SM Lee: S'pore Must Manage New Arrivals With Utmost Sensitivity

Singaporeans should help them adapt to local social norms, stand firm against nativism

- Anjali Raguraman

Singapore relies heavily on immigrants and foreign workers — who raise political sensitivities in many societies — to top up its population base and talent pool, said Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

The inflow and integration of new arrivals must therefore be managed with the "utmost sensitivity and caution, to ensure the flows are balanced and sustainable", noted SM Lee.

"But we must also stand firmly against nativism and xenophobia, and welcome the new arrivals to become part of our extended family," he said in a speech at a dinner hosted by the Singapore Indian Development Association (Sinda) and 14 other Indian community organisations on Jan 11.

SM Lee said Singaporeans should help these new arrivals adapt progressively to the way things are done here, and to the country's social norms and ethos. It is an ongoing process that takes time, but gradually they will integrate into the local community, he added.

"This is how earlier generations became Indian Singaporeans, and it will happen with this generation, and with new arrivals from other groups and places too," he said.

This is how the Singaporean identity can be sustained and enriched, and the way to build a cohesive and inclusive society that is "connected to the world, strengthened and not divided by our diversity", he said.