Nowadays, I have been wondering – what benefits do Singaporeans enjoy from the Government, compared to our foriegn friends (i.e. Foreign Talents, Permanent Residents)?. Do we really enjoy so much more benefits compared to foreigners that we have to be so indebted to the nation and (for the males) serve 2 years of full-time NS and 13 years of reservice thereafter?

Most undergraduates will be concerned about tuition fees. An undergraduate in Singapore universities pay about $6,000 a year in tuition fees. Our foreign counterparts pay only a few hundred dollars more, provided they sign a 3 year bond to work in Singapore after their graduation. This is a dumb policy. First let us look at what nationalities are we attracting. Mainland Chinese, Vietnamese, Malaysians, Burmese, etc. These countries’ economies are generally not as good as Singapore’s. The earning power of graduates there aren’t as good as in Singapore too. Naturally, students from these countries are more than happy to sign the 3 year bond to work in Singapore, then after that either apply to become PRs or go back to their countries as well-to-do people.

How does this affect local students? After we graduate, we have to compete in the job market with the foreign graduates. They are usually willing to settle for lower pay, and that’s what’s driving the lowering starting salaries in the job market nowadays. The government always insists that this is to ensure a competitive economy and that Singaporeans should be less demanding and picky.

However, they neglect to observe that most Singaporean (male) graduates, by the time we graduate, are already about 24 or 25 years old. It’s time to think about paying up tuition fees loan, saving up to start a family and buy a HDB flat. Why are we demanding better salaries, compared to foreign graduates? Simply because the cost of starting a family and buying an apartment is many times more than what it costs in those other countries. Is it our fault that we are picky? No. It’s because the government does not protect us from foreigners, allowing the job market to be ’spoilt’ and allowing foreigners to work in jobs that could have gone to locals.

In many other first-world economies, the governments protect their citizens by making sure that foreign students leave the country within a stipulated time after graduation. Singapore is probably, if not the only one… one of the few that invites foreigners to stay on, regardless of their profession and expertise level.

Some people would argue that we will enjoy the benefits of a good economy that the government has created later in life. That’s why we should be grateful and protect the country by serving NS. How about foreigners? They too are enjoyin the economic benefits, but they can just leave as and when they like. One day when Singapore’s economy goes down the drain, they will just take the money in their banks and go back to their own countries and lead comfortable lives. While us Singaporeans continue to slog our lives away until the retirement age of 60+ years old (which some of us wouldn’t reach anyway). Or, one day when Singapore gets involved in a war, us Singaporean males will have to risk our lives and fight for a country that doesn’t treat locals much better than foreigners, while them foreigners will go back to their own countries.

Recently, the government has kind of realised the unhappiness of Singaporeans at having to compete in all areas with foreigners. So came a new policy regarding school fees. From next year onwards, school fees for foreigners will increase gradually. It’s about time. However, this really doesn’t do much for Singaporeans. Increasing school fees wouldn’t stop foreigners from coming to our ‘world-class’ universities. I suspect they are more interested in the 3 years work opportunity than in education. As long as our government continues to open it’s arms wide to welcome foreigners in to our job market, Singapore citizens will continue to compete with more people who are willing to work for less. As long as the cost of HDB flats and starting a family continues to remain the same or (more likely) go up, we will not be willing to settle for less.

I know, I know… can’t really put all the blame on the policy-makers. Most of our ministers come from elite backgrounds and they never had to bother with all the problems that lower-income families have to deal with. So, they don’t understand our pains. They think that textbook economic policies are enough to fuel Singapore’s growth. They think that a perfectly competitive job market is good for the economy. Yes, good for the economy. Good for enterprises. Good for those people that own the enterprises. But not good for people way down in the food chain.

That’s why the income gap is increasing. Rich people are earning more, while poor people are competing with foreign workers to keep their jobs.

Our government thinks that the best solution will be to introduce a so called ‘workfare scheme’. This ‘rewards’ lower income workers with a few hundred dollars every year, and serves to supplement their wages. Instead of depending on handouts, why not just introduce restrictions on foreign workers such that lower income jobs will be kept for Singapore citizens? I would think Singaporeans rather work for their money than take handouts, like beggars. We are not beggars, we are Singapore citizens. A government should protect it’s citizens from external threats. This is the most basic. Otherwise, what is a government good for?

Today, I read in the papers 2 things. First, company tax will go down. I don’t know whether to be happy. Rich people will continue to get richer, while wages for lower-income workers remain more or less the same.

Second, MM Lee is telling Singaporeans that the income gap will be narrower in the future. I was actually misled by the headline. I actually thought there will be some schemes put in place to ensure lower-income earners will earn more. No… that’s not the case. He was actually referring to a continuous influx of capable foreign talents who will take away more executive jobs and willing to work for lower pay. OMG. Flabbagusted. And he told Singaporeans to face the reality. Wow. Is this what a government should do for it’s citizens, tell them to face reality and compete with foreigners?

I’m very sad at the direction in which our country is moving towards. Having Singaporeans as 2nd class citizens and foreigners as 1st class guests.

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