According
to Goldin (2009), rapid globalization has triggered a multiplicity of global
issues that seem to plague the world today. With growing labor needs in
developed countries, the demand for cheap and unskilled laborers from less
developed countries continues to grow
(McKay, 2013). A cosmopolitan city like Singapore is one such place that
relies heavily on foreign workers to fill in the demand for unskilled labor in
the construction industry. However, the influx of foreign workers appears to
have caused problems for the local community. Media reports on the unruliness
of migrant workers and the lack of social integration seem to resonate among
Singaporeans. Hence, there is growing animosity between locals and foreign
workers. Despite the government’s fruitless efforts to encourage smooth
integration, there is still much to be done to alleviate the tension between
the locals and foreign workers. For instance, proactive cultural education undertaken
by the state can aid in narrowing the social gap between the two.
The
resentment between locals and foreign workers can largely be attributed to the
lack of cultural understanding between the two. Despite the state actively
promoting multiculturalism, this only extends to the local community and fails
to include the foreign workers at large (Aricat, 2013). In fact, a large
segment of the society shows little understanding of foreign cultures, and
tends to expect foreign workers to conform to local norms instead of trying to
foster mutual understanding. On the other hand, foreign workers, who are mostly
transient, are not motivated to acculturate to host societies as they are mostly
motivated by economic benefits. Furthermore, the tendency for local residents to portray a
superiority-complex as well as to dually treat foreign workers by “accepting
them economically and excluding them psychologically” has led to the
marginalized social status of migrant workers (Gu. Zheng & Yi, 2007, p.2).
This lack of acceptance of foreign workers could in turn lead to them rejecting
the host society and thus, exacerbate the social divide. One fine example would
be the riot involving migrant workers that broke out in Little India due to the
death of their peer (Lim, 2013). Many have speculated that the underlying cause
of the riot was recourse to the oppression and unfair treatment faced by
foreign workers. Nevertheless, the media sensationalized the incident, which
fueled widespread criticisms from Singaporeans, and intensified the strained
relationship between locals and foreign workers.
The Singapore
government has employed various strategies to counter the current divide by
providing cultural education for foreign workers. The Migrant Workers Centre
(MWC) and NTUC LearningHub conducts a one-day course in the hope of empowering
foreign workers with knowledge of societal norms, which might enable these
foreigners to better assimilate into local society (Ng, 2010). However, not
every migrant worker is entitled to the one-day program as the hefty cost of
the program ($82.50 per person) deters employers from signing up (Ng, 2010). Furthermore,
government efforts of integration have been mainly focused on the “functional
type” of integration and little effort has been placed on their social and
emotional needs (Saad, 2014). Thus, the government has to play an active role in enforcing
more feasible means of social integration for the foreign workers.
In order
to create social cohesion among Singaporeans and foreign workers, the state
could provide extensive cultural education for both Singaporeans and foreign
workers. As mentioned earlier, it is not sufficient for workers to be
integrated in a functional manner. They should be taught the norms of the local
community more in-depth and such lessons should be available at an affordable
rate. Singaporeans, on the other hand, should be educated on the various
cultures of foreign workers and be taught to question individual undesirable
behavior objectively without condemning foreign workers as a whole. One way in
which the state could propagate cultural education to large masses of
Singaporeans is through the usage of mass media. Advertisements on media
portals such as television, radio and social media, which showcase the cultural
values of migrant communities in a creative manner, may enable Singaporeans to
learn more about the migrant communities. This may also aid in the debunking of
stereotypes attributed to foreign workers.
However,
implementing such measures could lead to possible backlash from both the
migrant workers and Singaporeans. Despite the efforts to culturally educate
both groups, Singaporeans may still be unwilling to accept the differences in
cultures while the foreign workers, being transient may not be inclined to
integrate with the society. Moreover, using mass media to shed a positive view
of foreign cultures may invite criticisms as Singaporeans may misinterpret the
state’s efforts as pro-foreigners.
Despite
the limitations of implementing such measures, doing nothing on the other hand
could prove to be catastrophic as it would be a matter a time before the issue
boils over. Hence, proactive cultural education is an integral step that must
be undertaken in order to bridge the social divide.
814 Words
References
Aricat,
R. (2013). Indian migrant workers rioting in Singapore: Revisiting
acculturation paradigms. Economic &
Political Weekly.
Goldin,
I. (2009). Navigating our global future. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/ian_goldin_navigating_our_global_future?language=en
Gu, S.,
Zheng, L., & Yi, S. (2007). Problems of rural migrant workers and policies
in the new period of urbanization. China
Population, Resources and Enviornment, 17(1):1-5.
Lim, Y.
L. (2013, December 10). Little India Riot: Police say situation did not call
for use of service revolvers. The Straits
Times. Retrieved from http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/singapore/story/little-india-riot-20131210
McKay, S.
L. (2013). Globalization, localization and language attitudes: The case of
“foreign workers” in Singapore. Multilingual
Education 2013 3:3
Ng, G.
(2010, September 20). Helping foreign workers integrate. My Paper. Retrieved from http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20100920-238037.html
Saad, I.
(2014, January 20). More can be done to address foreign workers’ social,
emotional needs: NGOs. Channel News Asia.
Retrieved from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/more-can-be-done-to/959986.html
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