The following is a letter to the Straits Times forum page by Gilbert Goh.
I refer to the article “Migrating Singaporeans” (ST 27 June).
I am currently residing in Sydney Australia and felt that SM Goh Chok Tong’s speech needed a response from those who are living abroad.
Having work and live for the past two years abroad, let me reiterate that it is so much different from working back home.
I worked for about a year in China in 2007-2008 and has found the experience liberating. Though work has to be done, it is not the same as Singapore which is often stressful and taxing. Let me just say that thee is still a life after work when you are abroad. The same could not be same back home. Many laboured long hours at work and suffer the consequences of not spending enough time with their loved ones. Lax labour laws favouing the employers also do not give workers enough say on their job scope.
It is no secret that the lifestyle one leads back home is not very balanced and after a while, one begins to look for a better place to spend his life with. Many I know left Singapore in search of greener pasture both in terms of a more balanced lifestyle and better career opportunities.
It is also well known that our employers are biased against older workers preferring them to be at least below forty years of age. The influx of foreigner workers competing for employment have also given Singaporeans the added incentive to search for work abroad. The job market during past few years has become an employer’s market pushing many more Singaporeans to look at alternatives.
Personally,I was unemployed for close to 1 1/2 years during the Sars period and during that period, I began to earnestly look for an alternate place to work and reside – one that does not discriminate against age. I realise that things will be very diffcult for someone who is above aged 40 years old and not very skilled. My family took the plunge last year when we were offered a 4-year work visa in Australia and have never look back. Many back home envy our so-called second chance at having a life again – abroad.
Though I appreciate SM Goh Chok Tong’s intention to try to help local Singaporeans settle down in their own country after graduation, i am afraid that his efforts will be in vain unless employment opportunities improve especially for those age above 40 years old. We also need to work less and play more.
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Beyond lip service, govt does not care about these issues. These issues are not new and will continue to linger.
Unsatisfied citizens (like the writer) can go overseas to work, get out of sg, live (and die) there. The fact is: you (the citizen) matter very little. govt has the power to import foreign labour from regional countries as happy substitutes to mitigate the outflow.
At the macro level, statistics are used to illustrate GDP growth, low unemployment rate, assistance for Poor segment. Contrastingly, on the grd level, if you ask citizens if they feel happy … what will the response be?
Is this sustainable? Eventually, there will come a tipping point, and with it – consequences. I hope that day comes soon.
the saying goes like this….’singapore is not meant for siingaporean’
i am damn tired of what GTT saying all these years. my brother and family have been working in China for years now so as my brother in law. and i can sense that the younger generation of our family is gearing towards oversea to work as well once they finished their study.
i am looking out for that too.
In this time and age of the flat world!
Still talk about loyalty! Loyalty is a very cheap commodities nowsaday!
Why can’t its citizen migrate while foreigners can immigrate as long as outflow-inflow is not large!
Stayers or Quitters concept is a thing of the past! We Citizen of Singapore should be a Golbal Citizen! Work and Stay anywhere of the world!
Congrats Gilbert that you have found a more satisfying work and life abroad.
Although you said work and life is better abroad, why you work and stay in China for only 1 year? Why don’t you prolong it? And now Australia for 4 years. What next?
Hi Moving around,
Its a contract teaching job and I have to return home after that. I went there alone without my family.
Working in China opened my eyes as there is the cultural and mental shift. I urge all SIngaporeans to work abroad for a season as it will stretch your thinking pattern. I feel that Singaporeans,after many years of working in a robotic environment, fail to think for themselves nor are very creative in their thinking pattern. Maybe our govt has being too well a job at thinking for us. We simply need to follow and vote for them.
I am happy now in Sydney with my family. There is a freedom here unlike that in Singapore. Of course, no country is perfect but we all have choices here for what we desire for our family.
Gilbert, many singaporeans never work overseas. They would not understand you i am afraid. They are brought up to work in a stressful environment. Look at their faces. look at their behaviors. Look at them.
ST does not have sufficient guts to print Gilbert’s letter….only put it online.
If you read ST Forum Online, you will notice that ST deliberately changed the entire meaning of one sentence of Gilbert’s letter:
ST posted it as
“I realise that life will be very difficult for someone who is over 40 and unskilled”
whereas Gilbert said he was not “very skilled”. Obviously ST wants to project a mistaken image that Gilbert has “skills” equivalent to a construction worker!!
There are plenty of locals migrated or working in other countries, the figure released is 180000 n they are in many countries. The govt’s intention is gd, to encourage the locals to come back to work but how many of those heeded the advice come back? Those who come back, will they last in this country?
Singapore is a city state. We have no natural resources, operating in a global economy that’s fuled by super greed. What can we expect except to run faster and faster to stay in the same position.
I’ve told my kids from as young as they can understand that they need to get the fundamentals right from day one. Only then can they find happiness in life, because that’s what really matters.
I now spend my time helping them put the key pieces in place. Eventually whether they stay or they leave, they will choose with a well laid plan.
Search hard and you’ll see the answers staring back at you. Don’t be blinded by group think. Dare to be different!
“The govt’s intention is gd, to encourage the locals to come back to work”
Who will ever want to come back to Singapore to be treated like slave and digit when they are treated with dignity and respect as human overboard ? If I ever want to come back, I come back as foreign talent not as Singaporean.
Daniel
Ya i know.
I told my daughter to finish up her education here and chose her path as she wishes.
Many people I know back home lament that they labour like slaves only to enrich thsoe who are their bosses. They are merely treated like digits.
Worse still, when you are not too well educated or younger, you get a hard time at home. Self esteem also gets hit when you are retrenched and re hiring is tougher now.
There are simply too many positives to left tthe country than the negatives here. Sad but true…
All they do is to keep their own jobs….PAP that is….
My friends….a hugh number of them have had enough of Singapore…..no hope….they said….and all are residing in different continents now….
The govt does not have a serious plan about Singapore & Singaporeans…besides making sure they have jobs….and lately even that is getting worst…..
Just a matter of time……
Our forefathers made the sacrifices and toiled for them only to have their descendents treated less favourably than FTs. There will be retributions.
“The govt does not have a serious plan about Singapore & Singaporeans”
But I’m sure the gov does have serious plan on themselves, that is to continue to entrench power and wealth while exploiting and milking the citizens.
I wonder what will happen to Singapore’s population when most Singaporeans, in their 40s start to pack their bags and move their families oversea.
“I wonder what will happen to Singapore’s population when most Singaporeans”
Definitely decline but the PAP will be very happy because the remaining foreigners will not question the government. In any oppressive regime and monarchy, the act of questioning is act of threatening because it seek to expose rather than to conceal closet skeleton and truth.
I think the Govt have to be weary of FTs. They are not socialised like locals and will not be as compliant. Their roots are also not deep. They are the ones who dare to change and will initiate change when things are not in their favour.
Remember, not strings attached and very easy to snap.
Good luck to them. They will get exactly what they sow.
The last 50 years there is no change , if you know what i mean.
So, continuing with these locals, i wonder…..
With new citizens?
hahahaha maybe that is the only …..
Maybe foreign talent turn citizen turn minister or Prime Minister . Why not?
Or maybe 1% local elite control 80% FT turn PR/citizen and 19% local. Why not?
At the rate things are going anything can happen in the future.
Hi Gilbert,
Also thought of migrating… Would appreciate if you could some of my questions:
1) Is it true that the annual income (after tax) in Australia will be lower than Singapore?
2) If the income is lower, how can we having enough savings to retire in Singapore? What is the living expenses in Australia like?
3) For primary school children, how can they continue learning Chinese, just in case they need to come back to Singapore for Secondary Education?
All the best.
The governtmen’s concern is the ECONOMY, not the people…
So this is basically a Sweat House.
20) Curious
Taxes is much higher here – the minimal tax bracket is around 18% but there is the minimum wage rate of around $500 a week. A blue collared worker eg cleaner is paid $500 a week here.
Maximum tax deduction is close to 50% if you earn around $10,000 a month or more. However, you take back from the govt in terms of free education for your kids, social welfare for health, retirement and others.
Some schools have Chinese as second langauge but most study French, German or Italian. My daughter studies German in her school.
PR holders have free education for their children and they only pay 30% of varsity tuition fees. This can also be taken in the form of a state loan whereby you can pay back slowy once you work.
Australia is curbing migration now as the country also has a lot of unemployment.
Readers can still apply through the embassy website using the skilled-based point system. If you are a hairdresser, plumber, cook or electrician you gain automatic entry as these skills are in demand here.
Alternatively, you can first study in one of their unis here and after you have graduate apply for PR later. Many have use this route and it works for them.
Good luck!
Many things are against the older workers. Take for instance the implementation of the minimum CPF sum. Before the government could ensure all older workers are employed again by law they already hold back your minimum sum for them to invest in losing venture like meryll lynn, citigroup etc…. that is our old age money. It is only right for younger singaporean to turn their backs to PAP and head for oversea if you want a good life out of your life. PAP sucks.
My wife describes Singapore much like a hamster cage; there might be a few more toys but the cage is still the same size. To add to the woes, there are adding to the population aggressively. Even lemmings will migrate when the population crosses a threshold. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemming :-)
We are happily settled outside Singapore and cannot complain. I am appreciative of what Singapore has contributed to us tho’ but I cannot agree with the current government’s philosophy.
I read Mr. Goh’s speech recently spelling out his concerns about ‘brains’ not remaining in Singapore after their graduation. I couldn’t agree with Mr. Goh’s views. It is a ‘utilitarian’ one – suck your brains and then when you are old, you’re on your own (pretty much). It is a materialistic, money-based society and that can be very, very cruel.
Unless you’re right ‘up there’, life is not going to be easy.
In the words of the late JBJ, for a start, there is a need for a more compassionate society ….
@Gilbert Goh,
No comments about you moving to Australia as I do think its a good choice, except for the taxes, but I do believe your China stay is pretty much under coloured lenses. As an expat, you had it better in China as compared to the average Chinese whose unfortunate country have next to zero labour laws.
There isn’t such a thing called work-life-balance in most Chinese companies, and even if you have it, its like Expats in Singapore saying Singapore is the perfect place because I have money (which you have when you’re a expat in China), you have housing (which probably you do), you have memberships and you have lifestyle, not to mention work-life-balance.
These are things which the average PRCs lack, which is propelling many to leave the country in droves.
Hi Gilbert,
I understand that u staying in Australia. I like to know how many of ur
frens or colleuages in NS have also left to other countries?
Hi 25) inix
I do agree with you that I have a better lifestyle in China as an expat. If i am single, i will hang in China but at last it is a family decision here.
What I earn a month there is equal to what a worker earns for a year! I have all the trappings of a highly-paid expat there.
However, my family is in Australia and overall I think the country still has much to offer though the taxes are a real handicap.
Hi 26) Will4
I cant really pinpoint how many have left the country from my NS/school days as I did not really keep in touch with them alot.
Nevertheless, I can count at least 15 families that I know from my church that have left the country in the past decade and mostly to Australia. I have sent them off at the airport and sadly or happily none has returned so far.
I have been around the world.
I have found many better places to live in in terms of environment and lifestyle.
Many european countries, australia and even NZ if you don’t mind the extra relax pace there as well as the extra nice scenery and nature there.
So, i mean there ARE Many places to migrate to. But many singaproeans do not have the right MENTALITY suitable for migration. They are too attached to the stressful lifestyle. They fear being away from their laksa. Many are stuck here as they do not speak england and do not have qualification required.
Gilbert,
As a local urself, do u foresee the no of locals migrating to other countries will increase as time passed by? I have a feeling that 180000 locals in other countries are tip of the iceberg.
I am always in support of people who chose to emigrate or became a PR of another country. Over the last couple of years with mounting foreigners taking a huge piece of our cake and leaving crumbs in the employment market, Singapore is really not an ideal place to stay and earn a livings. This is taking into accounts the miserable depressed wages, high cost of livings, expensive medical care with long waiting time, uncompassionate govt, crammed living space, high materialism mentality (with malls abound), scholarship defaulted to the rich and the poor needs to fight hard for it, sucking up to foreigners and treating local like 2nd class citizens, local media brain washing with bias reports, too much rhetorics from majors and leaders with no solution to citizen problems…..and the list goes on.
Since the world is the oyster for PMETs, why must we still grab to a little red bean with no prospect of it sprouting to help Singaporean who are down and out? If this govt can’t do much to rid simple obstacles faced by Singaporeans, only workers like us can help ourselves – that is, to opt to get out and seek opportunity elsewhere and never look back to this country who treated local like 2nd class people. Personally, I enjoy sking, boatings, fishing, hiking, nature watching without much of restriction and commercialisation elsewhere from Singapore and I believe I can age gracefully from there..
Singapore suvivial depends on loyalty of its people and not the influx of Foreigners. In this respect, we failed quite miserably as time goes by until alternative party change the course for us and make it right again.
30) David on July 1st, 2009 11.23 am
You really speak my hearts out too and your words echo my deepest feelings and sentiments. I am starting to lose my nationalism towards my own country due to a sudden influx of foreigners to this heartland. 2 and 1/2 years of national service and the pledge to protect my nation and family seems more and more distant. I’am feeling more like a minority in my own country now, without any special privileges being a born bred Singaporean. It’s more like fighting for survival with the foreigners. I believe increasing number of Singaporeans are sharing my feelings as we are rapidly losing our common identity …..
Homeless, david ….
I think most of us echo the same sentiments.
The problem is — we talk about it amongst ourselves on blogs like these. Question is — is the govt doing anything? do they care?
you and i know the answer to that
Hi Gilbert,
Like yourself, I got a PR and am currently working in Perth. The decision to leave Spore was not a light one but considered carefully to see what furure Spore holds for me and my family.
I was restructured in1999 and had a very difficult time trying to make ends meet. Being 40 made it even harder. My view of the goverment is that it DOES NOT care about the citizens regardles of all the bullshit publicity and propaganda dished out in the MSM. All they do is protect their yes-man in the civil service and GLC mgmt levels.
Fortunately, due to my work experience and qualification, I received a golden opportunity to try out in Australia. I am now working 60% pace of my work life in Spore and having a balance life style for myself and family. To migrate will requrie adjustment and changing our mindset but I think these changes are fair and reasonable. As I read about things happening in Spore eg GIC, miniter pay, cost of living increase, Mas Selamat etc, I am appalled by the lack of accountability and the arrogance of the PAP government. They lined their pockets (abeit legally), destroy any semblance of civility and transparency, inflict hardship on the citizens and still take a ‘High horse position in criticising the population.
I will rejoice when the Old man dies. It will herald a new age of change and hopefully growth for the country.
33) Sheng
I am glad that you wrote about yr migrate experience. I thought that I am the only one migrated! Just kidding.
What you said is true as I met many unhappy Singaporeans back home. Many looked at me in envy as they have to “suffer” back home.
I urge all Singaporeans to look at the bright side of things and learn to plan for yourself and family. We have plan for thsi move for the past 7-8 years and it is not easy.
There is adjustment to food, weather, culture, language, TV, new friends and church setting. Everything is like brand new and starting all over again.
The first 6 months is the most stressful part as one needs time to adjust to a new environment. There is also the issue of employment.
Many go jobless for close to a year before getting a job. Like myself, I am still currently unemployed here. Fortunately, my wife is working.
Before one takes the plunge to migrate and admire those who have left for greener pastures, one should be prepared also for changes and most importantly have some savings in the account to prepare for a period of unemployment when you reach the country of your love.
Migration forms my plan, it is sometime later, I will will leave. You ask why?
1. Citizens dont have much previleges, PRs are not much difference from us.
2. Work round the clock – having the kiasu and kiasi mentalities, many of us are forced to work round the clock, in which the employers or managers want to multi-task and maximise resource.
3. Our leaders are only focused on economical growth and making up losses – investments or babies by importing foreigners or raising cost of living.
Perhaps Singapore is too small and does not have much choice but the top has made it too hard for average citizens, and they appeared marginalised.
I think in 10 or 15 years time, S’pore will have a severe shortage of active NSmen. Imagine more and more S’poreans migrating to places like Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Thailand, etc. because they could not stand the overcrowding, poor job prospects (especially if you are over 40), very little help from the govt, strained police force (I still don’t understand why assault is not a seizable offense, but an imagined threat against a PAP MP would land one in jail !!!), etc.
Our super-rich rulers would then have to employ more gurhkas to protect their multi-million dollar good class bungalows!!
The govt loves to use the excuse that foreigners are needed in this or that jobs because S’poreans shun these positions. NS is the role every male S’poreans shun, so why doesn’t the govt get foreign “talents” to fill that role????
Talk is cheap, even cheaper coming out from PAP mouth, so cheap that it become unreal and unsincere and looks fake.
How many times we heard about government helping low income family and less fortunate singaporean? But have you seen lesser Ah Gong Ah Ma selling tissue paper in hawker centre?
It appears to me ST is doing a very good job on the stage, but the backend crew just fuc care about helping Singaporean. So fake, so ill to even read the entire article on ST.
11) Gilbert Goh on June 30th, 2009 7.14 pm Daniel
[There are simply too many positives to left tthe country than the negatives here. Sad but true…]
Well said, Gilbert!
I feel like you are my soul mate – our assessments are the same.
But there are 2 ways about it:
1. Leave for better pasture.
2. Change it.
Change is always and definitely possible.
A matter of time.
The last semi Century has proven that existing alternative mindset people have failed to change it.
I believe we can only rely on the new immigrants for change to come given the fact that in the last semi century, none of the alternative nation is able to bring about 1 change. not even 1 change.
while i am hoping the new immigrants can beef up our alternative nation talent pool, i am not feel proud saying so.
yup, the best bet for change will be from the new immigrants.
This means, change can be expected in 20 to 50 years.
Thats not bad considering the time already spent waiting for it.
Lets speed it up! I have given up hope relying on existing batch.
Hi Gilbert,
Can you share about how to apply for PR/citizenship in Australia?
I also heard about the dual citizenship? Would it be possible for Singaporean to hold Aussie citizenship without dropping our Pink IC?
Personally I love to be here as it is where we were born. But as you said, I too find there are too many things goes wrong.
I am still young (<30) and but the sharing by your guys worrying. I too dont know what would happen to me and my family when I and my wife grow older. Would we be out of job, yet still have a family to support etc.
Mike, u can search for Australian immigration seminar n understand ur concern about the future of this country. I realized the reason given by my local fren not to change to a local citizenship. It seemed not only the A level student are leaving but also the poly graduates are leaving. If u noticed it, there seemed to b many moves by some govt leaders to encourage the locals to come back to stay. The problem of brain drain could b serious or else the govt will not be trying to intervene in this matter.
Wow, even though Aussie tax is high, so many singaporeans dropped the pink ic for aussie ic. must be great there! I heard their salaries also higher.
Auslands’s racial problem can be mitigated by having more asians migrate there. One by one, asians can bring in their relatives there and form a little singapore. I think already there are singaproeans living in a small community in ausland i suspect.
Give us the Wisdom to change what we can and accept what we cannot!
Life is Short! We Singaporean work so hard just to pay the HDB, ERP, GST!!!
Can’t imagine one can to die in Singapore! It is Very Expensive! Go Old fork also $2000 plus. Let do something before too late!
To me , being a Singaporean and serve NS already has lost it meaning!
Let all of us take Risk out there! We never go never know!
Believe will be more than 180,000 more out there!
44) Sulaiman KM Oli Mohd on July 1st, 2009 3.56 pm
”Auslands’s racial problem can be mitigated by having more asians migrate there”.
I think you mean that when asians are less in number, the society can have more discrimination right? I think so too. If Australia has more asians and asian new immigrants, the racial fabric there could change and lower the level of discrimination.
last time less certain race holding certain high post. if more of these hold high post?
last time less women ceo. now more.
change is always possible except when people consciously hold a mentality that change is not possible. a self-realised prophecy.
41) Mike
Can you see my post on no. 22? It will roughly answer your question. It is good also to apply young as you have more points under their visa assessment ssytem.
Regarding dual citizenship, frankly I am unsure as some people here say they have two passports whereas others have given up the Singaporean one so that they can withdraw their CPF money.
Sorry I cant help you with this question.
I find it quite laughable that in Spore Day in England, SAF also involved in sending their servicemen to show their latest equipment n at the same time explain the NS policy to those pre-enlistees n their parents.
we do have a choice :
Although we cannot Choose which Country to be Born in,
We can , however, Choose which Country to Migrate to.
We have a choice indeed.
Another Choice:
Change it to suit us.
There is a huge number of poly graduate coming to aussie study. Its true. It used to be poly graduates and A’level holder who can’t get into local uni.
Its getting worse. My gf’s cousin whom got 4 As also came over to get her degree. She could have easily gotten into any course in NTU or NUS. I think its the living experience oversea that makes pple wanna move out of sg.
From my surrounding, 10 of my sg friends studied here, 4-5 never went back. The pay is good, tax is high here. But not many know that there are even more tax rebates you can imagine possible here.
The working experience here is much relaxing compared to sg. My friend in sg works 7 to 7, I only work 8 to 5 each day (plus 1 day off every fortnight).
But there is something that pple doesn’t know. non-aussie will take double/thriple the time and effort to reach where an aussie can reach in 6 to 7 years. I think it works the other way round in sg as what my friends revealed.
Therefore, I am inclined to believe that singaporeans aren’t given more chance than non-singaporeans.
If you think australia can let you retire gracefully, I hope you can open your eyes when you come over here. The reason that you see their old can do that is because they are being supported by the youngs pple (seriously, in my opinion non-aussies). And these incentives are taken away bit by bit, year by year.
There is a major push to take out workers unions everywhere, but just lucky that Rudd gov reinstate Union power as a campaign freebie that made it possible for unions to survive.
In the future, life in australia might not be as bright as what you think it would be. From what I can observe asia will lead the economy in the future, so do let your children stay attached to asian culture and languages if you come over here.
Plan, save and invest are your best bet. Don’t depend on any gov, any country for safe heaven.
The World Biggest Economy and innovation is still in America. Even China and Indian Economy combined still less than $14 trillion US economy.
Though China Indian are going at exponential rate but American is still the Magnet of the World.
Capable People will go there!
Australia is a commodities base economy and when Asian growing, they will grow,
Singapore economy are losing as compare to the more innovative Korea and Taiwan though its per capital is high but middle class are suffering. Birth rate are declining and couple with aging populations, the worst is yet to be in 20 yrs time.
Think of the future! Do you want to die here!