AS Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong noted during a recent parliamentary debate, about 2,000 people are leaving the country for good every year. Data from the Ministry of Manpower show that about 150,000 Singaporeans are now living abroad indefinitely.
Apparently, the emigration of Singaporeans has yet to receive widespread attention. This will become a serious problem as the population is turning grey and the birth rate is falling below the replacement level.
Many of our early emigrants in Europe, America and Oceania ended up running restaurants or laundry-shops, or doing other menial work. Now, in changed times, it is those well-equipped people who leave and make their homes in other lands. They are all well-trained and skilled, though not necessarily the best in their professions or trades. This is, without doubt, a drain of talent from Singapore.
Why do so many choose to leave their country？ The reasons include disappointment with their milieux or jobs, sour relations with their bosses or colleagues, failure to get promotion after working for years, a broken family or marriage, or just a desire to leave this island and see the world.
The reasons aside, what merits our concern is —— how many of those 150,000 overseas Singaporeans still opt to keep their citizenship, and whether those still in two minds will return eventually.
Perhaps ours is a rather selfish desire： we hope qualified and talented people from abroad will come to work and settle down in Singapore while, for emotional reasons, we hate to see our own leave for other countries.
Emigration is more than a light-hearted tour of sightseeing abroad. Relatives and friends, both those leaving and those left behind, feel sad about the separation. Unless one has no choice but to leave for good, it is desirable to cling to the bosom of our motherland.
A friend of mine told me he had planned to emigrate like most of his brothers, but his mother threatened to jump to her death from a tall building if he insisted. At last the son had to give up the idea.
Though an isolated case, this shows that a decision to emigrate requires much deliberation as it affects how the extended family will fare later on.
Our country's missions and other bodies abroad should help attract emigrant Singaporeans back home by maintaining close ties with them and keeping them posted on developments at home.
Traditional festivals, like the various New Year's Days of Singapore's several races, the Moon Cake Festival, Deepavali, Hari Raya and Christmas, are good occasions for get-together with overseas Singaporeans. By celebrating together, we can keep them close in a shared yearning for the homeland. This may bring them back home again.
Translated by Allen Zhuang
你非走不可嗎？
國(guó)會(huì)最近辯論總統(tǒng)施政方針時(shí),吳總理曾經(jīng)提到每年大約有2000人收拾行李,移居到外國(guó)。根據(jù)人力部的資料,目前大約有15萬(wàn)新加坡人長(zhǎng)期住在外國(guó)。
有關(guān)國(guó)人移居海外的問(wèn)題,似乎未受到各方面特別的關(guān)注,不過(guò),隨著人口老化越來(lái)越顯著,嬰孩出生率又沒(méi)有達(dá)到理想的目標(biāo),這將成為嚴(yán)重的問(wèn)題。
早年,有不少移居到歐美、大洋洲或其他國(guó)家者,都是開(kāi)餐館、洗衣店、干粗活等,然而,時(shí)代已經(jīng)不同了,能夠收拾包袱,遠(yuǎn)走他鄉(xiāng)者,非有一定的本領(lǐng)不可,所謂“沒(méi)有三兩三,不敢上梁山”。換句話說(shuō),近年來(lái)移居到外國(guó)者,雖不完全都是各行各業(yè)頂尖的人才,但至少他們都有一技之長(zhǎng),長(zhǎng)遠(yuǎn)來(lái)看,無(wú)疑是人才的流失。
為什么有這么多人要離開(kāi)祖國(guó)？因?yàn)椴粷M現(xiàn)狀、工作不如意、與雇主與同事不合、在職已久但沒(méi)有獲得擢升、家庭不和、婚姻破裂、或者是想離開(kāi)島國(guó),到外面去看看世界……。
要走的人,肯定有他的原因,我們所關(guān)心的是,這15萬(wàn)人之中,有多少已經(jīng)完全放棄了國(guó)籍,又有多少還保留公民權(quán),而那些一腳踏兩條船者會(huì)回流嗎？
也許,這是比較自私的要求,我們希望海外各國(guó)有良好素質(zhì)的人才,前來(lái)工作和定居,但基于牽系對(duì)同胞的情結(jié),我們卻不愿看到他們“離家出走”。因?yàn)榈降撞幌癯鰢?guó)旅游觀光那樣輕松自在,移居他國(guó),是提著行李箱,又背著充滿傷感離愁的親情與友情包袱,留下來(lái)的和走的人,都是“受傷者”。如果不是到了非走不可,那就請(qǐng)繼續(xù)靠緊祖國(guó)溫暖的懷抱吧！
有一位朋友說(shuō),兄弟大多數(shù)已移居,他也表示有意離開(kāi)新加坡,但他的高齡老母卻以“死諫”為要挾：如果他移居,她就從高樓跳下來(lái),那位朋友,只好打消念頭。
這也許是特殊個(gè)案,但可見(jiàn)個(gè)別或舉家移居,所涉及的是家庭和前途,必須經(jīng)過(guò)深思熟慮。
有關(guān)吸引移居海外的新加坡人回流,參與促進(jìn)國(guó)家繁榮進(jìn)步的各項(xiàng)硬件與軟件建設(shè)工程,我國(guó)設(shè)在世界各國(guó)的大使館、領(lǐng)事館、商業(yè)辦事處等有關(guān)團(tuán)體,應(yīng)該扮演積極的角色,加強(qiáng)和移居各國(guó)的新加坡人保持更密切的聯(lián)絡(luò)與接觸,把國(guó)內(nèi)各項(xiàng)發(fā)展的實(shí)況傳達(dá)給他們。
同時(shí)通過(guò)新加坡各民族的新年、傳統(tǒng)節(jié)日如中秋節(jié)、大寶森節(jié)、哈芝節(jié)、圣誕節(jié)等,和在海外的新加坡各族群人士,同歡共樂(lè),促進(jìn)感情交流,激發(fā)他們對(duì)祖國(guó)思念情懷和歸屬感,人在海外、心在祖國(guó),甚至重回祖國(guó)懷抱。
Apparently, the emigration of Singaporeans has yet to receive widespread attention. This will become a serious problem as the population is turning grey and the birth rate is falling below the replacement level.
Many of our early emigrants in Europe, America and Oceania ended up running restaurants or laundry-shops, or doing other menial work. Now, in changed times, it is those well-equipped people who leave and make their homes in other lands. They are all well-trained and skilled, though not necessarily the best in their professions or trades. This is, without doubt, a drain of talent from Singapore.
Why do so many choose to leave their country？ The reasons include disappointment with their milieux or jobs, sour relations with their bosses or colleagues, failure to get promotion after working for years, a broken family or marriage, or just a desire to leave this island and see the world.
The reasons aside, what merits our concern is —— how many of those 150,000 overseas Singaporeans still opt to keep their citizenship, and whether those still in two minds will return eventually.
Perhaps ours is a rather selfish desire： we hope qualified and talented people from abroad will come to work and settle down in Singapore while, for emotional reasons, we hate to see our own leave for other countries.
Emigration is more than a light-hearted tour of sightseeing abroad. Relatives and friends, both those leaving and those left behind, feel sad about the separation. Unless one has no choice but to leave for good, it is desirable to cling to the bosom of our motherland.
A friend of mine told me he had planned to emigrate like most of his brothers, but his mother threatened to jump to her death from a tall building if he insisted. At last the son had to give up the idea.
Though an isolated case, this shows that a decision to emigrate requires much deliberation as it affects how the extended family will fare later on.
Our country's missions and other bodies abroad should help attract emigrant Singaporeans back home by maintaining close ties with them and keeping them posted on developments at home.
Traditional festivals, like the various New Year's Days of Singapore's several races, the Moon Cake Festival, Deepavali, Hari Raya and Christmas, are good occasions for get-together with overseas Singaporeans. By celebrating together, we can keep them close in a shared yearning for the homeland. This may bring them back home again.
Translated by Allen Zhuang
你非走不可嗎？
國(guó)會(huì)最近辯論總統(tǒng)施政方針時(shí),吳總理曾經(jīng)提到每年大約有2000人收拾行李,移居到外國(guó)。根據(jù)人力部的資料,目前大約有15萬(wàn)新加坡人長(zhǎng)期住在外國(guó)。
有關(guān)國(guó)人移居海外的問(wèn)題,似乎未受到各方面特別的關(guān)注,不過(guò),隨著人口老化越來(lái)越顯著,嬰孩出生率又沒(méi)有達(dá)到理想的目標(biāo),這將成為嚴(yán)重的問(wèn)題。
早年,有不少移居到歐美、大洋洲或其他國(guó)家者,都是開(kāi)餐館、洗衣店、干粗活等,然而,時(shí)代已經(jīng)不同了,能夠收拾包袱,遠(yuǎn)走他鄉(xiāng)者,非有一定的本領(lǐng)不可,所謂“沒(méi)有三兩三,不敢上梁山”。換句話說(shuō),近年來(lái)移居到外國(guó)者,雖不完全都是各行各業(yè)頂尖的人才,但至少他們都有一技之長(zhǎng),長(zhǎng)遠(yuǎn)來(lái)看,無(wú)疑是人才的流失。
為什么有這么多人要離開(kāi)祖國(guó)？因?yàn)椴粷M現(xiàn)狀、工作不如意、與雇主與同事不合、在職已久但沒(méi)有獲得擢升、家庭不和、婚姻破裂、或者是想離開(kāi)島國(guó),到外面去看看世界……。
要走的人,肯定有他的原因,我們所關(guān)心的是,這15萬(wàn)人之中,有多少已經(jīng)完全放棄了國(guó)籍,又有多少還保留公民權(quán),而那些一腳踏兩條船者會(huì)回流嗎？
也許,這是比較自私的要求,我們希望海外各國(guó)有良好素質(zhì)的人才,前來(lái)工作和定居,但基于牽系對(duì)同胞的情結(jié),我們卻不愿看到他們“離家出走”。因?yàn)榈降撞幌癯鰢?guó)旅游觀光那樣輕松自在,移居他國(guó),是提著行李箱,又背著充滿傷感離愁的親情與友情包袱,留下來(lái)的和走的人,都是“受傷者”。如果不是到了非走不可,那就請(qǐng)繼續(xù)靠緊祖國(guó)溫暖的懷抱吧！
有一位朋友說(shuō),兄弟大多數(shù)已移居,他也表示有意離開(kāi)新加坡,但他的高齡老母卻以“死諫”為要挾：如果他移居,她就從高樓跳下來(lái),那位朋友,只好打消念頭。
這也許是特殊個(gè)案,但可見(jiàn)個(gè)別或舉家移居,所涉及的是家庭和前途,必須經(jīng)過(guò)深思熟慮。
有關(guān)吸引移居海外的新加坡人回流,參與促進(jìn)國(guó)家繁榮進(jìn)步的各項(xiàng)硬件與軟件建設(shè)工程,我國(guó)設(shè)在世界各國(guó)的大使館、領(lǐng)事館、商業(yè)辦事處等有關(guān)團(tuán)體,應(yīng)該扮演積極的角色,加強(qiáng)和移居各國(guó)的新加坡人保持更密切的聯(lián)絡(luò)與接觸,把國(guó)內(nèi)各項(xiàng)發(fā)展的實(shí)況傳達(dá)給他們。
同時(shí)通過(guò)新加坡各民族的新年、傳統(tǒng)節(jié)日如中秋節(jié)、大寶森節(jié)、哈芝節(jié)、圣誕節(jié)等,和在海外的新加坡各族群人士,同歡共樂(lè),促進(jìn)感情交流,激發(fā)他們對(duì)祖國(guó)思念情懷和歸屬感,人在海外、心在祖國(guó),甚至重回祖國(guó)懷抱。