http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp?col=insightdownsouth&file=/2009/5/30/columnists/insightdownsouth/4001656&sec=Insight%20Down%20South
The Star Online, 30 May 2009, Seah Chiang
Nee
Made-to-order
playmaids
No contract, no marriage, no legal complications. The woman
just moves in as part-time mistress and home minder.
Big Brother Chen, can you help me find a boyfriend as soon as
possible?
This appeal was made to an old acquaintance of mine one recent
night by a Chinese immigrant, who was working as a beer
promoter.
For those unfamiliar with the latest social changes brought about
by the influx of mainland Chinese here, the request might sound
baffling, but not to my friend. He had heard it several times
before.
What the middle-age lady wanted
was to be introduced to a Singaporean man who was a widower or a
divorcee of any age, who could do with a live-in companion.
For S$300 a month, she would move in with him as a part-time
mistress and home minder.
In return she would earn extra money to add to her salary selling
beer, as well as free board and lodging that she would otherwise
have to spend on herself.
It’s mutually beneficial, since the man could have a
companion-cum-domestic help at half the cost of a full-time maid
(plus levy).
No contract, no marriage, no
legal complications! It is temporary and no notice of termination
is needed. “Just say goodbye and pack your bags’” she
said.
How widespread such arrangements are is anyone’s guess, but it is
believed to be on the rise, particularly in view of the severe
downturn when jobs for the ladies are scarce.
According to agents importing Chinese workers, the practice has
become popular among elderly Singaporeans who are living
alone.
“These are lonely men whose wife has died or who are divorced, and
their married children long gone, so the companionship is as
important as the sex,” said one agent.
It is useful to eliminate the risk of lonely, vulnerable men being
cheated by a foreign spouse.
Such cheating cases have been on the rise where the Chinese “wife”
disappeared after she had emptied the man’s savings.
“Live-in” companionship is the
latest practice to emerge from a society that is fast changing
under the weight of an influx of foreign
immigrants. While it is deemed harmful to the
institution of marriage and family, there is, however, a growing
acceptance that it does meet a pressing need of lonely old
men.
“Since no marriage is involved, it doesn’t change Singapore’s
family unit because these men live alone,” a retiree rationalised.
“At least no one has to be cheated.”
The conservatives, however, disagree. “It just panders to the
lecherous demands of the men,” said a housewife.
This issue of temporary
mistresses and marriage scams in Singapore mostly involve Chinese
mainlanders because of ethnic familiarity.
The tidal wave of arrivals in
recent years – especially the women – has brought about tremendous
social changes to this small island that are both good and
bad.
It has added to a vibrancy never experienced before, but it has
also created social friction among the locals, including family
break-ups.
Their number is unknown. According to Tian Fu Club, a clan
association formed by the mainlanders here, 300,000-400,000 Chinese have become
citizens or permanent residents here.
Many are young women who have left families behind in rural China
to come for that pot of gold after investing a small fortune in
fees to agents to fix them a job or a “student” pass (there are
90,000 of the latter).
“These women are tough, determined and they believe that Singapore
is rich,” said my friend, who once witnessed an angry exchange
between two mainland factory workers.
One was furious with her friend for dating a China mainland man.
“You are silly. You remember why we left our village to come here;
it’s to earn money,” she rebuked her.
“How can you waste time with a penny-less ‘Ah Tong’ (slant for
Chinese man)?” she wanted to know. “Get a Singaporean.”
The vast majority lives a decent, hard-working life and returns
home when the time comes, but a minority falls prey to the
temptation of easy money.
The best pickings can be found among lonely retirees who live alone
on their Central Provident Fund retirement savings.
The CPF amount, however uninspiring to the locals – is a fortune in
most parts of China. For that, a number of women will readily break
hearts and families.
Worse still, the victim often gets no sympathy among fellow
Singaporeans for his “lustful behaviour” chasing after young
skirts.
One private investigator told the press that his company was
getting more requests for help by wives here to investigate
husbands who they suspect were keeping a China mistress.
On the average of 50 extramarital cases that his firm handled a
month in the last two years, 20 would involve a “China student” as
the third party.
In a recent reported case, one student-mistress lived off a
stockbroker like a rich tai-tai for months, before leaving behind
large credit card bills, a tearful wife and a broken
marriage.
I can go on and on with such tales.
“They are giving a poor – I must say undeserved — image that
Chinese women are home wreckers,” said the agent.
“The vast majority works hard to earn an honest living.”
Like all capitalistic pursuits here, this practice also stems from
balancing supply and demand, which means the men must share the
blame.
Professor Fu Tan-ming, a social behavioural analyst who is based in
Beijing, noted that Chinese women with a history of suffering are
more resilient than the men.
“They have a stubborn streak in them that propels them forward,” he
said.
“They would not think twice about packing up their bags to begin
life anew thousands of miles away from home. Why? It’s because they
know they can survive.”
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