• Singapore can afford to build recreation/gym centres for foreign workers. Well maybe some minor grumbles by the public. But in the end, not a big financial issue.
• On the other hand, Singapore cannot afford to have more of the same riots by foreign workers. Especially not another "copy cat" riot by foreign workers of another race/geographical region viz. Thais, PRC Chinese, Myanmarese & Filipinos.
• Constructing recreation/gym centres for foreign workers is only a stop gap temporary measure as a pressure release valve.
• Keeping the foreign workers in their own remote recreation/gym centres takes the pressure off the traditional enclaves (such as Serangoon) that overlap residential districts. The local Singapore population is happy if foreign workers are not congesting their home/neighbourhood on weekends. This is a plus for Singaporeans.
• Having many separate remotely located recreation/gym centres has the advantage of dissipating the total number of foreign workers of any particular race/geographical region, into smaller packets.
• With lesser numbers, there is reduced chances of a mob effect. Less chance of a few rabble rousers among them to incite riot over any real or imagined iniquities.
• When building recreation/gym centres, we cannot just build for South Asian foreign workers alone. What about the the Filipinos, PRC Chinese, Thais and Myanmarese? So once Singapore goes down this route, we are talking about many recreation/gym centres for the various races/geographical regions of foreign workers.
In addition, please note:
• Numbers of foreign workers in Singapore is not a constant high forever. Now the volume is high because we have an accelerated building programme to house the projected big population.
• There will come a time when the major construction programmes have been completed. Singapore has finite land. Then the number of foreign workers would eventually reduce to a small number.
• When the number of foreign workers becomes much less in future, these recreation/gym centres would become white elephants. This is as expected. It is not a problem. Buildings can easily be renovated and altered for other uses.
• For the foreign workers, herding them to recreation/gym centres is obviously not an ideal solution. They would not like it. The facilities in the recreation/gym centres may not be what they are looking for. They will feel confined and uncomfortable in a remote demarcated zone.
• It will never be a good substitute for their favourite enclave hangouts in Singapore. Of course they prefer to go to and congregate (respectively) in Little India - Serangoon, Little Philippines - Lucky Plaza, Little Myanmar - Peninsula/Excelsior, Little Thailand - Golden Mile Complex.
• Over time, separate and remote recreation/gym centres for foreign workers of a particular race/geographical region will have a SILO EFFECT. There is less inter-mingling with locals on weekends at the enclave areas. It polarises. The concept of us versus them becomes entrenched.