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Following the Prime Minister’s National Day Speech, which had a disproportionately long discussion on immigrants in Singapore, discussions, mainly criticisms, have sprung up in all corners. I do not think I am sufficiently well-informed on statistics or the exact conditions of Singaporeans vs. ‘The Others’, I thought I would give my few cents from what I hope is a slightly different angle.

I think the debate will always stand because, the government, being the government,  will always have its own justifications, while Singaporeans, being Singaporeans will always grumble regardless. However, what troubles me most about the issue is not what is the ‘right’ thing to do, but the attitude we hold towards the foreigners who are already in Singapore.

I recently heard an acquaintance recall an anecdote on how he met a mainland Chinese restaurant staff who could not speak English properly, and he, being a Singaporean CHINESE, instead of repeating his request in mandarin, told her off. Speaking in mandarin, he told her,

“If you cannot speak proper English, get yourself on a boat back to China.”

Maybe my disgust had caused me to be judgemental, but it appeared to me that he was rather smug while sharing his little encounter with us. As an acquaintance, I did not respond (I should have), but as a listener, I was infuriated, embarrassed and almost sorry for his behaviour.

[Disclaimer: The above is the incident as I recall it, and may not be that precise in terms of facts.]

That is an extreme an example that may be limited to a particularly intelligent Singaporean graduate, (who has, started out his career at a choice employer, which to most, would be considered a mark of a would-be successful man) who was unfortunately not taught about graciousness and manners in school; but many of us, at various points, have been guilty of treating foreigners as if they were lesser beings by choosing to live in Singapore. How many times have we expressed dismay to see foreigners in our classes at school, as they are ‘too good at mathematics and sciences’, thus ‘pulling us down’, assumed that all caucasians are evil, highly paid expatriates who exist to raise our property prices, made fun of foreigners because they are not like us, or felt annoyed when we see a large group of foreigners board a bus? I can think of many examples, and I am also guilty of many of these things.

Here is why we should treat all foreigners in Singapore with respect, even if there are too many of them:

1. Assuming the government policies are flawed in allowing way too many immigrants into our society, it is NOT their fault that they were allowed to be citizens/PRs/employees of Singapore.

2. Many Singaporeans wish to, and do, live/study/work/become PRs/retire in other countries, and wouldn’t we want to be treated with warmth and courtesy too?

3. We pride ourselves to be a multi racial society. I do not think that just means we should accept Chinese, Malays, Indians and Eurasians, the four big ethinic groups in Singapore, but be gracious and tolerant of diversity in general.

4. In the case of the above story, being tolerant can include speaking in their langauge, where you are able to.

5. There is nothing wrong with seeking greener pastures in life- i.e. it is not wrong of them to wish to work/study/live in Singapore.

6. Really, it is just basic courtesy. It is just tragic if our education system produces smart/efficient citizens who simply think about what they need/how they are disadvantaged/how they can better their lives, without any empathy, understanding, or respect for others.

And that is my recent rant.

To sum it up, I really think we should be accepting and welcoming towards foreigners who have already been accepted into our society by the authorities, and do what we can to make them feel at home and help them integrate into Singapore.

PS: To be honest, I do not know how many Singaporeans my rant applies to. (Hopefully a small minority.) My thoughts were borne out of people I have met, my experiences, discussions with friends and blogs I have read, and I thus apologize if its a huge generalization.