My son finished NS last year and entered NTU’s Engineering 2nd year program as he is a poly grad. He has been staying in the hostel and interacting with most of his foreign friends.
For many years he has been apathetic towards politics and was rather pro-PAP like his mother and always felt i was too negative and even xenophobic. In the last 6 months it seems his views have been challenged and his support for PAP is wavering, though he is still too proud to admit it.
He has begun to question and discuss with his NTU Singaporean friends on the impact of foreigners. Now he realizes that these foreigners get scholarships, free boarding and meals and even $400 allowances every month while his Dad does not have CPF and has to pay cash for his tuition and expenses.
He even lamented that his sterling NS contribution as a combat fit officer meant little to our government. For the first time, he felt like a 2nd class citizen in his own country where he was once proud to serve and protect with his life!!!
Sometimes, it must hurt us intimately before we become acutely aware of the political implications. He has come a long way to even now say that we need to have an opposition to check excessive pro-foreigners policy and told me alot of his friends who will be voting for the first time have decided to vote against PAP simply because of their invested interest as they hear more and more horror stories of PMETs being retrenched and driving taxis.
He admits he has little confidence in his future as an Engineer with PAP as government and doesn’t want to be a 2nd class engineer on top of being a 2nd class citizen. I am thankful at least NTU has really given my son a true education with a negative demonstration.
Angry Singaporean