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Coffeeshop Chit Chat - IndianFT:SG citizenship has little value</TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=msgtable cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="96%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=msg vAlign=top><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgbfr1 width="1%"> </TD><TD><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR class=msghead vAlign=top><TD class=msgF width="1%" noWrap align=right>From: </TD><TD class=msgFname width="68%" noWrap>kojakbt_89 <NOBR></NOBR> </TD><TD class=msgDate width="30%" noWrap align=right>7:57 pm </TD></TR><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgT height=20 width="1%" noWrap align=right>To: </TD><TD class=msgTname width="68%" noWrap>ALL <NOBR></NOBR></TD><TD class=msgNum noWrap align=right> (1 of 2) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgleft rowSpan=4 width="1%"> </TD><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>30672.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgtxt>Mar 27, 2010
PRs: Has the welcome mat been rolled back?
One policy change after another has been unveiled to sharpen the distinctions in the privileges and benefits enjoyed by citizens and permanent residents (PRs). How are PRs reacting to the changes? Do they feel less welcome, more insecure? Will they decide to sink their roots here, seek greener pastures elsewhere or return home?
<!-- by line -->By Cai Haoxiang
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BUSINESS consultant Manisha Kalra came to Singapore from India in 2007 because she felt it was open to foreigners.
But in the last few months, she had been reading a slew of articles about simmering local resentment against permanent residents (PRs) like her.
Then came the flurry of government announcements of policy changes aimed at widening the gap between the benefits and privileges given to citizens and PRs.
That's when she began to get the jitters.
'I started rethinking my long-term plans,' says Ms Manisha, 26, whose sales manager husband is a PR as well. The couple do not have any children.
'Is Singapore really the place to live in? I don't know what policies it'll have in the future.'
She concedes there is now little value in trading her Indian passport for a Singaporean one.
'Citizenship benefits seem to be for people in their 30s, and not so much for the younger generation who are just starting out,' she says, referring to for-citizen-only baby bonuses, childcare subsidies, and longer maternity leave.
As she owns a condominium apartment here, she says she is not in need of any housing grants that citizens are eligible for.
Despite the recent policy changes, however, Ms Manisha admits that Singapore still makes her feel more welcome compared to other countries.
She is one of the record-high 533,000 PRs here as of June last year, representing a rise of 11 per cent over the previous year. This works out to one PR for every six citizens.
In 1990, there was one PR for every 23 citizens. In 2000, the number narrowed to one PR for every 10 citizens.
The number of new PRs minted each year rose from 32,000 in 2003 to 63,000 in 2007, which worked out to an average of 48,300 a year over that five-year period.
As of September last year, Singapore had 3.2 million citizens, or 64 per cent of its total population of five million.
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PRs: Has the welcome mat been rolled back?
One policy change after another has been unveiled to sharpen the distinctions in the privileges and benefits enjoyed by citizens and permanent residents (PRs). How are PRs reacting to the changes? Do they feel less welcome, more insecure? Will they decide to sink their roots here, seek greener pastures elsewhere or return home?
<!-- by line -->By Cai Haoxiang
<!-- end by line -->
<!-- end left side bar --><!-- story content : start -->
BUSINESS consultant Manisha Kalra came to Singapore from India in 2007 because she felt it was open to foreigners.
But in the last few months, she had been reading a slew of articles about simmering local resentment against permanent residents (PRs) like her.
Then came the flurry of government announcements of policy changes aimed at widening the gap between the benefits and privileges given to citizens and PRs.
That's when she began to get the jitters.
'I started rethinking my long-term plans,' says Ms Manisha, 26, whose sales manager husband is a PR as well. The couple do not have any children.
'Is Singapore really the place to live in? I don't know what policies it'll have in the future.'
She concedes there is now little value in trading her Indian passport for a Singaporean one.
'Citizenship benefits seem to be for people in their 30s, and not so much for the younger generation who are just starting out,' she says, referring to for-citizen-only baby bonuses, childcare subsidies, and longer maternity leave.
As she owns a condominium apartment here, she says she is not in need of any housing grants that citizens are eligible for.
Despite the recent policy changes, however, Ms Manisha admits that Singapore still makes her feel more welcome compared to other countries.
She is one of the record-high 533,000 PRs here as of June last year, representing a rise of 11 per cent over the previous year. This works out to one PR for every six citizens.
In 1990, there was one PR for every 23 citizens. In 2000, the number narrowed to one PR for every 10 citizens.
The number of new PRs minted each year rose from 32,000 in 2003 to 63,000 in 2007, which worked out to an average of 48,300 a year over that five-year period.
As of September last year, Singapore had 3.2 million citizens, or 64 per cent of its total population of five million.
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