March 14, 2010 by admin
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Written by Our Correspondent
The PAP has launched the Singapore Citizenship Journey portal
using taxpayers’ monies this month as a pilot project in three GRCs
– Tanjong Pagar, West Coast and Sembawang.
Prospective new citizens will now have to register on the
Singapore Citizenship Journey before they can become Singapore
citizens as well as to attend compulsory “sharing sessions” with
PAP-affiliated grassroots leaders.
The portal will also have an e-learning module to help new
citizens learn more about Singapore and an online module in English
for them to complete.
Minister of Community Development, Youth and Sports Dr Vivian
Balakrishnan said in Parliament on Wednesday that “having a more
structured naturalisation process will ensure that they understand
and appreciate the pillars of national identity and values.”
It is unsure how prospective new citizens who cannot even speak
a single word of English will be able to complete the online
module.
In a desperate attempt to reversing the damaging effect of the
“Stop at Two” policy in the 1970s and to boost Singapore’s
declining birth rates, the PAP has opened the floodgates to
foreigners in the last few years.
Due to the PAP’s liberal immigration and pro-foreigner policies,
foreigners now make up 36 percent of Singapore’s population, up
from 14 percent in 1990. Of the remaining 64 percent, an increasing
number are born overseas.
A significant proportion of the newcomers hail from the inland
provinces of mainland China, many of whom are unable to speak or
comprehend English. The mainstream media carried reports of Chinese
construction workers, cleaners, masseurs and even prostitutes being
granted Singapore PRs and citizenships.
PAP’s octogenarian leader Lee Kuan Yew said in a recent
interview with the National Geographic magazine that it is a
“good idea” that Singapore welcomes so many Chinese immigrants as
they are more “hard-driving” and “hard-striving” than locals.
Though the fundamental reason behind Singapore’s immigration
policy is sound, it is implemented too hastily with little prior
planning or foresight to anticipate problems arising in the
future.
Too many foreigners were allowed into Singapore within too short
a period of time such that it is near impossible to integrate all
of them and the fault lies solely with the PAP.
For example, plans to integrate them should have been drawn up
as early as 2003 and not only now when Dr Vivian unveiled a megal
$10 million dollar Community Integration Fund to serve the purpose
which is too little, too late.
With ethnic enclaves already emerging in the HDB heartlands, it
is very unlikely that the new immigrants, consisting of a motley
crowd of mainland Chinese, Indians, Filipinos, Malaysians etc. will
be able to mix around with one another, let alone integrate into
the larger Singapore society.
At the end of the day, it is ordinary Singaporeans who are
paying the price of the PAP’s policy mistakes and not the
millionaire PAP ministers whose positions remain as secure as
ever.
According to a recent Wall Street Journal editorial, the
relentless influx of foreigners has depressed the wages of ordinary
Singapore workers, increased the cost of living, especially that of
public housing, decreased labor productivity and led to an overall
decline in the standards of living.
Unfortunately, the PAP continues to live high up in their own
ivory towers and remain oblivious to the problems currently
besieging the nation.
Unless Singaporeans vote out the PAP in the next general
election to reclaim the ownership of their nation, they will soon
be relegated to second class minorities within their country of
birth with the males having to serve two years of National Service
to protect the foreigners, PRs and new citizens.