THE TEMASEK REVIEW

By Lim Yii Tong, Guest Columnist

During our usual weekend get-together at my mother-in-law’s place at Yong Peng (Malaysia), there will invariably be heated discussions on politics by relatives from both sides of the causeway.

The usual Singaporean complaint about rising costs, ERPs and influx of foreigners seems more of a minor irritant than an important concern to the Malaysians.

“At least your government functions” quipped Chin, my brother-in-law. “Over here, the politicians just talk, NATO only. They have been saying they will renovate the Chinese schools since the 1980s during every election, but once it is over, they disappear as well !”

Another brother-in-law is trying to get his two kids enrol in a primary school in Singapore. “Never mind what school, as long it is in Singapore, it will surely be better here !”, he acclaimed.

I almost want to dissuade him from doing so as I am not keen for my kids to be educated in the Singapore school system.

I am a true blue Singaporean, born here, receive my education from primary to university level here, serve national service, work, married and settled down here in the land of my birth.

I am in my mid 30s, have 2 wonderful kids (a third one coming in December), earn a comfortable working as a system engineer in an IT consultancy film and lives in a private apartment still being paid for by my CPF – a typical middle class Singaporean.

Yet, I still do not feel satisfied or secure about my present life. Will I be able to maintain the same standard of living and qualify of life in the future ?

The Singapore I live in now is so different from the Singapore I grew up in. I received my primary education at a neighborhood school in Toa Payoh, right in the middle of the HDB heartland.

I had fond memories of the time I spent playing hip-hop, “tor ka” (one-legged catch up), “gor li” (marble), ti-kam and catching frogs and spiders with my friends from all races. There were few foreigners then and life is so much simpler.

Now, I see mainland Chinese and Indians almost everywhere speaking in their native tongues with an unmistakable foreign accent. My company just employed two Chinese IT engineers. My boss likes them – they are “cheap”, good, doesn’t complain as much as Singaporeans and more importantly, they do not need to serve reservist !

I can understand the need for us to import more foreigners in to keep Singapore competitive, but not at the expense of citizens who are born and bred here. It is true that we are a land of immigrants. However, we are the descendents of immigrants who have made Singapore our home compared to those foreigners who just come here and make a living.

During the last economic downturn, a few of my seniors were retrenched with little or no compensation. Their places were replaced by foreigners. I shudder at the thought whether I will end up like them in the future. Why not ? After all, it does make economic sense for the company to recruit a foreign Masters graduate with less pay than a local one. How am I going to start afresh at the age of 40 ? Who is going to employ me ? Can I support my family ?

There is a new security guard in my office building in his mid-50s. He used to be a Warrant Officer in the SAF. Asked why he has taken up this job, he readily admits given a choice, he rather retire and look after his grandchildren, but at his age, he still have to earn a living to support himself as his children are all tied up with their own families.

“The government wants us to work till the age of 85 and now wants us to buy what ‘death insurance’ (annuity) ! Who will know when we will kick the bucket !” he laments. When will I ever see my CPF monies ? Do I have to wait till I am 85,  frail, sick and dying before I can “enjoy” the fruits of my years of hard labor?

My eldest boy is 3 years old currently under the care of my parents. I am still pondering whether to send him to a special school for pre-schoolers where they are given “special” education to give them a headstart to life.

 My neighbour’s child is in such a school. During the weekend, she has to attend “special” arithmetic, piano and ballet classes. A few weeks ago, there is a furore in the papers over the number of Singaporeans who have to pursue their tertiary education overseas because they are not “good” enough for local universities. At a cousin’s convocation at NTU 2 months ago, almost half the cohort of graduates are foreigners.

Do I really want to send my children to a tough, rigorous and in a way merciless education system where they will be under tremendous stress to perform and excel ? What if they are unable to pursue their interests in life here or their grades are not good enough to qualify for a local university ? Do I have the means to send them overseas for their tertiary education ?

My wife has been persuading me to emigrate to Australia. Her parents are living in Melbourne and apparently according to her, are enjoying the best years of their lives there. “They don’t have to work at all, healthcare is free and the state government even pays them a monthly stipend ! Now every weekend, they just travel around in the countryside, you know Australia is so huge !”, she will whisper repeatedly like a tape recorder into my ears every night before we sleep. “But the aussie taxes are high too !” I retort. “Yeah, but that is the price to pay for security, my dear, security for the future. And the kids, their education is completely free too, we do not have to worry about anything !”

Is the grass really greener on the other side ? I keep asking myself. Life is not too bad for me now. To the Malaysians, Singapore is like a paradise. Why should I forsake my land of birth which has nurtured me all these years ?

Though I have occasional grouses against the government, I must admit that the PAP is a good government which truly take care of its people and have the foresight to plan far ahead into the future when politicians in a neighboring country are still squabbling over who to become the Prime Minister. We Singaporeans do not realize how fortunate we are to have everything running so smoothly in the country.

While I do not doubt the capability of the government, I have little affliation or feelings for them. I cannot claim I support or love them. The only time I hear about our leaders is from the media when they will exhort Singaporeans to do this or that.  

I have never voted in my entire life. I do not know which constituency I am in. I can’t even recognize my MPs if I were to meet them down the street. Yet I was told again and again during every election that I gave them the “mandate” to govern my life when I was never given a choice to choose ! Can anybody tell me what is being debated now in Parliament ? Does it matter at all ? Are my opinions ever sought out by the lawmakers ?

There was a report lately that Singapore has the 2nd highest migration rate (26 per 1,000) in the world after Timor Leste (51 per 1,000). The government doesn’t seem to understand why Singaporeans are leaving in droves. From their speeches, it is obvious they have lost touch completely with the ordinary people on the ground.

When they keep urging Singaporeans to continue working for as long as they can, they fail to realize that a majority of us just want to retire and enjoy life in our golden years. They harp on how far Singapore has progressed in terms of facts and figures to convince us that Singapore is the place to be – we have the 2nd highest GDP in Asia after Japan, the most business-friendly country, the best judiciary after Hong Kong etc, but these mean little to me and far less to those old folks you encounter picking card boards and cans from the rubbish heap for a living.

The government cannot blame Singaporeans for being self-centred, unpatriotic and selfish. Human nature is such that we always want the best for ourselves and our familes. Though we live for the 5Cs, we are in fact suckers for 3 simple Ss – serenity, stability and security. A future with little security is a major push factor for many Singaporeans. To those ministers, MPs and top civil servants who are earning an astronomical five to six-figure monthly salary and guaranteed a pension for life upon retirement, it may be too much to ask of them to understand what “security” means for a Singaporean bringing home only a few thousand dollars at the end of the month.

During my NS days, I was a guards officer. I still feel proud of my guards tag on my No 4 when I go for my reservist training. However, I do not feel my contributions to the nation all these years are recognized at the place where I work. My boss treasures the PRC engineers more because in a way, they are “better qualified” than the locals. After all, Singapore is a meritocracy, it doesn’t matter whether you are a citizen or not, the system rewards those who perform best though these high-flyers may only be making use of Singapore as a transit point to greener pastures.

A PRC colleague of mine has got a job in Perth. He just received Singaporean his citizenship last year and now he is making preparations to relocate his entire family to Australia. We got along together quite well. Unlike other foreigners who keep to their own cliques, he mingles around with the locals and appears to be well integrated into our society. Why does he want to leave Singapore after barely settling down here ? “Well, the truth is, Singapore is only a spring board for me. I never want to live here. It’s not too bad a place, but it is too small for me.” he volunteers readily when asked. “Why not you come over to Australia too ? The grass is definitely greener over there.”

Tell me, is this really true ?

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