Keep immigration door open, Lee tells Singapore

Months after a landmark general election where discontent over Singapore’s immigration policy was a point of contention, the city-state’s founding prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, today defended the ruling People’s Action Party’s stance on bringing in more skilled foreign workers to support growth momentum.

“For some time, the Singaporean has felt the competition from talented foreigners. But these are people who have come here to become our citizens and I am a firm believer that the more talent you have in a society, the better the society will grow,” Lee said in a dialogue at an inaugural South Asian Diaspora Convention held here.

 

Lee, widely recognised as the maker of modern Singapore, was Prime Minister from 1959 to 1990. He was then given the title of Senior Minister and later, Minister Mentor. PAP, the political party he founded and led till the end of his premiership, has remained in power since Singapore’s separation from Malaysia in 1965.

Although he stepped down as Minister Mentor earlier this year, after the PAP’s relatively dismal show in the general elections in May, Lee remains a Member of Parliament and a powerful and respected voice in Singapore. While Lee retained his own seat without a contest, the country's Opposition posted its best performance since independence.
“If Singapore depends on the talent it produces out of three million people, it is not going to punch above its weight. It is because we enjoy talent from across the globe — South Asia, Northeast Asia, China, India and beyond — that we have a vibrant economy,” he said.

Singapore’s economic strategy, much of it shaped by Lee, has transformed a resource-starved 700 sq km island into one of the main financial centres in Asia, and the willingness to attract and retain foreign talent has been a crucial part of this paradigm.
 
“You got to accept the discomfort which the local citizens feel when they are competing unequally for jobs. But without them (foreigners), the jobs will not be there to begin with. So, we welcome talent, and will continue to welcome talent,” Lee explained.

That foreigners reportedly constitute about 36% of Singapore’s 5.1 million population currently, substantially higher than 20% out of four million a decade ago, has led to locals expressing unhappiness over the government’s policy.

Despite its political ramifications, Lee maintained the policy was functional. “What is the choice? Slow growth with no input of talent, or faster growth with input of talent...,” he said.

The city-state’s economy grew a little over 14% in 2010, and is expected to expand by 5-7% this year.