Leaving Our Home.- Migration.

Migration, why do people do it? Would you like to migrate one day? In Singapore, based on personal observations and conversations, many would actually like to give this issue a thought, and some even announce their undulating desire to leave the country. But the questions we ask ourselves is why? And it may even answer many other questions that has been in the wings for a long time…

For me, my personal view on leaving the country isn’t as simple as leaving everything behind, and starting anew. It’s more to that. But like many others, we cannot help but allow ourselves to open up options of a better life, and migration, could be one of the answers.

Singapore is definitely an attractive place for business dealings, for large co-operations to set up HQs for the ASEAN or Asian region because of our God given geographical advantage and our ability to handle multiple tasks and languages without much difficulties, not to mention the world’s leading producer of management products from our management schools of which little are leading the top co-operations who still rely on foreign expertise…but it’s definitely not attracting people from Europe to migrate, at best a few who had found their other significant half here who happens to be Singaporeans, born and bread on this land. Else, with all due respect, a handful of aspiring young and supposedly talented athletes, a large chunk of china and some pieces from the other parts of the world, have decided to settle here and make this country their home.

Is Singapore turning stale? Probably not the physical appearance of the country or her people, or her lack of world class beauties (Gosh, look at who represents us at the Miss Universe Contests!! My!! even our northern neighbors made it to the final 3 before!! And our eastern ones winning the competition!!) or the increase demands for donations to charities (I have reason to believe that organizers for charity events actually earn part of the proceeds, good if its just to cover costs, but to be making a profit?…I suppose there should be a revision to the meaning of the word ‘charity’? I mean, a cash reward for donating money!!??? Common, Where’s the moral logic??!!) or the food or the issues on water…But maybe, her Life-Style.

In my humble opinion, it’s common for someone wanting to take life easy, regardless the age. Easy as in, not lazy, but working and enjoying the free time available, not rushing for competitiveness, or for that promotion, but taking things slowly. And using all my spider senses, in Singapore, I dun think that’s very viable. Let’s take a peep. Zooming into the life of a new born, assuming it’s a typical Singaporean family….
The 1st 6 years of Angeline’s life, she spends learning, mimicking everything her parents do, meanwhile, because other kids are developing their talents early, like dance or piano or some form of sport, she starts karate lessons at the tender age of 4…along the way, she gets a brother (who eventually, turns out to be her punching bag she loves dearly).
Then she turns 7 and starts Primary one after exhaustive registration procedures. For the next 6 years, she’s stuck in school, learning Math, Chinese, English and general Science, preparing herself for her 1st big test, the PSLE (Primary School Leaving Examination, probably, the only certificate she spends 6 years preparing for…) Then after all her hard work, she progresses on to a secondary school…
Her hormones starts to evolve, and she’s still gonna be stuck in school again for another 4 years. She starts the process all over again, this time with 8 subjects to study, Math, Science, Literature, Geography, English, Chinese, Principles of Accounts and Boys. After a vigorous 4 years filled with danger and excitement, she graduates, passing 7 of the 8 subjects and chooses to go to a polytechnic, a good choice in Ngee Ann Poly.
She spends another 3 Years in school. While this time, the fees are so significantly higher, her parents slog that little bit harder to pay her school fees and prepare themselves for her next phase. The day she graduates, her parents are overjoyed, but they know more is to come….she selects a university of her choice and continues her studies for a further 3 years, mean while, on her final year of study, her brother got married due to an accident while studying overseas.
She comes home with a degree after finally slogging on 16 years of education. While she searches for a job, she can’t remember a single thing she studied over the past 16 years, and though some view it as a waste of time and money, she DID come back with a piece of paper certifying her credentials, and eventually got herself a job as a clerk in a world leading, universal domineering, sound barrier breaking organization.
She slogs for the next 40 years of her life, eventually falling ill on her 65th birthday where she uses all her savings to pay for her own illness. And her possible final words were:” Dame!! I should have died earlier, so I don’t have to spend all my money on medication and surgery, and donate it to a charity.” God bless her.

So, as we see, though not fully typical of the life of a typical Singaporean, but the essence of this story is for all to see and reflect. The gees of the story also tell tales of Singaporeans who have studied so hard throughout the years, yet achieving nothing of significance eventually. Of course, I am not saying that everyone is, I’m just suggesting that most are. Not that education is not necessary, to me, education IS important and I will never stop my child from pursuing his studies, if he chooses to. But our culture has developed in such a way that risk taking is not an option, and the government recognizes this and has emphasized more on entrepreneurship since. So, is this the life most of us seek? Pampered and sheltered? All planned and ready? Predictable? And maybe that’s why life style in Singapore appears to be turning stale… and in singlish, WAH LIAOZ! No wonder the birth rate is falling….

I have known people who have thought of migrating because of the rigid education system in Singapore, where a child is not being developed based on his strengths, but being punished for his weaknesses (which the government is at last putting their foot forward regarding this issue, but as it is, is only a foot, at least it’s still progress). There are even thoughts of migration because of the lack of opportunities in this little island, too many red tapes, and everything’s about money (well, at least corruption is kept at a distinct distance away from public eyes)…etc…

But I suppose there must be a basis in which we make our judgments. Something we learned either through vocal transmissions or from experiencing it ourselves, and this allowed us to form a status quo in our minds, something that we use to compare our decisions with. Example; if someone had lived, let’s say in England for 5 years, comes back and says he dislikes Singapore and wants to migrate one day because of various reasons…the probability is that he has formed a comparison chart in his mind, sub-consciously comparing life in England, to that of in Singapore, thus giving him an opportunity to dismiss his roots and residing a desire to go to another land.

But if the same person had, in all grace, lived in the neither regions of Zimbabwe, then, maybe, he would have chosen to return permanently to Singapore. I am sure, those Singaporeans caught in the time of war, will have a far greater passion other than migrating. And they were our ancestors. If my ancestors had decided to flee to somewhere else after WW II, I would have ended up somewhere in the middle of the south china sea.

Bottom line is, everyone wants to have a better life style, a place for retirement. Weather this place is in the land of your birth, or an adopted country, its entirely up to you. But our roots are important and like our traditions, must be remembered. Because the future generations will look back in history, and regard us as their pride, as their ancestors.