PRC new citizen a winner of “Good Neighbour Award”
Written by Our Correspondent
A PRC new citizen by the name of Fu Yun was awarded the “Good Neighbour Award” jointly given out by the Housing Board and the People’s Association yesterday.
Madam Fu, who is from China, became a citizen in 1996, three years after marrying her Singaporean husband. The couple have two sons, aged nine and 12.
The 38 year old woman was reported by the state media to be a “trusted” member of her neighbourhood – she would look after her neighbours’ homes when they are overseas and pick their children up from school when they are unable to do so.
Following a deluge of negative publicity on the immigrants from China, the Straits Times found fit to “glorify” Madam Fu’s “achievements” under its “Top Story” section.
For every Madam Fu, there are countless of others who found it hard to adapt to life in Singapore as exemplified by the wife of opposition member Tan Lead Shake who was sentenced to 16 years’ in jail for killing her brother-in-law.
The ruling party has come under intense fire recently for its liberal immigration policies which has altered Singapore’s demographics dramatically.
Foreigners now make up 36 per cent of Singapore’s 5-million population, up from 14 per cent in 1990.
Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Mr Wong Kan Seng revealed in Parliament on Monday that two out of every three applicants for PRs are successful.
An average of 46,300 people are granted Singaporean permanent resident (PR) status every year for the past eight years.
From 2000 to 2008, an average of 74,500 applications for permanent residency were submitted by foreigners each year. Of these, an average of 46,300 applications were successful
The ruling party also tries to court the new migrants by spending $10 million dollars on a “Community Integration Fund” to make them feel welcome.
Minister of Community, Youth and Sports Dr Vivian Balakrishnan claimed that about 4,500 new citizens are now serving as grassroots leaders in various estates.
With elections looming around the corner, the ruling party is changing tack to placate the rising resentment on the ground at the relentless influx of foreigners over the last few years.
Senior leaders repeatedly reassured Singaporeans that their interests will be safeguarded and that the immigration will be “managed” to ensure that they benefit in the long run.
There is no opposition in Parliament to check on the ruling party. Bills and legislation are often passed with little consultation with the people.
MM Lee Kuan Yew is adamant that immigration is “essential” for Singapore – he urged Singaporeans to bear with the “tide” of foreigners who has now become a “flood”.
As new citizens will tend to vote for the government, their rising numbers will surely help to entrench the PAP in power for the next few generations.
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antipappy on Wed, 25th Nov 2009 10:18 am
Well she’s already a citizen, thrown away her PRC citizenship already. ( at least the pappy govt. doesn’t allow dual citizenship ) Sink or swim she’s stuck here like any of us sinkies. Her husband’s a sinkie anyway. If she’s really a good person I believe she deserves the award. I don’t see whats with being a FORMER PRC that matters with this good neighbour award.
btan on Wed, 25th Nov 2009 10:40 am
As much as we need to check on foreign immigration, we cannot place a limit on immigration by marriage as this involves intensely personal issues. In fact, the integration package should be directed at these foreign spouses instead.
It should not be confused that our desire to place a limit on foreigners immigrating to Singapore with anti-foreigner views.
fair and square on Wed, 25th Nov 2009 11:32 am
oh,i am also a “good citizen” and i,like all of you here,has been a model citizen since i was born.
i haven’t got my just “award” yet,how come?
A Francis on Wed, 25th Nov 2009 11:43 am
Now Singaporeans are told to bear with foreigners and soon when their numbers grow even larger, they will be telling foreigners to bear with Singaporeans.
Then Singaporeans will become an endanger species moving closer to extinction.
Can we trust them?
Peter Su on Wed, 25th Nov 2009 11:45 am
We, Singaporeans are finished.
DrivenCrazy on Wed, 25th Nov 2009 11:57 am
I am truly amazed.When did this sort of award was ever given to anyone before whether locals or PR?If one PR is indeed a good neighbor so be it.Does it automatically implies that all other PR and foreigners are equally or to a lesser degree a good neighbor too?
What about thousands and thousands of locals suffering in silence by the abuses meted out by their foreign neighbors? .Surely there must a good shepard amongst the few hundred thousands of foreigners living in our HDB public housing.Had HDB conducted any survey on how they behave towards their neighbors too?Why than select one foreigner to uphold as a model of neighborliness ?
This is truly hitting us locals below the belt.As if putting up with bad behaving foreign neighbors is not enough.But to showcase foreign PR as a model neighbor for us to follow is really rubbing salt to our wounds.
Act of Treachery on Wed, 25th Nov 2009 12:14 pm
Hey those 2 American rejects (”Silly people” & his compatriot “Jumba Juice”) are also foreigners granted citizenship here. And they have no sense of Singaporeaness in them, those two ingrates, still sprouting the best of everything in the US and looking down on others.
Has our government ever thought about it ? That people like them actually have tried gaining entry to UK but for some reason or other have been rejected (for which they bear a grudge) and then decided to home in on our shores and taking up breathing space here? U think ninkumpoops such as them (white on the outside but yellow inside) gonna stay here when they got what they wanted?
As soon as the UK grant them permanent stay they gonna take everything and whisked off. And then they’ll make a sudden turnaround to sprout everything good about the British and dump their views on the Americans ..and Singapore as well.
To people like “Silly people” and “Jumba Juice” I say TO HELL WITH YOU !
Political SalesMaN on Wed, 25th Nov 2009 12:31 pm
At Peter Su : During the 70′when LKY Policy “STOP AT TWO” murder & slaughter the “Innocent & Defenceless” foetus, at that time Singaporean is already Finished.Now LKY Policy influx of Foreign Citizen, sure to vote for the PAP, so the FamiLEE can rule Singapore for another 50years.
fair and square on Wed, 25th Nov 2009 12:32 pm
@Peter Su
no! we are not yet finished!!!
but near finshed…so use your VOTEs WISELY!
Then,not us,they would be “habis”!!!
Act of Treachery on Wed, 25th Nov 2009 1:03 pm
Singaporeans beware. LKY is a treacherous snake. He has proven this aspect of his character in the past (remember Operation Cold Store?).
And he is now doing another act of treachery, this time one which has a longer time line of gestation.
a) First he starts a “Speak Mandarin Campaign”. All Chinese in Singapore must speak Mandarin and throw away your cultural roots by discarding dialects.
b) Then followed by another campaign “Invest in China”. First you throw Singaporean capital there, then you send Singaporeans by the hordes to work there.
c) Ministers of Singapore must pay homage to China with tributes and accolades once every 2 years. Notice the frequency of visits from our ministers ?
d) Next, bring in the PRC nationals and give them PR and citizenship here.
e) Lastly (the next step in the Grand Design) Parliament will pass an Act declaring Singapore to be an overseas state of China.
Got it ?
nancy on Wed, 25th Nov 2009 1:22 pm
To: DrivenCrazy
why don’t do another way around that how so-called singaporeans behave to foreign neighbors or to singaporean neighbor.
i see it is ridiculous for your survey call
nancy on Wed, 25th Nov 2009 1:24 pm
Act of Treachery
u are crazy? let’s wait and see
Act of Treachery on Wed, 25th Nov 2009 1:58 pm
Nancy
Ya that was a crazy way of looking at it. But then, LKY has been know to do crazy things. And the slant he is taking on PRC bootlicking them all the way to the moon, this jibe probably might even come true – who knows, tommorrow he might just wake up and declare that he is a PRC Chinese ! He is quite capable of doing that.
DrivenCraczy on Wed, 25th Nov 2009 3:29 pm
Nancy,
Ugly neighbors are abound all around the globe.Regardless of nationality ,creed or culture.But foreigners in SG can afford to be the ugliest since it is not their home.Similar to how one shit in a public toilet against one shit in their own toilet at home.
To us locals HDB is the only home.To PR and foreigners SG is only a transit point.No sense of belonging.
Again the cultural deficit .Just go across the causeway and see how many live in high rise buildings.Only low income lives in low cost high rise buildings.Aka slums.Vast majority of Malaysians lives in landed property.So are PRC,Indians and Filipinos.Hence when you put them in a HDB high rise buildings they behave as if the entire HDB block belongs to them .
So HDB giving an award of to a foreigner as a model neighbor flies in our faces.Are there no local capable of winning such an award?Where there any precedent of a local ever winning such an award?
What is the message HDB is sending to us locals?That foreigners are good neighbors but locals are bad neighbors ?The truth is PR and foreigners indeed add NUISANCE VALUE to HDB estates.Walk over to any of the HDB foreigner’s enclaves such as Boon Lay.The stench ,the filth and the noise pollution will overwhelm you.
The fact is that vast majority of PR and foreigners are bad neighbors.
Agents Provocateur on Wed, 25th Nov 2009 6:14 pm
@Political SalesMaN
Hmmm. Do you support the criminalisation of abortion? How about contraceptives and other prophylatics?
Zone Trooper on Wed, 25th Nov 2009 6:15 pm
Do we need now to advertise that we are good neighbours?
After all these while aren’t there any good Singapore born neighbours? Why do we need to turn everything into politics.
Time for Change on Thu, 26th Nov 2009 1:34 am
It is Time for Change. Enuf said.
knnbccb on Thu, 26th Nov 2009 3:02 am
The powers that be have correctly and astutely identified the immigrant issue as a key topic and you can expect more of such ‘immigrants are just like us’ or ‘we must embrace the new citizens’ spin in the media as the date to the next GE draws near.
Fine, keep spinning. But there comes a point where Singaporeans will no longer care about the citizenship of this country. They either move to another country, or go through the motions of being a good, little obedient citizen. For many, that point has been crossed long ago.