SINGAPORE: In a social media post on Wednesday (Jan 7), the Workers’ Party’s (WP) Jamus Lim weighed in on the topic of immigrants and immigration, a key issue for Singapore, as with many developed countries.
Assoc Prof Lim, who has been representing Sengkang in Parliament since 2020, wrote that in the course of speaking with residents from Anchorvale, the ward he oversees, during recent house visits, a particular conversation stood out to him.
A family that invited the Member of Parliament (MP) and his team spoke about the struggles they face in their workplace, including challenges with colleagues from overseas who “brought their own workplace cultures,” which has given rise to cliques being formed, expectations about working hours, and the bosses’ treatment of staff.
This led to the residents being “made to feel like a foreigner in their own country.”
Assoc Prof Lim wrote that while Singapore was “born as an immigrant nation,” and that he believes that “on balance, immigration has made our economy and society better than they otherwise would be,” although many who come to Singapore embrace the country’s values and want to make it their home, there are others who do not.
He went on to share that during his time of working in the Middle East, he observed that there were other expats who “treated the place like an ATM—a source of income, but not somewhere to grow roots in,” an attitude he felt was untenable.
“If we choose to ignore the realities of what’s happening, we run the risk of diluting an important contributor to what’s made us successful as a nation: the strength of our kampong spirit and Singapore pride, which enable disparate peoples to row in the same direction. It is an intangible superpower, and one that we must not give up easily,” he added.
Assoc Prof Lim on CECA
A few years ago, the MP also weighed in on CECA, the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement between India and Singapore, meant to strengthen bilateral trade. Some Singaporeans have expressed dissatisfaction with the agreement, primarily over worries about job competition and fears of displacement.
He wrote that he did not assess the economics of the CECA agreement “through the lens of ethnic or national differences,” nor did he endorse “any hijacking of this conversation that traffics in bigotry, intolerance, parochialism, or xenophobia.”
Rather, he underlined that he, along with the WP, “believes that our engagement with globalisation must be balanced by inclusivity and social harmony.” /TISG
Read also: Jamus Lim brings his little girl along on residents’ trip to Hokkaido
