I disagree that this exist in other countries where he locals have been overwhelmed like the Mandarin Gardens case when it comes to the Management Committee. Even in Middle East counties where the foreign workers including the large segment of expats of the upper income bracket outstrip the locals in numbers, everyone knows to respect the local culture and practices. No one will contemplate taking over an entire management committee in a foreign country in this manner.
It shows that we have been too kind and too accommodating. This has nothing to do with we the locals having to learn how to co-exit. Do read all of TS posts in this and the other thread. He is not advocating driving them out or isolating them. All he is asking for is to follow the rules. Why did these people from a higher income group for example playcricket in gardens in the first place. Try doing that in London, Dubai etc.
I've said it before and I am still convinced that the issue is the meekness of the locals - this is not about being a paikiah and whacking indiscriminately to show you have strength - it is really about calling their bluff with conviction and being willing to articulate it directly - this meekness if what let's them easily believe that Singaporeans (in general the majority) are a peculiar lot who are happy to jabber away in Mandarin, disappear for lunch at 1130, want to learn Korean instead of gaining confidence in their basic English diction and the list grows from there.
I don't buy the whole "caste" and "North Indian" rationalisation - India is not just a country it's a sub-continent with a billion people - not all those who are here are necessarily from "north India" - it's the general ignorance and lack of interest in Worldly affairs, geography, world politics etc that also adds to their view of the locals as being simpletons - it's a harsh reality that after 50 years we have been groomed into a subservient nation of automatons who are generally very polite, friendly and nice yet passive aggressive against those who pick on us.
And the obvious "Asian values" about respecting authority etc adds to this sense of conformity....so unless you are willing to call their bluff or speak down to them in the same manner they do to you, small victories like Mandarin gardens are sentimental at best and not representative of any turning tide.
In the Gulf countries, if they are out of line with any locals they can get their work permits cancelled and banned from working there again for a set period of time. They are rarely given PR or residency status and they know the score when dealing with the locals so they won't try as when they arrived their peers will warn them off.
If any of you have the confidence of any of these chaps you should ask what they think, what they are told and what they are led to believe about the locals by their peers when they first arrive. You will be shocked.
I also hold SINDA and Vasanthaam responsible for misrepresenting Tamils, their culture, food and languageas as the only type of Indians known to Singaporeans to the extent that the new Indians whom generally converse in Hindi easily despite their diverse ethnic background are a shock to the system.
As long as they can jump jobs easily (because their networks and willingness to help one another is well established), live in Condos, have management roles, earn three times what Singkies earn and can get PR and Citizenship easily, have a government in power that blames locals for being not as smart or entrepreneurial or brazen in taking chances, then there is absolutely no need or desire for them to "integrate".
If you know any British Asians (ie 2nd/3rd generation Indians or Pakistanis or Bangladeshis) from the UK working in Singapore they will tell you that they do not have anything in common with these Indians either. And they hate the fact that when the taxi uncles pick them up they are asked whether they are from India. These guys are just like Singkies who have very little in common culturally with their Motherlands anymore - and they dislike their lack of manners and civility just as much - as a result they are much more comfortable hanging out with other British expats and socialise much better with local Singkies because the baseline of etiquette and manners for civilised behaviour is much more similar.
Now only if Singkies could stop looking at each other in CMIO categories with the corresponding prejudices and realise than these Indian expats see anyone who is Singaporean as just another singkie to tekan and makan regardless of which category of CMIO they may be. As long as we continue battling and belittling each other based on race we are just easy fodder for any third world immigrant as we are so divided amongst ourselves.
