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[h=1]STRAITS TIMES ‘OPINION EDITOR’ ENCOURAGES SINGAPOREANS TO LEARN MORE FROM FOREIGNERS[/h]
Post date:
18 Jan 2015 - 11:59pm
Straits Times published a commentary by Opinion Editor Chua Mui Hoong yesterday encouraging Singaporeans to learn more from foreigners.
The op-ed title “Integration not just about fitting in” (Jan 8) looked at the recent shootings in Paris and the aftermath where people have been rising in solidarity with Charlie Hebdo and calling for the Muslim ‘immigrants’ into France to be more tolerance of the country’s value of free speech.
Ms Chua questioned whether this movement was overemphasising the right to free speech and pointed out instances where free speech was legitimately suppressed such as to avoid racial tensions or the coving up of history.
“Every society has to strike a balance between free speech and responsibility to others,” She wrote.
She suggested that France needed to also respect the Muslim immigrants that they have allowed into the country and questioned whether it was correct for the host country to impose on immigrants their full set of cultural norms, beliefs and values.
She criticised the traditional idea of integration and showed her support for the PAP’s interpretation where integration means the host welcoming the visitors. “Integration is a code word for making minorities fit into, become part of, and even become like, the host country and its culture…. While every society has the right to demand that immigrants and newcomers "fit in", the accommodation should also be two-way,” she wrote.
She then turned to Singapore and drew the parallel writing that Singaporeans should be learning from foreigners she said that Singaporeans are too kiasu, afraid to fail and complain too much. She suggested that we learn to be more grateful, courageous and more ambitious as these are the positive traits that foreigners here have.
“Our workforce has more than 1.33 million foreigners, of whom about 750,000 are domestic workers and construction workers,” she pointed out
According to Ms Chua, we should be letting “Singapore change at the margins” instead of resenting foreigners.
It appears that ST is working to ‘fix’ the negativity and unhappiness that Singaporeans are feeling without having to change the policies.
It is widely known that ST and the mainstream media are the propaganda mouthpieces of the ruling PAP.
Instead of addressing Singaporeans’ concerns and making changes to policies, the PAP wants to use the media to change peoples’ minds and convince them that immigration is good so that they can have their cake and eat it too.
The PAP can continue to bring in new immigrants to boost the economy to justify their high salaries and bonuses while bringing in new grateful voters. In the meantime, they can whitewash the ‘noise’ from unhappy citizens and convince the uninformed voters that having lots of foreigners in our midst and crowding us out is a “good” thing as we can learn to be better people from them.
What do you think?
Post date:
18 Jan 2015 - 11:59pm
Straits Times published a commentary by Opinion Editor Chua Mui Hoong yesterday encouraging Singaporeans to learn more from foreigners.
The op-ed title “Integration not just about fitting in” (Jan 8) looked at the recent shootings in Paris and the aftermath where people have been rising in solidarity with Charlie Hebdo and calling for the Muslim ‘immigrants’ into France to be more tolerance of the country’s value of free speech.
Ms Chua questioned whether this movement was overemphasising the right to free speech and pointed out instances where free speech was legitimately suppressed such as to avoid racial tensions or the coving up of history.
“Every society has to strike a balance between free speech and responsibility to others,” She wrote.
She suggested that France needed to also respect the Muslim immigrants that they have allowed into the country and questioned whether it was correct for the host country to impose on immigrants their full set of cultural norms, beliefs and values.
She criticised the traditional idea of integration and showed her support for the PAP’s interpretation where integration means the host welcoming the visitors. “Integration is a code word for making minorities fit into, become part of, and even become like, the host country and its culture…. While every society has the right to demand that immigrants and newcomers "fit in", the accommodation should also be two-way,” she wrote.
She then turned to Singapore and drew the parallel writing that Singaporeans should be learning from foreigners she said that Singaporeans are too kiasu, afraid to fail and complain too much. She suggested that we learn to be more grateful, courageous and more ambitious as these are the positive traits that foreigners here have.
“Our workforce has more than 1.33 million foreigners, of whom about 750,000 are domestic workers and construction workers,” she pointed out
According to Ms Chua, we should be letting “Singapore change at the margins” instead of resenting foreigners.
It appears that ST is working to ‘fix’ the negativity and unhappiness that Singaporeans are feeling without having to change the policies.
It is widely known that ST and the mainstream media are the propaganda mouthpieces of the ruling PAP.
Instead of addressing Singaporeans’ concerns and making changes to policies, the PAP wants to use the media to change peoples’ minds and convince them that immigration is good so that they can have their cake and eat it too.
The PAP can continue to bring in new immigrants to boost the economy to justify their high salaries and bonuses while bringing in new grateful voters. In the meantime, they can whitewash the ‘noise’ from unhappy citizens and convince the uninformed voters that having lots of foreigners in our midst and crowding us out is a “good” thing as we can learn to be better people from them.
What do you think?
