Online Only — Less foreigners = less stress for Singaporeans
Letter from Gilbert Goh
12:10 AM Sep 30, 2009
I refer to “Foreign population slows down” (Sep 29).
I am also glad that the Government is slowing down the population explosion. Sudden population migration intake has several adverse repercussions in our small country:
1. They pose an unpopular competition to citizens who currently have difficulty getting work. Many migrants are willing to work for lesser pay so that they can settle down here for the long term. This will drive down wages for our local workers.
2. They can cause social problems in the long term. Many come to our country for economic reasons and have difficulty integrating with the local populace. Their cultural habits and differences can be a cause for concern in our multi religious and cultural country. They also bring along their aged parents with them and over time, may pose a challenge to our health and social system if they become citizens.
3. Many foreigners also come without the ability to speak English. Many live in our country speaking their own language preferring to mingle only with their own people. Such alienation will being forth social problems in the long run. The ability to speak the English langauge should be encoraged for those who want to settle in our country. Tests can be implemented to determine whether the migrant is English-proficient before he can be accepted into our country.
4. Many Singaporeans also feel that the sudden intake of foreigners into our country is getting too overwhelming for their comfort. Many have migrated feeling that the Government do not take care of their livelihood needs. This is not healthy for our country as many who leave simply have no incentive to return anymore.
5. Our transport facilitites and other amenities face an onslaught from the sudden influx of foreigners. Many have complained that the trains are overcrowded and shopping malls packed to the brim. There is lesser space for everyone when more people come in to share that same small space. I hope that the government will continue to scale back on its immigration programme to replace the low birth rate here. More can be done to improve on our work life balance programme — which is the main cause for couples not wanting to give birth to more babies. Monetary incentives are not the only reason why couples want to have babies. They simply want more time to be with their children.
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