Going to work earlier than he needs to be, handing in what needs to be done on time, inspecting the construction site for any defects under the fiery hot sun in Singapore, Mr Rasel may seem like the perfect employee at his workplace at Beta Construction Company, but to his family, he is a failure as a father and a husband.

 

Busting out

In the year 2009, 4 months of heavy gambling has done him in, quicker than how AIDS can kill a patient. Gambling was like his life, 7 days a week he gambles every day, he often leave work earlier in order to gamble more. It is not about how much he wins or lose when he gambles, it was about the thrill and adrenaline rush.

His family consisting of his wife Mrs Kusi and his daughter Saheda, tired of his unchanging ways left him in an empty house without a single Bangladeshi Taka, swearing never to return.

With debts to clear and hyena-like debtors coming in packs, he sold everything that could be sold in his house to pay off his debts. He sold things that ranged from entertainment products such as Television to furniture for example the dining table and chairs. After clearing some of his debts, his house was so empty to the extent it could only be called an extremely sturdy container with a roof on it and nothing in it.

 

Placing bets on a good friend

With his back against the wall and family and friends escaping from him as if he was some kind of plague, the only person who came to his aid was his childhood friend Khan Hasan.

 “I remember the first thing I received from Hasan was a hard punch on the right side of my face. It was a waking up call to me and brought me back to reality. I have lost everything including my job as a supervisor at the construction site and the only thing I gained were debts.

With determination to set his life right and to get his family back, Rasel has decided to quit gambling for good. What Hasan did next was to point a way out of the dark tunnel to Rasel.  Hasan introduced Rasel to Steven Wong, an agent looking for potential construction worker to work in Singapore.

To Steven, Rasel was like any other ordinary worker, he had the similar qualifications and there was nothing special or outstanding about him. To put matters worse, he has a history of being fired because of his poor working attitude due to gambling. “When interviewing Rasel, he told me about his story truthfully. He did not try to hide his shame away, this really says a lot about him wanting to change for the better. “I could see guilt and in his eyes and remorse written all over his face. I could tell he wanted a chance to prove that he has mended his ways and try to get his family back. I just couldn’t find heart to deny him of this opportunity which could possibly turn his life around.

 

The Last Gamble

Steven, trusting his gut instinct to hire Rasel, gave him the chance to come Singapore to work as a supervisor. This opportunity is a double edged sword, to Rasel going to a foreign country full of strangers is as risky as hitting in blackjack when you have 19 points. But after much consideration Rasel decided to throw the dice and pray that the odds will be in his favour.

 

New Place, New Beginning

Rasel Siddigun Rahman, now 36 is a supervisor working at Beta construction company. He earns a monthly wage of about $1,300 which is about 81,900 taka monthly. Armed and geared up with his safety helmet and boots, he often works under the hot sun, sweating buckets in the hot weather of Singapore is nothing foreign to him. In construction, piling is often the first activity to be carried out, the importance of this activity if not to be taken lightly, it makes the foundation of the building firm and strong.

Armed and geared up with his safety helmet and boots, he operates huge machineries such as the bore piling machine. He drills a hole into the ground, removing all the lose earth until they hit a hard strata also known as firm earth, after which he would lower a fabricated reinforcement steel bar which looks just like an extremely long round cage into the hole and pour the homogenous grey fluid looking concrete bought off from a concrete plant.

For a small building such as a multi-storey car park, it would need around 50 odd piles, whereas for a large building such as a HDB flat, it would need about 200 over piles. Rasel works 6 days a week, due to the needs of large number pilings, he works 3 to 4 hour overtime for all 6 days.  His colleague Site Supervisor Mr OH, 60 , not only applauds Rasel for shedding his leopard spots and turning over a new leaf but also commends his great working attitude.  “Rasel takes his work seriously, he completes his task meticulously and is never late for work.”

 

Future Of Unlimited Possibilities

“I do miss my wife and daughter a lot, but for now I want to work hard and earn money in Singapore. I can only try to make up all the pain and suffering I have caused them through monetary means.  It is fortunate that their impression of me have changed for the better. In the near future, I hope to be able to live with them again”.

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Feature Piece – Graded Assignment

 

This feature piece is part of the M314 UT2 graded assignment. This feature piece was written to raise awareness about how destructive addiction-gambling can be to your life. Also promotes the value of “Second Chance”, and promotes the value of it’s never too late to change for the better.

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Written by : Or Yong Fang