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20 year old Singapore Indian feels threatened and marginalized by the rising numbers of Indian PRs and new citizens
March 26, 2010 by Our Correspondent
Filed under Life Stories, Opinion
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http://www.temasekreview.com/2010/0...ising-numbers-of-indian-prs-and-new-citizens/
Dear TR,
I decided to write to you after reading the stories of Ms Judy Eng and Ms Melissa Quek.
I am a 20-year-old poly student. My family and I live in a four room HDB flat that is fully paid up. I am fortunate that my father works for a Scandinavian company that really takes care of its workers (it fully restored pay cuts the moment sales improved).
As a student, I am yet to be burdened with housing costs and raising a family, but I still feel that something is seriously dysfunctional in our little island. The denial of subsidized transport fares for poly students is an injustice. My peers in JCs and ITEs spend so much less.
Polytechnic students are not all rich, you know. Despite a petition, there is little momentum in reversing this anomaly. When I see the refusal of the government to even subsidise public transport for disabled Singaporeans, I harbour little hope that our concerns will ever be heard.
I am also very disturbed by the influx of foreigners, especially students. In my secondary school, 20 scholars from China were brought in each year. Within months they outperformed everyone else even in English. Many Singaporean students felt they were being denied the chance to be the first in the subjects and tests. I have always wondered why the government is bringing in these PRCs and giving them free scholarships. Shouldn’t public schools be focusing on nurturing our own talents?
With the impending increase in poly, ITE and university fees, I worry how my parents are going to pay for my degree education. Why must the government keep raising fees for education when it can afford to lose billions in bad investments? Where is the sense of priority? Surely spending a few billion to absorb the increased costs is reasonable?
As a 1st world country, we should have free primary and secondary education. The PAP is so greedy that it claims school is free but charges a “miscellaneous” fee.
As a Singaporean Indian, I feel increasingly threatened by the rising numbers of Indian PRs and new citizens. Similar to the situation between PRCs and Singaporean Chinese, there is very little in common between Indian PRs and us. Little India has been all but overrun by them. Local Indians now try to stay away as far as possible. We have been crowded out from the restaurants, markets and temples.
Most PRs who come from India are not Tamil-speakers and generally look down on South Indians, who Tamils belong to. When my mother was shopping in Mustafa Centre, a group of North Indians (likely to be PRs) walked past her and she heard one of them uttering “bloody Tamilians” to his friends.
There is a belief among Indian PRs that they are in demand to work in Singapore because the local Indians are not as good as they are, and therefore they behave with a sense of superiority and snobbishness.
The scourge of castes has completely disappeared in Singapore. We see each other as Indians and nothing else. But these PRs are bringing in their prejudices from India and corrupting our local culture. We are beginning to see advertisements put in the paper asking for brides and bridegrooms from a certain caste.
Even the PRs in the parents’ support group in my sister’s school immediately enquired about our caste as soon as we introduced ourselves.
We are losing our unique Singapore identity to the policies of the PAP, which seems to worship foreigners like gods and trample on Singaporeans. Chinese, Malay, Indian, Eurasian and all other Singaporeans are one of a kind and special. No amount of money, social engineering or “integration” can ever transform foreigners into true-blue Singaporeans.
I live in the area that was once part of Cheng San GRC. I remember when I was little, JB Jeyaretnam came to campaign and even after he lost, he graciously returned to thank the voters anyway.
It has been nearly four years since the last election. My current MP (who daughter is infamous for an “elite” remark) has yet to visit my block even once. Without knowing residents’ concerns, it is no wonder why MPs have time to engage in frivolous debates about frogs, food museums and beauty secrets.
The man who killed his children, set fire to his flat and jumped to his death recently, lived only a few blocks from mine. When that incident happened, the reality of Singaporeans struggling with their lives really hit me hard.
It pains me each time I see an elderly Singaporean rummage through dustbins for cans to sell and toil as cleaners until their deaths. It is shameful for our leaders to proclaim our country as “first world” and being in a golden period when all the gold is flowing into the pockets of ministers. I think our seniors all deserve a big thank you and a comfortable retirement for their years of service to nation building.
It is time for Singaporeans to take back our country, eject unnecessary foreigners and start providing decent lives for ourselves. Foreigners (including PRs) must always remember that in Singapore, they live on our terms, not vice versa.
Singapore is our home. It’s worth saving.
T. Rajendran
March 26, 2010 by Our Correspondent
Filed under Life Stories, Opinion
Leave a comment
http://www.temasekreview.com/2010/0...ising-numbers-of-indian-prs-and-new-citizens/
Dear TR,
I decided to write to you after reading the stories of Ms Judy Eng and Ms Melissa Quek.
I am a 20-year-old poly student. My family and I live in a four room HDB flat that is fully paid up. I am fortunate that my father works for a Scandinavian company that really takes care of its workers (it fully restored pay cuts the moment sales improved).
As a student, I am yet to be burdened with housing costs and raising a family, but I still feel that something is seriously dysfunctional in our little island. The denial of subsidized transport fares for poly students is an injustice. My peers in JCs and ITEs spend so much less.
Polytechnic students are not all rich, you know. Despite a petition, there is little momentum in reversing this anomaly. When I see the refusal of the government to even subsidise public transport for disabled Singaporeans, I harbour little hope that our concerns will ever be heard.
I am also very disturbed by the influx of foreigners, especially students. In my secondary school, 20 scholars from China were brought in each year. Within months they outperformed everyone else even in English. Many Singaporean students felt they were being denied the chance to be the first in the subjects and tests. I have always wondered why the government is bringing in these PRCs and giving them free scholarships. Shouldn’t public schools be focusing on nurturing our own talents?
With the impending increase in poly, ITE and university fees, I worry how my parents are going to pay for my degree education. Why must the government keep raising fees for education when it can afford to lose billions in bad investments? Where is the sense of priority? Surely spending a few billion to absorb the increased costs is reasonable?
As a 1st world country, we should have free primary and secondary education. The PAP is so greedy that it claims school is free but charges a “miscellaneous” fee.
As a Singaporean Indian, I feel increasingly threatened by the rising numbers of Indian PRs and new citizens. Similar to the situation between PRCs and Singaporean Chinese, there is very little in common between Indian PRs and us. Little India has been all but overrun by them. Local Indians now try to stay away as far as possible. We have been crowded out from the restaurants, markets and temples.
Most PRs who come from India are not Tamil-speakers and generally look down on South Indians, who Tamils belong to. When my mother was shopping in Mustafa Centre, a group of North Indians (likely to be PRs) walked past her and she heard one of them uttering “bloody Tamilians” to his friends.
There is a belief among Indian PRs that they are in demand to work in Singapore because the local Indians are not as good as they are, and therefore they behave with a sense of superiority and snobbishness.
The scourge of castes has completely disappeared in Singapore. We see each other as Indians and nothing else. But these PRs are bringing in their prejudices from India and corrupting our local culture. We are beginning to see advertisements put in the paper asking for brides and bridegrooms from a certain caste.
Even the PRs in the parents’ support group in my sister’s school immediately enquired about our caste as soon as we introduced ourselves.
We are losing our unique Singapore identity to the policies of the PAP, which seems to worship foreigners like gods and trample on Singaporeans. Chinese, Malay, Indian, Eurasian and all other Singaporeans are one of a kind and special. No amount of money, social engineering or “integration” can ever transform foreigners into true-blue Singaporeans.
I live in the area that was once part of Cheng San GRC. I remember when I was little, JB Jeyaretnam came to campaign and even after he lost, he graciously returned to thank the voters anyway.
It has been nearly four years since the last election. My current MP (who daughter is infamous for an “elite” remark) has yet to visit my block even once. Without knowing residents’ concerns, it is no wonder why MPs have time to engage in frivolous debates about frogs, food museums and beauty secrets.
The man who killed his children, set fire to his flat and jumped to his death recently, lived only a few blocks from mine. When that incident happened, the reality of Singaporeans struggling with their lives really hit me hard.
It pains me each time I see an elderly Singaporean rummage through dustbins for cans to sell and toil as cleaners until their deaths. It is shameful for our leaders to proclaim our country as “first world” and being in a golden period when all the gold is flowing into the pockets of ministers. I think our seniors all deserve a big thank you and a comfortable retirement for their years of service to nation building.
It is time for Singaporeans to take back our country, eject unnecessary foreigners and start providing decent lives for ourselves. Foreigners (including PRs) must always remember that in Singapore, they live on our terms, not vice versa.
Singapore is our home. It’s worth saving.
T. Rajendran
