SM Lee Hsien Loong told the press on 10 May 2024 that Singapore needs to continue bringing in foreign talent to meet manpower demands, but those arriving from abroad have to be properly integrated into society here.
Frankly, I can’t agree more with the words in bold but SM Lee needs to realise that effort to integrate should come voluntarily from the immigrants. With today’s digital technology, the government’s worry about satellite dishes bringing undesirable content to our homes has turned into a different problem. Foreigners can now tune in to their country of origin for news and entertainment programs 24/7. It has become easier for us to connect with foreign cultures if we wish to. I has also become easier for foreigners here to stay connected with their culture if they wish to. It’s easier than ever to start a virtual group and make sure that nobody is lonely or out of place even without connecting and socialising with locals.
In the interview, SM Lee said that managing the “inherent tensions” between wanting social cohesion and bringing in immigrants is the he “most difficult” issue he has had to deal with.
“Making people feel comfortable and not feel threatened or having social tensions build up, that is something which is going to be very difficult to manage because we do not have a lot of manoeuvring room on the downside.
“You cannot say I send off all the foreign workers, and then tomorrow we will be okay.”
Singapore needs talent to stand out in the world, he said. “And you can never have enough talent.”
Why don’t we have enough talent? We don’t have enough talent because we have been punching above our weight and the result of punching above our weight is that our population keeps growing and when our population keeps growing, we need even more people to provide services. Property prices go through the roof and older workers get elbowed out of their industry. If you’re like me, you would have seen your income falling as rapidly as your standard of living over the last 10 years. Who benefits from all this punching above our weight if not we the citizens? Who can say that we can’t do without these immigrants when life for us was actually better without them?
On the concerns that people have about foreigners – such as dilution, values and social impact – the government has to “feel our way forward and go as far as politically can be supported”.
Yao mo gao chor ah? Bring in a time bomb and then figure out how to defuse it? What is the cost of all the “growth” that doesn’t benefit us but instead lower our incomes and raise the cost of living. Yes, there are handouts that make some stupid, short-sighted, kiasu, kiasi, gian png people go “huat ah” but going forward, we are worse off and not better.
Next, SM Lee claimed that bringing in foreigners can enrich the identity of Singapore society, said Mr Lee.
“They bring talent, they bring experience, they bring a different perspective on things. But at the same time, you dilute that, at least temporarily, because they do not have the same background.”
No, as I’ve mentioned, they can connect 24/7 with their country of origin. This dilution will not be temporary. Look at all the mala stalls that have replaced our heritage dishes. Look at all the new Chinese terminology. Even our locals are afraid to call people 小姐 and learned to say 小姐姐 instead. While Indian schools get bigger and bigger, ours need to merge. Do these folks enrich our local identity? He seems out of touch with the reality on the ground.
We can’t force them. Immigrants must voluntarily integrate and if they don’t, we shouldn’t give them citizenship rights. We are a country and not a company.