4/03/2013

From tolerance to intolerance



This is a personal journey of an average Singaporean, like all Singaporeans. The changing mindset of a very tolerant Singaporean towards foreigners is very likely to be shared by all other average Singaporeans. Actually the word tolerance towards foreigners was never an issue, never appear in the Singaporean vocab. Most Singaporeans are or were very hospitable and warm to foreigners in this island. Most foreigners in the past left with a very pleasant experience of a very friendly people during their sojourns here. It is very unusual for a visitor or those who have worked or studied here to have had bad memories of a unfriendly people and ugly experiences because they were foreigners.

Things are changing so rapidly that the tolerance for foreigners is becoming intolerance. Some have broken out into out right anger. It used to be a little inconvenience taking public transport that was often a bit squeezy, and finding a seat a little lucky. The experience of taking public transport today is to have strangers, clearly foreigners, stuck to your sides, front and back, rubbing or knocking at you, breathing down your neck or yakking away at the top of their voices. Their unfamiliar and often unpleasant BO, with their arms stretched across your face cannot be fun but must be most unpleasant and irritating.

Fighting for a seat with the foreigners becomes a game of being ungraceful or disgraceful. What really troubles the Singaporeans must be the huge presence of foreigners and the deprivation of a better life for the citizens. When many Singaporeans are out of jobs, in between jobs, under employed, unemployed, while foreigners are fully employed, many taking up cushy and high paying jobs, things will turn a bit ugly. No one is complaining so much about foreign workers who are needed and tolerated here as transient workers.

And when foreigners flooded the housing markets and driving up housing prices, pushing them beyond the reach of citizens, and also the favourite item of car ownership becoming an impossible dream to many, tolerance will become intolerance.

Tensions will build up over time and over many unhappy incidents. The last straw, when Singaporeans become a minority, when they are victimized, discriminated by foreigners, you expect Singaporeans to continue to be meek and selfless and continue to put their arms up wide to embrace the foreigners? The elite in their little palaces can talk cock about sharing with the foreigners when they could hide in the comfy enclaves and move around in private cars.

The danger is that the rot will get worst and will affect the children of Singaporeans in more adverse ways in the future. This little piece of rock is home to the Singaporeans, the only thing they have. This little rock cannot be traded away for fiat money. The developers with their money motive will be happily bid for land at higher and higher prices to feed the foreign frenzy, with money from all over the world. The Singaporeans cannot afford to compete with the rest of the world on an ‘equal’ basis as many are much richer and able to buy up everything and replace the Singaporeans in everything, everywhere.

This tolerance and intolerance issue cannot be spoken in void. There are lives involved. There is country and citizens involved. It is not a simple economic number game. There are also many intangibles of being a people, a country and a nation. Yes, I am getting more intolerant to foreigners when they crossed my path, cut into my way and deprive me of things that I used to have as a citizen in my country.

Having one or two foreigners can be fun, a novelty. When the citizens become the one or two, and the foreigners swarming all over us, it is no fun anymore. It is intolerance, and this intolerance will grow in intensity and will be felt by more and more Singaporeans. It is a road that spells trouble.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is why the PAPigs do not want to see the emergence of a Singaporean identity.
And the PAPigs would like the National Pledge to be nothing more than an aspiration.

No Singaporean identity.
No National Pledge.
So much easier to inject another 1.5 million foreigners into Singapore until the target 6.9 million or more is achieved.

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

Government policy which works in a framework of rapid change is bound to have unintended consequences.

It is expected that normal , plesent people will turn impatient and angry -- because rapid societal, communal, economic and cultural change is imposed on them "by authority".

No surprises here.

I say to hecfk with it. The cuntree is already "in for a penny, in for a pound".

Let the chips fall where they may.

Anonymous said...

Matilar good post knn to u

Lee Cheok Yew said...

Are they waiting for violence on the streets before they stop this madness of mass imports of foreigners?

Anonymous said...

'Are they waiting for violence on the streets'

The pigs know very well the sinkies have no balls left to fight for their right. THey were castrated by something called 'ns' service.

If space is important to anyone, that someone should try his best to migrate. this world is your oyster not sinky or sinkies without balls.

THis cuntree has gone to the pigs long time ago.

Anonymous said...

good article!

Veritas said...

Peasant revolt is often very bloody. But it is not all bad.

China has recursive hereditary class system. The class system failed to develop further in Hindic caste system because Chinese are willing to murder their oppressive through peasant revolts.

Why are Singaporeans think of running. We must inherit the glorious Chinese traditions of teaching the upper class a lesson when they oppressive us.

I do not advocate blood spilling. Maybe just strip naked and parade one or two clowns in front of cityhall will send chills down the spine of elites.

And enduring elites's shit is even a worse solution than violent. The Dalits of India was shited for 3000 years by Brahmins. Dalits think that eat shit can give them better karma. Today, Dalits are still shited on big time.

Elites need to be taught a lesson. The earlier we give them bloody nose, the lesson painful the correction will be.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Hi Veritas, you have very strong views. But no preaching of violence. People may take you serious.

The ballot it our way.

Anonymous said...

RB, I agreed with you. Ballot is the key but if majority voted for continuation, no matter how unfair or stupidity of voters, we need to respect the majority view.

Anonymous said...

RB, good article. My contribution to your kopi on the way.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

I know why Hsien Loong went to the White House and why Obama praised him sky high. No, it is not the money to buy the F35s.

Hsien Loong was there to interview Obama for the Dep PM job. And Obama was so eager to please to land that job. If it turns out well, Obama will be our Dep PM. The money is damn good and the job, so small. Where got such a good deal?

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

redbean:

>> But no preaching of violence.

Who's preaching violence?

I support the notion of "anything goes" in society and politics, because "anything goes" in the realm of human behaviour.

Let the chips fall where they may. If the Singaporeans are dumb enough to allow themselves to degenerate into civil war, tell me, Mr Genius, HOW are you going to stop it?

You can't. No one can. Your bets shot is getting the fuck out -- that's the BEST you or anyone could do under those circumstances.

Anyway who is to say that the PAP themselves (or people associated with the PAP) would not start the shit? Simple really -- start some shit, blame it on "rougue nationalists" (or invent any bogey), and then impose martial law ala Internal Security Act.

Political manipulation is EASY once you know how to do it -- and as always, in politics and government you can always argue, and have the LEGAL AUTHORITY to act such that the ends justifies the means.

Like I said, in the realm of human action ANYTHING GOES.