Haha, after a very long time of not blogging about political issues, finally, i've decided to blog about some serious issue again.
In case you havent been updating urself, recently, during the National Day Rally speech, our prime minister Mr Lee Hsien Loong mentioned the need to welcome foreigners - not just the expatriates( who apparently, earn at least a five digit monthly salary and whose biggest contribution to our economy would be helping to make prosperous our night entertainment industries), but also other foreigners who may help add diversity to our small, unique society.
I thought this was a very interesting issue because it is not a stand which most Singaporeans would be supportive of. Correct me if i'm wrong, but all along, i've had the impression that the general heartlander would see the influx of immigrants as potential competitors in the whatever few job vacancies our employers can manage to scrimp.
Well, it may be true that Singapore is getting real competitive, and that an increase in foreign workers would make it tougher to get a job, and cause pretty much more job insecurity. But then again, it also raises the standard of our working standards as a whole.
When i visited San Francisco, i was utterly shocked at the diversity and just how multicultural that small society that seems much like Singapore is. I was impressed by the way they were able to welcome and accomodate differences. So cool. If you ask me, it is perhaps this diversity that has driven their economy to be such a thriving one. In fact, San francisco-nians are one of the highest paid people throughout the country, its no surprise that they are also one of the most differentiated.
Perhaps, just perhaps, as Singapore works towards being more welcoming to our foreign peers, we would drift to become more diverse, more differentiated and a more colourful society.