My Ambivalence as a Immigrant-Singaporean

Recently, there have been too many small incidents that played up very strong sentiments. They are often are really small conflicts between different people in the community, but they are always framed in a way that divides the immigrants and the locals. There is a very widespread emotional dissatisfaction about the newcomers in our society, and every incident that arises will automatically be framed to support this resentment. I think this is not healthy. What is lacking is a genuine dialogue between these communities, and mutual understanding can only come through communication and respect for each other. This is of course, easier said than done. But more should be done before the divisions run too deep to mend.

I stand in a very ambivalent position. In fact, my identity as an immigrant has never been strong until very recently, especially during the general elections. It was then I realized that my status as an immigrant is something I can never run away from, no matter how well I thought I have integrated. It came to me as a surprise that I actually felt alienated by some of the anti-immigration speeches made by opposition MPs. Up to the point of the GE, I thought that as a civil society, it is alright to come from different backgrounds as long as we have common understanding of each other, and have common goals to preserve social harmony. Of course the complaints are railed at the recent wave of immigrants and are definitely not referring to the old immigrants like my family. Yet, I have always thought that our status as an immigrant is merely one of the identification categories, like sex, race, religion. Yes, my parents tell me of stories in Hong Kong, we speak Cantonese, we visit Hong Kong yearly, but I don’t see this as very different from Chinese who speak Hokkein at home, and carry out various traditional practices, or my Muslim friends who visit the mosque every Friday and who fast every Ramadan. I always thought it us just a matter of personal practices and tradition. It is alright that I come from another country, as long as we respect each other. I guess the recent influx of immigrants have brought along a whole set of very different practices that proved too much for Singaporeans to stomach. Yet we were once like them, bringing our own set of practices here, practicing them in our private capacity, and we were accepted for that. It might not be a bad thing that Singaporeans are starting to carve a unique identity for ourselves, but at the same time, it draws ever clearer distinctions between different categories of people, and I am afraid that this will translate into a very narrow view of the diversity of people our society already has.

This was made more apparent when I realized, very bitterly, that as an immigrant I could probably never get access to some jobs in the civil service even if I have the heart to serve. Even in very sparse interviews that I got called for, I am questioned on my loyalty simply by the fact that I am an immigrant. It was a very stark realization, and one that caught me off-guard. I never thought that I will have to defend my status as a Singapore citizen, I was not prepared to explain my loyalty for Singapore because I have taken for granted that I am still a Singaporean no matter where I was born. I am fully educated in Singapore, I volunteer with local organisations, my brother served 2.5 years of NS, and I am as deeply concerned about the two elections this year as any politically aware citizen. So it was a very stark realization that I am still different in the eyes of the government that our family has so admired and followed. Or maybe I have been placing hopes in the wrong type of jobs? An accounting student will know for sure that he/she is going to be an accountant, likewise for a doctor, or lawyer, or engineer. As for me, I was always sure I will end up in the civil service, just like my peers. I definitely can’t blame anyone for having such expectations in the first place. The rules are in place for a legitimate reason, and my status is something that I am born with, and thus, something that I have to live with. Yet all this just made me more aware of my categorical difference as a immigrant-Singaporean, and I can't help but to empathize with other immigrants, old or new, in a similar or worst off situation than me.

Which is why I feel that something needs to be done to stop the vicious cycle of mutual distrust and unhappiness. Singaporeans are unhappy with immigrants who are competing for limited resources, and are championing many Singaporeans First policies. Because of this, immigrants feel even more alienated and turn inwards to their own social enclaves for support and solidarity, and avoiding interactions with locals. This in turn fuels Singaporeans’ resentment that these immigrants have no intention to integrate, and the vicious cycle continues. This climate of distrust and resentment is also not conducive for Singaporeans and immigrants who are genuinely interested in building a common community. Surely this cannot be a recipe for social harmony and unity?

It will take time before the government can come up with solutions that will ease these sentiments on both sides, but a very important task ahead is to facilitate dialogue between immigrants and Singaporeans. We don’t need more stereotyping of each other, and we need to start treating each other like members of the same community.