A way out is to require employers to acquaint these foreign workers with the dos and don'ts of Singaporean life. In Serangoon Gardens, concerns about an influx adding to the traffic congestion should be examined - just as whether the school's design and infrastructure are appropriate for 1,000 people. A compromise would be reducing the number or having an alternative road access built.

A permanent solution nationwide does not lie in offloading the problem on some other location. Government plans for purpose-built housing with the full complement of shops and recreational amenities should be proceeded with. But no ghettos please.

Quarters are best dispersed throughout the island, with workers' ease of transport in mind. Singaporeans cannot expect dormitories to be tucked away out of sight, so far away there is no chance of the whiff of cooking and of sweaty humanity to sully their million-dollar patches. Guest workers here are a fact of life. Get used to it. Act educated about it.

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