ST columnist uses love letter to S’pore government to disguise his anti-refugee sentiments
The Straits Times recently published an article by a guest columnist about how his 10 years abroad made him more appreciative of the government, and their policies.
The writer, Charles Tan, started his op-ed saying he quit his job in London and took a month-long trip around Europe with his fiancee before heading back to Singapore.
Now, from reading the headline of his piece, “A Singaporean’s journey west, and back home”, one would expect it to be an introspective piece based on his personal experiences, what he saw and felt and such.
Instead, those first few nostalgic-sounding paragraphs morphed quickly into a statistical barrage against the concept of accepting refugees.
Here are some of the very personal and reflective things he wrote:
“…public spending accounts for 40 to over 50 per cent of gross domestic product in the Scandinavian nations of Norway, Sweden and Denmark, as compared with the less than 20 per cent in Singapore and Hong Kong.”
“Last year alone, Sweden took in more than 160,000 asylum seekers, with another 160,000 expected to arrive this year (up threefold from about 50,000 in 2013).”
“The migration agency expects this influx could cost it around 60 billion kronor (S$10 billion) annually, or 1.5 per cent of GDP, and to put this figure into perspective, that is almost how much Sweden spent on healthcare (70 billion kronor) and education (70 billion kronor) respectively last year.”
“Understandably, some citizens are asking why valuable taxpayer dollars are spent housing, clothing and feeding a large population of people to whom they feel little ethnic or ideological connection…”
“Norway has begun to deport some 5,000 refugees to Russia, Sweden has outlined plans to expel about 80,000 from last year’s cohort, while Denmark has enacted controversial laws to allow the seizure of cash and valuables from migrants to help pay for their stay.”
There were many more.
For a column that was inspired by a decade-long stay in Europe, its tone and content seemed nearly identical to a Wikipedia article explaining the negative impact of admitting refugees.
To be fair, Tan did share one travel anecdote — he talked about how he met young activists who held up “refugees welcome” banner — but immediately after that, he countered it with a nationwide opinion poll that showed more than half of Sweden’s population was against their country taking in more refugees.
He did also share some interesting insights into his time in Europe, but it was not the usual effusive praise lauded on the picturesque landscapes in Europe, like what one would expect most Singaporeans to say.
While most people might marvel at the majesty of snow and the winter wonderland that is the continent of Europe, Charles is not most people.
The thing that struck Charles while vacationing in Europe was the political savvy of the Singaporean government, their incredible strength of character and how much Singaporeans take them for granted.
Ten years ago, I started my “Journey to the West”, believing, perhaps naively, that free markets and open borders were unquestionably desirable, and society could be relied upon to take care of itself and uphold the basic tenets of a civilised democracy. Examples from across the world, past and present, have convinced me that is evidently untrue.
Instead, I believe we need a strong government with an equally strong moral compass because we rely on our politicians to make important decisions on our behalf — decisions that will affect not just our lives, but those of generations after us.
So here’s some reassurance to Singaporean parents who are afraid to let your children venture into liberal Europe: have no fear. If they are anything like Charles, they will return more Singaporean than ever.
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- Thet Nyi Nyi
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