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Written on April 14, 2009 by Kelvin Teo

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Of migration and the Singaporean diaspora

Engaging those who have left our shores

(photo credits:Alvinrocksus)

SINGAPORE – A survey conducted by the Singapore Polytechnic revealed one sobering statistic – more than 50% of youths aged between 15 and 29 years old want to migrate overseas if given the chance. Another ironic piece of statistic is that despite going through National Education in their schools, 37% admitted that they are not patriotic. Another interesting number is that despite 60% of the youth not being interested in local politics, half of them want to see more opposition in parliament.

And this migration statistic is worrying our leaders. Senior Minister (SM) Goh Chok Tong admitted in a meeting with Iranian leaders that Singapore is leaking talents, especially the top notch ones. And this leakage of talents extended to the civil service as well. This was ironic considering the fact that SM Goh fired a rhetorical salvo in challenging Singaporeans’ resolve to stay to fight for the nation instead of taking flight at the first sign of trouble, ending with a famous question – “are you a quitter or a stayer?”

Admittedly, this rhetorical question triggered an emotional response. The quitter reference didn’t go down well amongst a number of Singaporeans, especially those who have migrated or have already considered migrating. A variety of reasons were offered to explain their unhappiness. Be that as it may, sometimes it would be interesting to dwell on the causes behind Singaporeans’ decision to migrate rather than the furore over the stayer-quitter remarks.

Mr Seah Chiang Nee, in an article published in the Sunday Star, attributed one of the causes to a self-centred generation with no personal bond to the nation. Half of it is figured by Mr Seah. The other half is possibly attributable to the fact that Singaporeans are rarely offered a part to play in the running of the nation. Singapore has always been run in a top-down approach, the catch phrase for that is a paternalistic form of governance. Basically, Singaporeans have not much say in the running of Singapore.

Thus, there is a need to engage Singaporeans in the sense that they should be given a say in the direction that Singapore should take, and in doing so, shoulder more responsibilities. When citizens are given more responsibilities in running the country within a decentralized system of governance, the national bond naturally comes. In fact, this engagement should be extended to Singaporeans who have left our shores.

The case study of India has taught us that despite the brain drain, the Indian diaspora worldwide has benefitted India in terms of cash injection and technology transfer. It would be tragic if the Singapore government fails to engage the Singaporean diaspora worldwide.

One solution to the brain drain in SM Goh’s words is “to turn to talented people from other countries, get them to work here and eventually turn them into Singaporeans”. That in itself is a gamble because not all foreigners would end up taking up Singapore citizenship.

However, the pertinent question is – has the government completely forgotten the former sons of Singapore? It appeared that SM Goh’s reference to them as “quitters” will only further alienate them. One really wonders if it has ever occurred to the Singapore government that the Singapore diaspora worldwide can still be considered a valuable resource in terms of knowledge and finance. Even SM Goh conceded that these talented former Singaporeans are “harvested straightaway by top companies and institutions”. Thus, wouldn’t a friendly engagement allow Singapore to tap on their expertise or benefit from their cash injection? Alienation would only burn the bridges for eternity.

When there was talk about building up a knowledge-based economy, the government rolled out the red carpet in welcoming foreign luminaries. Perhaps, the same red carpet should also be rolled out to welcome overseas-based Singaporean or ex-Singaporean experts too.

Prime Minister Mr Lee Hsien Loong envisioned Singapore as “an inclusive society where no one will be left behind”. It is a beautiful vision worth attaining. However, former Singaporeans should also be included in this vision. Even as they have left our shores, they are still a part of us nonetheless. Instead of burning bridges, more bridges should be built to reach out to such Singaporeans.

254422 Comments2009-04-14+15%3A49%3A53Kelvin+Teo on "Of migration and the Singaporean diaspora"

Fox on Tue, 14th Apr 2009 6:07 pm

Because Singapore is run like a company by the government, Singaporeans should think of Singapore as a business too. The question is how should Singaporeans view Singapore Inc. – as owners or as employees.

Businesses have their ups and downs from time to time. Employees join and stay with the company when times are good and leave when wages are better elsewhere. They don't contribute to decision-making and do not have to feel any sense of loyalty to the company.

Owners, on the other hand, have a say on how the business is run. Hence, they have some responsibilities and obligations. When times are good, they reap the benefits and when business is bad, they have to take part of the blame. When the tough gets going, Owners also stick around because of their sense of ownership.

Because Singapore society is very top-down in nature, most young people see themselves as Employees rather than Owners. They are told which languages to speak (or not to speak), which subjects to study, when to marry, how to welcome new immigrants, how not to rely on government welfare, etc. After a while, people feel that they are not living in the Singapore that they want and can have. Any wonder why people choose to live?

Damn Disilluisoned on Wed, 15th Apr 2009 7:43 am

Your parents are better off now than their parents when they first arrived here 50 years ago and all these years they could take good care of their parents and you. Now you look at your aging parents who are retired and have to fend for themselves using their blood and sweat CPF savings coping with ever increasing cost of living with declining quality of life. This is when you began to question what will become of you and your children in the future who are average ordinary Singapore citizens. This explains why more than 50% of youths aged between 15 and 29 years old want to migrate overseas if given the chance.

Bernard on Wed, 15th Apr 2009 9:45 am

Perhaps the government has realised this and hence started Singapore Day.

fishbuff on Wed, 15th Apr 2009 10:15 am

why the sad posting? if u are not happy in sg, then move out of there once and for all. for crying out loud, no one is holding u back. u are not bound by chains and penalties from leaving. so pick up your courage and do something about it.

The Singapore Daily » Blog Archive » Daily SG: 16 Apr 2009 on Thu, 16th Apr 2009 11:30 am

[...] Daily Discourse – TOC: Will S’poreans speak up for others? – The Kent Ridge Common: Of migration and the Singaporean diaspora [...]

guojun on Thu, 16th Apr 2009 1:23 pm

As if Singapore Day works – people go there for the makan only. And as for leaving, as if everyone can leave. Most want to leave Singapore but live in a Singaporean environment – like that how can?

kweeter on Thu, 16th Apr 2009 2:20 pm

I'm thinking of migrating from Singapore too and this comment sums it up perfectly. A company's former employees are likely to be disinterested in the future of the company – in the spirit of capitalism, let the invisible hand of the free market deal with the company! – and it's no surprise that (ex-)Singaporeans feel the same way about good ol' .sg. Doesn't help that the stuff I grew up with in the 90s/early 00s (not even the 70s/80s!) is already disappearing so quickly. Like that where got attachment?

Charles on Thu, 16th Apr 2009 4:35 pm

Campaigns do not work if the underlying cause is not changed…

The Singapore Daily » Blog Archive » Weekly Roundup: Week 16 on Sat, 18th Apr 2009 10:31 am

[...] Review of the public sector – TOC: Will S’poreans speak up for others? – The Kent Ridge Common: Of migration and the Singaporean diaspora – Singaporean Skeptic: Even PRC students get better treatment than Singaporean students in the USA! [...]

Divided on Sat, 2nd May 2009 10:18 pm

As a singaporean living overseas I actually do have a wish to come home, whether it be for a few years or for the longer term to spend time with my family (the guilt!) and because I know that the reality is is that different countries merely have different issues. Nowhere is perfect and if anyone is kidding themselves thinking that the grass is greener on the other side is sorely mistaken and the harsh reality is that you solve one problem and create another.

I left because I felt discriminated against by people in Singapore for not being "the norm" and I am hesitant to come back because unfortunately I doubt that a lot of my peer group (who I would undoubtly meet again) would have really changed. Apart from that they have to address:

1) the pay is about 2/3 that of the UK for a similar top tier firm position, there is just no way they can match this
2) the hours are about an extra 50% + potentially weekends (and on 2/3 pay!!)
3) cost of cars are still very high as well as housing
4) marrying someone from the UK means that they are even more hesitant about the 3 points above, and to be honest, will probably suffer a weird reverse discrimination for not being asian (e.g. if an ang moh came and said he would work at Ya Kun what really are the chances he will get hired? or as a teller at DBS? Sales person at Guardian? Basically any non-expatriate role related job?)

I think singapore is great in many ways, the schools, the safety, the stability, the cleanliness, the size, eating etc… Singapore really just has to consider how they can address the serious reduction in living standards that moving home can entail.

A question that people have to ask themselves is whether the reality of democracy matches up to the ideal that it poses. Most people who go into politics anywhere in the world go into it for themselves, and people should not lie to themselves that the chances that anyone is really any different is all that great. Man is alike anywhere, there are always going to be the good, the bad, the normal people.

It would be my hope that Singaporeans can broaden their acceptance of their own people and not be cruel to those among them who are different, because cruelty from "khaki nang" is what hurts the most, but for those who do make it out, you can make it out to a place where people do not care, and perhaps most people accept you, but it is never a guarantee that that place is going to be better… or worse than home.

lyn on Sun, 3rd May 2009 9:32 pm

I am an overseas Singaporean who misses Singapore for its food, people, Singlish and the pasars. I would like to someday return, however the pay for an equivalent position is much lower in Singapore than in the UK or US and further more, the cost of housing and cars are phenomenal. Don't think that all overseas Singaporeans don't miss Singapore or don't want to go home!

JESSIE on Mon, 4th May 2009 2:32 pm

I AM A SINGAPOREAN LIVING AND WORKING IN UK FOR 10 YEAR.OF COURSE I WOULD BE GOING HOME IN THE END AFTER THIS JOURNEY OF MINE IS OVER.
FROM MY EXPERIENCE LIVING AND WORKING SO CLOSELY WITH THE BRITISH LIKE A FAMILY.I MUST SAY NOTHING COMPARES TO OUR HOME,SINGAPORE.LIVING STANDARD IN SINGAPORE MIGHT BE EXPENSIVE NOW BUT THERE IS LOTS OF SECURITY,SAFETY,HYGIENE,WELL MANNERED,CIVILISE SINGAPOREAN,GOOD QUALITY STANDARD OF LIVING,GREAT FOOD,GREAT SHOPPING,GOOD STANDARD OF EDUCATION FOR THE KIDS,.THE DOWN SIDE IS THAT THE HEAT IS AWFUL.TO SUM IT UP,SINGAPORE IS 95 % A GREAT COUNTRY.
I AM SO VERY PROUD OF SINGAPORE AND TO BE A SINGAPOREAN…. :)

JESSIE on Mon, 4th May 2009 2:53 pm

HELLO AGAIN,
JUST SOME FEEDBACK REGARDING THE SINGAPORE DAY EVENT HELD AT THE HAMPTON COURT PALACE IN LONDON.I HAD ATTENT THE EVENT AND IT WAS VERY WELL ORGANISE AND VERY INFORMATIVE ABOUT SINGAPORE.
ONE THING THAT I NOTICE IS THAT THE CROWD WERE ALL VERY YOUNG THAT LOOKS LIKE STUDENTS IN THE UNIVERSITY THERE ALL MAYBE WORKING AND LIVING IN THE UK.
THEY CERTAINLY DO NOT LOOK LIKE AN UNHAPPY SINGAPOREAN THAT ARE RUNNING AWAY FROM SINGAPORE TO STAY IN UK THINKING THAT THIS SIDE OF THE GRASS IS GREENER….HAHAHAHA….
I AM LAUGHING BECAUSE THIS SIDE OF THE GRASS ARE CERTAINLY GREENER BUT NOT NECESSARY LIVING LIFE ARE GREENER……
CHEERS….
XXX

Kelvin Teo on Mon, 4th May 2009 3:01 pm

Hi Jesse:
No need to shout using CAPS, we can hear you loud and clear from Singapore. hahahaah! Conversely, do you think Singaporeans attend Singapore Day in UK for free food?
Sincerely yours

JESSIE on Mon, 4th May 2009 3:34 pm

HI AGAIN,
oops nearly forgot my caplock is on,sorry lah.
i dont think that the oversea singporean went to the singapore day event for free makan.
i didnt even have a clue that the makan was free until i was there.
cheers,
xxx

Contented on Mon, 11th May 2009 10:38 am

To be honest, I only went to Singapore Day for the free food and the fact that I have never been to Hampton Court. That is about it. I am not terribly patriotic and I do enjoy being in London. I have been living here for 3 years now. The only downside is that I do miss my family and will be missing out watching my niece and nephews grow up. But 'Divided' makes such great points and I hate to say it, he/she stated the exact points that I also have.

That's the thing about being overseas Singaporeans. We are definitely different from our peers in so many ways. We do not have the same mentality, the same mindset, and we are definitely more open-minded and more worldly as we have left our fair shores and see things in a very different light. Singaporeans are very cruel to anything that is different since most Asian societies are homogenous. That is one reason why Singaporeans lack so much creativity. And that is why, the govt sees a need for foreign talent.

Basically what I am trying to say is, the government has to do more that just organising Singapore Day to entice overseas Singaporeans.

disillusioned on Wed, 3rd Jun 2009 5:21 pm

I am a 30yr old Singaporean. I grew up in a blue collar household with very very hardworking parents. We live in a HDB flat. My dad is still furiously working away at an age of 57, not knowing when he can smell retirement. LKY says work is good, retire=dying? Tell him to try driving a bus at age 57. We never owned a car until I bought one (a typical japanese 1.6L) when I started working. ( I sold it away 3 months ago and realized a lost of $17k over 2 yrs.) I studied hard and attended a SAP school and thought one day I will bring my family out of the HDB class.

disillusioned on Wed, 3rd Jun 2009 5:21 pm

After 4 yrs of working I have barely 25k in savings + 35k in CPF. When I landed a better paying job during the boom that preceded the crisis, inflation took away all my hard work. I still couldnt afford much in Singapore. No condo, never mind, I look to HDB, and find that they are disgustingly overpriced despite the crisis. If its not the free market, then it must be the migration policy and the lack of care to ramp up supply of HDBs. I had to work under an incompetent british "foreign talent" boss who was a redneck in disguise. He doesn’t know Excel, he punctuates his sentences with fcuks. He bullies. Talent indeed. Where are the checks?

disillusioned on Wed, 3rd Jun 2009 5:22 pm

I hear the govt says Singapore gains FTs to replace the 'quitters', I wonder why I served the NS. My auntie killed herself becos she got depressed with medical costs, while MPs decided they deserve million dollar salaries. Both events happened at around the same time.I am making plans to leave SG for good, but its painful bcos I feel guilt for my parents. Singapore has the bright lights now, but I dun think the middle class citizens are any happier. Without anyone able to make serious changes in the govt, the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel just became headlights of an oncoming train for more and more of us.

will4 on Mon, 7th Sep 2009 12:05 pm

There has been many local moving to neighboring Malaysia in order to lower the cost.

puffer on Tue, 22nd Sep 2009 5:21 am

Another thing about migrating to Malaysia is that the NS is only 3 months, and they ironically practice more meritocracracy and equality than us by drafting the females too.

jim on Wed, 3rd Feb 2010 1:10 am

Singapore is run exactly the way American multinational run, bottom line is profits without due regard to morale, motivations, and a host of dehumanising issue. This is one country where a minister can get away issuing threats to its own citizen, telling them that if a foreigner can accept lower salary and better qualifications , then singaporean must be retrenched in favour of foreigners.
Today, when the next general election is around the corner, they conveniently tell us that they must put cap on the number of foreigner, 30% of our workforce is a foreigner, for every two singapore working, there is one foreigner competing with lower pay,

when elections are not around the corner, they tell us, singapore cannot survive without foreigners, you should shut up, as u dont know what is good for u. The previous MP for clementi Tan Cheng Bock stoop up and speak up on issues of foreigners, he immediately got a rebuke and of course he lost his job as a MP

There is a wide spread perception that singaporean are worst treated by their own government. This PAP governmnet treat foreigners better. , they do not have to go to National service, enjoy subsidised medical and housing, Singapore were calling out loud , the government choses to ignore us

now that election is around the corner, everyday we are blasted with headline news that foreigners have to pay more for medical, schools.
this is all an electon gimmicks, hoping that singaporean have short memory

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