Population & Health: Foreigners working in Singapore- a contract which benefits both?

The Singapore government has always stressed that Singapore is a “tiny little red dot” that has no natural resources and that our most valuable resource is the people. Thus they justified that we have to move towards a knowledge- based economy to remain competitive in the world wide economy. However, Singapore has shown a disappointing trend of decreasing birthrates- with a fertility rate of merely 1.29 in mid 2008. The government, on the basis that we lack sufficient number of talents due to the declining birthrates, justified itself for easing migration rules, allowing the influx of foreigners to gain access to our tiny little land so as to fill the missing gaps Singaporeans created ( due to low birth rates and thus less talents produced). I termed the new trend of increased foreigners in Singapore as a contract as I believe that (in a more depressing sense) both the foreigners and Singaporeans are just out to make use of each other. For Singapore, obviously the influx of foreigners can fill the voids of low-wage jobs, which Singaporeans refused to do, and of those of the higher end jobs like science research, which Singaporeans lacked the specialized knowledge as compared to the foreigners. For the foreigners, Singapore seemed to be an attractive stepping stone which they can: get jobs at a higher wage, gain access to the better education system here to improve their own knowledge and thus get a better job, avoid high taxation, political and social strife and much more. And when they fulfilled their aspirations, perhaps, they’ll just pack and leave to search for even better prospects that could come along with their acquired better status. It seemed to be a contract that worked for both, yet I doubt it is actually “very beneficial”.

Due to view of knowledge as a valuable resource worldwide and perhaps also our PAP’s successful policies, education levels had increased tremendously as compared to the colonial times. Singaporeans are now equipped with knowledge and skills to escape from menial labor jobs. However, the country still needs people who are willing to do menial jobs in the factories, construction sites etc. Coupled with the increased acceptance of women into the workforce (to make up for the lack of labor too), domestic helpers are also needed to help Singaporean women juggle with the demands of an employee and a housewife. Thus, we see the trend of Filipinos and Indonesians working as maids. Bangladeshis and people from China filled up the jobs at the factories and construction sites. On the surface, it seemed well- jobs are filled so that the economy functions as usual and Singaporeans, being “multiracial”, should be able to tolerate and accept these foreigners. However, in reality, it is quite the opposite. We were enlightened by the media of horrifying maid abuses that shocked us. We, Singaporeans, thought to be a “civil society” by our government abusing maids like barbarians. Maids, thought to be docile, abuses our infants and elderly. Foreigner male workers raped our women, sometimes even killing them. Suddenly Orchard Road, supposedly for the “higher-class” to shop, became filled with loud chatter and giggles of Filipinos. Suddenly, our neighborhood grass patches began to be filled with Bangladeshis drinking, littering and talking loudly till the middle of the night. Suddenly, the public transport systems are filled with loud Chinese conversations with unfamiliar accents and slangs. All to the irritation of Singaporeans. Hence, we tend to view these “intruders” in negative light. We do not like them. We stereotype them. We make jokes out of them. So much for being “civil” and “multiracial”.

Sadly, actually these foreigners may hold white-collar jobs equivalent as us, self-assumed “superiors” over the foreigners. Yet, they are exploited to do “dirty” jobs, jobs of a lower status than us. They are not viewed as Singaporeans socially, or lawfully. They hold temporary work permits, which means they are denied the rights and benefits of a citizen. They are not provided with subsidies in, especially healthcare, when they are exposed to the more demanding menial and dangerous jobs. Worse, they receive much lower salaries too. They, left their closed ones for our country, tolling long hours for meager salaries. They, appearing in every aspect of our lives, using and eating the similar things we do, are however denied basic rights, social acceptance and government assistance. Even if they are not physically hurt by their jobs or our acts, how we ostracized them will undeniably hurt their psychological health.

Perhaps, it is our fault. Fault of the human nature to believe in ethnocentrism, believing that we are “superior” and refusal to step out of our own comfort zone to accept their differences. It may be the fault of the forces of globalization and capitalism too. Yet, less explicitly, there may be too much assumption on the part of the Singapore government that we can accept and integrate the foreigners into our lives (or was it a deliberate left-out so that we can justify the exploiting the foreigners?). In any sense, it is not a win-win contract. It is a lose-win contract with the foreigners at the losing end due to our exploitation and ostracizing of them.