1. Introduction
2.5 Better Integration with or More Xenophobic towards Immigrants?
國
立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
units of government HDB flats while only citizens can purchase new ones.
As for citizenship, the applicants must be ―of good character‖, intend to reside permanently in Singapore, and be able to support themselves and their dependents financially. Applicants for citizenship are limited to foreigners who are at least 21 years old and have been PRs for at least 2 years. There are several benefits of becoming a Singapore Citizen, such as the ease of travelling with a Singapore passport and benefits in education, health-care, housing and employment. There are certain disadvantages as well, like denouncing foreigners‘ home country citizenship and mandatory National Service for two years in certain cases. In fact, many PRs may not opt to take up Singapore citizenship, because Singapore does not allow dual citizenship and they stand to lose many PR benefits.
On the other hand, with concerning the public‘s opinion on opposing sharp growing number of PRs, the government has tightened the framework to raise the quality of immigrants in Singapore, including a reduction in the number of PRs awarded.
2.5 Better Integration with or More Xenophobic towards Immigrants?
Increased immigration population could bring new challenges to Singapore socially, so that the government is working hard to maintain a state of harmony within what is already a multicultural nation. Singapore is now a major receiving country for Chinese migrant workers. Chinese migrant workers have begun to work in Singapore in the form of labor service to foreign contracted projects since 1985.The Ministry of Manpower has never publicized the number of Chinese migrant workers in Singapore due to political or social consideration. In Lin Mei‘s (2010) study, the number of Chinese Migrant Workers in Singapore is estimated to be about 200,00027. Most of them work in construction, manufacturing, maritime and service industries. Singaporeans are, by and large, less
27 Data obtained from China‘s Ministry of Commerce and the China International Contractors Association has suggested that there are approximately 39,378 Chinese migrant workers in construction, 29,388 in manufacturing, and 3,405 in agriculture, husbandry and fishing as well as 8,076 in transportation.
‧
國立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
xenophobic than citizens of many other countries and there is inter-ethnic and inter-religious acceptance and harmony. Social integration is, however, far from smooth on the ground. To some locals, newcomers — particularly the ubiquitous mainland Chinese — are commonly seen as uncouth and prone to objectionable behaviors like littering, eating on public transit, and talking loudly in public. Similarly, South Asian construction workers and Filipino domestic workers have also been singled out as targets of public backlash. With criminal activity rising, foreigners have also been blamed for the deterioration of public safety in Singapore. A spate of online disputes in 2011 involving mainland Chinese immigrants ridiculing Singaporeans as ―ungracious‖, ―disgusting‖, and ―inferior‖ reveals the extent of social discord despite the state's efforts toward immigrant integration. The tenor of the debate has unnerved some Chinese immigrants, and angered others (Inter Press Service, 31 May 2012). In May 2012, an accident uncorked long-stewing fury against the surge of new arrivals from China: Mr. Ma, a 31-year-old financial investor, carrying a Chinese passport and having arrived in Singapore four years earlier, blew through a red light and struck a taxi, killing its two occupants and himself at the wheel of a $1.4 million Ferrari.As a result, mainland Chinese gets blamed for driving up real-estate prices, stealing the best jobs and clogging the roads with flashy European sports cars. Wang Quan-cheng, the chairman of the Hua Yuan Association, the largest organization representing mainland Chinese, said the Singaporean government was not doing enough to help integrate new arrivals, but he also blamed Singaporeans for their intolerance and said many were simply jealous that so many Chinese immigrate here with money in their pockets.
Another point of contention relates to the belief that immigrants compete with Singaporeans for jobs. The island-state of 5.3 million people relies on hundreds of thousands of immigrants from countries such as China, Indonesia and Bangladesh, particularly in the construction, hospitality and transport sectors. In a 2007 Straits Times survey, 86% of Singaporeans feared job competition from the first group. In November
‧
國立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
2012, an illegal strike by Chinese bus drivers in Singapore has highlighted tensions over immigration in the city-state and exposed the unfavorable treatment of lower-skilled foreign workers (The Guardian, 28 November 2012). The strike, the first in the tightly regulated Asian financial center in more than 25 years, was motivated partly by the fact that Chinese drivers are paid less than their Singaporean and Malaysian peers. The Chinese are paid S$1,075 a month compared with S$1,400 for a Malaysian driver. Singapore has jailed one Chinese bus driver for six weeks and deported 29 others for staging the country's first strike in 26 years (BBC News, 3 December 2012). While the state insists that only jobs unfilled by citizens are assumed by foreigners, the government is still frequently criticized for not curtailing the uptake of managerial and professional positions by non-Singaporeans.
Some lower-to-middle income locals have been feeling the squeeze as they face stiffer competition for job opportunities. Mainly, people are annoyed over the loss of opportunities and salary undercutting by these newcomers from poorer countries. The walkout exposed xenophobic attitudes towards Chinese workers, who largely do menial, low-status work deemed unappealing by locals. The influx has strained public services and sparked a backlash, with accusations that foreign workers are stealing jobs, pushing up housing costs and crowding public transport.
In addition, incendiary issues surrounding immigration are including education and military service. While all young Singaporean men past the age of 18 are required to spend two years in the armed forces, foreign nationals are only obliged to send their sons; the principal immigration applicants themselves are exempt from compulsory military service.
Foreigners who are granted PR status under the Professionals/Technical Personnel and Skilled Workers (PTS) Scheme or the Investor Scheme are exempted from national service.
On the other hand, a growing number of Chinese and Indian nationals are being admitted to Singaporean universities while many eligible Singaporean students are denied access to higher learning institutions, a situation that has fueled widespread discontent. A local
‧
國立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
journalist, Jaya Prakash, pointed out that much of the local resentment stems from the S-pass scheme, a government program that allows foreign diploma and degree holders to work jobs that pay a fixed monthly salary of at least S$1,800 (now for at least S$2,000).
The minimum salary for a local graduate is usually about S$2,300 a month. Essentially many Singaporeans feel that their rights have not matched responsibilities and their government has ignored their reasonable appeal for paced inflow of foreigners. The ―social discontent‖ became more vocal when white-collar Singaporean workers were retrenched in the 2009 recession and had difficulties in finding alternative employment, while foreign white-collar workers continued to be highly visible. The discontent over crowding out by foreigners has become a hot issue. As a result, more and more Singaporeans have the hostile and negative sentiment towards these immigrants.