Why Singaporeans are not xenophobic
Posted by temasektimes on September 7, 2012
We are not xenophobic. We do not hate ALL foreigners, but just those the government are letting in indiscreetly to unfairly compete for jobs Singaporeans want. One good example will be the IT sector where it’s flooded with people from India, China and Philippines. And by Singaporeans, I do NOT mean new citizens from these same countries. Who cares if they have taken up citizenship?
It remains a FACT that they are here to snatch up jobs, having a huge advantage over locally born and bred Singaporeans. They have a more than two-year head start as compared to Singaporean guys considering the fact that they do not need to enter national service, and also most having taken a shorter route to the same professional qualifications than the local education system. Not mentioning the artificially deflated salaries they request, since most of them have the mentality of saving up and returning to their place of birth where they do not require as much to survive.
That is the reason we do not harbor the same sentiments for foreigners from other developed countries. They need as much, if not more, to survive back home. That makes the competition somewhat fairer, if we are willing to even turn a blind eye to the national service issue.
Bottom line: WE ARE NOT XENOPHOBIC!!! We welcome foreign talents to come fill up the jobs locally born and bred Singaporeans do not want. In fact we NEED these people to help construct the flats we live in, to clean the streets we walk, and even to fill up positions we Singaporeans know we cannot fit into. That is reason why we gladly welcome the great pandas as we know we do not have the required talents locally.
PULSTAY
*The above was first posted as a comment on The Temasek Times.
Populist said
Even we chase away all foreigners who compete with us locally, Singaporean still need to compete with them for jobs outside Singapore. Australian mining tycoon Cina Rinehart yesterday warned Australian was becoming too expensive for multinational companies who could source workers for two dollars a day in Africa. Are you aware the Singapore AXA insurance company had outsources their insurance billing activities to Malaysia? Our DBS bank had outsourced the letter of credit transaction activities to Hong Kong. Many IT hotline support is now located in either India or Philippines. Singapore is unable to compete with them directly. The only way we could survive is to climb at the higher technological ladder and higher value added job
compatriot said
To not being a beholden island country people
By reaching out the resource of our human population (Strictly born Singaporeans) with training and upgrading the young,young adults and the elderly well fit multi-racial netizens for jobs to the ability and capability of their aptitude that relevantly fits the needs of the commercial and industrial sectors
Conscription (try adopt some how of the Marshall Plan,A Recovery Programme) is the drive but not in military ethos.For the foreigners who precisely are currently in our soil give them the (JOBS ) that they came to earn.The overwhelming exchange rates gained when they return to where they came from
Take any landmark sites in Singapore,there you got it (eg ..the Malayan Railway,
there lies the rail track from South to North, …..
max said
So you’re saying maids, construction workers, cleaners are needed in Singapore and not white-collar workers. What nonsense. You are basically discriminating against other countries.
Commando Pants said
It appears so Max, pretty terrible and frankly clearly racist – shame on you blogger. OK lets be very clear for example why so many non-Singaporeans are in IT… Simple they are significantly better at it in every aspect. Through my extensive high level experience it is clear Singaporeans lack the basics such as communication skills and more interested in WhatsApp!! Considering the gruelling emphasis on speaking English here, Singaporeans fail at the 1st hurdle badly. Other skills lacking include being technically inept, cannot present well and generally too busy smoking or trying to show off. One thing that Singaporians are consistently good at is being consistently poor performers. It all goes back to the ‘we are better than you all’ attitude you Singaporeans have and that’s – why most of the planet hates you. Ask yourselves why do you think the Government is trying so hard to hide the fact the the worst people in Singapore are Singaporeans… NOT PRC, Ang Moh, Pinoy, Indians..etc.. Its open competition and it pays well to be the winner. Also note the amount of VERY old people cleaning your plates in the food courts… While you play black jack drinking Tiger beer – this personally is the biggest embarrassment Singapore is clearly not caring a rats ass about the old… and makes me sick to my very core!
Jenny said
Really, most ppl on the planets hate us? Seems to me u have not been traveling. Look at Singapore before u foreign trashes came here, we are more developed than 99% of the countries. And its all due to Singaporeans. If u foreigners are really so capable u ppl made urself to be, ur country will be begging u to stay. Instead u come here because of ur incompetence. U foreigners are just unwanted in ur own country. Don’t be too full of urselves, u are here solely because our ministers bonuses are peg to the GDP.
Commando Pants said
I have travelled, Jenny. Sorry I mean to to offend – I just relay what people say.. just like Singaporeans hate Japs..
compatriot said
You should give thanks to your God if indeed you have been given that kind of a job
Your objective coming to Singapore to work is to gain the overwhelming exchange rates (Sin dollar) which your country where you were born cannot offer their citizens to people like you
If you are decent enough to admit and say why and what are your reasons in Singapore besides not being a tourist category
Singalingpoorlife_Admin_Lah said
Not exchange rates, tax rate
– And yes thanks be to God. Just being Honest, although to be clear I do work with some awesome Singaporeans who I respect highly, but they are hard to find.
Henry said
TT … you can do all citizens of SIngapore a great service when your communications channel can help pipe this message clearly and distinctly to the ears of our government – for your good and our good.
hihihi said
If you squeeze too much junk of cos we will develop junkophobia. What do you expect?
Alan Ng said
Your post gave me cancer…
No nonsense please!! said
I agree that Singaporeans are not xenophobic, in fact Singaporeans often make our guests feel warm… I also agree that the current influx is creating concerns among many Singaporeans and the situation is worrying… but this article…. what nonsense!!! With your logic, when Singaporeans go to other more expensive/developed countries to work, we should be shunned?
ashamed said
Singaporeans are only digusted against those who are born outside of Singapore, and taking jobs that at least 1 local can do.
So if you are a slave and get paid peanuts to clean our sewage we do not hate you!
But whether you are citizen or not, we do not care! We dislike your foreign butt and your human tendancy to want better jobs and nice things and deprived the locals. No. We are not xenophobic!
Anon said
Hey TT, its a new day, and time to attack WP again. But this time, got a problem. Sim Ann from the PAP openly attacked Gerald Giam from the WP in today’s ST. Basically Gerald Giam said we are not xenophobic but that the vitroil against foreigners are primarily directed at failed Govt policies. Sim Ann attacked Gerald for that. The usual PAP style – either you are totally xenophobic or totally welcoming of foreigners, nothing in between.
So now what to do? You hate the PAP, but you also you hate the WP. You don’t like bringing up actual examples in which WP raised issues online or in Parliament so that you can perpetuate your prejudice that WP is “do nothing”. But you also hate foreigners. So now that all these are in the mix, which will you support? Which do you hate more?
Or, maybe best thing to do is say nothing?
Mod’s note:
Nice ‘wayang’ put up by Gerald and Sim Ann to make the latter look good. Bet Gerald will ‘disappear’ for a few months now….LOL. A vote for WP = A vote for PAP! Please spread the message around!
kelviinkwek said
You have summed it all! Yes, we can’t have our cake and eat it (the government, I mean). That is, wanting our country to be 1st world in everything and making our people having the salary of the developing economies, else I’ll bring these people in so that Singapore can be competitive in the name that these company will reallocate to a cheaper labour-source economies if we do not have the same cost factor.
If these company reallocate to these developing economies for cheaper labour, they are not having the same business enviroment. Honestly, our government is giving them 1st world enviroment with developing economies cost of labour at the expenses of the native citizen.
As such, having a 1st or developed economies infrastructure and cost of living with a developing economies salary….how not to have population not angry and upset with the social, economic, immigrations policies??
funhousediary said
What a load of twaddle. That’s like saying you’re not a racist. You just hate black people.
Xenophobia is defined as an intense or irrational dislike or fear of people from other countries or as an unreasonable fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange.
“We do not hate ALL foreigners, but just those the government are letting in indiscreetly to unfairly compete for jobs Singaporeans want.”
That statement alone means you’re Xenophobic. There’s no inbetween for xenophobia or racism. You either are, or you aren’t.
Jin_sg said
The picture associated with that article depicts foreigners in a negative way, therefore give a xenophobic tone. Can’t a picture with a more positive tone be chosen?
Jersey Bean said
TT, the only reason why this post is up is simply ignite racists feelings. You ought to be ashamed of yourself. Post #8 and #9 summed it up perfectly and exposed you for what you are. There is a genuine problem of mass influx of foreigners but TT is not helping the issue. Are we looking for civil disruption? Another race riot?
Mod’s note:
TT is merely reflecting the genuine sentiments on the ground. We are not against any group or people. Voicing out against the relentless influx of foreigners is not xenophobic. Go and check the dictionary the real meaning of ‘xenophobia’.
Populist said
In Chengdu, we visited the Sichuan Singapore Hi Tech Innovation Park. Our businesses are heavily invested in Chengdu as well as in the Park. We visited together with local senior officials. This was important gesture for our businesses.We also had lunch with senior Chinese business men who have either invested in Singapore or are thinking of investing in Spore. Many of them are in high tech indust
ries, and are thinking of making Spore their business hub for this region. If they do invest it will mean more jobs ( good jobs) for Sporeans and helps Spore. One of them asked me in worried tones about xenophobia in Spore. He wanted to know if business climate in Spore was still conducive for investment. It is clear that a fair number of business people, who could set up businesses in Spore, are beginning to think along these lines. K Shanmugam-facebook
Without A Doubt said
the OP is just another self rationalising fool.
i say what i think only said
when they bring in foreigners, is all the PMET ones without validating their degree. why make it so difficult to go nus or ntu and study like dog? go buy a cert for 15usd on street of manila, any profession, any 1st class hons, any phd u want.
when u complain too much foreigners, these pmet are not affected, they go to cut the construction/bangala type of jobs, squeezing the SMEs further.
when WP request for finer quota for individual industries, they are shot by PAP that during election, they ask to reduce foreigner. now they are saying the opposite.
Is PAP plain dumb or blind that foreigners is not 1 color, 1 skillset, 1 motive, 1 country? it is a diverse group and pls do not act blur on which group we are against.
change the E-Pass to 5k minimum to justify their special skillset many locals dont have. 3k jobs are bountiful and highly sort after by locals. what special skills u need to get a 3k job? It is not hard to bring in fellow countryman for such jobs without any justification. 5k and above? not impossible but much harder to justify.
I hope WP will follow through on this issue.
yaya TR, reply u first. B team yayaya… better than none right? depend on lina chiam is it? Is she the C team (chiam team)
True Blue Sinkie said
Filipino workers from S-Pass to E-Pass number hundreds of thousands. They are found in management, supervisory, retail and executive positions. YOu dont find them in construction sites or as factory workers and rubbish cleaners. Why? Very simple. The majority of these filipinos buy their fake degrees and padded CVs from Pedro Street in Manila for for as little as US $17, book a $299 flight from Manila and land in Singapore 3 hours later to apply for a job at the internet cafes. You go to any of Cash Converters branches and find at least four of them in any of the branches. These are jobless filipinos who dont have the skill nor experience in the retail industry. They come to Singapore to learn and yet are paid a minimum of $2,000.00 as S-Pass holders. In the Philippines, these workers could not even land a job at Macdonalds as a service crew cos there are just no jobs in Philippines. An engineer in Manila is paid only S$600.00 per month.