Singapore has always relied on immigration
to drive her economy, all the more so, in the face of low fertility rate and
aging population. However, aside from acting as a stimulus to the economy, the
large influx of immigrants also gives rise to social tensions and discord. Xenophobic
comments can be easily found on the online platform, and news report
highlighting frictions between Singaporeans and immigrants are published
regularly. The social consequence brought about by migration, therefore, is severe
and will further escalate to affect the society as a whole unless a common
understanding is reached between the locals and immigrants. This essay will
highlight the main problem of migration, the various impacts on the society and
discuss some of the existing measures as well as to propose possible solutions
to address the issue.
The main problem of migration is the
inability to fully integrate the immigrants into the society. The large intake
of immigrants has made integration of foreigners extremely difficult, and as a
result the locals and immigrants were unable to understand each other. This in
turn leads to cracks and tensions in the society. According to Lim (2015), the
local population accused the foreigners for congestion and rising property
prices. Lim added that this unhappiness materialized in General Election 2011.
In fact, the discontent persists and oppositions made rallies centered on
migration issues in the recent General Election 2015. It is apparent that
citizens still consider immigrants as outsiders instead of a fellow citizen,
which explains why the locals express hostility towards the immigrants.
Citizens feel that the foreigners should not be entitled to the same rights as
them such as housing and jobs. In addition to the dissent from the local
population, the foreigners also have problem understanding the society and
culture. A notable example would be the Anton Casey incident, where according
to Fenn (2014), British banker Anton Casey inappropriately dubbed the commuters
on the public transport as “poor people” on Facebook. He was then forced to
flee the country after receiving death threats and losing his job. This shows
that the issue with migration has been dragged on for so long that it is now at
its tipping point. A simple misstep from a lack of understanding of the culture
can result in angry backlash from the society. Clearly, failure in social
integration of immigrants is causing social tensions and issues.
To ease the tensions, the government has
implemented several schemes such as the Fair Consideration Framework (FCF). According
to Ministry of Manpower (MOM), the FCF comprise of new measures to ensure that
companies consider Singaporeans fairly for employment opportunities. This
framework was implemented to prevent ‘hiring-own-kind’ or hiring practices that
discriminate against Singaporeans. This framework, however, does not guarantee that
all Singaporeans get employed. In the case that a more qualified immigrant
competes for the same job, the immigrant will get employed. However, as the
Singaporean does not know that the immigrant has better qualifications, he will
still feel discriminated. Hence, ill feelings towards the immigrants still
exist, which does not help to reduce or ease the social tensions.
Another scheme that has been implemented is
the Singapore Citizenship Journey (SCJ). According to the National Integration
Council, the SCJ is a mandatory two months program for prospective citizens to
have greater understanding of the Singapore’s history, culture and norms, as well
as to interact with the local communities. This program aims to orientate and
integrate the new citizens into the society; however, it overlooked the low
participation rate from Singaporeans. As there is no channel for communication
between new citizens and the locals, it is highly unlikely that both parties
can understand each other. This means that it is only a matter of time before
social frictions occur.
To successfully integrate the immigrants,
education is the key. Singaporeans have to understand that the city-state’s
economy needs immigrants, and being intolerant of foreigners could spell
disaster for Singapore. Tolerance and an accepting attitude can be instilled, just
like how racial harmony was inculcated. The government can implement school programs
to raise awareness or to ingrain certain mindset. Currently, the education
system mandates Community Involvement Programme (CIP), which is to impart the
mindset of giving back to the community. Activities such as litter picking are
done to raise awareness about the littering situation in Singapore, newspapers
collection are done to inform the importance of recycling, and trips to old
folks’ homes are organized to encourage volunteerism. The CIP could be extended
to tackle the migration issue, by encouraging interaction and understanding.
However, one-sided effort from the locals will not be enough. The government
can also make community involvement compulsory for immigrants. In addition,
prospective citizens should be discouraged to send their children to
international school, as there is no better way to integrate into the society
than to experience local lifestyle.
In conclusion, the problem that comes with
migration is a long-standing issue and will need time to eradicate the root of
the problem, starting with education at its core. This essay has discussed the
underlying reason for social frictions and discord, which is the inability to
integrate immigrants. Despite the fact that several measures has been
implemented, the social frictions still exist as these measures largely
overlooked the importance of social integration. It is, hence, imperative that
the government takes actions to educate both locals and immigrants to have a
tolerant and accepting attitude. And for that to be successful, bi-directional
efforts are required from locals and immigrants to be open-minded and actively
participate in community activities.
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