- Joined
- Jul 24, 2008
- Messages
- 33,627
- Points
- 0
Lee Kuan Yew then and now on foreign influx issue
September 29th, 2012 |
Author: Editorial
Mr Lee Kuan Yew
At the National Day Rally in 1971, about 40 years ago, the then Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew spoke to the audience:
“But, mind you, there still has to be the road sweeper – the chap has got to collect your garbage. We have to mechanise because our young men, having been to school, they don’t want to do that. So, we now have work-permit holders to do it. And after a while, there is a limit.
You see the worksite – 60 to 70 per cent are non-Singapore workers. They work harder, they take greater risks. What they earn here is two to three times what they earn in their own country. But we carry a social load. They dirty the place, they were not brought up in our schools, they litter. It’s a problem.
And if you take too many, then instead of our values being superimposed on them, they will bring us down to their values because it’s easier to be untidy, scruffy, dirty, anti-social than to be disciplined, well-behaved and a good citizen.”
Then 8 years later, in the 1979 National Day Rally, Mr Lee Kuan Yew said again:
“Let me tell you the risks involved in carrying on as before. Last year, we had a record influx of work-permit holders, over 20,000. At this rate, we can safely and accurately forecast further input of 20,000, perhaps, 25,000 work-permit holders for 1980. In five years, you will have 120,000, in 10 years, a quarter million. Is it bearable?
Maybe if they were from our traditional sources: with Malaysians there are minimal cultural and language problems. Last year, however, because there were not enough Malaysians, we started to move further afield and took work-permit holders from Thailand, from Sri Lanka, from India, from Bangladesh. They are good workers. They are hungry, they are lean, they are keen… But I have a responsibility to you. In 10 years, can we digest so many? There will be cultural, linguistic, social and political problems.“
So, even in 1979 or 33 years ago, then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew thought that with a quarter of million of foreign workers running around in Singapore, life could become unbearable for Singaporeans.
Today, with the latest figures released from the Department of Statistics yesterday (28 Sep), it has confirmed that Singapore now has 2 million foreigners (including PRs) working and living in Singapore. This is 8 times more than the number Mr Lee Kuan Yew could have imagined!
33 years later, at the 7th Russia-Singapore Business Forum which was just held at Marina Bay Sands few days ago (26 Sep), Mr Lee Kuan Yew now said:
“We are short of workers today. We have 5.2 million people of whom 1.5 million are foreign workers… We need more. Although they are coming in at a slower pace, they are coming in.”
What has happened to the old PAP which truly cared for the citizens of this country?
In the past, they would be concerned about the uncouth social habits of these foreigners from third world countries – “they dirty the place… they litter”. There was genuine concern that these uncouth foreigners will bring Singapore down to their values if we take in too many.
The old PAP would be concerned about the cultural, linguistic, social and political problems to Singaporeans, created by importing too many foreigners. There was genuine concern if we are able to digest and assimilate so many of these foreigners into Singapore society.
Most important of all, the old PAP said, “I have a responsibility to you…”
So, what happened in the last 33 years which caused PAP to throw these genuine concerns of the welfare of Singaporeans to the wind?
What do you think?
=> 60%: Oh, yeah!
.
Join our TRE facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/TREmeritus
At the National Day Rally in 1971, about 40 years ago, the then Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew spoke to the audience:
“But, mind you, there still has to be the road sweeper – the chap has got to collect your garbage. We have to mechanise because our young men, having been to school, they don’t want to do that. So, we now have work-permit holders to do it. And after a while, there is a limit.
You see the worksite – 60 to 70 per cent are non-Singapore workers. They work harder, they take greater risks. What they earn here is two to three times what they earn in their own country. But we carry a social load. They dirty the place, they were not brought up in our schools, they litter. It’s a problem.
And if you take too many, then instead of our values being superimposed on them, they will bring us down to their values because it’s easier to be untidy, scruffy, dirty, anti-social than to be disciplined, well-behaved and a good citizen.”
“Let me tell you the risks involved in carrying on as before. Last year, we had a record influx of work-permit holders, over 20,000. At this rate, we can safely and accurately forecast further input of 20,000, perhaps, 25,000 work-permit holders for 1980. In five years, you will have 120,000, in 10 years, a quarter million. Is it bearable?
Maybe if they were from our traditional sources: with Malaysians there are minimal cultural and language problems. Last year, however, because there were not enough Malaysians, we started to move further afield and took work-permit holders from Thailand, from Sri Lanka, from India, from Bangladesh. They are good workers. They are hungry, they are lean, they are keen… But I have a responsibility to you. In 10 years, can we digest so many? There will be cultural, linguistic, social and political problems.“
Today, with the latest figures released from the Department of Statistics yesterday (28 Sep), it has confirmed that Singapore now has 2 million foreigners (including PRs) working and living in Singapore. This is 8 times more than the number Mr Lee Kuan Yew could have imagined!
33 years later, at the 7th Russia-Singapore Business Forum which was just held at Marina Bay Sands few days ago (26 Sep), Mr Lee Kuan Yew now said:
“We are short of workers today. We have 5.2 million people of whom 1.5 million are foreign workers… We need more. Although they are coming in at a slower pace, they are coming in.”
In the past, they would be concerned about the uncouth social habits of these foreigners from third world countries – “they dirty the place… they litter”. There was genuine concern that these uncouth foreigners will bring Singapore down to their values if we take in too many.
The old PAP would be concerned about the cultural, linguistic, social and political problems to Singaporeans, created by importing too many foreigners. There was genuine concern if we are able to digest and assimilate so many of these foreigners into Singapore society.
Most important of all, the old PAP said, “I have a responsibility to you…”
So, what happened in the last 33 years which caused PAP to throw these genuine concerns of the welfare of Singaporeans to the wind?
What do you think?
=> 60%: Oh, yeah!
.
Join our TRE facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/TREmeritus
Last edited:
