Dear Gilbert,
While I have no qualms about what you do, I do think you should go about doing it differently.
I understand that helping Singaporeans get a better job is a noble cause but you have to understand the gravity of the situation now.
Instead of focusing on things that will actually help (retraining of skills, upgrading skills) your website is currently mongering hate towards foreigners whether you INTEND to or not.
The results of your actions – no matter how noble the intentions they may be – are still quite unsavory.
I am a foreigner. My father is a citizen and I have served NS just like your local boys.
But I still haven’t been allowed to be a citizen even though my whole family are already Singaporeans.
We’ve been here since 1994 by the way so my father has gone through everything you yourself have gone through.
I have also gone through everything your own local boys have gone through, albeit with less advantages.
It used to be the case that once you complete NS as a PR you would be given citizenship.
But now it has changed.
This could also due to many of your friends and fans complaining too much about FTs and PRs – so this could be a new measure by ICA to stem the flow of PRs getting citizenship.
This is why I asked you to be careful of what you are spreading. Your complaints and grumblings can affect people like us who have done everything that you locals have done but are now left in this situation. Tell me if I have the right to be angry about this or not?
Before they became citizens, my family has never had any advantages that many people are claiming we have access to.
Many Singaporeans are also under the false impression that we have the same subisdies, savings plans etc that you locals have.
Let me make it clear to you that this is not the case.
My family paid every cent for my education here since Primary school while the local children have an almost free education.
They have Edusave to subsidize outside of school activities like camps and excursions while we don’t.
But we still worked hard to get ourselves to the top of the game while many of the local children (not all by the way) played around and took things easy – thus affecting their grades in school.
Now that these young adults are coming of age and start to look for jobs, THEY blame US for the fact that they can’t get a job when its obvious that if they have work harder like us in school – they wouldn’t have any problem finding employment.
And from what I can see, you are also jumping on the band wagon and claiming if we aren’t here, there would be jobs for the locals?
Let me tell you Gilbert, if these locals don’t work hard, either way they will not be able to get jobs whether we are here or not.
Perhaps instead of doing drastic things like making a petition to oust the foreigners why not start a campaign targeted towards making Singaporeans work harder at achieving their goals?
To put things into perspective, I’ll tell you a real life encounter I recently had.
Currently, before I continue with my further studies, I have some free time.
So what I did in order to keep myself occupied and earn some money to use during my uni is to teach private tuition to primary students. Its an honest and fulfilling way to make money.
A friend of mine from NS who ORDed a few days apart from me is also going for further studies the same time next year.
When asked if he was doing anything during the interim - this is what he replied and I quote the exact words he used:-
“Aiya! work for what??after get my degree from NUS conform got job la..u think they hire me, or some ah tiong or pinoy meh? what they know about business in singarpore?so now free must enjoy enjoy a bit ma”
As you can see, he tends to look down on foreigners’ ability to do the same job as him.
He is under the impression that as a local with a degree, he is practically guaranteed a job once he graduates.
And he would rather “enjoy enjoy” than earn something while there is some free time in between.
I’m not implying all locals are like him – only those who cannot get a job now.
Those who work on par with us foreigners have no problem getting a job.
Of course local employers would rather hire their own people than outsiders but when it comes to employee performance, mindset and eventually profits, they can’t afford to be sentimental or patriotic right?
However, if you yourself are of the opinion that you are higher then others simply because you are a local, then my friend Gilbert, its safe to declare that you’re a lost cause.
Simon
Dear all Singaporeans who provided a most interesting and insightful debate on this article. I just landed on this forum very recently and have been following it daily.
I agree with the poster who said persons like Simon are a cause for worry. It is so obvious that while insisting he is not being rude to anyone, his comments and stance have been passive-aggressive the whole time…and I dare say…deliberately. It is so clear that his comments seek to taunt Singaporeans into fury, and then turn around to slam them like a back current with his next swift rebuttal. This trait has been demonstrated repeatedly in his posts. Cunning. This very young person comes across as being capable of instigating deep and dangerous currents that could totally usurp all peace in future. And only at age 23? Scary.
In the first place, he claims that the purpose of his post is to share with others how it ISN’T that easy for a PR to become citizen. While it is clear as laid out so factually and succinctly by a Singaporean who checked with the ICA and other relevant government agencies, how EASY it actually is. The only simple reason Simon hadn’t gotten his citizenship was because of some silly admin error by his own admission, which he so gallantly claims again and again he blames no one for…just to show Simon is the good guy here…while his underlying message is that the Singaporeans who challenged and disagreed with him are the bad guys (?).
So what the heck is Simon really trying to do here? Put Singaporeans in a bad light and stir trouble against Singaporeans. Oh just some but not all, he would say. Be careful everyone and don’t fall into his trap. That includes you Mr. Gilbert Goh, if this young PR does grant you an audience.
Spore first policy…that’s the important of being a citizen. If you migrate to another country, do you think they welcome you with open hands and give you their good jobs?