Foreigners should respect local norms, says DPM Teo - AsiaOne.com

SINGAPORE – Foreigners should respect local norms and locals should appreciate foreigners’ contributions, said Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean at the National Community Engagement Programme dialogue on Saturday.

In this excerpt, he also speaks about rising religiosity and the need to focus on what Singaporeans have in common, rather than emphasise the differences.

Fundamental to Singapore’s history and national identity is that we are an open and inclusive society, and we must always remain so.

In spite of the differences in language, religion and culture, Singaporeans have come together as one people.

Multi-racialism pervades all aspects of Singaporean life. We celebrate diversity, and respect the culture and practices of others. We focus on our commonalities rather than accentuate the differences.

Our shared experiences shape our collective outlook, pulling us together as a society, and honing our collective instincts as one people. As our national pledge reminds us, we are one united people, regardless of race, language or religion.

These are some of the reasons that continue to make Singapore an attractive location to people from beyond our shores.

At the same time, we know that there are concerns about Singapore taking in too many foreigners, and too quickly. We have already slowed the inflow of new permanent residents and significantly slowed down the intake of new foreign workers.

Those who become permanent residents or Singapore citizens choose to make a long-term commitment to Singapore – they share our values, hopes and aspirations. Like many of our own parents and grandparents who came to Singapore decades ago, these new immigrants believe in the promise of our nation and what Singapore stands for.

This is what attracts them. They want to integrate and do their part to make Singapore better and stronger. We should help them to do so.

They include foreign spouses of Singaporeans. In 2011, there were 9,000 marriages involving a Singaporean and a non-Singaporean, making up about 40 per cent of marriages involving Singaporeans.

There are also those who come here to work, and help bring new skills and connections to the region and beyond.

The Government, unions and businesses have been working together to promote fair, responsible and merit-based employment practices among employers, employees and the general public.

We will ensure that companies and employers maintain a level playing field at the workplace, and give fair consideration to Singaporeans for recruitment and promotion opportunities.

Even as we maintain an open environment in Singapore, foreigners working here must understand that they too bear a responsibility to the local community, and should respect Singaporean values and norms.

This also applies to the group of foreign workers who are here to provide us a service, such as those in construction and estate maintenance. They too have to abide by our social norms and values.

At the same time, we should treat them with respect, and appreciate the work they do and the services that they provide for us. So I was quite sad to learn about the abuse of health-care workers in our hospitals because they help to take care of us and our loved ones when we need them most.

With increasing globalisation, we must always be mindful that Singapore is a small country in a much larger global community. As an open society, we are always subject to influences from outside. These linkages help to keep us connected to the world and we have to continually evolve and adapt to new ideas and influences. This is the positive side.

Foreigners should respect local norms, says DPM Teo - AsiaOne.com