A few days ago, I commented on “Dairy of a Singaporean Mind” although many rich foreigners may have come here to Singapore invest, buy a house and get Singapore PR, they do not stay long.
I was responding to an anonymous post that said,
“So many foreign rich come here to invest, stay or become citizen. These include even film stars and kongfu actors. Also on the other end the poorer foreigners are also welcome for being cheaper labour. So the Gini index will of course widen further.But the country will continue to be stable. This is very important and hence even more rich and poor”
I disagree with the comment and responded by saying that Singapore have seen some of our foreign PR soccer players who have went back to their homeland once their playing career are over. Also some foreigners may have gotten Singaporean PR but they got it, they spent more time outside Singapore than in Singapore.
So when I read on the internet that Chinese action star Jet Li has taken up Singapore citizenship and bought a property in Singapore worth nearly $20 million, I feel I have to put my 2 cents in on this. Jet Li seem to be following in the footsteps of Gong Li, who became a Singapore citizen last year. These foreign PR are the main reason why the Singapore property market hasn’t really suffered even though Singapore is in the midst of a recession. However is it really all good for Singapore to have all these PR who get citizenship and then leave the country immediately?
Li has taken up Singapore citizenship and bought a property in Singapore, but how much time will he be spending in Singapore? Will he (like many others) get the IC and then spend more time in China and Hong Kong than in Singapore? I don’t know about you but I am very uncomfortable about Singapore selling our citizenship like this. Spend money, buy property, invest in Singapore, and you can get Singapore citizenship. How about some rules on the amount of time they have to spend in Singapore?
I know of a Malaysian friend who had to wait years to get his Singapore PR, this is even though he was living in Singapore since his secondary school days. I disagree with how long he had to wait to get his Singapore PR, but I’m even more against foreigners who get their PR just because they have enough money to buy a property in Singapore.
I remember a few years ago the Singapore government was talking about forging a Singapore identity; maybe they should look into that again because it’s hard to forge a Singapore identity when Singapore citizens buy a property in Singapore and then disappear to another country for months on end.
What Singapore identity can be forge from that?
6 comments:
Singapore = CASH
So when the government talks about forging the Singapore identity, its actually saying: Got cash, got identity. Get it?
Sad but money-crazy Singaporeans? Heard that one so many times it got to be true
they will probably tell you...that's only a few cases, let's not blow out of proportion.
they make use of us, we make use of them blah blah blah
singapore identity?
the rich will have one type of identity, the poor will have another type of identity.
there is no unifying identity it seems
if you are happy, plenty of identity. if you are not happy, plenty of disunity.
so, be as happy as a puppy dog wagging tail and create your own little tales to tell your grand children before you have your powder scattered to the wind on pasir panjang hill
Singapore is a creation of LKY. And Singaporeans, local born or otherwise, are servants of this image. And that is closest to an identity I can think of.
And as this identity was not a natural spontaneous one, something molded by the sum total of who we are, in all its diversity and differences, and the things we think, say and do, but rather imposed upon and held together by the very strong will of a man, it will come apart when the man is no more.
That will be the next interesting chapter in the story of Singapore that is yet to be.
There are many Singaporeans who wonder about how Singapore will survive after the death of a great man like LKY. In my view this is even more reason to make sure we have a Singapore Identity NOW. Something beyond how much you have to invest in Singapore
i have heard about this PR thing in singapore but i dont seem to know where to confirm it, i have been to singapore more than twice, stayed in sentosa island and some nice hotels in orchard road, i live in dubai and i quite agree that singapore is one of the most beautiful countries u will like to live in, do anyone know where i can invest my money to get the PR, I AM INTERESTED PLS MAIL ME hugoranks@yahoo.com
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