The PAP’s “one-night stand” immigration policy and its disastrous repercussions on Singaporeans
February 23rd, 2010 | 
Author: OPINION
The PAP leaders have been trying hard of late to convince Singaporeans to accept the new citizens and welcome them with open arms.
No efforts were spared by the state media to portray a picture of harmony between the locals and the foreigners including a remarkably fake CNA coverage of an Indian PR attending the reunion leader of a Chinese family.
Ramblings in cyberspace on the rising number of foreigners are dismissed as being “xenophobic” by the establishment and genuine concerns of citizens about the increased competition faced by them are downplayed as “paranoid” with a few blanket promises given that they will remain a “priority” for the government.
With the next general election looming ahead, some last-minute cosmetic changes were implemented to sharpen the “distinction” between citizens and PRs.
No matter how hard they tried to cover up for their mistake, the evidence is clear for all to see: Singaporeans need only take look around to discover that one out of every three persons they meet in the street is a foreigner and in some places, they are the minority in their own country!
This is the direct result of the PAP’s short-sighted “one-night stand” immigration policy which has brought untold suffering to ordinary Singaporeans.
The PAP is so desperate for babies that they thought that the fastest way to make them is to put men and women together to spend a night on the same bed without realizing if they are compatible with one another in the first place.
In 2003, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced the plan to increase Singapore’s population to 6.5 million people and the floodgates were opened without any proper deliberation or planning.
Too many foreigners were let in within too short a period of time that we are now having a headache trying to integrate all of them.
Because their numbers are simply too big, they tend to congregate within their own communities with little incentive to interact with Singaporeans.
PRs and citizenships were given out too easily like toilet papers to any Tom, Dick and Harry without thorough screening and the time frame is too short for the newcomers to fully adapt to Singapore.
To compound matters, the infrastructure was not upgraded in time to accommodate the increase in population.
HDB should have increased the supply of new flats to meet the expected demand fueled by immigration. Surprisingly, only 3,134 flats were built in 2008 when there were nearly 70,000 PRs and 20,000 new citizens, leading to the sky-rocketing prices of HDB flats we are witnessing today.
Public services such as transport were not improved either with the resultant ubiquitous overcrowding we see everyday in buses and MRT trains.
The easy availability of cheap foreign labor is a boon to employers and a bane to ordinary Singaporeans who are finding it hard to compete with them in terms of cost.
According to a Wall Street Journal editorial, the relentless influx of foreigners has depressed the wages of Singapore workers, increassed the cost of living, especially that of public housing, decreased labor productivity and led to an overall decline in the standards of living.
Instead of admitting their mistakes and coming up with concrete solutions to reverse the situation, the PAP continues to throw smoke bombs to obfuscate the matter and pull a wool over the eyes of Singaporeans with half-hearted measures to reassure Singaporeans.
While immigrants may boost Singapore’s population for the time-being, they too will grow old one day and become a burden to the state.
So long the underlying reasons behind Singapore’s low birth rate are not tackled, the immigrants will not be keen to start a family in Singapore as well.
One of the key reason lies in the obscene prices of HDB flats which are partly caused by the inflow of foreigners.
Singaporeans are unwilling to have more children because they have little spare cash left after spending a significant percentage of their salaries on the housing loans.
Unless the new citizens earn substantially more, they will surely encounter the same set of problems faced by the native Singaporeans and therefore Singapore’s fertility rate is unlikely to increase by much.
The lack of a comprehensive social safety net in Singapore is not only causing resentment among Singaporeans, but deterring prospective migrants from taking up citizenship as well.
It is the duty of the incumbent government of the day to take care of the people which the PAP has failed miserably to do so.
Foreigners are allowed to compete directly with locals for jobs and insufficient safeguards were put in place to protect the interests of Singaporeans other than some token initiatives exhorting them to be “faster, better and cheaper”.
The playing field is heavily tilted in favor of the foreigners and it is little wonder that some Singaporeans are blaming them for their predicament.
At the same time, foreigners, especially the real talents Singapore needs are reluctant to relocate to Singapore after seeing for themselves how shabbily its citizens are being treated by a despotic government bent only on self-preservation.
Foreigners now make up 36 per cent of Singapore’s population, up from 14 per cent in 1990. Of the remaining 64 per cent who are citizens, an increasing number are born overseas.
With so much differences between native Singaporeans and the newcomers, social tensions and conflicts are inevitable in the long run.
Just like a couple having a one night stand will seldom develop true feelings for each other, it is nearly impossible to expect foreigners let into Singapore by the PAP without due consideration to assimilate fully with the locals.
Singaporeans are already feeling the disastrous repercussions of the PAP’s “one-night stand” immigration policy and things are likely to get worse from now with its continued denial over the extent of the problem to cover up its gross negligence, oversight and ineptitude.
Posted in Opinion
policy change like this is a concern to me.
a good policy should not be such a u-turn of sorts.
i am feeling confused by their policies.
i want change.
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what to do?
singapore is just a small country and have to rely on such cheap tactics to stay alive
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I strongly disagree with TR on the following statement:
“PRs and citizenships were given out too easily like toilet papers to any Tom, Dick and Harry without thorough screening and the time frame is too short for the newcomers to fully adapt to Singapore.”
For working people like me who eat in food centre, i have to pay at least $0.10 for entrance fee to toilet, which i am not complaining here. But The Toilet paper is never FREE.
I have to pay a minimum of $0.20.
So here, toilet is worth slightly more.
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NO other country’s rulling party will implement this FT policy . why ? Because it means massive local citizens will be jobless and at the emd of the day , their will vote the ruling party out . This FT policy is a very BIG mistake and could have reverted in the early stages but MPs prefered to lick their master and collect the million dollar salary . now , singaporeans are 3rd class , soon we will be classless .
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Does this mean they have appeased the appeasable and secured another 10 thousand years? The real question is , if policies can change like this, what says it cannot be u-turned in future where future is anytime in the long run.
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I think this is a cheap, quick and very irresponsible policy to kill our very own citizen for the benefit of a fake increase in GDP, living standard, first world country and an “afforable” housing price as told by our minister MBT. I think they are trying to implement a fast solution to cover up the existing empty hole they had caused just to get a fast promotion and an increase in pay check in the public service. They don’t see the long term suffering and they didnt do their cause and effect diagram properly. And they called themselves elite and scholars. Even the common joes knows the direct result of the ill-implemented policies. Now it’s too late to cover up the hole properly, let alone having enough resource to implement. See how much our GIC and Temasek lost in their dismal investment. It will take 20 to 30 years to recoup their lost. We have no choice but to eat grass and stone in the time to come and when we are old.
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“In 2003, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced the plan to increase Singapore’s population to 6.5 million people and the floodgates were opened without any proper deliberation or planning”
They let us squeezed in the pigeon holes and they stay in amber space landed properties. Do you consider they are good leaders?
“先天下之憂而憂，後天下之樂而樂” 他們有做到嗎？
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This PAP govt is simply incompetent. They have run out of ideas on how to develop this country. They have ruined everything that they put their hands on. It is time for a new party to take over.
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Likely to see a man in his early 40 with the following:-
1 ) HDB flat installment for next 25 years
2 ) 2 kids in mid primary school and still long way to go
3 ) unable to find a reasonable pay job due to competition from FTs asking for low salaries .
THE PAPAYA GARMAN STILL WANT PPL TO MARRY AND HAVE BABIES. CDC IS CROWDED WITH LOCAL CITIZENS IN THEIR EARLY 40 TO 60 BEGGING FOR JOBS ,YET THE RECENT IR JOBS GOES TO FTs . STILL THINK THEY WILL VOTE THE PAPAYAS ?
RECENT ADVERT ON NEWSPAPER RECRUITING POLY GRADUATES TO BE DRIVING INSTRUCTORS . SO WHY IN THE FIRST PLACE STUDY POLY ? MANAY UNI GRADUATES ARE HOLDING LOW PAY JOBS NOT RELATED TO THEIR STUDIES , WHY THE CRAP OF THING HAPPENING ? THE GARMAN ARE CONFUSED AND TIME IS NOT ON THEIR SIDE AS ELECTION IS AROUND THE CORNER .
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Everyone must stay true to the vision.
The vision now is to have a two-party parliamentary system so the PAP government can no longer have a carte blanc to do anything they wish.
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i am extremely uncomfortable that singaporeans allow the government to back peddle and make u turns on policies. even if they are so called cosmetic changes. this means we, the citizens of singapore, are allowing failed policies to just slide by, which in turn gives the ruling party the freedom to freaking do whatever they think or feel like doing!!!!!
this is really our own undoing. i would say we created this cunundrum for the last 46 years and unless we stop this nonsense and take away this freedom which they have blatantly abused, we will still spin the same s-h-i-t another 46 years from now. who suffers? my children, your children, our children’s children!!!!!
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The new FTs who have received their citizenship will obviously be beholden to the people who gave them the citizenship. Hence, come election day who do you think these new citizens will most likely to vote?. The answer is obvious.
Many Sporeans like to complaint almost about everything. Including the very liberal immigration policy of allowing FTs/FWs to come in freely and to become PRs and citizens. But come election day, those Sporeans who complaint the most will still vote of the ruling party. Most just have the guts to vote for change. Majority just want to play it safe. Their general attitude is let others vote for the opposition. I will not. Such is the mentality of many Sporeans. With the thousands of new citizens, don’t be surprised that the ruling party may even be able to increase their percentage from 66.6% to 68% or even more. The ruling party knows too well that many Sporeans just don’t have the guts to vote them out. Hence no matter how frustrated many are over the Fts/FWs issue, the results will still be the same. Unless, of course, there is a sudden shift in the mindset of the many frustrated voters.
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did anyone ever wonder why singaporeans are only good at complaining? isn’t it a result of not having any avenues to express their frustrations except to complain? who created such a stifling environment? who has been suing people who speak up down to their pants and banished them from the country?
i would say such social behaviour is really a repurcussion of the oppressive and repressive political environment we have. no thanks to emperor lee. i can only hope the younger generation will have the guts to speak up and act on their political intuition on what is right for this country, and old foggies like us will finally wake up and do something instead of just complaining, in the comfort of our sofa at home.
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I have believed from the start that the true goal of the immigration policy is to BUY VOTES. Bring in vast numbers of people from third world countries, and make them grateful for giving them a modern city to stay in. In fact, a case last year revealed that PRCs who immigrated to democracies will only vote for incumbent parties, because of fear learnt from living in China.
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Singapore has become like a carnival with clowns and roller-coasters to boot.
Here’s the story of my 2 sibling cousins, one obviously much more “talented” than the other. X holds an excellent master’s degree in a hard science subject from Australia, Y holds just a private and barely recognized generalist degree from Malaysia.
Because of her lower skills, Y’s job does not get her employer CPF contribution nor CPF-cash-in-lieu. Hence she wanted to apply for PR to get her fair share of the money.
X has a better job that pays him, a fresh graduate with no experience, $3500 + CPF-contribution-in-cash. He doesn’t care for the PR but is waiting to return to Australia soon as his papers there are sorted out.
Turns out, Y got her PR mid 2009 without much effort. They had an idea suddenly. They decided that if X also got himself PR status they could buy a HDB flat and rent it out when he is no longer here.
Well, he was unlucky…and shocked when he got rejected in November 2009. Seems like the public outcry against opening Singapore like a carnival has gotten the gatekeepers to decide to close the gate temporarily because there is no way in heavens nor hell could Y have gotten PR ahead of X.
My point is, immigration is a serious policy for a nation. The way we are going at it, is both stupid and funny. We got ourselves a generalist who works in the office picking up phone calls for PR as opposed to someone with a million times more potential, economically speaking.
What on earth are the policy makers smoking?
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With so many walkovers they don’t need singaporean votes to stay in power.
They know exactly how the people vote by making and counting the votes by precinct off course they won’t know who individually. The Election Department comes under the PM Office incidentally. So no surprise the boundary will be redrawn again come next election.
Like the Old Fart say Sinkees must be dreaming if they can vote out the PAP.
Nevertheless lets try to give him the last sweet and memorable present before he kick the bucket by voting as many Opposition as possible. Remember you stand better chances with the unknown than with the current one.
I would love to see if he could really jumps up from the furnace. Maybe we might have a new Leeligion. Hope Pastor Rony don’t claim credit for this
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Prime Minister Lee be prepared to lose more votes this coming GE…Your PAP may still form the next Govt. but I doubt for long…the writing is on the Wall PAP will not be forming the Government forever…even your Father dared not predict your win beyond 2 GEs.
PAP deserve to lose for treating its citizens so shabbily….in areas of Welfare, Medical Services, Education, Housing,National Service, making hurtful comments…like:
“If there were no retrenchments in Singapore I will be afraid for singapore”;
” I regret allowing the baby being transferred to KK Hospital”;
” One less hairdo and you can afford the momogram”,
“Cheaper, Faster,….,”
“If Chicken is too expensive they can buy Fish”
“Where do they want to dine tonight? in a Food court; in a Restaurant”;
“If singaporeans do not have their spurs stucked to their hides that is theri problem”;
“Johor or Batam Old Folk Homes is cheaper and very near only one hour travelling away”….
There are literally hundreds more of such INSENSITIVE AND CALLOUS REMARKS by PAP Politicians it shows how heartless and disconnected the PAP is from the ordinary people…
I think the people have had enough.
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I will vote for the candidate that ask for lesser allowance. I think anything more than 1 million is too much. I am sure the opposition members will be happy to be ministers at 10% of the current payscale. At this rate, they should be giving a poorer performance at losing money which the current cabinet is proficient at.
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FOLKS,
SINCE SUCH A NUMBER IN THE CYBERSPACE ENOUGH OF PAPPIES, WHY NOT TAKE THE STEP TO DO ACTION NOW???
I HAVE BEEN CALLING IN THE CYBERSPACE TO GO TO THE 15YR OLD KENNETH LIN PETITION CALL AND VOLUNTARILY SIGN UP, IN ORDER TO KICK-UP A NEW TURNOVER PAGE HISTORY IN SINGAPORE IN 2010!!
I DUN CARE NOW WHETHER THE FEAR OF BEING CALLED UP BY GOVT OR WHATSOEVER REASONS BEHIND THAT STOPPED PPL FROM DOING IT.. WHICH I THINK EACH AND INDIVIDUAL KNOWS IN THEIR HEART THE TRUE REASONS.
LIKE I SAY, WE ARE ALL IN THE SAME BOAT AND IN THE WITS’ END ALD, THERE IS NO LOSS EVEN IF WE TAKE THIS STEP, COS IT WON’T HURT US WORST THAN IF WE CONTINUE TO ALLOW BEING ABUSED BY THIS CURRENT RULING PARTY CONTINUOUSLY….!!!!!!
SO STOP WHINING! VOTE FOR CHANGE OF HISTORY IN SINGAPORE!
GO AND VOLUNTARILY AND GET AS MANY PPL AS POSSIBLE TO SIGN UP TO KICK-START THE AGENGDA AND WATCH THE SHOW…..
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Please, instead of trying to gain “face” on the global stage, the PAP should just be content making us happy with good policies. Face it, delusional PAP, no matter how good we are looking on the global stage, we are just but a tiny lightbulb in the CNY light-up. No matter how good we shine, it will just be a tiny speck that will blow out soon as the filament burn out faster…
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Singapore is finished.
Anyone can invade us and win.
I mean, who will defend this god-forsakened shit-hole?
Guys, don’t tell me you are willing to risk your lives to protect million-dollar ministers, foreigners’ property…LAUGHS
Me? I don’t have a job or a house or a family now. Cannot afford to. Can you blame me for being boccup?
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There is no consideration for the infrastructure when one increases the population by such numbers.
1. Public transport, which was decent 10 years ago, has become way more crowded than it ever was.
2. Public hospitals, which had multiple empty wards and beds 10 years ago, are now faced with bed crunches. Some people actually get put up in beds along corridors.
3. Public housing, which used to be considered as affordable for the masses, has now become affordable not for the masses but by those who earn a comfortable income.
Ask yourself this question. Has the standard of living improved? In terms of GDP and net worth, maybe. But nothing else.
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It is time for everyone here to tell the true story and history of Singapore never told before by main stream media. It is time we write what went wrong with this government and why they remain unapologetic towards its people. It is time a book like this be formally written, printed and archive for many generations to come. It is a book of secret, a book of truth a book that must be owned by all Singaporeans young and old, a book that put PAP to shame!
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I am born in Singapore and worked my whole life in Singapore. I have a Singaporean boss whom I worked for many years seeing her through multi promotions. The FT policy has make employing FT so easily and she finally decided to employ a FT that put me reported to. Within 3 months, I was told by my FT boss that I am not performing and either he ask me to leave or I resign by my own. I decided to quit and move on. Within that month of my resignation, this new boss brought in another FT to replace me. GOV, this is what happens on the ground that your fellow citizen is facing because of such screwed FT policy. I am lucky and I got another job but not everyone is as lucky as me. This goes to said that the foreigner not only congregate but look after their own foreigner. This goes to show our fellow Singaporean (ex-boss), as Singaporean is only interested in looking after herself. My country’s FT policy put me at the disadvantages. There is nothing that I could feel to be attached to Singapore.
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The ruling party is self interest. They don’t give a shit what happens on the ground, after all people from the ground are dispensable as it clearly shows that it can be replaced by FTs. This govt has no compassion and comradeship for its people. It is like the ancient feudal system where aristocrats are distinctively separated from the peasants (modern day salarymen). LKY is an old English school boy and an admirer of the old glorious British aristocracy and colonialism. So he doesn’t care much about the people from the ground. People from the ground are expendables and to support the aristocrats for a greater course.
After all TH and GIC numbers are hidden. Ministers are getting millions in remuneration. So if oppositions come into power they’ll just pull out everything and leave and Singapore will collapse over night. This is the worst scenario for PAP and they put up a good fight before giving up power cos there’s too much to lose.
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Bloomberg Feb 24, 2010: Singapore Withdraws Red Carpet for Foreigners With Eye on Vote.
“We’re not against foreign workers,” Lim Swee Say, a government minister and secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress, said at a Feb. 1 media briefing. “But just like drinking wine, wine is good but too much wine is bad. Foreign workers are good but too many foreign workers growing at too fast a rate is no good for the economy because it dilutes our focus on productivity.”
Oh! Was he drunk?.
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#live147 on Wed, 24th Feb 2010 1:51 am
I had a similar experience like yours way back in 2001. Many of my friends and relatives had the same experiences too; some had not found work for a year or two. Sad isn’t it? I had left Singapore, after when told by the MP in my constituency suggested that I take on the job as a cleaner.
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live147,
I agree with you. Even HR departments are filled with “FTs”. It is harder and harder for Singaporeans to get a job.
Sighs…
I wish the worst for the PAP traitors.
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Remember the “foreigners create jobs” shit that was dispensed and shaft down the throats of Sinkies? 66.6% believed that shit until one fine day, their jobs were replaced by cheaper FTrash. I hope the 66.6% have learned their lesson well and do the right thing this GE!
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BAD policy, that is why there is such a “U” turn. I am definite voting against the kind of policy and the policy makers in the next E.
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You put in Filippino boss, they bring in their fellow country folks; You put in Indian boss, they bring in their fellow indian. So in the end, they all become one united people in the company. If they are in good in position but very lousy, they will turken you till you leave or resign, then they bring in their people. If you perform well, they will still say you perform badly, or worse reaping the benefits of your good work. So in the end, we singaporean suffer under their hands. There is nothing much we can do about the situation but to blame our “kind” government. It’s not that we don’t want to learn but even if we work hard, we can’t out-win them since they are in managing position. Unless our singaporean boss hear our cries.
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The Papaya Gang has really screwed it up this time.
The foreign injection policy has addressed the twin goals to bring down cost of doing business as well as increasing the population but it came at a high price.
High price to the citizens, it has squeezed us out of jobs, school places, hospital places, driven up housing prices, created congestion to our public transport. Who is bearing the brunt the citizens.
I do admire their guts as most governments would not have dared do things to the same degree as our Papaya gang as there will clearly by a political cost.
Admiration of your bravery aside I have zero sympathy for you at the next elections. If we do not really teach you a lesson we are just straight forward dumb and forgetful.
It is time that we the citizens of singapore give you a good wake up call that we are the true owners of the country and you are there in power because we gave you the mandate, now that you have failed us you should take responsibility for your own actions.
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I have always voted for PAP but NOT anymore this time round for the simple reason of their screwed pro-FT policy.
The previous semi-gov I worked for ditched Singaporean and opted for the cheaper FT using ‘outsourcing’ strategies as a cover.
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Take a look at this arrogant foreign trash from india who’s a PR here. Read his talk big respond to those who comment about workers from indian. Here’s the link in Mr Wang Says So blog:-
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4405345292513335071&postID=7205883317628878281
See > Anonymous @ February 12, 2010 12:57 PM
Read this arrogant jerk’s reply downwards to February 23, 2010 4:55 PM
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imagine a world without lky?
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