One of my complaints about new citizens (or immigrants) has always been this: They have different aspirations and are indifferent to our values and traditions. I shared this view with a number of people and a fellow Singaporean (not one of those new ones) asked me – Just exactly what are our “traditions” anyway? Do we even have one?
He has a point. For the longest moment, I couldn’t think of an answer. Even after weeks, I couldn’t think of one. We have Singlish, we rush into the train and the lift without waiting for others to come out, and we queue for so-called “free stuff” even though the queue is so long that the time cost no longer make it worthwhile. But none of these are our traditions. In fact, Singaporeans may not even share common values across racial lines. The term “Asian Values” is really a misnomer, because Asians are so diverse that the values and traditions of those in East Asia will differ from those in the godforsaken winter wastes of Siberia.
So we really don’t have any traditions, and I can’t even say we have common values. A friend thus pointed out that it would be more correct to say: they have different aspirations and are indifferent to our way of life. I had attempted to argue that National Service [NS] can be considered one of our traditions but our women don’t serve NS. Above which, Chillycraps pointed out in a private conversation that a tradition is not something forced upon us. A tradition would be something we would want to keep and proud of. Not something that we find to be a burden.
Either way, it cannot be denied that immigrants have different aspirations. Their first and foremost: an opportunity to better their lives and that of their family. While that might sound absurd, since Singaporeans also aspire for better lives for themselves and the family, the fact is that Singaporeans want something even better and not have people coming from another place to reap the fruits of our forebears at our expense. Very much like some white Australians in the 90s who wished that Asians would just stay home and not mess out their great nation.
Furthermore, the aspirations of these immigrants may not necessarily come with any attachment or loyalty to Singapore. To some of them, the Singapore pink IC [Identity Card] and red passport is nothing more than a “key” – perhaps to open other doors to yet another place which could provide yet better opportunities. I have no doubt some will leave for greener pastures using their new found convenience in a few years.
But what irks me the most is when some of them speak so passionately against Singaporeans raving and ranting against foreigners, as if those who complained are making a point against them in particular. While I cannot expect them to completely detach themselves from their land of birth (or forsake it completely), their reaction suggests they still think of themselves as if they are still foreigners! There appears to be a complete lack of regard to their new status as Singaporeans. I seriously question their loyalty to this country. Their passionate defense as if they are foreigners themselves is puzzling. It makes me wondered whether they have given a really serious thought when giving up their original citizenship. Don’t all of them have to take an oath of allegiance to this country or some kind of pledge when they take up our citizenship? Does that mean nothing to them? (Talking about that, I found it ironical that for failing to give his pledge, a Mr Ogawa Ryuju became stateless for about half a year even though he has served NS.)
Singapore has clearly been giving out citizenship as cheaply and as quickly as a streetwalker agrees to provide sex service for the right price. After all, a recently elected Member of Parliament [MP] is a new citizen who has not served NS. It is clear that while NS used to be a valued rite of passage for Singaporean boys into manhood, these days it is considered a liability, and a waste of time by employers and Operationally Ready National Servicemen [NSmen] alike. It would appear to me that life in the army has improved so drastically, that even new citizens who did serve NS think very little of it (see screen shot). Although I clearly detest the dehumanisation and abuse during my NS days, the experience is something we Singaporean men commonly shared and at times the most common topic among those who met for the first time. Not to mention, what I got in NS was already far milder than my predecessors.
Certainly, while new citizens may not be indifferent to our non-existent common values and traditions, I am quite certain they are indifferent to our way of life. A life in which we would like a little more living space in our lifts and trains, a smoother ride on the road or even a voice with an accent that sounds much more familiar and at home when we called a help line. I recalled the joy of a Singaporean working for the Thompson Reuters Help Desk in Australia who happily spoke to me in Hokkien. Some of us would prefer a life where there is less competition, less hectic and more harmonious even when most would consider such a life to be mediocre and uninspiring. The fact is, if the government want us to live more graciously and learn to appreciate life, then it can’t expect us to continue to do so in an environment where we constantly fight tooth and nail for our very own survival. Who gives a damn about the arts when losing their job means losing the roof over their heads because they have still another 20 years of housing loans to service?
Thus, I am not surprised that many local-born Singaporeans (including myself, during the May 2011 General Election) are in the opinion that the People’s Action Party [PAP] deliberately “imported” these foreigners to “dilute” our votes. I remembered that one of the points made then was that this is the election to make a difference because if we don’t, the floodgates will be opened to yet another 900,000 foreigners and by 2016, our votes will even be more “diluted” and our collective voices drowned out be “foreign interests”. It doesn’t matter there is no evidence whatsoever that new citizens will do so, and truth be told I suspect they might actually even vote against the PAP for any opposition party that would make it a lot more like the place they left believing they could yet retain the economic and political stability which they liked about Singapore. In other words, not only will the demographic distribution of this country will be screwed up, our way of life are going to be messed up in more ways than one!
Personally, I don’t want to treat new citizens as outsiders. However, if new citizens continue to set themselves apart, then it is almost certain that will be reciprocated. Perhaps they have bought too much into the PAP’s propaganda of them being talented, to the point that they think of themselves as elite. I have no doubt that some of them already looked down upon us and think of us as stupid. After all, the elitism oozes out of every spore of that person who wrote that load of crap in the screen shot.
