1,000 S'poreans give up citizenship each year

[suteerak1099]

Yes, if we have dual citizenship, less people will give up their citizenship.

even if there was such an option available, i still believe those who've decided to move on would quite unlikely look back.
y would any in the right frame of mind hold on to an overcrowded vessel that's likely to capsize when the storm rises?

besides, we cant even be certain that the life-boats available can accomodate all on board.... in any case, we're quite certain who gets priority to escape on the life boats, while there'd probably be a fraction that's entitled the life vests... the rest... swim or die. n if help doesnt arrive... too bad so sad - die & forever hold your peace (piss)

 

[eQuipment]

suterak1099, your angmo sipeh good, i can't complain. bt i think your point sipeh zun. chinese say, same ppl different life.

 

[Dreamweaver]

talking about fence is greener on the other fence/side, i felt i should go overseas too while i was young, but as age grows this desire soon disappeared.

 

[PocketRocket]

Why would anyone who is leaving that shithole for good want dual citizenship?

99% of all emigrants are only too happy to shred their Sinkie passports at the earliest opportunity and retrieve their own money from the clutches of Ho Ching.

Might be due to personal reasons I guess...You never know...

Maybe some of their family members are still living in Singapore (aged parents etc) and they just want to have to chance to come back home (for a longer stay and not just on the 3mths Tourist Visa and keep having to renew it) if they fell sick or hospitalised.

Others might due to some other commitments like business etc (in which I do not pretend to know the entire details of allowing a "foreigner" to stay in Singapore for the long period of time or even investing in certain business activities).

One way of coping with the dual citizenship issue by the govt might be not allowing these people to withdraw their CPF by treating them as a "full Singapore citizen".

Thats my 2cents worth

 

[pia]

I tend to believe people who want to emigrate to "less developed" countries want to stretch their dollars. Definitely cost of living is a factor. E.g. a bottle of shampoo in Thailand costs less than in S'pore becos 1) it's manufactured there 2) MNC's pricing policy (S'pore is "richer", so they can demand a higher price)

People who want to emigrate to "more developed" countries want the quality of life, work-family balance, political openness. Which you can get in less developed countries, but not the politi-economic stability.

Depends on what you value more... what say you?

 

[guy2100]

1000 is just a speck in the dust for the PAP. They give out citizenship to 17000foreigners into Singapore every year. That is balance for you.

 

[angry_one]

That's odd. ALL my friends who migrated are enjoying the good life. Yes they are not millionnaires, just ordinary folk who have to work for a living, but their quality of life beats staying here hands down.

If any sinkee can't make it in a new place, it's to due sticking with the 'sinkee attitude'. Unable to adapt to local customs, unable to make friends and blend in, stick to the sinkee work ethic of slog and slog and incur resentment etc.

There are actually sinkees to CRINGE at the prospect of less work and freedom of choice. They think 'short work hours=lazy culture', and 'too many choices=headache'!!

People think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, they move over, realised that the grass is either the same and definitely not greener. I have friends who regretted migrating to US and my last trip there this year, I can see how their lifestyles are worst off than most of the common singaporeans here earning $3000/mth. So you see they good, they are actually no better than you and probably worst off than you.

Some of them are even looking at options on returning back. Having a Singaporean passport, you go to many countries, you do not need to apply visa. If Singapore is very unstable, that is the time when we go to other countries, we have to spend hours to queue up for a visa to enter other countries. Looking at the whole picture would be better than just ERP, inflation issues

 

[wallace]

I tend to believe people who want to emigrate to "less developed" countries want to stretch their dollars. Definitely cost of living is a factor. E.g. a bottle of shampoo in Thailand costs less than in S'pore becos 1) it's manufactured there 2) MNC's pricing policy (S'pore is "richer", so they can demand a higher price)

Quite true. I would rather say "live like a King". In such places, you can give out tips in their local currency like water.

MNC's pricing policy - That's good observation.

 

[wallace]

They give out citizenship to 17000foreigners into Singapore every year.

Is the 17,000 official numbers? Was it reported in the papers?

 

[88max]

That's odd. ALL my friends who migrated are enjoying the good life. Yes they are not millionnaires, just ordinary folk who have to work for a living, but their quality of life beats staying here hands down.

If any sinkee can't make it in a new place, it's to due sticking with the 'sinkee attitude'. Unable to adapt to local customs, unable to make friends and blend in, stick to the sinkee work ethic of slog and slog and incur resentment etc.

There are actually sinkees to CRINGE at the prospect of less work and freedom of choice. They think 'short work hours=lazy culture', and 'too many choices=headache'!!

Yes!! There are many, that's why they return back to sinkee to slog.
Back to sqaure one.:p

 

[88max]

we all know for a fact that the grass is nt always greener on the other side of the fence... bt bear in mind, if the majority of the jobs r snapped up by FTs... where do the sgporeans find their bread n butter? or should we assume that sgporeans should adopt the lifestyle of FTs who only rent a rm? having said that, where do married ppl make & house their babies... under the overhead bridge? at the HDB void-deck/ dumpsters?

in other words, our grass here is getting trampled & stampeded + faeces stained to the roots. with little n lesser grazing grounds, ppl move on in search of grazing grounds is factually legit. at least there'd be ample grazing grounds for generations after as well.

Many sinkees just measure 'happiness in life' in term of monetary gains.
Grass is can be greener in other country if only the person can change his sinkee mindsets and start learning the local cultures.

 

[silverfox@]

Many sinkees just measure 'happiness in life' in term of monetary gains.
Grass is can be greener in other country if only the person can change his sinkee mindsets and start learning the local cultures.

To each their own. Since you have migrated to Thailand, its really good for you. But I do wonder why you are still so "overly concerned" with what's happening in Singapore. If you have chosen to embrace your new country, why still keep harping on issues of your old country. You really should move on. Life gets better this way than issues which keep complaining about.

Earlier you said you left singapore, chose to settle down in thailand, relocate your children giving them passports in thailand. You said the political situation in thailand, you don't really bother too much, because you are a foreigner. If you have really chosen to let go everything, Thailand should be the country that you should be more concerned with. Not singapore.

When people keep saying singaporeans love to complain, I do agree, but how come those who left singapore still continue to complain non-stop?:p

Move on, enjoy what you are doing right now. Since you have chose to move, whatever happens to Singapore in the next 10-20 years, whether it sinks or rise, isn't your issue anymore. Just like if you have a girlfriend/wife and you break up/divorce with her. After 10-20 years, you still bothered about what happened to her, or do you keep telling your friends how "fucked up" she is?

Move on, it's better for the heart:o

 

[88max]

To each their own. Since you have migrated to Thailand, its really good for you. But I do wonder why you are still so "overly concerned" with what's happening in Singapore. If you have chosen to embrace your new country, why still keep harping on issues of your old country. You really should move on. Life gets better this way than issues which keep complaining about.

Earlier you said you left singapore, chose to settle down in thailand, relocate your children giving them passports in thailand. You said the political situation in thailand, you don't really bother too much, because you are a foreigner. If you have really chosen to let go everything, Thailand should be the country that you should be more concerned with. Not singapore.

When people keep saying singaporeans love to complain, I do agree, but how come those who left singapore still continue to complain non-stop?:p

Move on, enjoy what you are doing right now. Since you have chose to move, whatever happens to Singapore in the next 10-20 years, whether it sinks or rise, isn't your issue anymore. Just like if you have a girlfriend/wife and you break up/divorce with her. After 10-20 years, you still bothered about what happened to her, or do you keep telling your friends how "fucked up" she is?

Move on, it's better for the heart:o

Sorry to correct you, I'm still holding SG passport.
It not that I don't want to give up the red passport, just that thailand DON'T give out citizenships easily to foreigners like what our sinkee govt does.

So long they still hold onto my cpf $$$ and setting out bad policy without considerating for fellow Singapore citizens. It our right as a citizen to voice out our protest in the forum. So what to do. You still have to face me. Blame the govt lor.

I'm not like you, so open heart. Everything count by $$$ term. :p

 

[leongszehian]

Best place to live in but how many are leaving?
Sunday, 3 August 2008, 10:08 pm | 2,511 views
Leong Sze Hian / Columnist

I refer to the report “About 1,000 give up citizenship annually” (My Paper, Jul 22).

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, emigrate means “to leave one’s place of residence or country to live elsewhere”. So, I think Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) Sylvia Lim’s question may not have been answered adequately.

The foreign missions in Singapore have statistics on the number of Singaporeans who emigrate. For example, I understand that about 4,000 Singaporeans migrate to Australia in a year. The majority of emigrants may not show up in the “surrender citizenship” statistics, because the CPF board will only allow emigrants to withdraw their CPF, when they have obtained citizenship from another country. I have friends who have emigrated to Canada and Australia, and are still waiting to be granted citizenship after many years.

I believe in countries like Thailand and Malaysia, Singaporean emigrants generally are never given citizenship. As many countries allow dual citizenship, unlike Singapore, some emigrants may never surrender their Singapore citizenship.

Does the CPF board have statistics of enquiries that it receives from Singaporeans abroad regarding their CPF withdrawal ?

I would like to suggest that we compile the emigration statistics from the foreign missions, as well as the CPF statistics, so that we have a more realistic estimate of emigration. I feel that we should not in a sense, be complacent, by assuming that only those who give up their citizenship have emigrated. From my experience as the Honorary Consul of a foreign country in Singapore, I believe a simple diplomatic note to the foreign missions requesting for this statistic may suffice.

According to the Overseas Singaporean Unit (OSU), there are 150,000 Singaporeans residing overseas.

How many of these are emigrants ?

According to a Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) survey in 2006, 53 per cent of Singaporean teens want to leave Singapore permanently. The Prime Minister also said in April 2008, that 1 in 4 top A-level students settles abroad every year. Our former PM also said in October 1999 that 2,000 emigrate each year.

In the 1990 population census, the Singapore diaspora was 36,000. What is this statistic in the most recent population census?

More accurate and comprehensive data may also be helpful to the OSU in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) set up in August last year, to do analysis and planning to woo and help Singaporeans return to reside in Singapore.

Since Singapore has been ranked as the best place in the world to live in by expatriates, does it not beg the question as to why so many Singaporeans are emigrating, and more than half our teens want to leave too – if they could?

 

[silverfox@]

Sorry to correct you, I'm still holding SG passport.
It not that I don't want to give up the red passport, just that thailand DON'T give out citizenships easily to foreigners like what our sinkee govt does.

So long they still hold onto my cpf $$$ and setting out bad policy without considerating for fellow Singapore citizens. It our right as a citizen to voice out our protest in the forum. So what to do. You still have to face me. Blame the govt lor.

I'm not like you, so open heart. Everything count by $$$ term. :p

You got to 'blame' Thailand then for not giving you the citizenship that you really want so much. Or probably you could follow Sam's footsteps to Australia where they might appreciate you more. As for bad policies, don't tell me Thailand don't have any single bad policy made?:o As for counting by $$$ term, to migrate, you need $$$. No $$$, no matter where you migrate to, the country also wouldn't accept you.

Every country is the same. For every 1000 that goes out, 1000 will come in. Same like Thailand. 1000 out, 1000 in. So this kind of issues don't just happen in Singapore. IT happens everywhere.

Broaden your perspective, Live and let live.

 

[silverfox@]

Best place to live in but how many are leaving?
Sunday, 3 August 2008, 10:08 pm | 2,511 views
Leong Sze Hian / Columnist

I refer to the report “About 1,000 give up citizenship annually” (My Paper, Jul 22).

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, emigrate means “to leave one’s place of residence or country to live elsewhere”. So, I think Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) Sylvia Lim’s question may not have been answered adequately.

The foreign missions in Singapore have statistics on the number of Singaporeans who emigrate. For example, I understand that about 4,000 Singaporeans migrate to Australia in a year. The majority of emigrants may not show up in the “surrender citizenship” statistics, because the CPF board will only allow emigrants to withdraw their CPF, when they have obtained citizenship from another country. I have friends who have emigrated to Canada and Australia, and are still waiting to be granted citizenship after many years.

I believe in countries like Thailand and Malaysia, Singaporean emigrants generally are never given citizenship. As many countries allow dual citizenship, unlike Singapore, some emigrants may never surrender their Singapore citizenship.

In Thailand and Malaysia, You need to be qualified before they grant you citizenship. Either in qualifications or the amount of $$$ you going to bring in. So if you have neither, they will play the waiting game with you.

Same happens to Canada and Australia. I have a Japanese friend who was refused citizenship in Canada due to triad ties. He is not in triad, but his father was before.

 

[88max]

You got to 'blame' Thailand then for not giving you the citizenship that you really want so much. Or probably you could follow Sam's footsteps to Australia where they might appreciate you more. As for bad policies, don't tell me Thailand don't have any single bad policy made?:o As for counting by $$$ term, to migrate, you need $$$. No $$$, no matter where you migrate to, the country also wouldn't accept you.

Every country is the same. For every 1000 that goes out, 1000 will come in. Same like Thailand. 1000 out, 1000 in. So this kind of issues don't just happen in Singapore. IT happens everywhere.

Broaden your perspective, Live and let live.

Yeah! No $$$ to migrate cuz most $$$ stuck in CPF controlled by our govt.
So have to blame back our govt for changing the 'goal post' often.:p

You still singing the wrong tune here.

 

[silverfox@]

Yeah! No $$$ to migrate cuz most $$$ stuck in CPF controlled by our govt.
So have to blame back our govt for changing the 'goal post' often.:p

You still singing the wrong tune here.

I am not singing the wrong tune here. Even with the amount of CPF $$$ you have, it still wouldn't get you a guaranteed citizenship. Unless you want to tell me you have a million parked in your CPF. :p

 

[88max]

I am not singing the wrong tune here. Even with the amount of CPF $$$ you have, it still wouldn't get you a guaranteed citizenship. Unless you want to tell me you have a million parked in your CPF. :p

Millions of $$$ in CPF, I don't have.
As long as my CPF $$$ still with them and as long as I'm still a citizen of this country. I've every right like you , to voice out my disapproval whenever I see a bad policy been 'forced' onto the folks.

As for thailand, you & I have no right to talk about their govt policy.
We're only a guest in this country..
If you're not happy , just take a plane back to SG . Just like what you have done 1.5 yrs back.
If you want to enjoy the country(girl, cheap foods & drinks) and eat the cake(bad mouth about the thai govt) too. Be a thai citizen then. I doubt they want you.

Now during our 'free time' here, we can only talk about OUR own govt.:p

 

[silverfox@]

Millions of $$$ in CPF, I don't have.
As long as my CPF $$$ still with them and as long as I'm still a citizen of this country. I've every right like you , to voice out my disapproval whenever I see a bad policy been 'forced' onto the folks.

As for thailand, you & I have no right to talk about their govt policy.
We're only a guest in this country..
If you're not happy , just take a plane back to SG . Just like what you have done 1.5 yrs back.
If you want to enjoy the country(girl, cheap foods & drinks) and eat the cake(bad mouth about the thai govt) too. Be a thai citizen then. I doubt they want you.

Now during our 'free time' here, we can only talk about OUR own govt.:p

At this stage I can only say, you don't want Singapore, but does Thailand want you?:p

Maybe you are right to say we have no righth to talk of their govt policy, when we are only a guest, but I wonder the day you get your thai citizenship, will you still continue to voice your disapproval of Singapore when you became a guest or will you start to rant on thai policies again. The cycle goes on. Just that this time its a different country:p