PAP MPs admit that ethnic enclaves have emerged in the HDB h
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January 29, 2010 - Temasek Review
PAP MPs admit that ethnic enclaves have emerged in the HDB heartland
Written by Our Correspondent
The Housing Development Board (HDB) announced lately that it is now considering introducing a separate ethnic quota for permanent residents to prevent them from forming enclaves in public housing estates.
However, it is too late as judging from the feedback from some PAP MPs, ethnic enclaves may already have emerged in the HDB heartlands.
In an interview with the Straits Times, MP Lim Wee Kiat from Sembawang GRC related a notice he saw pasted on a wall in his Canberra ward written entirely in Burmese.
It was from a real estate agent offering his services solely to Myanmar permanent residents (PRs) looking for flats in Sembawang.
He said there are some floors of HDB blocks in his ward where more than half the residents are foreign.
“They are a mix of nationalities. So although there is no ‘ethnic’ enclave as such, there is a high concentration of foreigners ‘to the point where Singaporeans feel threatened and become a minority. When that happens, then it becomes an issue,” he added.
Another MP Ho Geok Choo recalled a visitor describing her Boon Lay ward as being so cosmopolitan that it felt like being overseas. She felt imposing an ethnic quota will “make it more difficult for PRs to artificially inflate prices in certain areas by all snapping up flats there.”
“It would also assuage the concern of those Singaporeans who feel besieged in their neighbourhood by new sights and smells. On her house visits, every block throws up at least two or three Singaporeans who voice their concerns about this,” she was quoted as saying in the Straits Times.
Due to the ruling party’s liberal immigration policies, foreigners now make up 36 per cent of Singapore’s population, up from 14 per cent in 1990. Of the remaining 64 per cent who are citizens, an increasing number are born overseas.
Foreigners are now ubiquitous everywhere in Singapore. Besides Sembawang and Boon Lay, ethnic enclaves have emerged in Geylang, Changi, Sengkang, Tampines and Jurong as well.
It is no exaggeration to say that one can find Chinese from almost all the 23 provinces of China congregated in Geylang or Indians from across the Indian subcontinent in Sengkang.
While PRs make up “only” 5 per cent of the buyers of resale flats, many of them rent HDB flats which are not subjected to the ethnic quota.
The root cause of the problem lies in the relentless influx of foreigners into Singapore which shows no signs of abating despite recent promises by PAP leaders to “moderate” and “slow” the inflow.
At the rate the PAP is “mass-importing” foreigners into Singapore, we may soon find little Hunans, Liaonings, Yangons, Dhakas and Delhis emerging all across the island and it will be Singaporeans who need to “integrate” themselves into a new Singapore dominated by these newcomers instead of the other way round.
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whats wrong with having ethnic enclaves ?
Holland Village and other middle-upper class residential areas also got foreign ethnic enclaves for the longest time, why nobardie complain ?
Why must Singaporean feel intimidated ? Must we intimidate the foreigners in order to feel good about ourselves ?
Are Singaporean so racists ?
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The racial quota policy is the most ill conceived and embarrassing housing rule in the history of Singapore.
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Probably the ruling party is trying to prevent riot from these foreigners
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Originally posted by Fantagf:
Probably the ruling party is trying to prevent riot from these foreigners
REALLY ?
Keep them separated in TINY Singapore is gonna prevent rioting ? Wow.. biggest joke in human history.
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only burmese???is there a racial thing in spore??
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ETHNIC ENCLAVES BY FOREIGNERS???THEY BROUGHT THE FOREIGNERS IN!!!!NOW THEY SOLVE THEM!
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I find nothing wrong with it.
In fact my area also gonna influx with China, Korea, Ang mo.
If they behave themselves, it should be ok.
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The gathering of workers infront of MOM and some at company's offices by some ethnic groups of foreign workers to show and voice their grievances with regards to their salaries may have prompted the gov to act.
It sound and look "stupid" as some of us believe but it's a time bomb ticking when this is not sort out properly and now as their population is growing and growing fast.
These people think that the way of lives is the same as that of the country they came from where demonstrations and protests as a way to get their messages across and these might turn ugly and even bloodshed which in Singapore will not to be tolerated.
Hope that those who's against this pray that the ugly scenario will not come about and affect them or their future generations if the gov do not act on this now.
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Originally posted by jojobeach:
REALLY ?
Keep them separated in TINY Singapore is gonna prevent rioting ? Wow.. biggest joke in human history.
Whatever, such decision is not made by the people of Singapore. The old heck and gang are taking precaution, so ks ks about it. They fear the foreigners will create problems later if they don't do anything about it. -
Originally posted by Tsh2005:
The gathering of workers infront of MOM and some at company's offices by some ethnic groups of foreign workers to show and voice their grievances with regards to their salaries may have prompted the gov to act.
It sound and look "stupid" as some of us believe but it's a time bomb ticking when this is not sort out properly and now as their population is growing and growing fast.
These people think that the way of lives is the same as that of the country they came from where demonstrations and protests as a way to get their messages across and these might turn ugly and even bloodshed which in Singapore will not to be tolerated.
Hope that those who's against this pray that the ugly scenario will not come about and affect them or their future generations if the gov do not act on this now.
Precisely.
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the real reason why they brough in foreign workers ws to prevent riots and strikes!!now the riots n strikes happen at their own front office doors of government building! l
what a big laugh!
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Originally posted by laurence82 father:
the real reason why they brough in foreign workers ws to prevent riots and strikes!!now the riots n strikes happen at their own front office doors of government building! l
what a big laugh!
No lah, economic considerations (cheap labour, collecting levies) trumped every other considerations (social stability) when they decided to open the floodgates.
All just to increase the GDP of the country in which their salaries are tied to.
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Originally posted by Tsh2005:
Hope that those who's against this pray that the ugly scenario will not come about and affect them or their future generations if the gov do not act on this now.
It's a disingenuous to assume that enclaves will result in violent protests.
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Arh....are we talking about blue collar or white collar foreigners working in spore? 2 different scenerio.
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Originally posted by jojobeach:
whats wrong with having ethnic enclaves ?
Holland Village and other middle-upper class residential areas also got foreign ethnic enclaves for the longest time, why nobardie complain ?
Why must Singaporean feel intimidated ? Must we intimidate the foreigners in order to feel good about ourselves ?
Are Singaporean so racists ?
yalor, last time, i want to walk nake in my joo chiat place, they dun approve it...damn, why must singaporean feel intimidated by other people business...they go on with their business, we go on with ours. Nothing wrong ya. -
Originally posted by laurence82 father:
the real reason why they brough in foreign workers ws to prevent riots and strikes!!now the riots n strikes happen at their own front office doors of government building! l
what a big laugh!
throw one spider into yr mouth when you laugh big -
Originally posted by angel7030:
yalor, last time, i want to walk nake in my joo chiat place, they dun approve it...damn, why must singaporean feel intimidated by other people business...they go on with their business, we go on with ours. Nothing wrong ya.
You walk naked? -
for art mah, cannot meh?? holland village also have mah
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Originally posted by angel7030:
for art mah, cannot meh?? holland village also have mah
You are a lady, all horny man will be waiting for you. -
oh, forget that Singaporeans have no artistic gene in them. Autistic maybe
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Originally posted by angel7030:
oh, forget that Singaporeans have no artistic gene in them. Autistic maybe
Lady shouldnt walk naked in the public lah.Here is asian country not western.
But if you want to walk naked, also can, inform me. I cover for you.
Ok?
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Originally posted by likeyou:
Lady shouldnt walk naked in the public lah.Here is asian country not western.
But if you want to walk naked, also can, inform me. I cover for you.
Ok?
You?? i may get raped. -
Why don't they filter the "type" of people coming in?
In terms of how much they can contribute to our society, their intelligence level, and even physical appearances, etc.?
Shouldn't there be an "integration" period before they are allow to apply for citizenship?
If they didn't serve NS they should also pay higher tax and rebate to the guys who have to sacrifice 2-2.5 years of their career + all that reservice they had to do.
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angel7030,
u walk naked n they stopped u???tells me its time u need to go for plastic surgery!maybe your sausage is too revealing or breasts isnt big enough or worse...dun look like gal in av but look more like arnold schwarzeneggar!
me knows u yearn to be a g a fake gal just like the acid guy who also sports a chiobu gal picture.he actually is a guy unfortunately...why u guys put a chiobu gal pix in av is beyond any normal guys comprehension.