Singaporeans open to more foreigners coming to boost populat
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Seriously, I just wonder where in Singapore did they get this consensus from?
Singaporeans open to more foreigners coming to boost population numbers
By Hwee Goh, Channel NewsAsia
SINGAPORE : Singaporeans seem open to having more foreigners here to boost population numbers.
But they do expect these people to sink roots and commit to becoming Singaporean.
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Our reporter speaks to Singaporeans about a point raised in Friday's Budget that Permanent Residents will be encouraged to become citizens.
It is all to do with a falling birth rate that is now one of the lowest in the world.
Not enough of babies are born here each year, so it is likely the shortfall will have to be replaced through immigration.
So the government said it needs to give PRs an incentive to become citizens.
How that is done is not clear but observers say currently PRs have enough perks to keep them as PRs, so it may mean revoking some of these perks to make it more attractive for them to become citizens.
BG George Yeo, Trade and Industry Minister, said: "I think we should continue to welcome PRs into Singapore really we need them in the economy. What we want is to make sure that citizens get a leg up over PRs, they are special, they are part of the Singapore core."
Right now, citizens have the right to vote, enjoy housing and upgrading subsidies, and government CPF top-ups.
They also have to do national service.
First generation PRs do not have to do NS, but their children, who are also PRs, do.
They also pay higher school fees.
Locals did not seem concerned about these differences.
"No matter any country you come is OK as long as you stay in Singapore and have babies and become Singapore citizen is OK," said one Singaporean.
"Whether these people are transient or not I suppose now the society is so globalised that it does not really make a difference whether or not they are true Singaporeans so long as they blend in," said another.
Analysts tell Channel NewsAsia that this issue is a new spin to the foreign talent debate - the government is saying not only do they need their skills, now they need their babies as well!
Dr Ng Eng Hen, Acting Manpower Minister, said: "We are wanting babies for babies sake!"
BG Yeo said: "We welcome girls marrying foreign men and their husbands becoming citizens. we welcome Singaporean men marrying foreign ladies and these ladies becoming citizens and hope their children will take up citizenship and do their national service."
Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Acting Education Minister, said: "It's not just augmenting the population, it's about the quality of the city, you need a certain diversity, different perspectives, different backgrounds rubbing against each other, testing each other and motivating each other."
More details are expected by August as a high-level committee deliberates just what incentives are needed for PRs to become citizens. - CNA -
they never come ask mi leh..... if they did...well my answer is YES I MIND!!!!!!!!
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How convenient that Permanent Residents are now encouraged to be Citizens, when their PR status in participating in Union activities are considered as IRRESPONSIBLY 'rocking the boat'.
What is there to prevent these PRs from rocking the boat harder once becoming Citizens ?
Will they be accused as being treacherous Citizens then ?
It is refreshing to note that the Acting Education Minister, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, had said: "It's not just augmenting the population, it's about the quality of the city, you need a certain diversity, different perspectives, different backgrounds rubbing against each other, testing each other and motivating each other."
He should try to tell the last part to SM LKY and those in the higher echelon of the Ruling Party, that Singapore needs a fair and less personal Political Arena -
as SINGAPORE "need a certain diversity, different perspectives, different backgrounds rubbing against each other, testing each other and motivating each other" in Parliament. -
Originally posted by Atobe:
your point in blue has hit the nail on the head exactly. but unless compelled, most will prefer to rest on their laurels with no threats to their dominance.
How convenient that Permanent Residents are now encouraged to be Citizens, when their PR status in participating in Union activities are considered as IRRESPONSIBLY 'rocking the boat'.
What is there to prevent these PRs from rocking the boat harder once becoming Citizens ?
Will they be accused as being treacherous Citizens then ?
It is refreshing to note that the Acting Education Minister, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, had said: "It's not just augmenting the population, it's about the quality of the city, you need a certain diversity, different perspectives, different backgrounds rubbing against each other, testing each other and motivating each other."
He should try to tell the last part to SM LKY and those in the higher echelon of the Ruling Party, that Singapore needs a fair and less personal Political Arena -
as SINGAPORE "[b]need a certain diversity, different perspectives, different backgrounds rubbing against each other, testing each other and motivating each other" in Parliament.
[/b] -
You guys sound like Pauline Hanson with regard to migration.
hehehe.. xenophobes -> in an interview, she didn't understand this word!
Anyway, i dont' think anyone would welcome these Singaporean womens' foreign husbands. As someone had stated in another thread, foreigners are only here to bone OUR local women.
Sniggle... i think once again the ST has reported some more propaganda.. showing that Sgreans are supporting the Govt and their decisions -> even when the general consensus here is -> go home foreigners.
I think migration is positive to the Singapore economy. I don't see why everyone is getting worked up for. Unlike Australia or England, there are no dole payments in Singapore. -
Yep, migration is always beneficial to countries...it doesn't even have to be properly controlled, let's just throw open our gates to anyone who wants to come in! Never mind if some of them are no-talent layabouts who can't contribute to our already strained economy (but who will still draw upon that economy's resources), I'm sure it'll be okay.
No, I'm sure that when we ask foreigners to breed with us, we won't be sending out signals about how Singaporeans are just receptacles for foreigners' bodily discharges. I'm sure that won't exacerbate the existing situation, where a large sector of our population is already perceived as a pool of readily gotten sexual conquests for foreign white men.
I'm sure that won't reinforce the rampant racial stereotyping of Asians that has already been commented on in David Henry Hwang's 'M Butterfly', just to name one example.
All we need is for them (aiyah, never mind if they're socially responsible or not) to impregnate a few local women in shotgun marriages or, at the very most, just leave behind a litter of illegitimate children. After all, it's a numbers game, people! That's all that counts - the long term stability of our family units is really less important than it's often made out to be.
I, for one, will be proud to don my army uniform and lay down my life for these new fellow citizens of mine, these European / American society rejects, these hormonally crazed people who I am sure respect all races and do not in any way express the belief that they are superior in any way to the non-caucasians in Singapore, these gentle folk who never engage in hooligan-ish behaviour, who never harass Singaporean women by throwing bread at them in Italian restaurants. These great, noble people who I shall have the great privilege of sacrificing my life for, even though they haven't had to do NS.
Of course, this new policy means that there won't be any more Chinese, Malay or Indian people left in Singapore...since we're all supposed to interbreed with foreigners (and yeah, I'm sure only Caucasian foreigners are included in this plan), Singapore will be a country of nothing but Eurasians eventually. Never mind, no sacrifice is too great in the name of commercial sustainability!
Sometimes I have really naughty, unworthy thoughts...like maybe how declining birth rates in Singapore are due to a whole range of different factors, and how maybe the problem could be solved with radical reforms, like making our employment sectors more family friendly (through for example legislating for maternity and paternity leave, restructuring and really changing mindsets to allow more part time or contract work).
Sometimes I even think that big problems could be solved if Singapore allowed for more personal and political liberty, thus stopping the steady outflow of large numbers of our best and brightest that migrate to liberal countries like the U.S. and Canada every year due to their disgust with the state of affairs in their own home country.
I am ashamed to admit that sometimes I think these are better solutions to the problem, rather than some really blunt and primitive strategy of just marrying off our sons and daughters to foreigners in order to gain a practical advantage, just like they used to do in tribal societies and tribal politics, before we became more civilised. But no, I'm sure I'm wrong here.
On a completely unrelated topic, the weather in Perth is really nice this time of the year, wouldn't you agree? -
1. Yes or no, since WHEN our answer matters?
2. When anything goes wrong it's ALWAYS our (the general public's) FAULT and NEVER the government's fault... -
Wouldn't have a clue.?!Originally posted by subudei:On a completely unrelated topic, the weather in Perth is really nice this time of the year, wouldn't you agree? -
subudei,
You have most appropriately addressed the topic, and your anology was most robust!
Couldn't have expressed my opinion better than you have!
If this is the path our government wants in order to have more babies, then we're on our way to a bastardized society. Also, local girls are marrying foreigners with the incentive of leaving SIngapore; not staying and having babies here mind you.
But as usual and expected, our government will not think so, and will wait for things to go shitty before realizing a U-turn is appropriate, and call it a RETHINK!!! -
Erm.. that's not true.Originally posted by ShutterBug:subudei,
If this is the path our government wants in order to have more babies, then we're on our way to a bastardized society. Also, local girls are marrying foreigners with the incentive of leaving SIngapore; not staying and having babies here mind you.
Shutterbug.. i don't think they actively pursue foreigners. I think it just happens. And when it does, they have to decide which country they want to live in. Obviously... for reasons already discussed, they want to sg. -
Oh yes I'm sure that's right, I'm sure that some local girls don't actively seek out foreigners...I'm sure that all the widespread talk about SPGs and the very fact that certain places are now known as 'SPG hangouts' (and really do seem to display a certain 'demographic pattern') are completely coincidental phenomena. I'm sure that the fact that Singaporean girls now have a reputation in the West as easily gotten wh@res is just a freak happenstance, that has no foundation in fact.
I'm sure that the sayings, "no smoke without fire" or "when ten men tell you you're drunk, you'd better lie down" have no bearing whatsoever here.
And yes, I'm sure that all those drunk local women I see throwing themselves all over fat, balding Caucasian men in the Raffles Long Bar, or Carnegie's or Liquid Room, etc. etc. etc. are not really trying to achieve anything untoward.
I'm sure that those tired cliches that I keep hearing from these women, like "it just happens" or "it's just a personal preference" or "he just happens to be white" are really heartfelt truths, boring and unimaginative responses as they may be, coming from the mouths of boring and unimaginative women. -
Shutterbug,
I fully agree that most local women who seek out foreign men are also seeking a way out of Singapore. A few girls whom I used to count as my friends have actually done that, and they're all in Europe or the U.S. now.
Never mind, like you said, if anything goes wrong, we can always have yet another RETHINK (not U-turn, not U-turn, not U-turn, keep saying that and you may actually believe it yourself). You can't blame some people if they get things wrong, it's very cold, and the air is very thin, up in the tall Ivory Tower they live in, and such conditions make it very hard to think properly.
Hmmm....just saw another feature on the news about that Chinese villager who complained to Prime Minister Wen Jiabao about her husband's unpaid wages...he very promptly dealt personally with the matter. Wow, and I used to think China was a terrible place to live in...but at least their top leaders listen to their people there.
Well, I'm off to Perth. I'll see many of you there, I guess. Or maybe, in time to come, Shanghai. -
Isn't it stuff you conjured from people like yourself?Originally posted by subudei:Oh yes I'm sure that's right, I'm sure that some local girls don't actively seek out foreigners...I'm sure that all the widespread talk about SPGs and the very fact that certain places are now known as 'SPG hangouts' (and really do seem to display a certain 'demographic pattern') are completely coincidental phenomena. I'm sure that the fact that Singaporean girls now have a reputation in the West as easily gotten wh@res is just a freak happenstance, that has no foundation in fact.
I'm sure that the sayings, "no smoke without fire" or "when ten men tell you you're drunk, you'd better lie down" have no bearing whatsoever here.
And yes, I'm sure that all those drunk local women I see throwing themselves all over fat, balding Caucasian men in the Raffles Long Bar, or Carnegie's or Liquid Room, etc. etc. etc. are not really trying to achieve anything untoward.
I'm sure that those tired cliches that I keep hearing from these women, like "it just happens" or "it's just a personal preference" or "he just happens to be white" are really heartfelt truths, boring and unimaginative responses as they may be, coming from the mouths of boring and unimaginative women.
Stereotyping... you sure they are not paid women? Have you interviewed them? Do you know anyone who hangs around there?
Hmm.. boring and unimaginative.. Wonder. -
Lingos, you are aware that inserting long quotes in your posts doesn't help them to acquire any badly lacking substance?
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BRAVO! Subudei.
I know that there are some girls/women who truly fell in love with whites, but hey, I will be lying to myself and everyone else, if I say they are not after a better life abroad.
Common, stop kidding yourselves that these so called PRs will actually rough it out with Singapore when economy goes south?
I seriously doubt so.
I said it before and I will say it again; in the event of a war, I believe these women with their foreign hubbies, or hubbies with their foreign wives, will fly to their foreign in-laws. Period. -
I sure the reverse would also lie true. It's human nature.Originally posted by ShutterBug:BRAVO! Subudei.
I know that there are some girls/women who truly fell in love with whites, but hey, I will be lying to myself and everyone else, if I say they are not after a better life abroad.
Common, stop kidding yourselves that these so called PRs will actually rough it out with Singapore when economy goes south?
I seriously doubt so.
I said it before and I will say it again; in the event of a war, I believe these women with their foreign hubbies, or hubbies with their foreign wives, will fly to their foreign in-laws. Period. -
subudei -> speak of a bastardised society...Originally posted by subudei:Lingos, you are aware that inserting long quotes in your posts doesn't help them to acquire any badly lacking substance?
Have you ever done GP? Do you think quantity is better?
Straight, sharp and concise my friend.
Like your posts? Long and windy with no point?? -
Like cutting and pasting complete articles without adding any commentary of your own makes you a genius?Originally posted by subudei:Lingos, you are aware that inserting long quotes in your posts doesn't help them to acquire any badly lacking substance? -
Whether it lies true or not, depends very much, on how the people of a country feels about how their government treated them, to wanna actually fight for the country. What is there to fight for when nothing seems to be yours to call your own??
Think about it!!!![/quote] -
Whether it lies true or not, depends very much, on how the people of a country feels about how their government treated them, to wanna actually fight for the country. What is there to fight for when nothing seems to be yours to call your own??
Think about it!!!![/quote] -
Common, let's face it; whether as a people you feel compelled to fight for your own country or not, dedends very much on how you were treated by your own government. If the people in the end feel like they don't won abything really, then what is there to fight for?
What's in a country, but a place to make a living in???
So if the place is chocked full of foreigners, you think the locals will bother??? -
Which white people would want to settle here by choice permenently? How many? Will it work>?
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foreigners or locals or whatever aside... where the hell are we going to put the increased population??
fricken Orchard Road is like a moshpit on weekends already!!
and everywhere else is the same... try taking the trains and buses to work.. can't get in already...
can we handle the increased numbers?
i mean, we're not ants or termites.. but seems like singapore is going that way...
i wanna know are we selling the future to buy the present? -
Here here! Furthermore, lifestyle abroad is more laxed. So there.Originally posted by SingaporeTyrannosaur:I sure the reverse would also lie true. It's human nature. -
I fully agree...it would take a real idealist to want to live in Singapore.