Lee Kuan Yew: PAP will
give “priority” to citizens
For the fifth time in a week, PAP strongman Lee Kuan Yew has
appeared in the news again, an indication that the octagenarian
leader still wields considerable inflluence in the government
despite his own admission that he is “not doing much” lately except
doing “forecasting”.
Speaking at the opening of the Bhai Maharaj Singh Memorial
Temple yesterday, Lee claimed that the Sikh community has done
well under the PAP’s unique “meritocratic system.”
“The government has not disadvantaged any minority group. We
are a multi-racial and multi-religious society. We give everyone
the opportunity to do well, and thus we have a harmonious
society,” he was quoted as saying in Channel News Asia.
Lee also took the opportunity to reassure disgruntled
Singaporeans again that the PAP will give “priority” to
citizens.
“We have moderated the inflow of foreign workers and new
immigrants, and also widened the differentiation between citizens
and non-citizens. However, Singapore – with its low birth rates –
needs to attract immigrants to augment our population,” he
said rather nonchalantly.
Due to the PAP’s pro-foreigner and liberal immigration policies,
foreigners now make up 36 percent of Singapore’s population, up
from 14 percent in 1990. Of the remaining 64 percent who are
citizens, an increasing number are born overseas.
Despite rising opposition to the PAP’s mass-importing of
foreigners to replace native Singaporeans, PAP leaders are adamant
that immigrants are “essential” to Singapore.
Lee added that the immigrants brought in “are better
educated and professionals who bring new skills to Singapore.”
It is obvious that Lee has not been reading the papers lately
which are full of reports of construction workers, cleaners,
masseurs and even prostitutes being given PRs and citizenships by
the PAP.
How these “foreign talents” are better “educated’ and will bring
“new skills” to Singapore is anybody’s guess.
The next general election may be the last opportunity for
Singaporeans to reclaim their homeland from the PAP after which
they will surely be relegated to being second-class minorities
being overshadowed by the immigrants like YPAP leader Sinha
Shekhar.
