Due to problems with blogger/ blogspot's bug of dissappearing comments, I post here my response to My Singapore News: Why no population forecast beyond 6.5m?
Issues relating to immigration divide the local population.
Businesses generally are in favour of immigration -- for many reasons ranging from a larger labour pool to an expanded customer base, to lower interest rates due to the increased number of people saving money.
Local wage-earners, OTOH are usually fearful of immigration as they view an increase of foreigners as an "invasion" of their nation.
The State is the territorial agency of monopolistic force -- it makes it own laws, defines even the definitions, enforces their laws and can implement and use force within the territory for whatever reason it alone chooses. The State defines the currency, what the economy is, how people should behave, what can be bought, what can be sold, who is to be 'free' and who is to put into 'custody'. The State defines its own 'rights' and prescribes what 'rights' the people have. Occasionally there is a conflict between The State's 'rights' and human rights, and The State rights always
Statecraft is the art of bending reality to suit the objectives of The State. This is accomplished by a tried and time-proven method: the manipulation of human perception. Unfortunately for the PAP -- who used to be so masterful at Statecraft -- they're slipping at their game.
I don't mind 'foreigners' at all. The most of my life, I'm a 'foreigner'. I also live mostly with people who I consider to be 'foreign'. what a bout culture? Since culture is a human evolution, a significant portion of any (East, West, does't matter) culture is completely irrational -- occasionally when ethno-centric beliefs are mixed with religious dogma, 'completely irrational' is upgraded to downright dangerously bat-shit insane but simultaneously euphorically hilarious, especially to the connoisseur of schadenfreude
The Current Situation In Australia
Net immigration is falling in Australia -- rapidly it seems, a combination of natural market functions as well as government policy changes. All this observation is confirmed by the ABS
Net immigration is falling in Australia -- rapidly it seems, a combination of natural market functions as well as government policy changes. All this observation is confirmed by the ABS
My position on the 'high' population target: I don't trust anything which is centrally planned. If they are 'planing' for a target and writing applying Statecraft to achieve those objectives, then it is not going to end well.
In Australia, the current administration has responded to voter frustration by cutting back on immigration numbers -- at a time when the market was already doing it. Result: DISASTER. Labour costs will go throught the roof, there will be less savings and interest rates will rise. some businesses will go kaput, and unemployment might result.
Should the Singapore Government bow to public pressure?
If Singapore reigned in the 'freedom' in the labour market, you can expect the same result. If businesses cannot run efficiently, you will have NO WEALTH produced and people will end up poorer.
OK, it is a fact that locals have 'lost' their jobs to foreigners. But that is a market signal to the unlucky that their productivity is not competitive. It doesn't mean that they themselves are 'bad' and, seriously folks a more 'mature attitude' of handling it could be better instead of screaming and yelling and blaming the government.
It hasn't yet come to the point of "Business vs Locals" in Singapore, but there are feelings simmering under the surface.
As a privateer, I tend to side with the private sector. I like freedom. I like private enterprise and since I consider states to be bullshit, I like and fully support OPEN BORDERS.
The only "real property" is private property. If you want to EXCLUDE people and DISCRIMINATE on who has access to your property, the only just, rational and moral way to do it is by the idea of private property. A Nation State is not private property. It is a geographical territory arbitrarily claimed and controlled.
i.e. Other than their own legitimately owned "private property" the locals (or anyone else) have NO RIGHT (in reality or fact) to exclude anyone from a so-called geographical territory.
The locals (both in Australia and Singapore) are going to shoot themselves in the foot by demanding 'ACTION' from The State.
Me? Every country run by a state is a HOTEL to me. I can't change anything. It is pointless even to try. Best I can do is comment on my observations and ENJOY -- i.e. make the most out of the situation -- in every way possible.
Wally Buffet said...
Matilah_Singapura said...
Matilah,
In part, I agree with you but what I find unacceptable are:
1. The propensity of this administration to bring in "trash" as opposed to real talent.
2. The rate of immigration is too rush giving the general native population a feeling that the flood gates are opened for a specific and less than honourable purpose.
January 03, 2011 12:11 PMMy response to Wally (deleted due to blogger/ bogspot issues)
Matilah_Singapura said...
I'm having problems posting. I've reported it but am fed up and going to repost my comments and responses on my blog.
Wally 1211
1. Is it really their intent to bring in trash?!? Anyway "trash" can be seen as 'hardy immigration stock" -- people with the drive to go for it.
Frankly, I don't know. Personally I don't have a problem with this. People who choose to hire "cheap" are welcome to losing their money on sub-standard output. However for certain jobs -- "cheap" is good. For e.g. you don't need "real talent" to sweep or to clean, but you need the "real talent" when you want creativity and entrepreneurship.
Not everyone is "talented" by in an open economy even the people at the bottom have a fair shot at life (compared to the alternative)
Anyway, it is hard to mount an argument on a centrally-controlled policy -- to many contradictions.
2. Yes that is true. That is why I said that the PAP is slipping in its game of Statecraft.
In previous times, they managed to 'convince' the population of a lot of things: Muslim invaders from the north and south, the necessity for curtailment of civil liberties and human rights, 'Stop at 2' -- population control of the 60's etc. All this bullshit was accomplished by superb Statecraft.
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