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October 26, 2009 by admin
Filed under Top News
Leave a comment Temasek Review
From our Correspondent
According to reports from the state media, the Ministry of Information, Communications and Arts (MICA) had called a public tender last Thursday to develop a ¡§New Citizens Survival Guide¡¨, part of a kit to give newly-minted Singapore Citizens and PRs a positive experience of settling here.
Minister of Community, Youth and Sports Dr Vivian Balakrishnan launched a $10-million Community Integration Fund last month to help new citizens integrate into Singapore society.
The Community Integration Fund will help to sponsor projects such as cultural gatherings, seminars and social outings for the newcomers and Singaporeans.
The grassroots organizations have already taken the lead by hosting tea-parties at HDB void decks and ¡§amazing races¡¨ for foreign residents to make them feel ¡§welcomed¡¨.
Other measures announced include getting newcomers to attend basic English courses to improve their command of the language in order to better communicate with Singaporeans.
Last year, 79,167 foreigners became PRs and 20,513 took up citizenship ¡V more than the 63,627 PRs and 17,334 new citizens in 2007.
The fund drew flak from netizens who lampooned the government for spending taxpayers¡¦ monies on foreigners while not doing enough to help needy Singaporeans especially those from the lower income group.
Besides important facts and figures about Singapore, the tender states that the guide will feature graciousness in public areas, housing estates, public transport and on the road.
¡§The tone should be welcoming and one that is able to excite the target audience to look forward to their time in Singapore, as well as evoke an emotive affiliation to Singapore. Use short, simple sentences. Avoid bombastic words,¡¨ said MICA.
It is not known if MICA will be dipping into its own funds or using the Community Integration Fund to pay for the tender.
Singapore¡¦s desperation for foreigners to boost its flagging population is illustrated by the relative ease in which PRs are given out nowadays (like a piece of wastepaper).
Ms Zhang Yuanyuan, who caused a furore in cyberspace lately with her proclamation of her loyalty to China publicly, obtained her PR within two months of application. She previously worked as a Chinese teacher in a private school in Singapore.
While many Singaporeans had expressed their concerns and resentment at the rising number of foreigners, the ruling party is adamant that its liberal immigration policy will remain unchanged though it may be ¡§tweaked¡¨ to slow the intake, according to Prime Minister Lee in a recent speech.
Singapore appears to be one of the few countries in the developed world which embrace foreigners with such ¡§open arms¡¨ without any thought or consideration towards the feelings of its own citizens.
In other countries like Australia and Canada, migrants must pass an English proficiency test before they are even allowed to work there. In Singapore, the ruling party will offer free English courses to foreigners using public monies.
The onus lie on the foreigners to integrate into Singapore society and not the other way round. Nowhere in the world can you find another country spending millions of dollars to produce a ¡§welcome kit¡¨ for new citizens!
With no opposition in Parliament or in civil society to exert political pressure on the ruling party, Singaporeans will have no choice but to put up with the increasing numbers of foreigners living in their midst.
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October 26, 2009 by admin
Filed under Top News
Leave a comment Temasek Review
From our Correspondent
According to reports from the state media, the Ministry of Information, Communications and Arts (MICA) had called a public tender last Thursday to develop a ¡§New Citizens Survival Guide¡¨, part of a kit to give newly-minted Singapore Citizens and PRs a positive experience of settling here.
Minister of Community, Youth and Sports Dr Vivian Balakrishnan launched a $10-million Community Integration Fund last month to help new citizens integrate into Singapore society.
The Community Integration Fund will help to sponsor projects such as cultural gatherings, seminars and social outings for the newcomers and Singaporeans.
The grassroots organizations have already taken the lead by hosting tea-parties at HDB void decks and ¡§amazing races¡¨ for foreign residents to make them feel ¡§welcomed¡¨.
Other measures announced include getting newcomers to attend basic English courses to improve their command of the language in order to better communicate with Singaporeans.
Last year, 79,167 foreigners became PRs and 20,513 took up citizenship ¡V more than the 63,627 PRs and 17,334 new citizens in 2007.
The fund drew flak from netizens who lampooned the government for spending taxpayers¡¦ monies on foreigners while not doing enough to help needy Singaporeans especially those from the lower income group.
Besides important facts and figures about Singapore, the tender states that the guide will feature graciousness in public areas, housing estates, public transport and on the road.
¡§The tone should be welcoming and one that is able to excite the target audience to look forward to their time in Singapore, as well as evoke an emotive affiliation to Singapore. Use short, simple sentences. Avoid bombastic words,¡¨ said MICA.
It is not known if MICA will be dipping into its own funds or using the Community Integration Fund to pay for the tender.
Singapore¡¦s desperation for foreigners to boost its flagging population is illustrated by the relative ease in which PRs are given out nowadays (like a piece of wastepaper).
Ms Zhang Yuanyuan, who caused a furore in cyberspace lately with her proclamation of her loyalty to China publicly, obtained her PR within two months of application. She previously worked as a Chinese teacher in a private school in Singapore.
While many Singaporeans had expressed their concerns and resentment at the rising number of foreigners, the ruling party is adamant that its liberal immigration policy will remain unchanged though it may be ¡§tweaked¡¨ to slow the intake, according to Prime Minister Lee in a recent speech.
Singapore appears to be one of the few countries in the developed world which embrace foreigners with such ¡§open arms¡¨ without any thought or consideration towards the feelings of its own citizens.
In other countries like Australia and Canada, migrants must pass an English proficiency test before they are even allowed to work there. In Singapore, the ruling party will offer free English courses to foreigners using public monies.
The onus lie on the foreigners to integrate into Singapore society and not the other way round. Nowhere in the world can you find another country spending millions of dollars to produce a ¡§welcome kit¡¨ for new citizens!
With no opposition in Parliament or in civil society to exert political pressure on the ruling party, Singaporeans will have no choice but to put up with the increasing numbers of foreigners living in their midst.
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