Konnichiwa!
I am Chimitsu Kaga, a half-Japanese and half-Singaporean living in the Aljunied GRC of Singapore. My mother is Singaporean and my father, Japanese.
The recent GE2011 has been a hot topic and so are the issues of Foreign Talent, housing and cost of living in Singapore. I was inspired to start an English blog to blog about my after thoughts of this elcetion and living in the area of Aljunied GRC, now ruled by the Worker’s Party and anti-foreign talent.
I know there has been strong resentment for Foreign Talent in Singapore and especially so during the rallies. I am neither pro nor anti any of the parties as I am not eligible to vote (not of age) and neither is my father, who is Japanese. Only my mother has the ability. I’ve been living in Singapore since I was born and have only been back to Japan to study from 13 to 18 years old – junior high and senior high in Japan. I come back to Singapore during my holidays as I feel that this is my home country, after all.
I have always loved the multi-cultural diversity of Singapore. All these have come to a change during the rallies.
My parents (rather, Mother) bought a house in the Serangoon area, so as to be near my Grandmother as she is staying in the HDB within 5 mins drive of my house. My fmaily has been getting along well with the neighbours. My father was accepted well into the community. However, when Worker’s Party started mooting the idea of “kicking” all foreign talents (FT) out, my father was view as one of them, just because he is a Japanese. Me? I was a victim of this anti-FT too. Just because I have a Japanese name and carry my father’s surname?
“See lah, we have to vote the PAP out! You lost your NUS place to that Japanese girl.” said a mother to her daughter (whom I assume that is of university age) , pointing at me. I mean, what does this means? You did not find out if I have been admitted to NUS, you do not know I also carry a Singapore Passport and IC. Who are you to accuse me? I have seen many children (around my age) staying in the same area and their parents look at me as though I am stealing their children’s place in university and possibility their job too.
I’ve got a place to study at Tokyo University. Why should I be fighting with you when I’m headed for a more pretigous ranking university? I have a job prepared for me. My grandfather is the chairman of a reputable Japanese company and I have to fight with you for a job? Please! My paternal grandmother is the head of a reputable traditional Japanese family. So I have to worry about jobs?
The worst bout was the hate mails stuffed into to my house mail box ON A SUNDAY. It has all kinds of messages that wrote “return to Japan and die in the tsunami! Stop fighting with us for jobs!” and another read “Worker’s Party won!!! Get out of our GRC, you Foreign talent and give us back our jobs!”, “You Japanese, attacked us in WW2 and now bring your family here to fight with us for jobs and school places? Go back and die in your nuclear disaster!” read another.
These messages are just hurting and we have lodge a complain to the police. Are these the Singaporeans we know? I doubt so, most likely to be from the HDB estate opposite my house. Why? People living in my estate know where my father works. It is that simple!
My father is the No. 2 in a Japanese company (no names to be mentioned) with operations in Singapore. His company only hires Singaporeans and the only “Foreign Talents” are the Vice-Chairman and the Chief Financial Officers who are both Japanese. The company has nearly 1000 Singaporean workers under it. A check with my friends (whose father works under my father) also receive similar messages as they are also staying in the same Estate as I am. This is just unfair! Our fathers created jobs for Singaporeans and this is what we get?
My mother, a Singaporean, is so disillusioned that she asked my father to talk to my grandfather and pull the company out of Singapore and back to Japan. She said, “let’s pull the company out and move back to Japan. After all, Yamamoto-san and Kumakawa-san will still have a job back home and you will take over the company sooner or later. Forget about compassion for my fellow countryman! unless you want mitsu-chan (me) to suffer this as well?”
At first, I was against it, cause we are Singaporeans after all. But the final straw came when I was on the phone with my grandmother, paternal grandmother, when someone was loudly hurling abusive words towards my house in English and Dialects. I complained to my grandmother and my grandfather heard it.
The company was set up in Singapore about 16 years ago, so that my father can be with my mother in Singapore, but unfortunately, there is no longer this need. My grandfather has decided to pull out of Singapore. How many Singaporeans will loose their jobs? Seriously, I really don’t care anymore.
We treated Singapore as home, but at the end, we are treated as foreigners.
I have to choose my citizenship in June 2011 and apparently, I am left with NO choice. I am not welcomed in Singapore, so is there a point in choosing Singapore? I no longer see the point. I will FOREVER be a FT in Singapore…
The government, formed mainly by PAP, have done so much to improve the standing of Singapore internationally. Yet, Singaporeans are unhappy and ask for more – UNGRATEFUL. When they see people getting richer, or are richer than them, they bitch and pass sarcastic remarks – LOSERS, big LOSERS! When people are rich, hardworking, clever, they want them to share their profits, success, maybe even grades (?) with people of lesser capabilities – SELFISH.
I feel that Singapore has developed too fast. It advanced too fast, that the people’s mentality did not advance with it.
