There have been numerous articles on newspaper forums written by foreigners complaining about Singaporeans being ungracious. Among their usual complains include people not giving up their seats to the elderly or pregnant ladies when using public transport, ‘reservation’ of seats at foodcourts and hawker centres using packets of tissue paper, the way some people treat their maids and rushing to board trains during rush hours. Foreigners are quick to point their fingers at Singaporeans but I am sure in many such instances the culprits are not locals. According to the demographic statistics for 2006 (http://www.singstat.gov.sg/pubn/reference/yos/statsT-demography.pdf), about one fifth of our nation’s population comprises of foreigners. Most of these foreigners hail from Malaysia, China, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other South-east Asian countries, so at first glance one might not be able to tell them apart from the locals. It is only when they speak do they reveal their identity through their accent. However, a foreigner might not be able to discern between the local and foreign accents and might end up mistaking another foreigner for a local. Most foreigners have a tendency to assume that almost everyone they see in Singapore is a Singaporean but it is clear that given our high percentage of foreigners living and working here, this line of thinking is fallacious.
While there are indeed Singaporeans who are guilty of being ungracious, making sweeping generalizations and pushing all the blame to us is illogical. Through my own personal experience, I have encountered many incidents whereby foreigners here behaved in a manner falling short of civic-mindedness too, such as spitting on pavements for pedestrians, blocking entrances to trains, cutting queues, littering, talking loudly in public places like the libraries, etc. There are also many people in other countries who behave ungraciously so I see no reason for foreigners to single Singaporeans out. My message to foreigners in Singapore is this: The next time you see someone behaving in an uncivilized manner, do not jump to the conclusion that he/she is a Singaporean. He/she may very well be one of you or a permanent resident.
