Who opened the floodgates to immigrants?

[verykiasu2010]

just look at the torrent of responses to the letter written by a Virdi Bhupinder to the Straits Time forum page a few days ago, and yesterday a whole lot of rebuttals from singaporeans

[verykiasu2010]

Just take a look at the \"firework\" of a Bhupinder letter below :

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Roadblocks to a multicultural Singapore

I AGREE with the observation by the National University of Singapore's Malay Studies department head Syed Farid Alatas ('Singapore is not yet truly multicultural'; Wednesday).

I was born in London and am of North Indian descent. I moved to Singapore 16 years ago and have since made it home after marrying my Singaporean wife, and taking up citizenship.

Sadly, my experiences with the Chinese, Malay and local Tamil Indians have been far from welcoming, and I feel I have not been truly accepted as a fellow citizen.

The majority of our neighbours are Chinese who have never bothered to mix or get to know our culture, let alone greet us in the common lift.

They have no clue as to our North Indian customs or eating habits and stare at us as if we are aliens.

Our greetings are often returned with stares.

I have been fortunate to have lived in Canada, Britain and India, where hundreds of diverse languages are spoken and everybody gives and respects each other's space - not just tolerate one another.

Singapore is far from a multicultural society. 'Throwing in' people from different races does not create a multicultural society.

A society evolves over thousands of years and not by setting a quota for a certain race, whether it is in an HDB estate or elsewhere.

How many Indian expatriates, or for that matter expats from elsewhere, bother to mingle with Singaporeans?

By forming their own enclaves, there is no integration but an ever-growing gap instead.

A truly multicultural society does not have 'guidelines' to decide who lives where, and therein lies the problem of true integration.

Virdi Bhupinder

http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_733000.html

SAMPLE OF A REPLY :

I FOUND Mr Virdi Bhupinder's letter ('Roadblocks to a multicultural Singapore'; last Saturday) amusing albeit a tad arrogant.

Despite having assumed Singapore citizenship and living here for a long time, he prioritises himself to be of North Indian descent and segregates one of his targets of unwelcoming Singaporeans as 'local Tamil Indians'.

I was born in Singapore and am an Indian Singaporean. I consider myself a Singaporean first, then an Indian, not North or South Indian.

If unfriendly neighbours treat Mr Bhupinder like an 'alien', he can cultivate neighbourhood friendships via community clubs, residents' committees, public and private organisations, and inter-faith groups, which organise events regularly to foster social understanding and harmony among new citizens, permanent residents and multi-ethnic groups. Bonding takes time and happens in different ways.

Mr Bhupinder's observation that everyone in Britain and India 'gives and respects each other's space' is curious, given the recent violent race riots in British cities, and the ethnic violence and class discrimination in India. I also find it incredulous that he chose to be a Singaporean despite Singapore's 'poor' multiculturalism and when there were greener pastures elsewhere.

Singapore's racial quota policy for public housing may not have been stupendously successful, but Mr Bhupinder is welcome to contribute towards making it better.

Singapore has a rare and thriving multicultural tapestry. Fostering multiculturalism is an organic part of our education policy; we work on it socially and it is at the heart of our national values.

It is with optimism that I propose that new citizens adopt patience and perseverance to assimilate into Singapore's context of multiculturalism. Put one's lofty ideals to rest and appreciate and, if possible, contribute to building a better Singapore.

Vasanthan Kanmani (Mrs)


Acceptance

'The onus is on the new member to earn it.'

MR GOH RONG REN: 'Mr Virdi Bhupinder expects to be welcomed into a community he had chosen to make his new home ('Roadblocks to a multicultural Singapore'; last Saturday). Acceptance into a community, as with all places, is not an entitlement The onus is on the new member to earn it by demonstrating his sincerity and effort to assimilate himself to bridge the cultural differences and the lack of an inherent commonality. New members must convince us they can make a meaningful contribution .'

Make the move

'I shall be happy to understand Mr Bhupinder's culture over coffee.'

MR NEO ENG CHONG: 'I wonder if Mr Virdi Bhupinder ('Roadblocks to a multicultural Singapore'; last Saturday), who has lived here for 16 years, has made the effort to understand the cultures of the Chinese, Malay and Tamils, rather than criticise expatriates for keeping to themselves. I hope he will eventually get to know his neighbours. In the meantime, I shall be happy to understand Mr Bhupinder's culture over coffee if he contacts me.'

Log onto http://www.straitstimes.com to read the complete letters.

http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_734341.html

[janet88]

Oppsgal:

Who cares about who opened the gates to immigrants :?


I am more worried on the problems if any, and how the problems are being solved.

By opening the flood gates to foreigners, Singaporeans born here are now suffering the BIG increased population...new social problems when newly converted SC import their mentality from country of origin. A recent article in forum is about an Indian staying for past 16 years who sees himself as North Indian. Here, we are Singaporeans first, followed by Chinese, Malay, Indians and Eurasians.

[Chenonceau]

Actually… I hate to say this because I’ve never thought of myself as xenophobic but I get REALLY upset when I see PRC children peeing on grass verges outside the mall when all the parents need to do is to bring the child INTO the mall. It hardly takes 3 minutes. Firstly, the child bares his privates for all to see. Secondly, it is unhygienic for every passerby who needs to smell urine for the next 2 days.


I also get peeved when the PRC people don’t queue. It usually happens at the weighing station. They crowd around and jostle for the weighing staff’s attention. It is rude to the staff and rude to other shoppers.

I do know that this is a cultural difference but I do reckon that in my home country, I would not have to adapt to other countries’ cultural quirks. Not all PRC people are like that. What I don’t understand is why we have let foreigners in that have no cosmopolitan manners at all. Surely, some degree of cosmopolitanism should define the word TALENT?

[janet88]

Chenonceau:

Actually... I hate to say this because I've never thought of myself as xenophobic but I get REALLY upset when I see PRC children peeing on grass verges outside the mall when all the parents need to do is to bring the child INTO the mall. It hardly takes 3 minutes. Firstly, the child bares his privates for all to see. Secondly, it is unhygienic for every passerby who needs to smell urine for the next 2 days.


I also get peeved when the PRC people don't queue. It usually happens at the weighing station. They crowd around and jostle for the weighing staff's attention. It is rude to the staff and rude to other shoppers.

I do know that this is a cultural difference but I do reckon that in my home country, I would not have to adapt to other countries' cultural quirks. Not all PRC people are like that. What I don't understand is why we have let foreigners in that have no cosmopolitan manners at all. Surely, some
degree of cosmopolitanism should define the word TALENT?

Yes, precisely. Some of the PRC sales assistants expect you to speak Mandarin just because you are also Chinese. They don't bother to attempt to converse in English.
At supermarkets, some PRCs have absolutely no manners when they select vegetables...ransacking the piles of raw vege neatly arranged by supermarket staff. They talk at the top of their voice on the bus or shouid i say anywhere and everywhere. It's sickening when we have to put up with their lack of courtesy, rudeness and their culture in in homeland.

[smurf]

er, i let ds pee on grass outside mall before. coz the toilets inside the mall are so dirty!!! i rather little children pee on the grass (its NOT smelly at all, and its fertilizer for the plant…hee) than they anyhow ‘shoot’ in the toilet bowl. can create nuisance to the person waiting behind. but for gals, maybe not so advisable.

the mall toilets are not so clean. have u seen any cleaner mops the cubicle toilet floor (filled with water and urine) and then using the same mop, ‘mop’ the flush button??

i have not met any PRC that ransack bunches of vegs,t-shirts, etc. but I hve seen locals do that. but PRC do TALK very loudly though.

[LOLMum]

and dont call a prc woman "小姐", might get whacked.

[verykiasu2010]

LOLMum:

and dont call a prc woman \"小姐\", might get whacked.

小姐,水饺一碗多少钱? piak ! slap slap slap :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao:

[peapot]

I had it worst. When we were in universal studios, a PRC lady pushed my gal aside and stand infront of my gal so that she gets a better view of the fireworks! My husband asked her why is she doing this to a kid??!!! She totally ignore us!! Thanks for the policy

[LOLMum]

verykiasu2010:

LOLMum:

and dont call a prc woman \"小姐\", might get whacked.

小姐,水饺一碗多少钱? piak ! slap slap slap :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao:

hahaha, dont ever say \"小姐,多少钱?\" like we locals always say.....\"uncle, how much?\" :rotflmao: :rotflmao: