SINGAPORE - Singaporeans, by and large, hailed Prime Minister Lee
Hsien Loong's National Day Rally speech, calling it a timely and
compassionate wake-up call on what it means to call the country home.
They praised his bold vision in tackling Singapore's declining birth
rate by creating a conducive workplace environment; and highlighted his
candour in pointing out the double standards faced by foreigners here.
Lawyer Terence Yeo, 37, is all for the idea of paternity leave - part
of a slew of measures which Mr Lee said the Government is considering.
It may help spur him and his wife, Ms Michele Lee, 38, who is head of
operations in a human- resource consultancy, to have more kids, he
said. The couple have a six-year-old son.
"It would encourage my wife because I would be able to help around more, without work concerns," he added.
In his speech, Mr Lee cited a recent New York Times article as
damaging to Singapore's reputation, as it causes others to view the
country as xenophobic.
When a foreigner says or does something wrong, the response is
vitriolic, but bad Singaporean behaviour often goes uncriticised, and a
good deed by a foreigner often goes unnoticed, he said.
National badminton player Fu Mingtian, who is the reigning Singapore
Sportswoman of the Year, told my paper it "wasn't easy understanding and
speaking English" at first. But she felt she was fortunate to have
multiracial teammates to interact with.
"I'm lucky I didn't get teased too much when I spoke English. Many of
my teammates even helped me to improve my English," said the
22-year-old, who was born in Hubei, China.
Regional supply-chain manager Anna Chua, 43, who works with
foreigners, noted that while differences between Singaporeans and
foreigners exist, "it's about how we embrace all those differences and
come to a mutual understanding".
Whether a foreigner comes across as different boils down to his individual personality, she said.
In a Facebook post yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman
Shanmugaratnam called on Singaporeans to "keep our gracious and open
spirit".
The vitriol towards foreigners, especially in online discussions, is quite out of the Singaporean character, he observed.
"Bad behaviour by a small number of foreigners does not justify
spiteful comment about foreigners in general, or all foreigners of a
particular race. It does no one good," he wrote.
Others commended the Government's pledge to invest in pre-school education.
Ms Adeline Sim, 32, a legal counsel, applauded the move, as it will
ensure that children will be adequately prepared for Primary 1. The
mother of two young children said: "Kids at that age are like sponges
and their ability to learn even surpasses (that of) adults."
Mr Chan Tee Seng, chief executive of NTUC First Campus, which runs
childcare centres, said the new statutory board set up to oversee the
sector will mean "a single, harmonised regulatory regime" for childcare
centres and kindergartens.
Speaking at NTUC's National Day Observance Ceremony yesterday, Mr Lim
Swee Say, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and labour chief,
stressed the need for better social integration of foreign workers.
Employers must commit to attracting more Singaporeans but, at the
same time, Singaporeans should regard foreign workers as friends and not
enemies, he said, adding: "It's better for them to compete for
Singapore than for them to compete against us."
On concerns of insufficient suitable jobs in the wake of plans to
increase university places, Mr Lim said it is important to "turn the
manpower of Singapore into a core competitive advantage".
This will attract overseas investment and create more demand for quality employees, he noted.
