To a certain extent, we agree that Singaporeans migrating to other countries is deemed as disloyal. Being in a country where you were born and raised and leaving it to migrate to another country, cutting off all ties which you have built for several years. This seems to be abandoning Singapore without contributing much, let alone returning anything which Singapore has done for or given you.
So, what are the reasons for Singaporeans leaving Singapore then?
Firstly, it might be due to the increasing competition and stress level due to the increase of foreign talents coming in to Singapore. The government has been recruiting foreign talents to boost the economy and at the same time, to make up for the aging population that is starting to happen here, but the people think otherwise that these so-called foreign talents are snatching their 'rice bowls', hence creating these high-level stress.
Secondly, life in Singapore may seem too standardized and repetitive to them, doing the same things over and over again. For example, a typical life of an average Singaporean working adult will be waking up early in the morning, go to work and come back home. This cycle continues until they reached their retirement age, therefore it is not surprising to hear some Singaporeans complaining about their dull life. And thus, some Singaporeans can’t help but consider looking abroad in search of a more relaxed or interesting lifestyle compared to the hectic and monotonous lifestyle in Singapore.
The third reason why they might want to migrate is for the sake of their children's future. The education system in Singapore does not promote creativity and critical thinking skills as actively as schools in other countries especially in western countries. Schools in these western countries focus more on practical skills, providing more hands-on experience through projects and classroom participations which takes up majority of the grades of a student. This is, on the other hand, the opposite of the education system in Singapore where student’s grades are mainly made up of examinations and tests of their ‘memorising skill’ of the contents in textbooks. This is why most of the parents who migrated overseas feel that overseas education could benefit their children even more.
However, we cannot say that Singaporeans who are living overseas are disloyal. One good example is during National Day, Singapore set up a website for Singaporeans living overseas to watch our live parade broadcast online and the response was very overwhelming. This shows that Singaporeans living overseas are in fact still having some feeling left for Singapore, their homeland. If not, they may not even access the website to watch the National Day Parade live broadcast.
In addition, the Singapore education system was also as good as any other countries such as America or Europe and some education systems from other countries were not as good as Singapore's. It is said that a secondary four student in Singapore can be compared as a pre-university student in America. This shows that the quality of Singapore’s education is on par or better than other countries’.
Moreover, schools in Singapore also educate students on national education which teaches them about racial harmony, national loyalty and sense of belonging to the country. This inculcates a sense of belonging and loyalty and students are able to be tolerant of people from other races and cultures, allowing Singaporeans to live in a peaceful country without conflicts. This is different from other countries where these countries either have internal conflicts such as racial riots and demonstrations or a high crime rate making it rather an unsafe place to stay in. Also, when a good education is provided, it means that there will be more job opportunities which lead to a good and bright future. It is not always true that the grass is greener on the other side.
In conclusion, we feel that it is wrong to say that all Singaporeans who migrated overseas are disloyal, as some still retain their sense of belonging to the country and show their loyalty in one way or another even after migration. We also think that it is their own personal choices to migrate as they hope for a better life which other countries might offer something which Singapore may not have.
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1 comment:
Re: Singaporeans who quit the country and migrate overseas are disloyal.
By: Nadiah Salim
Group: ROSE among THORNS
Loyalty is to pledge allegiance, to be faithful to one's country and and carry out its obligations. But one cannot deny this straight fact. Loyalty is of an individual. He or she chose to be loyal to one, he will be. If one does not want to be loyal to any, to be own man, it is definitely his choice. There are never rules stating that one must pledge allegiance with ones country or any other thing unless he or she is the one who chose to.
I don't agree with the point where life in Singapore is too standardized and repetitive life where they do the same things all over and over again. Let us imagine somewhere in another side of the world where a man who works, straight goes back home after work, rest at home and the cycle repeats everyday for the whole of his life. Isn't that the same thing that is happening in Singapore? We may not realise and think for the moment but everywhere else in other countries, the same problem still arises and that the cycle continues. These countries face the same problem.
What goes around comes around. Though some quit the country and migrate overseas, foreigners who face the same problem comes to Singapore to build a new life here in the hope that their life would be much better and that they can have a better future.
It is all in the head. One can only give the excuse that changing environment would help with coping better. All they need is just change of perspective and all will be fine.
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