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September 22, 2008 by admin
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By Lim Yii Tong, Guest Columnist
During our usual weekend get-together at my mother-in-law’s
place at Yong Peng (Malaysia), there will invariably be heated
discussions on politics by relatives from both sides of the
causeway.
The usual Singaporean complaint about rising costs, ERPs and
influx of foreigners seems more of a minor irritant than an
important concern to the Malaysians.
“At least your government functions” quipped Chin, my
brother-in-law. “Over here, the politicians just talk, NATO
only. They have been saying they will renovate the
Chinese schools since the 1980s during every election, but once it
is over, they disappear as well !”
Another brother-in-law is trying to get his two kids enrol
in a primary school in Singapore. “Never mind what school, as long
it is in Singapore, it will surely be better here !”, he
acclaimed.
I almost want to dissuade him from doing so as I am not keen for
my kids to be educated in the Singapore school system.
I am a true blue Singaporean, born here, receive my education
from primary to university level here, serve national service,
work, married and settled down here in the land of my birth.
I am in my mid 30s, have 2 wonderful kids (a third one coming in
December), earn a comfortable working as a system engineer in
an IT consultancy film and lives in a private apartment still being
paid for by my CPF – a typical middle class Singaporean.
Yet, I still do not feel satisfied or secure about my present
life. Will I be able to maintain the same standard of living and
qualify of life in the future ?
The Singapore I live in now is so different from the Singapore I
grew up in. I received my primary education at a neighborhood
school in Toa Payoh, right in the middle of the HDB heartland.
I had fond memories of the time I spent playing hip-hop,
“tor ka” (one-legged catch up), “gor li” (marble), ti-kam and
catching frogs and spiders with my friends from all races. There
were few foreigners then and life is so much simpler.
Now, I see mainland Chinese and Indians almost everywhere
speaking in their native tongues with an unmistakable foreign
accent. My company just employed two Chinese IT engineers. My boss
likes them – they are “cheap”, good, doesn’t complain as much as
Singaporeans and more importantly, they do not need to serve
reservist !
I can understand the need for us to import more foreigners in to
keep Singapore competitive, but not at the expense of citizens who
are born and bred here. It is true that we are a land of
immigrants. However, we are the descendents of immigrants who have
made Singapore our home compared to those foreigners who just come
here and make a living.
During the last economic downturn, a few of my seniors were
retrenched with little or no compensation. Their places were
replaced by foreigners. I shudder at the thought whether I will end
up like them in the future. Why not ? After all, it does make
economic sense for the company to recruit a foreign Masters
graduate with less pay than a local one. How am I going to start
afresh at the age of 40 ? Who is going to employ me ? Can I support
my family ?
There is a new security guard in my office building in his
mid-50s. He used to be a Warrant Officer in the SAF. Asked why he
has taken up this job, he readily admits given a choice, he rather
retire and look after his grandchildren, but at his age, he still
have to earn a living to support himself as his children are all
tied up with their own families.
“The government wants us to work till the age of 85 and now
wants us to buy what ‘death insurance’ (annuity) ! Who will know
when we will kick the bucket !” he laments. When will I ever see my
CPF monies ? Do I have to wait till I am 85, frail, sick and
dying before I can “enjoy” the fruits of my years of hard
labor?
My eldest boy is 3 years old currently under the care of my
parents. I am still pondering whether to send him to a special
school for pre-schoolers where they are given “special” education
to give them a headstart to life.
My neighbour’s child is in such a school. During the
weekend, she has to attend “special” arithmetic, piano and ballet
classes. A few weeks ago, there is a furore in the papers over the
number of Singaporeans who have to pursue their tertiary education
overseas because they are not “good” enough for local universities.
At a cousin’s convocation at NTU 2 months ago, almost half the
cohort of graduates are foreigners.
Do I really want to send my children to a tough, rigorous and in
a way merciless education system where they will be under
tremendous stress to perform and excel ? What if they are unable to
pursue their interests in life here or their grades are not good
enough to qualify for a local university ? Do I have the means to
send them overseas for their tertiary education ?
My wife has been persuading me to emigrate to Australia. Her
parents are living in Melbourne and apparently according to her,
are enjoying the best years of their lives there. “They don’t have
to work at all, healthcare is free and the state government even
pays them a monthly stipend ! Now every weekend, they just travel
around in the countryside, you know Australia is so huge !”, she
will whisper repeatedly like a tape recorder into my ears every
night before we sleep. “But the aussie taxes are high too !” I
retort. “Yeah, but that is the price to pay for security, my dear,
security for the future. And the kids, their education is
completely free too, we do not have to worry about anything !”
Is the grass really greener on the other side ? I keep asking
myself. Life is not too bad for me now. To the Malaysians,
Singapore is like a paradise. Why should I forsake my land of birth
which has nurtured me all these years ?
Though I have occasional grouses against the government, I must
admit that the PAP is a good government which truly take care of
its people and have the foresight to plan far ahead into the future
when politicians in a neighboring country are still
squabbling over who to become the Prime Minister. We Singaporeans
do not realize how fortunate we are to have everything running so
smoothly in the country.
While I do not doubt the capability of the government, I have
little affliation or feelings for them. I cannot claim I support or
love them. The only time I hear about our leaders is from the media
when they will exhort Singaporeans to do this or that.
I have never voted in my entire life. I do not know which
constituency I am in. I can’t even recognize my MPs if I were to
meet them down the street. Yet I was told again and again during
every election that I gave them the “mandate” to govern my life
when I was never given a choice to choose ! Can anybody tell
me what is being debated now in Parliament ? Does it matter at all
? Are my opinions ever sought out by the lawmakers ?
There was a report
lately that Singapore has the 2nd highest migration rate (26 per
1,000) in the world after Timor Leste (51 per 1,000). The
government doesn’t seem to understand why Singaporeans are leaving
in droves. From their speeches, it is obvious they have lost touch
completely with the ordinary people on the ground.
When they keep urging Singaporeans to continue working for as
long as they can, they fail to realize that a majority of us just
want to retire and enjoy life in our golden years. They harp on how
far Singapore has progressed in terms of facts and figures to
convince us that Singapore is the place to be – we have the 2nd
highest GDP in Asia after Japan, the most business-friendly
country, the best judiciary after Hong Kong etc, but these mean
little to me and far less to those old folks you encounter picking
card boards and cans from the rubbish heap for a living.
The government cannot blame Singaporeans for being self-centred,
unpatriotic and selfish. Human nature is such that we always want
the best for ourselves and our familes. Though we live for the 5Cs,
we are in fact suckers for 3 simple Ss – serenity, stability and
security. A future with little security is a major push factor for
many Singaporeans. To those ministers, MPs and top civil
servants who are earning an astronomical five
to six-figure monthly salary and guaranteed a pension for life upon
retirement, it may be too much to ask of them to understand
what “security” means for a Singaporean bringing home only a few
thousand dollars at the end of the month.
During my NS days, I was a guards officer. I still feel proud of
my guards tag on my No 4 when I go for my reservist training.
However, I do not feel my contributions to the nation all these
years are recognized at the place where I work. My boss treasures
the PRC engineers more because in a way, they are “better
qualified” than the locals. After all, Singapore is a meritocracy,
it doesn’t matter whether you are a citizen or not, the system
rewards those who perform best though these high-flyers may only be
making use of Singapore as a transit point to greener pastures.
A PRC colleague of mine has got a job in Perth. He just received
Singaporean his citizenship last year and now he is making
preparations to relocate his entire family to Australia. We got
along together quite well. Unlike other foreigners who keep to
their own cliques, he mingles around with the locals and
appears to be well integrated into our society. Why does he want to
leave Singapore after barely settling down here ? “Well, the truth
is, Singapore is only a spring board for me. I never want to live
here. It’s not too bad a place, but it is too small for me.” he
volunteers readily when asked. “Why not you come over to
Australia too ? The grass is definitely greener over there.”
Tell me, is this really true ?
