For the longest time since the issues of foreign immigration and the influx of foreigners came to be hot topics, we have often heard from the powers that be, that our complaints and our unhappiness were borned out of our xenophobic perception of them. Much effort, energy, time and resources were then channelled toward getting Singaporeans to assimilate the foreigner in our midst. We were scorned at, made fun of, and even derided by our own countrymen for displaying xenophobic behaviours.
Today, we have been vindicated, and vindicated by the same people who had sought to put us down so that they could play themselves up.
The results of the nationally broadcasted survey on Singaporeans’ attitudes to race put paid to all the labels we have been tagged with and all the lies about us and our behaviours. Let us examine the message using the same table provided by the State Press. We keep in mind that the table was meant to present the state’s view of the attitudes among the races in the manner in which it wants to get Singaporean to start assimilating the foreigners.
We will use it to see the pictures which they have failed to see.
Looking at the result percentages between locals and new citizens, the general number of locals who agreed that they are comfortable with a colleague of a different race working in the same occupation is between 92% and 96%. Compare this with the new citizen which showed between 84% and 87%. That is a whopping 10% difference. Conclusion: The new citizen had better buck up to accept more colleagues of different races within the same occupation if they are to continue working in Singapore.
Next, it’s about having a boss of a different race. Between 83% and 93% of Singaporeans wouldn’t mind having a boss of a different race. For the new Singaporean, it is between 73% and 77%. That is another whopping 16% difference at the high level. Conclusion: No wonder the new Singaporeans are usually those who work for bosses from the same nationalities/races. These new Singaporeans must also start getting used to working for Singaporean bosses from any of the local race groups.
The same patterns are seen with having a fellow employee of a different race and their next door neighbors. The new citizens genarally have more problems opening up to local born citizens whereas the local born Singaporeans are very accommodating towards them. Up to 95.4% of local born Singaporeans are warm and accepting. Certainly no sign of xenophobia here.
Next comes the most crucial findings. Almost exactly half of the new citizens are not comfortable living alongside the major race of the country. In this case, the definition is quite clear and self-explanatory. They cannot see themselves living alongside the Chinese. Now what do you call the opposite of xenophobia – of foreigners in a country who are uptight against the citizens of that country? The result showed that the Chinese are comfortable living alongside these new citizens – all 91% of us. Really, the xenophobia tag no longer holds.
And the above point is further supported by the next survey item – whether the new citizen would be comfortable with a locally born spouse. As low as 32% said they won’t. Now that’s a big slap to the government’s face if the foreigner influx is meant to help replenish our birthrates. Looks like it’s not going to happen very quickly. Possibly another policy that is clearly going wrong.
Finally, don’t expect these new citizens to be ready to accept anyone of us as close friends anytime soon. The Indian new citizen are the most suspicious of the lot. A quarter of them would not have us as their close friends.
So, there you go. The verdict is clear. Singaporeans are kind, warm, accommodating and certainly no xenophobes as we are made out to be. The new Singaporean and the foreign worker must stop listening to the Singapore government, which for reasons only known to them, are making enemies of us.
Singaporeans are fed up with their government and their policies, not the people who have every right to take advantage of those policies. Let this be clear once and for all, for both Singaporeans and non Singaporeans alike.
The Alternative View
[source]: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Alternative-View/358759327518739