Thursday, September 27, 2012

Singapore's biggest problems; it's brain drain and third rate immigrants

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Singapore is a tiny island, tiny speck, with no more than 2.5 million or so local born and another 2.5 million or so, recently arrived Chinese immigrants from Communist China, mostly illiterate of any English.

With such a small tiny miniscule base to start with, any amount of emigration of its people, however small, must raise alarm bells. What will they do if this already tiny population decides to leave? There would be none left!

But in fact that is exactly what is happening. Among the already tiny local born population, there is an even tinier educated class, most of them wanting to leave if they can. In a survey among students and teenagers not long ago, about 60% stated, if given a chance they would emigrate to the West.

As we speak Singaporeans continue to leave for the West for settlement, mainly to Australia. Several newspaper reports have appeared giving the figures leaving as about 1300 a year. As this figure only reflects the head of households, if you add the spouses and children, many more are actually leaving, an unbearable figure for a tiny island, and mounting.

As you can imagine from these figures, Singapore is clearly not an attractive place in the world to migrate to. It is well known that the United States is the most attractive place for migrants attracting the best and brightest from across the world. Trailing closely behind are countries like Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Western Europe.

Every single Nobel Prize class scientist, Olympic athletes, performers, you name it from across the world seek out America as their country of choice. I can tell you it’s not just because of the money. It is also because America is a proud respected country, not a pariah state with a Lee Kuan Yew running around bullying everyone in sight.

As for Singapore, if its own citizens are desperately trying to flee, you can safely assume that it is probably very low down the totem pole for migrants.

Over the last few years, you have seen Singapore state controlled newspaper reports of Lee Kuan Yew and other top Singapore officials going to the places where Singaporeans have gone, such as Sydney and San Francisco, trying to beg them to return, as it is these Singaporeans, the best and the brightest, who have left.

Unfortunate for Lee's government none of these repeated attempts at persuasion appears to have succeeded and now it appears they have just about given up, resigned to the fact that Singaporeans who have gone to the West find their new homes far more desirable than Lee's fascist Singapore. They simply will not return. Can anyone blame them?

Singapore’s Lee has brought in large numbers of recent Chinese immigrants. There are also some Indians from India, mostly software engineers. None of these people qualify for the West which is why they chose Singapore instead, where they can earn a few more measly dollars than they could have in their impoverished homelands. The moment any of them are able to leave for the West, it would be Adios Singapore the very instant.

These people are simply second rate, and they are in Singapore simply because no one else will take them.

To anyone with eyes, it must be obvious why the Unites States and Western countries are so attractive while Singapore is so unpopular. Every human being, in addition to the need for money, also wants security in life and living. In the West you can depend on having a secure dependable life. Why, because you have the rule of law, because you have fundamental rights, the right to speak freely without fear of arrest and to know that your rights are protected by an independent judiciary.

Singapore is unpopular for all except the ignorant masses because it does not guarantee these rights. One has perforce to be insecure in Lee's Singapore. The courts have lost their credibility with judges repeatedly abusing the law to punish government critics, banning critical newspapers and deporting people such as me whom they find uncomfortable, despite the fact that I was born and raised in Singapore.

What you have today is a shrinking English speaking local population who are determined to go to the West in ever larger numbers. Those remaining are the food stall vendors, taxi drivers and bus boys that have little or no education. Their children who go to Singapore schools are taught in a strict regimen of brain washing, rote learning and toeing the line. There is no creativity, or independent thinking whatsoever; since how can you with Lee breathing down your neck and threatening to send you to jail any minute!

What is going to happen is this. With time, the local English educated population is going to shrink even lower from the already low number of 2.5 million. This is because of the additional problem of their lowest birth rate in the world and the world's rapidly dying old people who are not being replaced.

Since no one with any real quality or talent would ever think of going to Singapore, you are left with the ubiquitous recent immigrant from China who knows no English, a few Australians who temporarily work there for what they call, an Asian experience, a few East Europeans trying to escape from their even poorer former Soviet Bloc countries and that are that.

Such a polyglot mishmash of people just thrown together in a small island will have no common direction, no purpose and no common objective. Moreover the recent incidents of foreigner hatred and violence have been increasing and these people have been tearing at each other. As the Singaporean population continues to decline these incidents of racial hatred and xenophobia will only climb.

At the end you will find only Lee's family and friends remaining and an entire island full of people from elsewhere with no Singaporeans left. I don't think such a place can get very far. Nay, simply impossible.

As if all this is not bad enough, we have the 90 year old Lee the dictator, about the kick the bucket any minute. That I think will break the camel's back once and for all.

Gopalan Nair
Attorney at Law
Fremont, California
Tel: 510 491 4375

12 comments:

Jackomo Finanae-- IKO! said...

All Singaporeans living in Singapore, please take heed:

The troubles you are facing in Singapore are either your fault or your parents’ fault. Let me explain. I grew up in that blasted country I do not want to call “my country.” So much pain and suffering, that I fled to the west and am a happy US citizen and am PROUD to call it my own, unlike Singapore, which is where I was born. Yes, US has its problems, but is a paradise compared to Singapore, as are other western democracies.

Please note, immigration borders are tightening and these days it is getting increasingly difficult to emigrate. There was a time when borders were so open, but you or your parents made the foolish mistake not to take advantage of it and trusted LKY and his PAP stooges.

If you were born in the 50s, 60s, 70s, up until 1980, SHAME ON YOU. You had the opportunity to leave, but chose to stay and complain and do nothing. Yes, you would have faced consequences like JBJ or Chee Soon Juan, if you squeaked a dissent, but who stopped you emigrating and leaving this police state for good?

Those of you born after 1985, I am sorry, you are not to blame, you are too young and were born too late to emigrate. Blame your parents for their foolishness in keeping faith with Singapore and the PAP and LKY and making you suffer like this. Foolishness is all it is, sorry to say that….

Those of you who are left in Singapore, your only hope is to migrate to the few countries with slightly more friendly borders like New Zealand etc. Perhaps try Eastern Europe etc and then try to slowly move into other places. Tough yes, but borders are shutting down in other countries in the western world where English is the main language, sad to say

I was born a few decades ago; my parents, bless their hearts, could have done soooo much better for themselves and my siblings had they left earlier. They had multiple opportunities to leave. Like typical Singaporeans, they ignored these overseas opportunities, trusted the PAP and voted them; and then kept on complaining afterwards. I was the youngest and the only son. After they saw first hand the pain and brutalities my peers and I suffered in National Slavery (I.e “National Service”), they suddenly woke up and emigrated. Fortunately for them (and my siblings), borders were still open. I followed them and moved to the US. They express so much regret that they did not move earlier….

I knew growing up in the 70s and 80s Singapore, that the people were getting squeezed. It was getting WORSE in the early 90s and we all knew that by the new millennium, things will be unbearable. In the 80s and early 90s, emigrants were purjaratorily referred to in Singapore as “disloyal and ungrateful,” now they are called “quitters." Call us what you like, we have a better life here in the west and life in Singapore sucks. That is the bottom line. “West is definitely the best,” when compared to Singapore, REGARDLESS what the Strait Times propaganda blares on a daily basis. Please forget the propaganda and open your eyes to reality….

You face foreign talent competition, rising costs, an iron-fisted government, no freedom, low wages and high cost of living, nepotism and many other ills. My question is could you not see this coming? What did you expect? Yes, these were there before, but could you not have seen that the PAP will only get more and more brazen and hold your lives to ransom?

So sorry guys, you or your parents made a fatal mistake not emigrating when opportunities beckoned in the 70s, 80s and even until the end of the century. In this new era of the 21st century, borders are tighter and immigrants are less and less welcomed. I am very sorry and I feel for you. Sad but true…! These days emigration from Singapore is likely to remain a dream for most! I am sorry that you did not leave earlier as I mentioned.

Sincerely
Jackomo Finanae-- IKO!

Gopalan Nair said...

To Jackomo,
I think you are overdoing the borders bit. Contrary to what you say, the borders have not got any tighter. In fact in many cases, with the global marketpalce for labor, and many Europen and American companies lacking skilled labor, immigration has actually got easier. For instance it is much easier for software engineers, nurses, and other healthcare workers (not to mention other skilled professionals in science and other fields) today to find work in almost every Europen or American companies. No it is not difficult at all. Unless you are a PAP agent trying to discourage the mounting emigration rates, please stop doing this.

Anonymous said...

I know of many Singaporeans who eat sleep and swear everything PAP.
They will never leave Singapore because they fear they will never make it in the West.
Not that they are in the good books of the PAP. And neither are they croonies.
Just are just ordinary Singaporeans who complain day in and day out about the PAP but still continue to vote for the PAP.
These 30% lost souls have allowed the PAP to continue ruling Singapore for the last 50 years.

Nate said...

sorry GN i have to agree with jack on this one. I migrated to Oz almost a decade ago. now their policies on migration have got so tight, it's like Oz is going backwards. However this is only the fault of the government of the day. unlike in singapore, all is not lost in our part of the world, for we have free and real elections. Don't take my word for it on the current immigration policies being tight, www.immi.gov.au
Applications for skilled migration are by invitation only, not like it used to be. And to rub salt into the wound, your singapore english is not recognised here or anywhere else these days, you have to sit for an english test called IELTS with people like the ones taking over singapore.

Anonymous said...

@Anonymous
You know of many Singaporeans who still have blind faith in PAP ? I have a lot of friends NOT A SINGLE soul supports the PAP. As you can imagine, we were so surprised they won even my 60% last year. Oh well, There's always 2016.

@Nate
Yes i'm in Oz myself at the moment and immigration is tightening up. I'm not sure if there really are too many immigrants here or the locals just do not have much tolerance. There are groups of them who are very vocal about their views and the dissent in the air is quite palpable. Yes, similar to Singapore, the anti-foreigner sentiment is stronger if not just as strong here. As for the IELTS, i'm pretty sure they test anyone applying for a VISA. I took my test sitting next to someone from the UK. Go figure.

Trapped said...

Dear Mr Nair,

The primary problem facing the thousands of Singaporeans trying to escape from this place is the difficulty of securing visas elsewhere.

It seems to me (and I would only be too happy to be proven wrong on this point) that unless one is a professional or in senior management, headhunters are unable to find overseas positions for one.

It would be greatly appreciated if you could shed some light on how the ordinary Singaporean can secure a visa and/or employment elsewhere.

SHINE THE LIGHT OF YOUR WISDOM UPON US MERE MORTALS!!! Just kidding... but seriously, help us get out, thanks.

Anonymous said...

@"Anonymous" posters who are Australian CITIZENS:

Considering what has happened recently involving a SLUT of a SANDGROPER who was born in a country with (currently) the world's tallest twin towers but has the nerve to complain about MALAY wedding ceremonies, you may like to do a search for these terms:

" age jane cafarella octopus elaine teh ntuc amy cheong ".

Best,
XXXXXXXX

Gopalan Nair said...

To trapped of Oct 14, 0616,

It is not my plan to answer questions to comments but I will do it here. Firstly, in order to emigrate, it is obvious that you should have the ability to be proactive and make an effort to understand what is going on. It appears your understanding of world affairs is so minimal, which is suprising why you appear not to abe able to have gone anywhere else.

A few examples. If you are a student in a western university and graduate, you have almost total chance of being hired for work there. Second, if you are not married, marrying someone there will almost certainly give you a visa. Third, if you can start a business, even a small one in most Western countries, you can settle there. Fourthly, if you were persecuted by the Lee Ruling Family for your political beliefs, racial, gender, etc you can secure asylum. Fifthly, if you can invest some money, you can obtain an investment visa. Sixthly, if you yourself, at any age, went for further education and graduated, even after a short course, you would be probably employed. Seventhly, if your child had obtained status there, you should be able to join him. And so on and so forth.

However if you are unable to avail yourself to any of these, which would be a very small number, unfortunately you cannot emigrate.

For instance, if you are a Chinese noodle seller in Singapore's Tekka market, without an edcuation, illiterate, and $10.00 in you pocket, you cannot emigrate.

I hope this will give some idea to the readers of this blog and elicudate the fact that if someone like the author of the comment, with no idea of any of this, should probably remain in Singapore as they would be no use to any Western country which looks forward to intelligent people.

Anonymous said...

I'm born in the 90s. Many young native bloods are aware and know whats wrong with the current government. we want to see changes. We will just wait and see 2016.

Gopalan Nair said...

To Anonymous who said,

"I'm born in the 90s. Many young native bloods are aware and know whats wrong with the current government. we want to see changes. We will just wait and see 2016".

I am not sure if your claim to be a native born Singaporean is because your parents too were born in Singapore or they recently arrived from China (Lee's preferred source of immigrants) in the 90s.

Fact is there are not many "native" Singaporeans left because the brain drain has become uncontrollable and no children are being born in the island. By the time 2016 comes along I am sorry to tell you that not many "native" (I am not sure you are one of them) would be left. As far as recent immigrants who have turned citizens in the hundreds of thousands, they would all vote for a Kangaroo if need be to make some money in Singapore.

Your island is not run on any elections by the government, it is run through the courts to silence you and disqualify election candidates.

I don't think you have much understanding of Lee Kuan Yew's plans for you and as far as your understanding goes, he has taken you for a ride.

The more ignorant you are, the better for Lee Kuan Yew and his stage managed elections. If you are planning to vote for the Workers Party, they are merely an extension of the PAP. I suppose you did not know that did you?

Anonymous said...

I have got to agree about the brain drain. I'm still 17 and I put in so much effort at school,but not for any good reason that I know of such as what it is I truly want to do in life. Just to score well so that I can get a good-paying job, so as to satisfy my parents, but I am not happy in Singapore. And well, I ran out of steam just before my promos due to the stress and pressure, I'm now struggling to so that I can at least pass the promos and work hard for my A levels so that I can get a scholarship to go overseas for further education, so that I may have a chance of finding a job not in Singapore and emigrating overseas, preferably to the States.

Anonymous said...

Still, I am proud of Singapore and what it has achieved. Many complain about PAP, but I am still grateful for what it has given me- a regulated, safe home, with ample opportunities to develop. Singapore might have its flaws, but it will definitely continue to shine.