Barry Desker – Dual citizenship?

Below is what I quoted from an article posted in the The Real Singapore on what Barry Desker wrote in the Straits Times.
 
Professor Barry Desker believes that Singapore should allow dual citizenship and Singaporeans should welcome new citizens and encourage their integration into the Singapore society. I have heard in the rumour mill that Singapore is pondering over this idea of dual citizenship and the thought of who would benefit from this and who would pay a heavy price for it is really scary and plain stupidity. For Barry to write about it means that some dangerous idiots are seriously toying with this idea, just like nuclear power station and the fait accompli 6.9m population.
 
Let me just point out a few pertinent points in Barry’s article on this devious scheme.
"We should revise our laws to permit dual citizenship, which benefits some who are permanent residents but do not wish to give up the citizenship of their land of birth….It would also allow the growing numbers of Singaporeans working abroad to retain their links with Singapore."
 
Is the introduction of dual citizenship a solution to Barry’s interest on the above and concern of the influx of foreigners here?
 
"…the unsustainable sharp influx of foreigners granted permanent residence, as well as employment permits, in recent years has resulted in a backlash, making the issue of immigration politically toxic,” …and to alleviate the fear of younger Singaporeans and their "concerned about competition for university places or preferred jobs".
 
And how would dual citizenship help to remove the worry of older Singaporeans feeling stressful with neighbours speaking in alien languages and different lifestyles as well as the congregation of new ghettos of new immigrants and expatriates from certain nationalities congregating in preferred locations?
 
"The past year has seen rising anti-immigration sentiment in Singapore," Prof Barry added…"MRT trains are crowded, hospital beds always full, traffic jams occur frequently, once-quiet parks are filled with foreign workers on weekends…The rapid pace of the foreign influx resulted in growing criticism and an undercurrent of resentment reflected in social media sites."
 
So, with all the problems that he is acknowledging, are these problems going to go away or will get worst with dual citizenships? The contradictions are too glaring that I am too tired to even want to talk about it. Just ask what is going to happen to National Service, to all the policies that discriminate between citizens and non citizens, the privileges of citizenship, subsidies to medical care, schools, school fees, public housing and housing prices, and the angpows from the nation’s surpluses in the form of national bonuses, employment, rights to vote etc etc.

It is highly unusual for a man intellect, and expressing reservations and concerns on high population but advocating dual citizenship in the same breath. Why is he making such strange comments? I can’t help but to ask Barry what he has been drinking. Dual citizenship must be good for the Singaporeans right, how?

Kopi Level - Yellow