December 7, 2009 by admin
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Permanent residents are flocking to serve in grassroots
organizations that they have to be put on the waiting list at the
Geylang Neighborhood committee due to a little-known cap of 15 per
cent of the grassroots committee members who can be PRs.
According to a report by TODAY, there are 1,360 PRs now serving
as grassroots leaders, comprising 4.6 per cent of the 29,400
grassroots leaders in Singapore.
This number is almost double the reported number of PR
grassroots leaders serving in November 2007 and four times the
number in August 2000.
Minister of Community, Youth and Sports revealed lately that
there 4,500 new citizens who are serving as grassroots
organizations in various estates.
All the grassroots organizations in Singapore such as the
Residents’ Committees and Community Clubs are under the control of
the People’s Association (PA), a quasi-PAP organization headed by
none other the Prime Minister himself.
A PA spokesperson told TODAY that “the involvement of PRs in
community work helps build better understanding between PRs and
Singaporeans.”
For example, in Yew Tee, a group of PRs from China help to
promote interest in Chinese language by volunteering to teach the
Chinese Classics weekly in the community club.
The percentage of grassroots leaders who are Singaporeans versus
new citizens and PRs is not known.
PRs are probably more keen to join grassroots organizations than
locals because of the perks which come along with it.
Besides helping them expand their social network in Singapore
and to boost their chances of getting a citizenship if they have
plans to settle down here, their children will also get priority in
enrollment in primary schools.
As a result of Singapore’s liberal immigration policy,
foreigners now make up 36 per cent of the population, up from 14
per cent in 1990.
The ruling party has been courting the newcomers with goodies to
make them feel welcomed in Singapore.
A $10-million dollar Community Integration Fund is launched to
help the new citizens integrate into Singapore society.
Since immigrants will usually vote for the government which has
given them the opportunity to start life afresh in their adopted
homelands, the increasing number of new citizens will have an
impact in future elections.
Over at Geylang Neighbourhood Committee which has already hit
its quota for PRs, the PR grassroots leaders play an important role
in getting their friends involved in community activities.
The committee serves an area between Geylang Lorong 22 to 42,
which is just a stone-throw away from Singapore’s famous red light
district.