8/14/2013

The overflowing tea cup

The call for allowing more foreigners into this island has not subsided, instead in some corners the voice is getting louder. We must aspire to be a global and cosmopolitan city, with the best of the rest of the world coming here to give it the buzz. Sounds pretty exciting and positive huh, a vibrant and rich city with a rich blend of culture and lifestyle from people all over. In big countries, the rich city is like a centre or heart of the country, a nucleus of sort. In our case, we will be a global city and also a global country, as the country is in the city or the city the country.

Now what is left of the country for the people? Where is the place for the citizens, or what is in it for the people when the city/country becomes homes to foreigners?

Many of these advocates for a cosmopolitan city of foreigners are just talking through their asses. There must be an optimum or desirable percentage of foreigners to keep a city vibrant without the citizens losing their place or right of existence. The percentage of foreigners could vary for cities in big countries to those in small countries and to those where the city is the country itself. A city like New York or London could have a bigger proportion of foreigners and still would not lose its perspective and place as a part of the USA or UK. A city in a small country with a relatively smaller population would be hard pushed to have a big foreign population without undermining the interests and character of the country. A city like Singapore, which in all sense a city country, would be under great pressure to have 50% or 60% of its population made up of foreigners. Pushing this limit to 70% or more is critical and could put the citizen’s interest in jeopardy. Where are we now? State secret?

What is the desirable or optimal percentage of foreigners should this city state allow in to be comfortable socially, politically and with no compromise to our sense of security? Have we already long exceeded our comfort zone and should be culling the foreigners now instead of foolishly and unthinkingly asking for more foreigners to be let in? Though there are some quarters internally that are rooting for more foreigners, the call for the incessant influx of foreigners is mostly from foreigners themselves. They have no vested interests as citizens of the city state and what is good to them is not necessary good for the citizens and worse, often bad, very bad for the citizens.

When the tea cup is full, it is silly to keep filling it up. We are already overpopulated for our own comfort except for the views of people who think it is good and desirable to live like mice in a small enclosed space. We have also exceeded the safe or comfort zone in the percentage of foreigners vis a vis our citizens. We are already a minority in our own country. Is that not scary? The citizens must have the final say on this.

In whose benefits are the calls for more foreigners into our city home? Is it for the general good of citizens, for the good of a small group of citizens, or for the good of foreigners? The people, non citizens, or citizens who treat this city state as a hotel, will be all for more foreigners. They have no stake or interest in the well being of the citizens except for themselves and their short sighted immediate comfort and good. The citizens’ interests can be sacrificed or ignored.

Please, the tea cup is overflowing. Unless we have a bigger cup, a swimming pool, talk some sense and spare a thought for the citizens that are being squeezed out of their island city state. Foreigners should stop prescribing what they think is good for Singaporeans. We know what is good or bad for us.

23 comments:

  1. "Vote Opposition. For the sake of your children and your fellow Singaporeans."

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  2. Let Singapore be a truly 100% cosmopolitan city..........

    In that case....do away with national service, no need NS anymore.......

    What is 6.9M population...... it is a peanuts ......we can easily house 30M/50M population with a highly complex underground integrated networks of roads, trains, houses, malls, hospitals, schools, factories, etc......

    This Singapore for U in year 2100........

    ......WE ARE THE WORLD ........

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  3. If I may add, New Yorkers do not need to perform a mandatory 2 yrs of National Service and 13-years-cycle reservist.

    Which country/city in the world has almost 40% foreigners and its citizens need to do 2 years national service, besides my beloved Singapore?????!!!

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  4. You buggers are well and cruelly swamped.

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  5. A city is not a state.
    A state is not a nation.
    To be a nation.
    To be a country,
    there must be a shared
    common
    identity.
    And this shared common
    identity is the ownership
    of the Land by the people
    willing to protect and
    defend it at all cost.

    Are the Foreign Imports
    and transient settlers
    willing to to defend the
    City Of Sin aka Sincity?

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  6. Suffice it to say, I am one of those "loud" voices.

    Keep the borders OPEN. Sure, I will agree, that more people means more "problems" -- but if you weigh cost vs benefit, those "problems" don't really matter. People can adapt, and they do adapt over time. The main benefit is of course the increase in the AWESOMENESS.

    Some will scream and yell, but eventually they will adapt and partake in the vibrancy of a modern, cosmopolitan truly GLOBAL CITY.

    The more people you have, the harder you will ROCK!

    Hello government, are you listening? 9 million, c'mon, dun scared scared. Let's GO!

    Got rocktitude?

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  7. When the tea cup overflows, drink from the saucer, and order more tea...since you have such bountiful abundance ;-)

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  8. Anon 10.10 pls note ........


    To be a cosmopolitan city state, people can walk in and out of the city without restrictions.....what for do NS, to protect who.....what nation, what country, what common identity are we talking about.......we are freeeeeeeeeeee.......

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  9. If you add too much coffee into tea you will soon get coffee instead of tea.

    It is not like a swimming pool of tea, then you can add a few gallons of coffee into it and it will still be tea with a little coffee flavour.

    When we become an absolute minority, we can be marginalised or even wiped out like the Red Indians in USA. Be frighten, be very frighten.

    Do not be sold out without knowing it and still happily asking for more, harder, harder, yes, good.

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  10. ....Singapore is like that is like that .....everyone just talk talk complain only....but everyone seems to be happy....go about making money, more money. buying expensive houses, record high cars, etc........

    .....always remember... you just another digit in this cosmopolitan city state ....Singapore just a term or a name......people inside whether native or foreign are called Singaporean for administrative purposes ......

    ...what stories are we talking about............

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  11. This is the calm before the perfect storm.

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  12. coffee so little lah. for all i know almost 80% is tea - oolong tea. don't worry lah. social engineering geared towards the yellow of the species will ensure the numbers stay the same.

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  13. redbean:

    >> When we become an absolute minority, we can be marginalised or even wiped out like the Red Indians in USA. Be frighten, be very frighten.

    I don't know who the "we" are to which you refer.

    But I do agree with the "wiping out" part. Those who refuse to adapt, need to be "wiped out".

    Sorry, my need for awesomeness trumps the refusal to adapt to changes.

    And if you're "frightened" it simply means that you don't have what it takes to survive -- and IMO, therefore you don't deserve to :-)

    A modern, global, cosmopolitan city needs people who are on the same page. Sure, it can support the critics, but everyone has to be first able to live -- which begins with: adaptation, preceded of course with a radical change in ATTITUDE.

    "If Singapore depends on the talent it can produce out of 3 million people, it's not going to punch above its weight....So you've got to accept the discomfort which the local citizens feel, that they are competing unequally for jobs. (It) cannot be helped." (Lee Kuan Yew 23 Jul 2011)

    Got cosmopolitan, market-centred reality? Ready to punch?

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  14. We were doing very well when we were 2m, 3m and even 4m. We are doing even better at 5m+ and punching above our weight. Overall, other than the top 20% who are enjoying the growth, the next 60% believe so without knowing that they are all heavily in debt and living just to service their debt.

    There is no need to punch above our weight to stroke our ego. 15 or 20 years ago, I think that was the optimal situation when we were rich but not so rich yet generally the people were comfortable and life was reasonably good. I prefer then than now and I dread what I see as we seek to punch above our weight into the future.

    If we go ahead with no holds bar towards a global city, 60% or our population will not be able to catch up and become misfits in a very intense and highly competitive and high stress society.

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  15. Our society is moving too fast. Real fast.

    Many cannot catch up. Many left behind. Many struggling. Many crying.

    The govt must SLOW DOWN & REORGANISE before it is too late!

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  16. Actually i think 6.9m is not enough leh. Better to increase to 30m and make every foreigner to serve ns so we can take over malaya and then indon to solve our land problem. Thereafter, we will not need to have coe, erp, hdb cos we will have enough land for freehold villas and nice cars.

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  17. Most importantly, there will be more taxpayers to contribute to the obscene wages of the ruling elites.

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  18. The rich get richer - the poor get babies...or else the rich will import baby makers to do the job for all you poor buggers. Spurs on!

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  19. @313

    >> Many cannot catch up. Many left behind. Many struggling. Many crying.

    And that's the right outcome.

    "If native
    Singaporeans are falling behind because 'the spurs are not stuck into the hide,'
    that is their problem."
    -- Lee Kuan Yew NatGeo 2010

    Can't say you weren't warned. :-)

    @444 <== wah 死 死 死 ! (Hungry Ghost is coming for you)

    >> Spurs on!

    Giddyup!

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  20. TODAYonline 15 August

    [Rehiring at same pay is just the first step]

    ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
    Dr Kang Soon-Hock is Head of Social Science Core at the School of Arts and Social Sciences at SIM University.


    "The PSD’s recent announcement
    on rehiring its junior officers when they reach age 62 at their existing pay, and with certain senior officers experiencing only a small pay cut,
    is welcome news and a move in the right direction."


    http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/rehiring-same-pay-just-first-step

    ReplyDelete
  21. STForum Online 15 August

    [No need for S'pore to be 'New York of Asia']

    James G. Tietjen


    "PROFESSOR Kishore Mahbubani's commentary ('48=Lucky'; last Saturday) offers a great, positive outlook for Singapore.

    And so it should be.

    Like him, I have witnessed the phoenix-like metamorphosis of this great country over many years.

    Not long from now, other burgeoning cities may aspire to become the 'Singapore' of some forward-looking society."


    http://www.straitstimes.com/premium/forum-letters/story/no-need-spore-be-new-york-asia-20130815

    ReplyDelete
  22. STForum Online 15 August

    [All can help build a more inclusive society]

    V. Subramaniam (Dr)


    "PM Lee, in his National Day message,
    fittingly outlined the approach that the Govt, working in concert with the people, needs to take to build a more inclusive and equal society
    ('Govt to play bigger role in building fair and just society'; last Friday).

    His pragmatic and enlightened approach..
    will no doubt forge a more humane and compassionate dimension to problems that Singaporeans face daily.

    To render this possible, we have to get into the kampung spirit and work towards greater integration, compassion,
    graciousness and consideration for our fellow Singaporeans
    as well as the foreigners in our midst."


    http://www.straitstimes.com/premium/forum-letters/story/all-can-help-build-more-inclusive-society-20130815

    ReplyDelete
  23. Who say pap is no good?

    2016 election = 80% votes

    ReplyDelete