By Maxie Aw Yeong and Cerelia Lim
In recent months, to be a foreigner in Singapore is to subject oneself to scrutiny.
Impassioned debate over the country’s immigration policies, stirred by a strong influx of foreign workers in recent years, has dominated media coverage and occupied policy makers.
Such public resentment is partly underpinned by an assumption that foreigners come to Singapore merely to compete with Singaporeans for jobs and places in schools.
But beneath the public hubbub, there are many foreigners who, like their Singaporean counterparts, contribute to the society they live in through volunteer work.
Anne Bergen-Aurand (left), an American who currently stays in Singapore, also enjoys the satisfaction of contributing to causes which she feels strongly about.
The 36-year-old, whose husband is a professor at the Nanyang Technological University, has worked with Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME), and Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2), volunteer groups that aid foreign workers in need.
When Bergen-Aurand first came to Singapore due to her husband’s work commitment, she met foreign workers who are abused and mistreated.
She said: “There must be some organisation that works with these problems. Thus, I found HOME and TWC2, which work closely together.”
“I was drawn to volunteering with HOME and TWC2 after learning the difficulties and injustice that some domestic workers face here,” said the 36-year-old, who previously worked at TWC2 as a fulltime staff member.
Of the many cases that she has worked on, Bergen-Aurand remembers a case in which a young Bangladeshi worker became unemployed only after a few months of work.
The money he earned was not enough to pay for the debt that he had incurred in borrowing to come to Singapore.
What the workers don’t realise, said Bergen-Aurand, is that the workers’ contracts can be terminated anytime and they can be repatriated immediately after the termination.
“We want to try to get MOM (Ministry of Manpower) to take a stand on this.”
Although no longer employed by the organisation, she continues to spend an average of eight to ten hours of her free time every week volunteering with TWC2.
For fellow expatriate Luke Diaz (right), it was a spirit of reciprocation that led him to volunteerism.
He currently devotes time to working with Team Hope, an organisation that aims to provide, through football, those in need with the strength and discipline to stand on their feet again.
“I enjoy living in this country and feel that I should give something back,” said the 31-year-old, who works full-time as general manager at the Football Passion soccer academy.
Some foreign students too are actively involved in volunteer work. Nitish Ramkumar, an undergraduate at the Nanyang Technological University who had been involved in charity work back in Chennai, India, continues volunteering in Singapore at the NTU Welfare Services Club.
There is almost no difference in volunteering here and in India, he explained, adding that he feels the same sense of satisfaction when participating in volunteer work here.
“Other than not having the liberty of speaking in my mother tongue, volunteering here is still the same as back in my hometown,” the 19-year-old said.
“It is just the happiness that comes with helping people; it’s not like we’re paid,” he said.
With the sense of belonging that foreigners feel, they will be willing to contribute to Singapore’s society, should there be good opportunities to do so.
Bergen-Aurand echoed this sentiment: “This is where I live – this is my community now.”
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Picture of Luke from Football Passion
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You missed the point, Harry.
@Harry
Nobody denies their contribution to Singapore. It is about giving Singaporeans 1st to do jobs that foreigners do for lesser wages. Give the fact that most male Singaporeans have served their country in NS, I think they deserve the jobs more just based on this fact. Foreigners, well, their motives will always be dubious cos THEY are foreigners who can move out at their whim, unlike Singaporeans who will probably spend the rest of their lives here.
People like Harry simply loves to rubbishize the contribution of those that have done NS. They think 2.5 + 13 years is just like crossing the road, matter-of-factly, no opportunity costs involved, no pain. Perhaps our servicemen have all along been paid so lowly for those years that a mentality has grown that they can be taken for granted. That society only owe them cheap labour wages, and it is only out of kindness of heart that they are paid.
His line of argument is very interesting… and very flawed. Firstly, it is always the attempt to mislead everyone that it is a ”Singaporeans vs Foreigners” issue. GET INTO YOUR STUPID HEAD, it is about Singaporeans vs the govt policies.
Secondly, are the Nazis a major part of Anne Frank’s diary; do they contribute significantly to the storyline? After all without their atrocities, there wouldn’t a diary right? So, Harry gives praise to the Nazis!!!
What Harry’s is trying to say subtly is that Singaporean males should instead say: “I have done NS and Singapore don’t owe me a living.” Small wonder a f******* idiot of a minister can ask us to be cheaper, better, faster! Club of morons.
that gives you a job to the foreign customer that buys what you produce. They are all part of Singapore’s success.
wow! singapoor is the ONLEE country to manufacture products that onLEE a foreigner can afford to buy…than again harry is right..singapooriums are too damn poor..beside being unemployed…
I am not missing the point, quite the contrary. Some people are so blinded by their obsession/hate of foreigners that they miss the genuine acts of kindness that these foreigners could commit. Theforgottengeneration compares foreigners with nazis now… What more is there to say?
Like I mentioned before, foreigners here should go home and do something for their own people. For example, there are many rich foreign Indians living here. Why don’t they go back to India and fix the power outage problem, water shortage problem, dirty streets problem, lack of proper toilet problem, traffic jam problem, rampant corruption problem, million homeless and poor problem, housing slum problem, etc, etc?
Or are these foreigners only interested in leeching and milking the Singapore system for their own benefit ?
Who need them for more, Singaporean society or their own country ??
i rest my case.
To Harry,
What you’re saying is similar to HDB’s claim that flats are “affordable”; the people want to know the cost (cause) and HDB to fulfill it’s “OBLIGATIONS” of public housing.
Didn’t realize there are people who are still stuck on this subject.
1. The article is about Foreigners giving back to society via Social Work
2. It is not about Foreigners giving back to society via their contribution to Singapore’s growth
Using Harry’s (Harry Mar 2, 2010 12:57) example of a Foreign Worker (Foreigners are an integral part of Singapore’s society, whether you like it or not. From the workers who built your roads and HDBs to the maid who cleans your house and takes care of your kids to the foreign companies that gives you a job to the foreign customer that buys what you produce. They are all part of Singapore’s success.)
You have missed the point. It is the companies that brought in the Foreign Workers (FW) that are part of Singapore’s success; the companies tendered for the projects, negotiated prices for supplies, watch over costs and so on, the FWs did not do all of those.
The FWs are there to plug in the jobs that the locals don’t wish to do. And the companies will always find innovative ways to find new sources of cheaper labour; instead of finding ways to innovate and redesign the jobs or increasing the wages of Singaporeans in tandem with the rising cost of living.
If you had mentioned about Foreign Talents that started or run companies that benefit to Singapore’s growth. I will not argue with you. People like Mr Bernie Utchenik of Botak Jones and Mr Jim Rogers of Quantum Fund do contribute to our Economic Growth.
But is saying that, they have yet to contribute to our Society by way of Social Work, which the above opinion piece was about. A better example than Ms Anne Bergen-Aurand is Ms Sarah Mavrinac of Aidha who initially started the organisation to help maids but now has expanded to help the locals also. But such Foreigners who help our society as a whole via Social Work are very very few.
And please don’t belittle our NS contributions. Men have died serving their country as a National Serviceman. I for one, have contributed my part in Timor Leste, and the Christmas Tsunami. The training we go through, are simulated as real as possible to actual warfare, and accidents and death do occur during such excercises.
Will the FWs/FTs stay to fight alongside of us if we go to war? I don’t think so.
By the way, Singapore IS at War. We have boys (and girls) in Afghanistan and Iraq to support the coalition troops there; NSmen and Regulars.
So, please don’t belittle or contributions to NS.
I am ready for the idea of singapore being the first colony of PRC .At least their old and retired gets pensions.
@Harry, Mar 3, 2010 8:51
“…Theforgottengeneration compares foreigners with nazis now… What more is there to say?…”
First this person is confused of the sore point(s) Singaporeans are having about so many foreigners here. Then NS is like no big deal (like our National Pledge). Now can’t even tell a metaphor of his earlier logic & thinks the message is to equal foreigners with Nazis. By this reasoning, Singaporeans must be Anne Frank!?!
Agreed, what more is there to say….? I believe the NS/army jargon for this is BF.
@Dumb and dumber, Mar 3, 2010 11:19
Yeah right, MBT and HDB are other examples of BF’s (as in sotongs) about affordability issue……
@Incredulous
SAF sends troops over to those places because Singapore is an obedient lackey, ahem, partner of USA. It’ll be a cold day in hell if the SG govt grows a pair like Japan’s Hatoyama and asks the American troops to GTFO of Okinawa.
Nothing to shout about, it’s just business as usual in the defence industry.
Back to topic: no one begrudges foreigners worth their salt coming to Singapore to work and live. The fact is: right now, in 2010, more than one third of the population in SG are foreigners. The island is merely 700sq km. Ever considered how the born and bred SG citizens feel about being crowded out and squeezed like sardines in their very own country?
The PAP govt gives out PRs to foreigners like candies to children on Children’s Day. I known some foreigners who got their blue card within two years of arriving and working in Singapore. No application needed, the authorities will, without prompting, send a ‘PR invitation letter’ to that foreigner.
6+ million population, massive influx of foreigners, call to raise productivity etc. It should be crystal clear even to the most obtuse that the PAP govt only cares about economic growth at all costs, and you are merely a cog in the machinery, a digit, a tool for that objective.
@WTF
Sure, criticize the policies — all nations send “help” or assistance overseas as a political statement one way or other. Like S’pore (officially) only provided 50K for Haiti but was one of first to fly in teams into China and Indonesia (not sure status on Chile). But don’t think it is strictly due to the US; afterall we are under Dutch control in Afghan., right? So, are Dutch also a lackey for US? What about Malaysia and at least a dozen other countries with some sort of presence there?
Whatever the policies, let no one criticize our service personnel as yet. I think some people herein is like the anti-Vietnam/Peace Movement during 1960/70s’. Screaming baby-killers but not doing any of the real ground fighting. They belittled the servicemen who were simply doing their duties in an unpopular war. So it is in SIngapore now — trying to make bad policies into a Singaporeans vs Foreigners issue.
As such, I am in agreement with your later points.
Yeah u r right, dumb and dumber.
I think we should not blame foreigners for everything. I mean if you were from a village in Myanmar you would jump at a chance to come and work slave like wages in a place where at the very least you know you would not get dragged out of your bed and tortured for the fun of it because some general had a bad day.
What we should question is why the government thinks it’s necessary to roll out the red carpet for foreigners. I mean if you look at things this way the main argument here is: “Foreigners bring in skills that locals do not have.”
So instead of focusing our anger on the foreigners, shouldn’t we be focusing it on why we need them so much as the government claims we do. I think if you were to ask questions like, “Why don’t Singaporeans have the skills to do the jobs we need the foreigners to do,” you’ll find that the government would be in a rather embarrassing position.
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