Foreigners & S’poreans who’ve lived overseas spill the tea on what they wish locals appreciated more; Gov’t efficiency is number 1

SINGAPORE: As the saying goes, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. People don’t always appreciate what’s in front of them and long for what other people have.

And while social media is more prone to complaints rather than appreciation, a local Reddit user chose the latter in a recent post instead. In a Sept 15 (Monday) post on r/askSingapore, u/klaygdk wrote: Foreigners or Singaporeans who have lived abroad, what’s one thing about Singapore that you wish locals appreciated more?

They added that this could be related to any facet of life in Singapore.

Users on the platform were only too eager to chime in with answers, showing that no matter how much we love to complain, there really is a lot to be thankful for in the Little Red Dot.

The highest number of upvotes went to this comment: “I would say our administrative services. Passport renewal, etc, is really super convenient. The administration bloat in bigger countries is no joke.”

To this, another replied: “I take efficiency for granted. Having lived in the UK and Australia, Singapore has plenty to be thankful for. My partner paid AUD$412, and it’s been 2 weeks stuck at processing. He was mind-blown when I told him my passport renewal was same-day collection for SGD$70 or $80++.”

Many agreed with the comment, including one who wrote: “Efficiency of the Singapore government is miles ahead of the rest of the world, you simply have no idea how *terrible* the governments of other countries truly are.”

Another chimed in to say, “Very grateful for the overall high efficiency, especially with the ICA. Been to some countries where efficiency is high only if you have connections or u are willing to pay a bribe LOL.”

“Yes, the efficiency in Singapore is really taken for granted. Safety, affordable and great hawker food, a public transportation system that is available and doesn’t go on strike, air-conditioning practically everywhere, and being able to travel to multiple countries without applying for a visa (this is really a pain for some of our neighbours, and it can get rejected even after everything is booked). These are some of the things I didn’t appreciate until I moved abroad,” wrote a commenter.

A Reddit user expressed appreciation for safety and the chope culture.

“How safe it is. Nowhere else could you walk around in public with your phone dangling from a shoulder strap, or chope seats with your phone or backpack while you go order. The concept of chope-ing is also quite Singaporean, I feel.”

One commenter had their list in bullet form.

• Clean environment even in public spaces (although I see rats at night at the stretch of popular restaurants and shophouses)
• All buildings here are well-maintained, lifts are well-maintained, no mould or bad smell, etc, inside
• No homeless people on the streets
• If I hear a loud bang, I can be certain it’s just someone dropped something, or a car hit something, and it’s never a bullet shot. /TISG

Read also: UK couple love SG so much they’ve visited 4 times in 9 months