Foreigners, not babies, boom - Todayonline 26/12/07
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Foreigners, not babies, boom
Marginal increase in births, record number of new S'pore citizens this year
SLIGHTLY more than 30,000 Singaporean babies were born in the first 10 months of this year, just one per cent higher than the same period the year before, according to the National Population Secretariat.
The 30,168 new babies are joined by a record number of foreigners who are calling Singapore home.
The whole of last year saw 13,209 foreigners taking up Singapore citizenship and 57,310 taking up permanent residency. On Aug 19, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said: "Over the next decade, we have a unique opportunity to transform Singapore. Together, let us make this truly a City of Possibilities and a home for all of us!"
This includes more foreigners; about 14,000 of them took up the invitation to call Singapore home. At the first-ever national ceremony on Aug 17, 155 foreigners swore allegiance to Singapore as they received their citizenship from Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng.
The National Population Secretariat told Channel NewsAsia that it does not set targets on new Permanent Residents (PRs) and citizens. It added that "the high number of new PRs and Singapore citizenships granted could be due to the broadening of the criteria for citizenship applications in 2004, as well as the many economic opportunities that Singapore offers".
Favourable economic conditions have been cited for the increase in the number of foreigners here. The economy has been on an upswing, unemployment has fallen to record lows, and many employees — including those in the public service sector — have been rewarded with a pay rise and record bonuses. — Channel NewsAsia -
in every society that has "made it", the population will stabilise and shrink..
it is something natural...
so why the hell is every fricken gabrament on planet earth pursuing the policy of "increasing population" when it's unsustainable and stupid? -
Because while the country exists, the economic wheels must turn and we still need workers to work the factories and offices and citizens to pay the taxes?
Its not always an issue of "us versus them" or foreigners stealing jobs... There are pros and cons in all things and in this, I tend to be more liberal and open.
I've worked with Indians who are now PR and the only thing that stops them from holding SG citizenship is that they cannot hold dual citizenship. The Indian government is happy to recognise the dual citizenship but they cannot do so for SG because SG will not grant it.
Sure, u can call it opportunism or anything u want, but which self respecting professional is not ambitious and opportunistic these days???
Many foreigners I've met who are interested in citizenship are well heeled individuals who will be in a position to contribute through $$$, brains, network... We should not think them unworthy.
1st generation will always have one foot in their original country of birth, 2nd generation will be more rooted and 3rd generation may not even remember where their great-grandparents came from.
As for those who "just meet" the criteria and accept citizenship, let us not forget that many of our grandparents or great grandparents were in that situation once too... And many of us turned out ok and are contributing to SG today. -
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I don't believe that the foreigners that came here chose Singapore as their first choice. Perhaps they chose her as a number one sucker. They'll scram at the first opportunity they can seize.
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Must be my bad luck to meet foreigners who think Singapore is just a stepping stone and Singapore sucks.
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Foreigners Action Party -
i don't mind "foreigners" who come and make singapore their home.. they are eventually singaporeans..
what i don't understand is this pathological and mindless drive towards increased population...
this is all because of a flawed economic model which is being slavishly followed...
it will doom humanity..