelling solo, and creating content, was all made possible by structural advantages.
“My wealth that enabled my move to Australia, my pursuit of solo travel adventures, is an immense privilege that emerged from these inequalities and exploitation,” she admits. This self-awareness, rather than moral grandstanding, has probably been a key reason her video cut through across Southeast Asia so quickly, resonating deeply with many.
Lia’s video has now drawn nearly 1 million views, close to 100,000 likes, and an avalanche of comments approaching 1,000, reflecting how deeply the message has resonated and how divisive it remains.
“I’ve donated, and if you’re able to support in any way, I encourage you to look them up…”
Rather than ending her voice with outrage, Lia points viewers towards practical steps. She highlights It’s Raining Raincoats @itsrainingraincoats, an NGO that supports migrant workers in Singapore, and urges those who can to help.
“I’ve donated, and if you’re able to support in any way, I encourage you to look them up,” she says in the video description, adding that people can contribute through “donating, volunteering, or gift wrapping.”
A message Singapore can no longer dodge
The backlash, support, and debate surrounding Lia’s video underscore a reality Singapore has long quietly grappled with: its reliance on migrant labour is foundational, not incidental.
While individual employers may treat workers well, the broader system she describes continues to raise hard questions about fairness, protection, and whose comfort is prioritised.
Whether viewers agree with her framing or not, Lia’s message has forced a regional audience to confront an uncomfortable possibility: Resentment toward Singapore has nothing to do with envy but with lived experience.
And that, perhaps, is why her opening line, “Southeast Asia HATES Singapore!” wasn’t so easy to ignore.
