tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post4249582393395501829..comments2024-03-19T18:44:15.041+08:00Comments on Little Stories: The Great SqueezeGilbert Koh aka Mr Wanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01027678080233274309noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-88734781848119177982007-02-21T11:40:00.000+08:002007-02-21T11:40:00.000+08:00"An exist strategy away from squeezepore is the wa..."An exist strategy away from squeezepore is the way to go."<BR/><BR/>Do you mean exit strategy? <BR/><BR/>I have fled once too many times. I would say it does not necessarily get better by migrating. I am of the opinion (please do not think me as being hao lian again, I merely comment like everyone else) that the problems of Singapore are easier to fix than that of the US, for example.<BR/><BR/>Those who find little problems upon arriving in their new country probably were rich anyway. <BR/><BR/>And it's our neighbours who get suspicious of our landfill efforts, like Indonesia and Malaysia isn't big enough already. <BR/><BR/>And ask your neighbour (or 66.7% of them) - what the hell are they voting in the PAP for? What is their platform? Have they proposed to fix specifically any problems beyond vague talk of moving ahead? Only fools vote for the future based on past laurels - it ensures credibility, but you need a direction first. These are the reasons for our troubles.le radical galoisienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14684821442296479803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-74081169925220255532007-02-21T11:21:00.000+08:002007-02-21T11:21:00.000+08:00"because you write with such conviction, yet you a..."because you write with such conviction, yet you admit you have been absent from Singapore for the past 2 years. "<BR/><BR/>Conviction? Well it is only gut estimates. I admit part of this confidence comes from second-hand information which I correlate to my first-hand experience.<BR/><BR/>When I left, I believe the population - including foreigners - was around 4.2 to 4.3 million. I later see this shoot up to 4.5 million in 2005, then drop back down 4.3 million again in July 2006, then back up to 4.48 million December 2006.<BR/><BR/>Here I can see how things can indeed change quickly. But I also seem to conclude that a large part of the foreign workers really seem to be temporary (which makes them both a worry and not a worry) and volatile, and that we shouldn't count them as part of our permanaent population anytime soon.<BR/><BR/>My rationale is this. I knew the country was extremely dense then, it was evident whenever one went to Orchard Road or took the MRT during the peak hours - but then it did not seem that the population could not be accomodated for by building more infrastructure (and having the government treat its people like people rather than liable employees).<BR/><BR/>Back here, with my second-hand information - with news and parlances with friends coupled in, I try to imagine what the country is like, how it changes day by day, using my existing experiences as a base.<BR/><BR/>I do not mean to sound arrogant. This is my main confidence in putting my argument forward. It's "extropolated experience", if you will. My experience is limited, but I only brought up that issue only because you were asking me rather unfairly to consider "past years" which I had never experienced. <BR/><BR/>What I meant is that if another 16 year old explained why he thought the country could handle 6.5 million based on the experiences of life now, you wouldn't be flinging these obtuse statements like "you don't know what it's like".<BR/><BR/>Well, I wouldn't really know what it would be like exactly with 6.5 million people. But I can imagine, based on my past experiences with 4.3 million. Then I can also imagine what the difference can be with 4.5 million people in it.<BR/><BR/>I'm not ignorant of the significance of the passage of time. I fear by the time I return, I will have grown far too alienated from my comrades once more. It is a given that the country probably has changed in some significant way. But my question was along the lines of: is this so significant as to render previous experiences invalid?le radical galoisienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14684821442296479803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-73658502738156090042007-02-20T22:33:00.000+08:002007-02-20T22:33:00.000+08:00What? 6.5 million people! Give me a break! Singapo...What? 6.5 million people! Give me a break! Singapore as it is today is suffocating enough. Why bring more people here? It is sustainable? I had to stand with my food while waiting for an empty seat at food courts. I wonder what's next? <BR/><BR/>An exist strategy away from squeezepore is the way to go.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-20235639884062784162007-02-19T15:37:00.000+08:002007-02-19T15:37:00.000+08:00le radical galoisien.. Please don't assume the sit...le radical galoisien.. <BR/><BR/>Please don't <B>assume</B> the situation hasn't changed while you were away. I studied/stayed/worked in a foreign country for 3 years, 2000-2003. When I came back, <I>almost everything</I> had changed. One of my main observations was that it was much harder to get a cab, and much squashier on public transports than I remembered. I might have dismissed it as a trickery of the mind, but surprisingly my friends also echoed my thoughts.<BR/><BR/>I doubt people would have responded differently even if you were a "16-year old ITE girl". It's in your writing. You seem very self-assured & have alot of views.. that's good. But here, you come across as over-confident to the point of..well.. ignorance.. because you write with such conviction, yet you admit you have been absent from Singapore for the past 2 years. <BR/><BR/>Perhaps you'd be in a better position to write with such assuredness (and better received) after you come back and experience <B>today's</B> daily crush for yourself. :)Foxxyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17252386158498237716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-26804131307035487952007-02-19T01:15:00.000+08:002007-02-19T01:15:00.000+08:00can somebody please invite our great actors actres...can somebody please invite our great actors actress ministers to read the comments and content of this blog and see what they are turning the country into. It's good for their karma to start listening instead of acting. Best actor award goes to LHL. I have serious doubts about his intelligence.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-24814980083425360652007-02-17T04:04:00.000+08:002007-02-17T04:04:00.000+08:00"Yes, you are only 16 and you have the audacity to..."Yes, you are only 16 and you have the audacity to tell people much older than you what is good for them. Wonder what would happen when you are 40 or 60. The whole world has to listen to you."<BR/><BR/>It is putting forth an argument, online, on a medium open to commentary. And how is it audacious to disagree? Is it still the philosophy of seen but not heard? <BR/><BR/>I am alarmed because people suggest population growth is the source of the problems when the problems are likely to come from the administration itself. <BR/><BR/>The anonymouses in question propose a policy that deals with human demographics so apparently they have the right to further their nativist anti-immigration claims while opposers of their views do not. <BR/><BR/>"but don't assume that you can speak for all,"<BR/><BR/>That was not in any way my intent, but I wish to pre-empt those who would use the "out-of-touch" argument.<BR/><BR/>"Keeping up with news is not the same as experiencing life back home. Our dear leaders know very well what is happening in Singapore, but they can't sympathise because they have not experienced what the poorest have."<BR/><BR/>Is 2 years such a disparity? I can't be in two places at once. My question: what has changed in Singapore's population since 2005? Has it significantly become more crowded, that you chastise me for using what I think is a recent impression? This was a genuine question, but you refused to answer it. <BR/><BR/>Would you fault me for not living here recently enough? If anything, I am more out of touch with the Americans here than I am at home. <BR/><BR/>If I were writing this as a 16-year-old ITE student, you would not fault me. But see, it always comes down to matters of prejudice.<BR/><BR/>"Homeless means not having a place to stay. Your condition is not homelessness because you have a place to stay.<BR/><BR/>Homeless is not having no ownership of property. If you call yourself homeless, there a countless who are homeless.<BR/><BR/>Really, your life is not as pitiful as you think and your perception is definitely not representative of all Singaporeans."<BR/><BR/>I did not mean to evoke pity; only to say that I was not sheltered living in Singapore. Besides, the majority of Singaporeans have a stake in owning some sort of residence while a large minority rent. Although, due to the 99-year-lease conditions, very few people in Singapore actually own the home they live in.le radical galoisienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14684821442296479803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-53728009647170099902007-02-16T17:30:00.000+08:002007-02-16T17:30:00.000+08:00le radical galoisien,Homeless means not having a p...le radical galoisien,<BR/><BR/>Homeless means not having a place to stay. Your condition is not homelessness because you have a place to stay.<BR/><BR/>Homeless is not having no ownership of property. If you call yourself homeless, there a countless who are homeless.<BR/><BR/>Really, your life is not as pitiful as you think and your perception is definitely not representative of all Singaporeans.<BR/><BR/>Keeping up with news is not the same as experiencing life back home. Our dear leaders know very well what is happening in Singapore, but they can't sympathise because they have not experienced what the poorest have.<BR/><BR/>In short, you can have your opinion, but don't assume that you can speak for all, or tell others they don't get it, expletives or otherwise.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-71695931953266150422007-02-16T17:13:00.000+08:002007-02-16T17:13:00.000+08:00Population controls? Do you not know a sarcastic r...Population controls? Do you not know a sarcastic remark from a personal opinion? Yes, you are only 16 and you have the audacity to tell people much older than you what is good for them. Wonder what would happen when you are 40 or 60. The whole world has to listen to you.<BR/><BR/>Yes, I am looking at your inexperienced 16 years on earth. You are imposing your preferences and world views on others. A typical 16 year old who thinks he is always right and nobody else gets it.<BR/><BR/>By the way, not all criticisms are directed at you. By tinrina's standards, you are just way too emotional.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-9522398042846489162007-02-16T07:32:00.000+08:002007-02-16T07:32:00.000+08:00"We've got people who have either barely lived a d..."We've got people who have either barely lived a decade here or been out of touch overseas telling us who have been here all our lives that it is not overcrowded in Singapore or that they don't mind it."<BR/><BR/>I've lived in HDB flats from my childhood, when I came back, when I had to bunk over at my grandparents and aunts' because we had no place to go (i.e. homeless).<BR/><BR/>What the hell do you mean out of touch? I keep up excruciatingly with what goes on in Singapore. It's only been 2 years.<BR/><BR/>Okay, you tell me, what do you expect a 16-year-old to say? <BR/><BR/>Your comments are unfair because naturally I don't have many years of experience either way lor. But I think my perception is accurate. Living in Singapore was also HDB flat only. Sometimes there wasn't enough room so the entire family had to sleep in a single room. Ate from hawker centres because it was cheaper than buying groceries. Spent 5 hours a week on public transport. When you told me that Singapore was a country where the average person took bus and MRT, I knew what the fuck you meant.<BR/><BR/>But I loved my country. I loved its culture. Is that a crime? <BR/><BR/>What more will you continue to dig up as an excuse and cry, "uh uh, you don't know what it's like to be a true Singaporean!"<BR/><BR/>For I think that's only nativism and you think that anyone who deviates slightly from the conception of Singaporean - migrant or not - do not know what it is like to be a true Singaporean.<BR/><BR/>The maid who has been here for nearly a decade and probably has had a significant impact on whatever kids they pampered - nope not Singaporean.<BR/><BR/>Caucasian/Eurasian child. Ah! Must be descendant of expatriate! Everyone concludes. Go international school? Parents very rich right? Well actually it's lower middle class, HDB flat, local school. But no one bothers. You see, it's always prejudice. Can't be true Singaporean one. Wrong skin colour. Must only be foreign talent.<BR/><BR/>That audacious pilot who decided to protest against SIA's wage practices - not natural-born citizen, how dare he. Citizenship revoked. Nope, not Singaporean.<BR/><BR/>Migrant worker. Got children in local primary school. But got strong PRC accent one. Alas, not Singaporean.<BR/><BR/>Why do Singaporeans continue to hold prejudices against people of their own kind? The pok video only reveals the extent of prejudice the population still possesses.<BR/><BR/>The PAP takes advantage of this division and self-suspicion - that is why they continue to stay in power.<BR/><BR/>"But they tell the rich to have more kids and the poor not to have that many. They tell you when to stop at two and when to go non-stop. That's reality."<BR/><BR/>And what hypocrisy, that you would continue to advocate population growth controls?le radical galoisienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14684821442296479803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-16458800779910383562007-02-16T00:08:00.000+08:002007-02-16T00:08:00.000+08:00Unbelievable. We've got people who have either bar...Unbelievable. We've got people who have either barely lived a decade here or been out of touch overseas telling us who have been here all our lives that it is not overcrowded in Singapore or that they don't mind it.<BR/><BR/>Yeah right, the government has no business in meddling with population growth. That's theory. <BR/><BR/>But they tell the rich to have more kids and the poor not to have that many. They tell you when to stop at two and when to go non-stop. That's reality.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-4543600625972912722007-02-15T15:11:00.000+08:002007-02-15T15:11:00.000+08:00"Well, in two years time you'll get the chance. To..."Well, in two years time you'll get the chance. To be a Singaporean or not to be a Singaporean. Go through national service. Put in two years of your life for country and countrymen. Plus the many weeks for reservist through the prime of your life. That's right you can't have dual nationality. No. Not as Singapore. Don't miss that chance!"<BR/><BR/>I would, if I were coming back in time. But I'm not a nationalist. Culture transcends nationality. If I'm not joining NS, I'm going to serve in the US Army. That way, I might actually get an income, and get tuition for college rather than having my single mother pay all the bills. <BR/><BR/>I receive military training either way what. If Singapore got attacked, I would be able to fight for Singapore either way.<BR/><BR/>"And stop talking about Nazi Germnay "jewish control", executing excess babies and other racial rubbish. "<BR/><BR/>No sir, what's rubbish is your logic. You're so anxious to prevent population growth and shut out immigration, thinking that the immigrants are the source of your problems.<BR/><BR/>That is your bigotry, right there. I am not denying Singapore's problems. But you are blaming them on large demographic groups, rather than the political administration that caused them.<BR/><BR/>The solution is not to shut the immigration gates. It is to <B>vote out the PAP in 2011</B>. <BR/><BR/>Who are you voting sir in 2011? Huh? I know who I would vote for, if they didn't bloody set the voting limit at 21 so that I will probably miss the voting age requirement by one month. <BR/><BR/>I'm merely comparing your anxiety for population control to the other regimes who have tried it. I also posed a hypothetical situation to you: if you're so anxious to prevent population growth, would you kill babies to do it?<BR/><BR/>"Because alot of foreign immigrants to Singapore are from CHINA. China with lots of Chinese people. Since I am Chinese. And you are saying I am a racist toward the Chinese?! A new kind of discrimination, religion? What??!!"<BR/><BR/>Culturally, the PRC nationals are different from the existing Singaporean Chinese population. But I wasn't referring to that.<BR/><BR/>And by the way, check your stats. It may seem otherwise, but immigrants from China only account for roughly one fifth of the immigrants that come into this oountry. Conceded, the statistics are from a government organisation. But I know that though they do some pretty unethical things like put Chee Soon Juan in a kangaroo court, I don't think they are at the stage of Stalin-esque stats fabrication yet. <BR/><BR/>If you didn't notice, the population of Singapore took a nosedive between 2005 and 2006, from 4.5 million to 4.3 million. The logical inferrence is that there was a massive exit of foreign workers, probably because their work permits expired. This might or might not mean anything, or perhaps it is a pointer towards the discardability of people in Singapore in general. <BR/><BR/>"Once again, I stating that I am against any further increase in immigrants IF IT MEANS my fellow Singaporeans (able-bodied, educated, experience, etc) will undergo FURTHER increase in stress, frustrations, anxieties, lost of jobs, hardship, sufferings, etc. You got that?!!?"<BR/><BR/>This is the crux of your argument. But the migrants are suffering too. You know why got loss of jobs? Because we worship the multinational corporations, that's <BR/>why.<BR/><BR/>What resources do the migrants use by coming here? They sleep in squatters, in void decks, in the streets, in tents, in camps, and maybe if they're lucky, a rented HDB flat (yeah right).<BR/><BR/>Hsve you ever been out into the railroad track behind the MOE? Walk towards the east for a while - you will see ENTIRE SQUATTER CAMPS of foreign construction workers with their cooking pots, snugly tucked away out of sight, in the country side. (Yes, Singapore still has some countryside.) They lived so close to an HDB estate in fact, but they weren't noticed, because of the wall that exists between the camp and the estate.<BR/><BR/>Poverty eradicated in Singapore? Don't buy that textbook propaganda nonsense that we've done away wih the squatters. The temporary foreign workers, no use working with them.<BR/><BR/>But those that stay here - they are allies to be RECRUITED in the FIGHT against the administration, not your enemies. They are your fellow working brothers.<BR/><BR/>If you want to treat them like enemies, treat them like enemies lor! But I'd suggest recruiting their vote before the PAP does.le radical galoisienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14684821442296479803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-63166243061579058072007-02-15T14:43:00.000+08:002007-02-15T14:43:00.000+08:00'Hey, people volunteer to be homeless. Must be fun...'Hey, people volunteer to be homeless. Must be fun huh?<BR/><BR/>By the way, was that a monologue or cut and paste from a party manual?"<BR/><BR/>You talking about tinrina? I don't see her post here.le radical galoisienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14684821442296479803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-25656503618649570752007-02-15T14:42:00.000+08:002007-02-15T14:42:00.000+08:00"First of all, there was not any mentioned about r..."First of all, there was not any mentioned about race, Chinese or otherwise in my comments. Where the hell did you get that?!?! Care to show it to me?"<BR/><BR/>It was your nativist stance. It can be inferred from your attitude.<BR/><BR/>"Secondly, I guess you've been away from Singapore for toooo long. "<BR/><BR/><BR/>You make rash bigoted assumptions *again*.<BR/><BR/>I've been away ... for two years roughly. I left Dec 28, 2004. I very much intend to return.<BR/><BR/>"Also where the hell in any part of my comments have I prejudiced against your cultural indentity?!?!!!"<BR/><BR/>You ask me where you fucking got prejudice! Look at your own inquisitions! Try the "I guess you've been away too long", eh?<BR/><BR/>You still think I've been off for decades, izzit? Well sir, you are truly blind. Try clicking a few links. Aka my profile which states my age.<BR/><BR/>"You are currently residing in...? We are talking about Singapore here. Just an island?!? Not the great US of A where you ar currently at. The majority of Singaporeans still live in HDB, and travel in SBS or MRT, etc."<BR/><BR/>You reveal your prejudice again. I of course know this. I lived in an HDB flat? But you know what? The government wants to tear it down, scatter us residents all over the island, then reset our mortgage. Of course I take all this into consideration. <BR/><BR/>I've gone through the same propaganda as you. Singapore, they say is a small island with no natural resources. (I think the "tsunami" part has become a recurring joke already.)<BR/><BR/>But do you actually buy that rubbish? I'm taking carrying capacity into account. Singapore is not that dense for a city-state. Singapore is not a conventional country. Fine lah, most people don't have backyards. But here in the US, I don't have a backyard either. I used to have one here, 7 years ago, but the court decided to force a sale in my parents' divorce proceedings. <BR/><BR/>Government confiscating your home ... twice. Two different gahmens, ah. Lovely circumstances, eh?<BR/><BR/>The great US of A where I'm currently at? Oh please, life isn't rosy here, ya know. I'm homesick, but the bigotry is so bad in both the US and Singapore.<BR/><BR/>"BTW, this will be the last time I am dealing with you 'cos of your expletives toward me. "<BR/><BR/>My use of them is justified in the face of your prejudice. The fact that "The majority of Singaporeans still live in HDB, and travel in SBS or MRT, etc" was obvious; stating that towards me is as good as an insult.le radical galoisienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14684821442296479803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-71993610688483642672007-02-15T14:23:00.000+08:002007-02-15T14:23:00.000+08:00"NYC and all are different. They have the sub-urbs..."NYC and all are different. They have the sub-urbs and countryside to go relax. We got, well, Malaysia?"<BR/><BR/>Okay, where do they have to go? It's not like drive to Newton Circle, get a meal and some air, then go back.<BR/><BR/>Maybe if you're upper middle class bourgeoisie (or higher), you are the ones that can actually afford a car and drive out into the suburbs. Maybe if you're lucky to have bourgeois relatives living there.<BR/><BR/>Most Singaporeans conception of NYC is either through a hotel or living <BR/>in some friend's rich suburb far from the inner city. And I mean those who actually go there.le radical galoisienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14684821442296479803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-1644260737037666012007-02-15T13:00:00.000+08:002007-02-15T13:00:00.000+08:00".... only makes me think that you only want the C...".... only makes me think that you only want the Chinese hegemony to continue..." <BR/><BR/>First of all, there was not any mentioned about race, Chinese or otherwise in my comments. Where the hell did you get that?!?! Care to show it to me? <BR/><BR/>"A racist motive .........suggest a program like demographics control"<BR/><BR/>There you go again, talking about race and racial control. Really, show me the segment where race was mentioned at all!! Secondly, I guess you've been away from Singapore for toooo long. Because alot of foreign immigrants to Singapore are from CHINA. China with lots of Chinese people. Since I am Chinese. And you are saying I am a racist toward the Chinese?! A new kind of discrimination, religion? What??!!<BR/><BR/>"What resources? How do they strain resources?"...<BR/><BR/>You are currently residing in...? We are talking about Singapore here. Just an island?!? Not the great US of A where you ar currently at. The majority of Singaporeans still live in HDB, and travel in SBS or MRT, etc. Also where the hell in any part of my comments have I prejudiced against your cultural indentity?!?!!!<BR/><BR/>"You are no better than the bigoted Americans. I'm tired of prejudiced people like you. I'm tired of prejudice in general."<BR/><BR/>Maybe that's just it. You encountered so much racism against you in America and PROBABLY feels not being wholely or readily accepted that you simply thinks what I have commented must have to do with race. Well, in two years time you'll get the chance. To be a Singaporean or not to be a Singaporean. Go through national service. Put in two years of your life for country and countrymen. Plus the many weeks for reservist through the prime of your life. That's right you can't have dual nationality. No. Not as Singapore. Don't miss that chance!<BR/><BR/>Once again, I stating that I am against any further increase in immigrants IF IT MEANS my fellow Singaporeans (able-bodied, educated, experience, etc) will undergo FURTHER increase in stress, frustrations, anxieties, lost of jobs, hardship, sufferings, etc. You got that?!!?<BR/><BR/>And stop talking about Nazi Germnay "jewish control", executing excess babies and other racial rubbish. <BR/><BR/>BTW, this will be the last time I am dealing with you 'cos of your expletives toward me. And have a happy Chinese New Year, John R. Soong.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-9909728947605515962007-02-15T12:57:00.000+08:002007-02-15T12:57:00.000+08:00Hey, people volunteer to be homeless. Must be fun ...Hey, people volunteer to be homeless. Must be fun huh?<BR/><BR/>By the way, was that a monologue or cut and paste from a party manual?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-78962243510721749202007-02-15T10:29:00.000+08:002007-02-15T10:29:00.000+08:00you know somebody is a pappy troll when he posts l...you know somebody is a pappy troll when he posts long meandering rants with half-truths, semantics, rhetorics, and "personal experiences"... hahahah, i wld like to think he is actually a miw mp, but then looking at some of the blogs posted by p65 mps, i think he is simply a well paid pappy doggie.. <BR/><BR/>woof woof, grrrrrrrr!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-44043880653228580252007-02-15T03:25:00.000+08:002007-02-15T03:25:00.000+08:00Oh wow, I am so inspired. Although I do not plan t...Oh wow, I am so inspired. Although I do not plan to have 10 kids, I will plan for 10 kids anyway.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-46258497692244988652007-02-15T00:17:00.000+08:002007-02-15T00:17:00.000+08:00"If you can remember(or are you still too young), ..."If you can remember(or are you still too young), during the 70s and up till the late 80s, foreign immigrants to S'pore were negligible 'cos the PAP have got very stringent criterias for foreigners even to become a PR. Even then becoming a citizen(after attaining PR status) was never easy and could take close to a decade--after proving your worth."<BR/><BR/>My grandfather came straight off the boat, with nary a stringent check.<BR/><BR/>He never really picked up Mandarin nor English, but he became a distinguished police officer. Wah, so lax one. Can't even speak Mandarin or English. <BR/><BR/>No degree, didn't come to the country with any skills, in fact he came from a village with no education. I think I speak about the history of most of the ancestors of the Singaporans here. Most of our ancestors would never meet stringent criteria one. Should they have refused them, then, by your logic?<BR/><BR/>You seem very overly nostalgic of this era of "negligible immigration", along with all your nativist wariness of immigrants.<BR/><BR/>Did you know, over 50% of the people in France have had recent immigrant background?le radical galoisienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14684821442296479803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-50213627700243575332007-02-15T00:09:00.000+08:002007-02-15T00:09:00.000+08:00"You said the the govt should have no business in ..."You said the the govt should have no business in planning population growth rates. Well, neither do they be in the business of having policies that increase foreign migrants to S'pore that have increased the hardship and sufferings of its citizens. Or in the business of increasing foreign immigrants just 'cos the birth rates is slow as well."<BR/><BR/>You again, overassume.<BR/><BR/>Planning population growth rates, planning for population growth rates are two different things. That I tried to clarify.<BR/><BR/>Now, planning population growth rates and immigration rates are even more separate and you appear to be conflating them. Allowing immigrants to come is not a form of direct population control, since immigrants come of their own accord.<BR/><BR/>Compulsory or coercive programmes <BR/>programs governments force on their population are highly different matters. <BR/><BR/>I have concern with parasitical immigrants, just like many of you. However, your totally hostile (and nativist) stance towards immigrants in general disgusts me. <BR/><BR/>You assume the migrants are causing the problems, but is this from correlation alone? It is not the migrants, but the administration.<BR/><BR/>This country, with proper infrastructure, can have quite a large carrying capacity; Paris has over 2 million people (city-area) over just 86 km. <BR/><BR/>It is not the migrants that are the problem (who suffer hardship just as well), but the administration that prefers to spend money developing golf courses over upgrading opposition wards, raise GST despite a huge amount of foreign reserves, and promotes raising the salary of ministers rather than alleviating the public transport congestion problem.le radical galoisienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14684821442296479803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-17026339902411996442007-02-14T23:56:00.000+08:002007-02-14T23:56:00.000+08:00"In the past, just putting the blame on globalizat..."In the past, just putting the blame on globalization is just too simplistic."<BR/><BR/>Conceded. But...<BR/><BR/>"And yes, I am against any increase in immigrants if it means straining Singapore's resources, compacting Singaporeans like sardines, increasing the already stressful lifesyle, lost of jobs for SINGAPOREANS(and alot in their 40s, educated and experienced, etc."<BR/><BR/>What resources? How do they strain resources?<BR/><BR/>If you are against population growth, if suddenly the demographic trend of Singaporean's birth rates<BR/>decided to reverse, would you then start suggesting executing all excess babies?<BR/><BR/>After all, strain of resources, are they not?<BR/><BR/>These are persons we are talking about here.<BR/><BR/>Your forefathers were immigrants once. But it seems you have lost all compassion. I'm a TCK. Fine, I am biased towards being sympathetic towards immigrants. But would you prefer that the British government should have shut out your ancestors under your nativist ideology?<BR/><BR/>Your allegations that implicitly question my cultural identity are not appreciated. I can see you through your thinly-veiled remarks, seething with nativism and hate.<BR/><BR/>What do people not fucking get? I'm fucking Singaporean, part of you, experienced the same bloody propaganda, education system, and so forth but fucking people like fucking you continue to choose to treat me like a fucking foreigner. Yes, you can tell from my use of expletives that I'm quite peeved with your remarks. I've enough of people like you. I am not blind.<BR/><BR/>It is no wonder that with such a prejudice you hold that you have such a stance against immigrants.le radical galoisienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14684821442296479803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-6296125175869363342007-02-14T23:55:00.000+08:002007-02-14T23:55:00.000+08:00This comment has been removed by the author.le radical galoisienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14684821442296479803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-36913606909120690682007-02-14T23:41:00.000+08:002007-02-14T23:41:00.000+08:00"YOU were saying PAP predicting only? As if it's s..."YOU were saying PAP predicting only? As if it's something TOTALLY NOT within their control. Beyond their reach and capabilities."<BR/><BR/>The government should never control population growth. It's within their capability, yes. But why do you even recommend they try population growth?<BR/><BR/>Fine, a point conceded: the PAP have tried before. They have demonstrated they don't even have qualms about eugenics. <BR/><BR/>But why do you say things like, "well, if they were really concered, they would try to use government influence to control population growth?" They can. They should not.<BR/><BR/>The government should not interfere in that area. Ever. The community - as a collective of citizens - can speak up about it, but no government should ever try demographics control again. <BR/><BR/>Do you know the associations of population control's friends? Hmm, shall we try Nazi Germany's nifty "Jewish population control" program? Why not China's nifty one-child-policy which has created a generation of stuck-up brats? The US' eugenics program to sterilise blacks, Catholics and other immigrants? Such a suggestion (which the PAP has tried before), is among there with Stalin and the Soviet Union's own attempts at demographics control. <BR/><BR/>The government has shown it will suppress the breeding of other races in order to keep the Chinese population around 75% or more. <BR/><BR/>This is not something we want.<BR/><BR/>Do you sir, support Chinese hegemony? That is your ulterior motive isn't it? The sheer ridiculousness of your suggestions and implications only makes me think that you only want the Chinese hegemony to continue, along with the prejudice, majoritarianism and racism that ensues.<BR/><BR/>A racist motive is the only reason why I would think anyone would even suggest a program like demographics control.le radical galoisienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14684821442296479803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-28364900226160215192007-02-14T23:31:00.000+08:002007-02-14T23:31:00.000+08:00"Have you actually lived in S'pore in the last fou..."Have you actually lived in S'pore in the last four decades?? Or are you one of the new immigrant to S'pore?"<BR/><BR/>I'm sixteen years old. Of those sixteen years, I have lived nine of those years (cut up into two legs, yes) in Singapore.<BR/><BR/>And yes, I'm the galoisian radical. It's just that google's reshuffling around with beta and google account integration makes things very confusing.<BR/><BR/>"If you can remember(or are you still too young)"<BR/><BR/>Why do you ask me such a pointless question when my profile states my age right there?<BR/><BR/>Why do you place prejudiced assumptions on my cultural and national identity and jump to conclusions about them?<BR/><BR/>You are no better than the bigoted Americans.<BR/><BR/>I'm tired of prejudiced people like you. I'm tired of prejudice in general.le radical galoisienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14684821442296479803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-37227063928263400282007-02-14T13:40:00.000+08:002007-02-14T13:40:00.000+08:00I'm against PAP policies for a huge increase in fo...I'm against PAP policies for a huge increase in foreigners becoming PR in Singapore, simply because alot of them have no affliation for Singapore and view it as a temporary abode to other countries or simply to go back home when they have gain experience and/or attain much financial benefits to do so. Look around, ask around. <BR/><BR/>One must remember as well that the countries that the "temporary" PRs go back to, have cost of living that are way way lower than Singapore. Therfore, it's a multiple PLUS PLUS for them. Whereas, Singaporeans my poor Singapoeans how did we come to such a stage. Low pay and high cost of living.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com