Nobody would say they leave for the sake of leaving. I've heard
people migrating because they don't want their children to be
subjected to the tough competition in the education system here,
especially learning Chinese. Some parents believe with the
education here, their children can go anywhere in the world after
that.
Migrating today is much easier than it was before, from
the point of preparation, not in terms of acceptance by the
host countries. Last time many people migrated to the UK or
Australia only after 1 visit. Today people can do all kinds of
preparations before they go. I would say earlier migrants were
taking much greater risk than we do today.
In the past, people migrated with no plan to return. Today
people leave their CPF money behind, leave their HDB flat or other
properties behind, just in case.
Singapore is never a place to be migrated to, because it is
small and vulnerable. This factor alone is making many people think
hard if they should convert their PR to citizenship. The question
is how far Singapore can continue to go. Political stability, its
ability to survive among the neighboring countries (don't tell me
this is PAP propaganda), just a few questions. In Australia, if the
local whites and the lebonese riot on the streets in the
gold coast, you go to Sydney, and when the bush fire come, you move
to Perth. In Singapore, a major incident in Geylang, we go on the
boat if the situation is not contained. Don't tell me this is PAP
propaganda.
But what me and my family experienced so far is that my parents
made the right choice. The people (those older ones) of Singapore
were united and determined to build a nation, my parents trusted
them and decided to be part of this nation building.
Leaving is indeed a difficult decision requiring complicated
deliberation, it is not just about LKY.
in those days of old, coming to singapore is always a `right
choice' because the playing field is more even and every one has a
decent chance to succeed if he/she is willing to work hard and has
a bit of good fortune on his/her side. the singapore today offers a
different proposition.
the world is smaller today. moving around is so much easier than
say 20 years ago. there is no need to `uproot completely'. if
singapore government were to be as arrogant in the past as to shun
returning singaporeans, it will be to their detriment and their
loss.
my main`push' is education. i have considered it a risk worth
taking even as i value greatly the chinese that is taught in
singapore. no doubt the new world order will center around china in
the next decade or two, but all these baloney about needing to know
chinese is overblown. firstly, chinaman will pick up english faster
than you think. 5-10 years from now, the chinese would want to
negotiate with you in english. even today, the business associates
i deal with in china all have an above average grasp of spoken and
written english. this is true in bigger companies. the smaller
sme's will catch up, i am sure. so, the need to know chinese, while
still is important, will diminish over time.
being `stifled' here (perceived or otherwise) is a close
second.
my kids may wish to return if they want to. i will not stop
them. for me, i will not return permanently other than on
hols/work. even if i were to yearn for year long sunshine peppered
with occasional thunderstorm, i will go live in malaysia and
thailand in my twilight years. for starter, i don't wish to work
beyond 60. this new dawn in singapore for the working
old is not my thing. i got other things i need to
do.