By: Forever Vagabond
Editor’s Note: Blast from the past: This whole issue of jobless PMETs has been simmering for a long time and it is a constant reminder that the model needs to be relooked with a fresh pair of eyes.Â
When former MP Irene Ng wrote on her Facebook page six years ago condemning a cabby who was ranting against foreigners, it was taken with a pinch of salt and the people were giving the PAP the benefit of the doubt. Six years later, the problem has not gone away, it fact, the situation has gotten worse.
This is what she wrote:
Being a former politician who supposedly enter politics because she cares for the people and wants to speak out for them, instead of condemning the cabby, wouldn’t it be better to try and find out the root reasons why the cabby hates foreigners so much?
Perhaps he was verbally abused by some foreign passengers or perhaps he was bashed up by some drunk Caucasian passengers before?
Or may be, he was earning $8,000 a month in his previous job before he was replaced by a foreigner and he couldn’t find similar jobs for the past 2 years before his savings run out? And now, he is forced to drive a taxi 12 hours a day just to make $2,000?
People don’t usually hate others for hate sake. There must be some reasons why the cabby behaves this way and unfortunately, Ms Ng has missed the opportunity to find out what is happening on the ground so as to gather feedback for her former bosses, to help change the necessary policies to create a better life for all Singaporeans.
A cabby’s view on foreign influx into Singapore
Perhaps Ms Ng might want to read James Lim’s blog (http://cabby65.blogspot.sg) to get a perspective from a former PMET who was forced to drive a cab. He became jobless in his late fifties and, with a family to support and unable to find a suitable job, James became a taxi driver. He quipped that he blogs about his life as a cabby so as to “make a dull job a bit more interesting”.
In this particular blog (http://cabby65.blogspot.sg/
Here are some excerpts:
• “With unabated hordes of foreigners still coming in to depress their (Singaporeans’) wages or even displace them at the workplace, reduce them to second-class citizens and a minority in their own country, how much loyalty and love can we expect from local-bred Singaporean for this country down the road?
If Singaporean’s loyalty and love for this country are in doubt, who will then fight and die for Singapore on that crucial day? Sadly, I think not many will do it willingly. Surely, none of us would give up our lives to defend “Hotel Singapore”, a place of transit for a nomadic global population. I sincerely hope I’m wrong! Unfortunately, this sad paradox is further compounded as a result of this Government continuous pursuit of economic growth numbers to the extend of embracing foreigners as EQUAL to native Singaporean. They totally forgot the intrinsic value of loyalty and violated the sense of love and belonging of Singaporeans.
Recently, our Prime Minister loudly proclaimed ‘Singaporean, new arrivals, people who are on permanent residence here, people who are on employment pass here, all participating in one big Singapore family…..this place is special and it belongs to all of us’.
So, he wants the whole world to know that Singapore warmly welcome all ‘foreigners’ to make this small island their home and be part of ‘Singapore family’. As a local bred Singaporean, with parents who have sweated and tolled all their life to build this country to what it is today,
Do you feel offended and betrayed by this pathetic leader after reading his proud proclamation?
Do you feel that ‘strangers’ are sharing your flat and you’ve lost your space and privacy?
Is your years serving NS a waste?
Will you lose your sense of purpose in defending our country during any security crisis?
Is our national identity as Singaporean being slowly but surely, eroded?
Within 5 years, these very new arrivals, PR, employment pass holders and others will be given easy citizenship and become Singapore citizens to a tune of 2.5 millions. Naturally, millions of these newly minted citizens will happily vote for him and that’s his open secret. You can call me xenophobic or whatever, for I’m disgusted at his treacherous cum insidious agenda to get easy votes in this manner. If that is truly his hidden agenda, then he’s not fit to be my leader and Mr. William Lim’s petition (Link) is a small move in the right direction.”
• “The many wealthy ( MP included ) have already bought an oversea residence to flee to in case of war but the average Singaporean has no choice but to stay put and let the new master decides their fate, as there’s absolutely no reason to waste your life for this country that you don’t belong.
Look, when a country is overwhelmed and diluted with millions of ‘foreigners’ as new citizens within a short span of time, how can you find a common denominator of patriotism, love and loyalty among the local born and these ‘foreigners’? As it’s already an almost impossible task to forge social solidarity among the many locally bred citizens of Chinese, Malays, Indian and others races, how much more difficult it is to forge the same with these newly minted ‘foreign-citizen’ who don’t share our Singaporean cultures in the first place.
The new Filipinos, PRC, Indian and other foreign nationals are here for better economic opportunities but their hearts always belong back home. No matter how corrupt, chaotic, dysfunctional or dangerous home is, the strong sense of belonging to your birthplace always entice you to return to roots, family and community.”
• “Now, don’t be mislead by the many display of ‘patriotism’ on National Day Celebration. Yes, it does evoke a momentary emotion of ‘nationalistic’ sentiment and that’s all it does. The many flags flying at HDB blocks are the work of RC stooges and the thousands of Singaporeans at MBS are there only to enjoy the show. The moment all these celebration ends, every citizen is to each his/her own. Sad to say, when it comes to an acid test at war, many of them will display the ‘white flag’ and hope for the best with the new master.
At the first sign of trouble here, foreigners with or without dual citizenship can flee to their native lands where they still have connections and the wealthy will settled comfortably at their overseas pre-purchased houses. Where can an average Singaporean go? Nowhere! So, do we have the courage to face the reality of our time and do something!
If you’re a young and educated Singaporean family with valuable skill, I would encourage you to migrate to another country. There is nothing to live for in this authoritarian led country as an eventual minority!”
In any case, Ms Ng herself was a former Malaysian turned Singaporean. She then joined SPH as a journalist before entering politics. She was a MP in Tampines GRC from 2001 to 2015. Currently, she is a Writer-in-Residence at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS). She is married to a Scottish, Graham Berry, the chief executive of the Scottish Arts Council in 2007.
If troubles really come to Singapore as James has postulated above, would Ms Ng and her husband stay to fight it out together with her fellow Singaporeans, “nose to the grindstone”, as she said in her post?