PM Asks "What kind of people do we want to be?"

[Imami]

Dora1:

3 boys


We are not asking for special treatment. We are asking for EQUAL treatment on our own soils, I don't think we are asking for too much. Big Heart in the face of adversity, graciousness, blah blah blah.... I am sorry, but I think Singaporeans already have a very big heart in the sense that we still treat the foreigners with respect face to face after all unequal treatment that we get from them. At least we don't hurl abuse in their face like what a lot of other countries do to their immigrants. And their citizens actually don't even face the unequal workplace treatment that we are facing. So I think its very unfair to say that we don't have a big heart and Singaporeans are xenophobic. I think we are already very tolerant. And the fact is, Foreigners are given equal opportunities in Singapore by the Singaporeans, but Singaporeans are not given equal opportunities by the Foreigners here.
The government can choose to continue denying that there is a problem, and all the anti-foreigners sentiments are because Singaporeans are not big-hearted enough.
I am sorry, but I think Singaporeans are already very big hearted for not displaying our dissatisfaction publicly like many other countries. The anoymous display of dissatisfaction in the cyber world is here to stay no matter how much propanganda there is to tell us we need foreigners because of our low birth rate, we should be big hearted, blah blah....
Subconsciously we all understand that. But if day in and out we suffer the injustice, where else do you expect the people to vent their frustrations? Are you saying we are supposed to have a big heart to a robber who we invited in as a guest, but ended up robbing us and chased us out of our own house? We still can be friends with the robber??
Can you seriously do that?
And like I said, the public sentiments is already boiling, and if no concrete actions are taken, it will just take some incident to catalyse the spread of the sentiments from the cyberworld to the real world. This is something that I don't wish to see.
Denying the real feelings of people is not the solution. Preaching and telling the people to have a big heart without recognizing and addressing the real problem is like pouring fuel on fire on people's feelings.

How did we end up being like that? For the record, I don't believe in posting nasty anti-foreigners remarks online which are unsubstantiated. However, I can fully understand why some people do it, having been through it (and going through it everyday now).

Hi dora1, I just thought you need a hug :snuggles: not that it helps la...

[Imami]

pirate:

Dora1:

Winchester


I am not in IT/banking. There are other industries around that also suffer the same fate.

Stop dancing around the bushes. At least have the courage to stand up for you believe to be right. What kind of society will we become if people are not prepared to stand up for what they think is right? We become a society of whiners, that's what we become. Content to just gripe anonymously at the coffeeshops, internet etc, but not much else. Just watch the children at the playground. Nobody wants to play with whiners.

You can start by at least stating clearly which industry(ies) you are referring to. What are you afraid of?

PS. Yah. I am not a \"local\" graduate. I don't take things like that lying down. Nobody is going to \"squeeze\" me out of my job, because I will not just go out quietly into the night. :nunchuk:

:rotflmao: :rotflmao: I am sorry but I suddenly think of Bollywood movies!

[verykiasu2010]

Imami:

pirate:

[quote=\"Dora1\"]Winchester


I am not in IT/banking. There are other industries around that also suffer the same fate.

Stop dancing around the bushes. At least have the courage to stand up for you believe to be right. What kind of society will we become if people are not prepared to stand up for what they think is right? We become a society of whiners, that's what we become. Content to just gripe anonymously at the coffeeshops, internet etc, but not much else. Just watch the children at the playground. Nobody wants to play with whiners.

You can start by at least stating clearly which industry(ies) you are referring to. What are you afraid of?

PS. Yah. I am not a \"local\" graduate. I don't take things like that lying down. Nobody is going to \"squeeze\" me out of my job, because I will not just go out quietly into the night. :nunchuk:

:rotflmao: :rotflmao: I am sorry but I suddenly think of Bollywood movies![/quote]bullywood is dancing round the kokonut trees

[Imami]

pirate:

Dora1:

Winchester


I am not in IT/banking. There are other industries around that also suffer the same fate.

Stop dancing around the bushes. At least have the courage to stand up for you believe to be right. What kind of society will we become if people are not prepared to stand up for what they think is right? We become a society of whiners, that's what we become. Content to just gripe anonymously at the coffeeshops, internet etc, but not much else. Just watch the children at the playground. Nobody wants to play with whiners.

You can start by at least stating clearly which industry(ies) you are referring to. What are you afraid of?

PS. Yah. I am not a \"local\" graduate. I don't take things like that lying down. Nobody is going to \"squeeze\" me out of my job, because I will not just go out quietly into the night. :nunchuk:

Haiyo, pirate, why you so fierce? Maybe dora1 is not trying to be anonymous, perhaps she just doesn't think of saying it.

But I like your \"Yah. I am not a \"local\" graduate. I don't take things like that lying down. Nobody is going to \"squeeze\" me out of my job\"

nice. 有性格

[Imami]

chill chill.... Don't fume, it is pirate you are talking to :rotflmao:


Hey pirate, joke joke ar. :siam:

Dora1:

Pirate

How do you know that I am not doing something at my end? I can't state my industry as I am now in a stat board, so it will be very obvious. And I AM trying to do something right now, so I don't want to jeopardize anything by revealing my place of work.

The reason I am sharing is that there are a lot of people suffering due to the unequal treatment. People don't dare to stand up for themselves for various reasons. Sole breadwinner, hefty financial commitments, etc therefore not wanting to jeopardize their own rice bowl. I understand why they choose to whine and not take actions. The only action they dare to take is to find another job and quit.
I don't agree that we are becoming a nation of whiners. I do write to ministers, REACH etc. I see that a lot of people do too. But whether something concrete happens, that's another thing.
And when all else fails, we get a chance to do something once every 5 years. I think 39.9% of Singaporeans last year showed that contary to popular belief, Singaporeans are not whiners that only knows how to NATO.

Edureach
without positive thinking, many people would have gone mental. Life goes on for me. I am actually doing quite well now, if we can just accept the fact that we are being put at an disadvantage for being a SC on Singapore soil.
Yes, a lot of my ex-colleague are in financial planning, property agent etc. they are doing ok now. But they were also doing very well in their previous jobs. I wonder how many of you have personally experienced it and still be so positive about it.
Again, I like to repeat, I do not support irrational on line slamming like the Ferrari case. However, the gov cannot and should not just brush aside the anti-foreigner sentiment as \"irrational\". Something needs to be done urgently for the sake of continued social stability in Singapore.
The 1st thing that can be done is to implement a quota on PRs from the same country in the same organisation, something like the PR quota for HDB flats. I am not suggesting a quota for PR, just a quota for each country (PR, EP, S pass, WP combined). Exceptions can be given for certain situations, e.g. a US MNC can have a higher quota of US citizens since they may need more staff fr HQ. Countries like AU have laws to protect their own citizens during hiring. When the govt opened the door for immigration, there should also be laws to protect SCs. It is still not too late to implement it now.

[Imami]

verykiasu2010:

Dora1:

Pirate


I am not ready to put my own rice bowl and future at risk to prove the point. I am just sharing my own personal experience. It's up to the KS parents here to believe or not. It is not my intention to spread anti-foreign sentiments. I just want to highlight that there are real tensions building in the society, and it is not wise for people to simply brush them off to say that these people are irrational. The propaganda to stop the irrational online postings will not work if the propanganda is contary to our own personal experience.
The last thing I wish to see is for the online hostility to become real life social unrest if this problem persist.

I have been talking to people who people who work at Raffles Place. I know what you mean

Wah... Vk and his belly up!

[Dora1]

Hi Imami


Thanks a lot! :snuggles: I'm actually quite ok with it now. The 1st time round it happened it actually helped me to make up my mind to quit and stay at home to take care of my girl, which turned out to be the best decision ever. Now, I have totally changed my focus in life, so my job is just providing me an income, and I just do just enough and go home on the dot for my girl since I know that I will not be promoted no matter how hard I work anyway, so why bother? I'm not career minded now so I'm actually at peace with it. Just that PM 's speech last night was like opening up an old wound.
Haha you guys are so funny......

[3Boys]

There is something about basic human decency, that once transgressed and if not challenged and bashed straight back into the ground where it belongs, becomes corrosive. That's why I do not accept any mitigation for the vitriol that pours forth against foreigners. Criticism yes, vile abuse, no.


Go read about how the German society was turned in its darkest days from being mildly anti-semitic to a mass-murdering nation under the Nazis. It all starts with subtle discrimination, in the guise of correcting for imbalances in the economy (the Depression then). Finger pointing against the Jews, slowly escalating to a steady stream of public outcry and abuse. Places in schools, business licenses, special taxes........sound familiar?

The problem with accepting this type of behaviour is that it is difficult to reverse once it gains momentum. And then, bad elements who seek to exploit this for their own gain will fan the flames. Then how do we differentiate those who are blowing of steam, versus those who are just plain maliciously xenophobic?

We can't.

That is why we must never accept it. Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.

I quote; \"Words can create an attitude. If a person says something loud enough and often enough, he creates a climate. And under that climate, all sorts of things can happen.\" <http://www.aish.com/ho/o/48954321.html>

We will never be the Nazis, but Singaporeans are showing an ugly xenophobic face, and it is disgraceful.

[SilentHermit]

Dora1:

Hi Imami


Thanks a lot! :snuggles: I'm actually quite ok with it now. The 1st time round it happened it actually helped me to make up my mind to quit and stay at home to take care of my girl, which turned out to be the best decision ever. Now, I have totally changed my focus in life, so my job is just providing me an income, and I just do just enough and go home on the dot for my girl since I know that I will not be promoted no matter how hard I work anyway, so why bother? I'm not career minded now so I'm actually at peace with it. Just that PM 's speech last night was like opening up an old wound.
Haha you guys are so funny......

Too many Singaporeans take it on the face, escape into the hermit shell, find alternative way to deal with things phychologically and the issue are presumed to end right there..
The truth is, if every Singaporean does the same thing all the time, the future we leave behind for our kids will be unthinkable. There are also the issues that what if I am not the only one in Singapore facing such things? What if others are facing it too and suffering more than me? What if things carry on like this, what would it be liked in 20 years time when my child grow up and happen to be in the same spot I have been? There are just many issues that I feel its time Singaporeans need to deal with now, whether they like it or not..
I am not referring directly and only to Dora's post above, I am also thinking from a bigger picture about other areas of our life. Just to share one area of thoughts I have recently...
We elect members of parliament. PM recommend Cabinet ministers. PM and cabinet ministers in charge of the entire government, directly impacting our lives. All the talks now are forcused on PM and his cabinet ministers.. their policies.. more frigthening so is that many are only focusing on bigger issues such as housing, transport and imigration..
I was thinking.. since nation building days till now, we have gotten ourselves a complacent government who only wake up after GE2011. The truth is, since nation building days till now, we have also gotten ourselves a civil service who support the entire governing business and they are about 130,000 strong now with 77,000 supporting the various ministries. I am talking about the people who compile reports and recommend policies that dirctly affect us. So far, have not heard any news that there will be a shake up of the civil service or that they will change the way they work.. My thought is.. you can change the ministers, but if the whole civil service does not change, what changes are we talking about?

SH

[mamago]

3Boys:

There is something about basic human decency, that once transgressed and if not challenged and bashed straight back into the ground where it belongs, becomes corrosive. That's why I do not accept any mitigation for the vitriol that pours forth against foreigners. Criticism yes, vile abuse, no.


Go read about how the German society was turned in its darkest days from being mildly anti-semitic to a mass-murdering nation under the Nazis. It all starts with subtle discrimination, in the guise of correcting for imbalances in the economy (the Depression then). Finger pointing against the Jews, slowly escalating to a steady stream of public outcry and abuse. Places in schools, business licenses, special taxes........sound familiar?

The problem with accepting this type of behaviour is that it is difficult to reverse once it gains momentum. And then, bad elements who seek to exploit this for their own gain will fan the flames. Then how do we differentiate those who are blowing of steam, versus those who are just plain maliciously xenophobic?

We can't.

That is why we must never accept it. Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.

I quote; \"Words can create an attitude. If a person says something loud enough and often enough, he creates a climate. And under that climate, all sorts of things can happen.\" <http://www.aish.com/ho/o/48954321.html>

We will never be the Nazis, but Singaporeans are showing an ugly xenophobic face, and it is disgraceful.

:goodpost: by a Singaporeean!