[Term 3] Immigrants - Boon or Bane?

In an increasingly globalized society, one can hardly avoid interacting with immigrants in their life. For me, I have known many since young, from a Chinese immigrant during my kindergarten days to my non-native friends in RI. However, is this trend a boon or a bane? In my opinion, this is actually a good sign.

Immigrants, or what most like to term as foreigners, do constitute a significant percentage of Singapore's population, and in turn our labor force. And it is still increasing, from 248,000 foreigners in 1990 to 670,000 in 2006, showing the increasingly crucial role they play in contributing to Singapore's economy. Most immigrants are foreign workers, semi-skilled workers who work in Singapore's primary industries, such as construction and domestic maids. Others are expatriates, foreign talent brought into Singapore to sustain Singapore's skilled workforce, often offering new ideas and perspectives, creative thoughts that are integral in providing Singapore an edge to its competitors. Foreign talent are also a boon to Singapore in other ways, such as the recently concluded Beijing Olympics, where our Women's Table Tennis team consisted of only China-born players.

Immigrants also contribute to Singapore's melting pot of cultures, with fragments of their culture often being absorbed into Singaporean culture as they assimilate into Singaporean society. This can only be a good thing, as it diversifies our multicultural society, something unique to Singapore and also encouraged by the government. I must stress that the cultural differences between immigrants and Singaporeans will not be a problem to Singapore’s society, as one of the most fundamental tenets of the Singaporean society is the tolerance, sensitivity and willingness to accept others’ cultures, allowing all Singaporeans to integrate seamlessly, instead of causing irreconcilable differences.

With Singapore's falling birth rates, immigrants also serve to replenish our ageing population with young and fit individuals, who can contribute to Singapore's birth rate. Without these immigrants, Singapore would quickly be a replica of Japan - an ageing population, with a shrinking workforce supporting an expanding group of elderly. Replenishing our workforce, they also ensure that our economy is not affected, another boon for Singapore.

But most importantly, Singapore is inherently an immigrant society, mostly made up of immigrants or their descendants. Before the 17th century, Singapore was a small Malay fishing village, nearly uninhabited. Without immigrants to develop Singapore, it would not be what it is today - A thriving metropolis with a significant population. More importantly, Singapore's founder, Sir Stanford Raffles, was an immigrant himself, and without him, would Singapore be what is is today?

Thus, it is clear that immigrants are a boon to Singapore, and we must encourage this trend to continue.

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