" Why be a
Singaporean
In the light of the recent drive to attract foreign talent into
Singapore's economy, the Singaporean is often neglected and not
given the due respect he/she deserves. A simple glance at any
application form will show that PRs and Singaporeans have near
identical rights. Why be a Singaporean at all, when it comes with
the chore of National Service and reservist duties?
The PRs can send their children to our local schools and pay the
same low fee. The PRs can get education in our universities, paying
the same fee as the citizen. Even foreigners signing up for
Master's degree courses at NUS/NTU pay only a few hundred dollars
more than Singaporeans.
Singapore does require the expertise of many foreigners, so making
life expensive for them or blocking their path with red-tape is not
advisable.
But the issue I want to put forth here is that Singaporeans should
matter.
Why should being a Singaporean only give us a small discount or
worse, no special rights and privileges over the PR? Take a look at
the NTU website for Master's degree courses. For some 1-year
courses, a foreigner needs only to pay S$400+ more than a
Singaporean. A PR pays exactly the same fee as a Singaporean. Take
a look at the websites of Australia universities. The foreigner
(international student) will have to pay 100% or more than an
Australian. In other words, in the tertiary education sector there,
being an Australian citizen has definite advantages.
What are the privileges of a Singaporean student here? The issue of
loyalty to the nation was highlighted recently in the Straits
Times. Unless one has actually gone to war for Singapore, I don't
feel that anyone has the right to condemn another Singaporean as
unpatriotic. Such unpatriotic feelings come about for many reasons
and most are quite valid.
How many men have felt angry that their lives are disrupted by
reservist duties when their PR colleagues get to enjoy everything
Singapore has to offer but without the sacrifice? How does a
Singaporean man, aged 37, feel when he finds out that his
32-year-old Malaysian colleague, after being a PR for 10 years,
gets a pink NRIC but need not serve any form of NS?
The former-Malaysian mountain climbers and soon-to-be trekkers to
the North Pole, may claim that they are sacrificing their lives,
jobs, time and money for Singapore. But nobody forced them to do
it. No one threatened disciplinary action if they did not do it.
They took it upon themselves to do all this.
National Service, on the other hand, is not a voluntary activity.
We can't choose when we want to enlist and what we want to do for
2.5 years. Nor can we get a deferment of our reservist duties
easily. We can't choose not to declare that we are leaving
Singapore for more than 24 hours. Wives, mothers, girlfriends can't
request to have their husbands, sons or boyfriends to be with them
when the NS/reservist callup is due. These are the inconveniences
and sacrifices that Singaporeans make. They alone should be enough
to give Singapore citizens the right to have more privileges than
the PR or foreigner. National Service is not a trivial matter, the
government says. Therefore, shouldn't the citizen (male and female)
who is affected by NS be given more significant and tangible
benefits?
Singapore citizens can vote in the general elections but the PR
can't. But how many Singaporeans actually had a chance to go to the
ballot box in the last elections. After the machinations of the
ruling party, many electoral zones had walkovers. So, if being able
to vote is a privilege of the citizen, then citizenship becomes a
farce.
I am not advocating that we should make PRs and foreigners pay much
more for goods and services. But it is the Singaporean who must not
be made to pay the same amount as the non-citizen. The difference
must also be significant. I am not referring to regular shopping
but for matters like education and applications for certain things.
It may sound very simplistic as a way to make Singaporeans feel
that they are appreciated. The government statisticians will shoot
this suggestion down, I am sure. But I am also sure that attitudes
towards being a Singaporean will become more positive if we can see
that being born in Singapore and serving NS tangibly benefits
us.
If the goverment laments that many Singaporeans are not patriotic,
why not make a survey asking how many PRs will volunteer for NS
(and reservist)? I am sure the percentage of Singaporeans who still
love this country will be much higher than for that of PRs
volunteering for NS. Let's face it, PRs only love Singapore for its
money-making potential, peace, cleanliness, security. Take these
factors away and the PR will have no qualms about abandoning the
Lion City. Should a Singaporean man do likewise, he can be charged
with desertion. So, let's ask ourselves again,"What do I actually
get for being a Singaporean??"
suhai13" (QUOTE)
What is the benefit and role of being a Singaporean?
Is it purely to work very hard in order to have our hard earned
money taken away by Government in many different form of taxes and
charges?
Without Singaporeans as their cash cows, our Government couldnt
have achieve a present day high economy. And progress of our
nation.
Inspite of that, are we treated like we deserved to be
treated?
Is the Government grateful to it's citizens for providing a free
flow of cash for them to make more money overseas?
I dont think so!
