TWR | UPDATED SEPTEMBER 11, 2015 12:10 PM ET:- Singapore, the tiny Island republic and the richest state in the ASEAN, is beset by a phenomenon that is gripping the region: The rise of nationalistic drive.
Singaporeans have concerns over the cost of living, retirement plans and medical facilities for the lower income groups, but none of them has raised the ire of the people than the influx of foreign talent.
The opposition believes the influx of foreigners into Singapore is perceived as a means to bolster the talent pool, designed to deliberately keep the political equation in favor of the ruling PAP.
This becomes more imperative as the popular vote of PAP has been dwindling due to the disenchantment of the locals.
The present leadership vacuum in the PAP, which has yet to identify a suitable successor after PM Lee Hsien Loong's term in office, further exacerbates the problem.
There are fears within the ASEAN this phenomenon could dampen the entire community’s future, putting it at risk of falling apart on an issue that is rapidly gaining pace in Indonesia, Malaysia and even Laos or Myanmar.
The country has been voted the most liveable in Southeast Asia for the Singaporeans and its foreign contingencies, but locals are openly venting their grouses against foreign nationals, blaming the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) regime for the influx.
There are indications that a growing number of Singaporeans are joining the chorus against foreign workers, particularly from Bangladesh, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Myanmar. The presence of foreigners buying homes in Singapore, and living in the country, is the new target by anti-foreigner campaigners.
But this is only the tip of the iceberg that is threatening to collide with the country’s otherwise peaceful civil society.
Will the PAP’s money, expertise and integrity be sufficient to usher a new era in Singapore, one where the locals can live in harmony with the foreign legions?
The rise of the “Ang Mo”
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong recently remarked that Singapore can be an “outstanding” home for generations to come, if the country continues to work at addressing significant economic and social shifts.
One of these economic and social shift is the rise of the “Ang Mo”, which is a racial epithet describing Caucasians, who are considered to be at the root of employment loss by locals, and of driving Singapore’s housing index to astronomical levels.
The other aspect of the ‘foreign’ trouble for Singapore is the mass entry of Chinese citizens from Hong Kong and the People’s Republic of China.
They too are contributing to the uneasiness felt by the locals, who have set their target on the PAP’s perceived inability to continue to offer secure, peaceful and rapid transportation as well as shopping experience for the locals.
It is common, nowadays, to meet locals who would criticise the flocking of foreign nationals in the country, many vowing to punish the PAP’s administration for what they call the loss of the country’s national identity and integrity.
However, the PAP is adamant that it has consensus from the public on its side, and the grouse are from a minority that can be dissipated by what the Prime Minister called ‘policy moves’.
Lee said citizens’ views have been given more weight in recent such policy moves, citing the boosting of social safety nets as one of the measures.
In a policy statement last year, Singapore‘s President Tony Tan Keng Yam said social safety nets would be strengthened, while the share of the fruits of progress and the nation’s success would be distributed more widely, especially with the lower-income and vulnerable groups.
But social groups are accusing the authorities of a pro-Chinese policy, in which majority Chinese Singaporeans are benefiting largely from such policies, while the minorities are made to pay the price of ‘meritocracy’.
These groups believe the PAP is bringing in more Chinese citizens and Westerners, who would be handed permanent resident permits, in order to consolidate the PAP’s political stronghold.
We can make sense of the local concerns, since the PR holders are eligible to Singapore nationality if they ‘register’ through the new process of getting the prized “Red” identity card.
Foreigners make up to 38% of Singapore’s workforce, while 43% of the foreign workforce consists of domestic or construction workers, but the low level foreign workers is not the real cause of the discontent against the PAP.
Singaporean observers admit that the PAP has a huge problem on its hands with the perception that it is allowing far too many foreigners to buy properties, and get high level jobs. This at a time when it is getting harder for locals to land middle-income jobs which is gradually going to “Ang Mohs”, PRC citizens and others.
PAP’s shrinking popularity
The PAP is scrambling to rectify a dangerous trend in the electoral process, one that has seen its share of popular support shrinking over the years, with a divided opposition force gaining ground in several areas.
The main grouses of the locals are the influx of the foreigners, from PRC, mainland India and the Philippines. They are the main cause of the overcrowded public transportation systems, the snapping of jobs at all levels, making it harder for locals to secure regular income – particularly among the minority Malay-Muslims and the Indians.
The country is also feeling he over-crowding in main public centers, entertainment outlets and shops making it harder for locals to feel they are Singaporeans in Singapore.
Singaporeans have concerns over the cost of living, retirement plans and medical facilities for the lower income groups, but none of them has raised the ire of the people than the influx of the foreign legions.
Show a foreigner doing something wrong, or not acceptable to the locals, and the country can see everyone up in arms against the foreign workers and expats. This then translates into anti-PAP campaigns, which gains traction, mostly among the lower income, the minorities and the young generations that are struggling to secure jobs.
The PAP, aware that the opposition is bound to make more grounds in the next general elections, will be forced to take drastic measures to maintain its dominance.
It may prioritise jobs for locals in a certain sectors, provide more educational and social support to increase the ‘merits’ of Singaporean workers to get jobs that are now being snatched by foreigners, but
it cannot run away from the fact that playing on the international stage would need it to have even more foreign talents flocking in the country.
One solution would be in Singapore to seek talents within the ASEAN pool, instead of depending too heavily on Australia, China, and Europe.
To achieve this, it will have to boost its local human capital in the first place, but with the minorities in particular lagging behind in education and training as claimed by social groups the country is not going to solve the problems easily. This will play into the hands of the opposition.
PAP losing GRC’s
There are already indications that the opposition will gain more grounds in the next General Elections, scheduled for 2017, but which may be held as early as this year.
While the PAP is banking on the safety nets and the division among the opposition, Premier Lee would also campaign on the risks the country could run into with the opposition in power.
Zulfikar Shariff, a pro-Islam campaigner from Singapore now living in Australia said the PAP will be tempted to buy off the support of the electorate when the elections are near, with new policies to address ongoing dissatisfaction
A GRC is a type of the electoral division or constituency in Singapore, where the Members of Parliament (MPs) are voted into Parliament as a group.
The opposition had so far failed to win any GRC’s in the past.
The opposition is composed of various parties, the strongest among them being the Workers Party (WP), but the Social Democratic Party (SDP) of Che Soon Juan is gaining sympathy, which may or may not translate into votes.
While the PAP remains certain of ruling Singapore for another 5 year term after the 2017 polls, there are signs that the party is cracking and may face turmoil once the veteran and legendary former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew expires.
The next smooth leadership transition within the PAP seems to be a major problem that the party will have to deal with.
The party’s leadership issues will dwarf the other realities, it is facing on the ground, including the grouse within the country’s minorities and a fringe of the Chinese voters. ■
