A Hong Kong University professor recently lauded Singapore for its ability to "build a home", not just a city, for its residents.
In an article in the South China Morning Post, Prof. Paul Yip Siu-fai cited the different ways Singapore was ahead of Hong Kong, saying that if the latter didn't take a leaf out of the Lion City's book, it would continue to lose out in many aspects. "(Singapore) deserves to be proud of its accomplishments; within such a short time, it has become an international hub with a thriving economy, home to 3.8 million citizens and permanent residents, and 1.5 million foreigners from different cultures and ethnicities," he praised.
He also complimented the government's strategic move to channel foreign talent towards making sure building projects completed in time, and said that Singapore remains a "clean, green, safe and well-off place, and the preferred destination of work or migration for many" despite concerns over immigration and rising living costs.
Prof. Yip compared this to Hong Kong's daily "clashes with mainland migrants and visitors", as well as an "acute shortage of workers" in several sectors including building and healthcare.
Other things Prof. Yip described Singapore as doing well — thus building a nation the people would be proud to belong to — were education and technology. He also had good things to say about the government officials he'd met on a week-long trip to Singapore: "receptive and ready to learn and make changes". This contrasted the behaviour of Hong Kong's officials and legislators, whom he said were "forever embroiled in political issues".
But possibly what impressed the social work and social administration professor most was the casual, almost matter-of-fact way citizens considered Singapore their home and not just a city of residence. "Interestingly, the equivalent to our "City" section in the South China Morning Post is called "Home" in The Straits Times. Well, Singaporeans are building a home while many of us in Hong Kong just live in a city, which some may leave when things are not right," he wrote.
Photo: Coconuts Singapore / Alexander Hotz
A Hong Kong University professor recently lauded Singapore for its ability to "build a home", not just a city, for its residents.
In an article in the South China Morning Post, Prof. Paul Yip Siu-fai cited the different ways Singapore was ahead of Hong Kong, saying that if the latter didn't take a leaf out of the Lion City's book, it would continue to lose out in many aspects. "(Singapore) deserves to be proud of its accomplishments; within such a short time, it has become an international hub with a thriving economy, home to 3.8 million citizens and permanent residents, and 1.5 million foreigners from different cultures and ethnicities," he praised.
He also complimented the government's strategic move to channel foreign talent towards making sure building projects completed in time, and said that Singapore remains a "clean, green, safe and well-off place, and the preferred destination of work or migration for many" despite concerns over immigration and rising living costs.
Prof. Yip compared this to Hong Kong's daily "clashes with mainland migrants and visitors", as well as an "acute shortage of workers" in several sectors including building and healthcare.
Other things Prof. Yip described Singapore as doing well — thus building a nation the people would be proud to belong to — were education and technology. He also had good things to say about the government officials he'd met on a week-long trip to Singapore: "receptive and ready to learn and make changes". This contrasted the behaviour of Hong Kong's officials and legislators, whom he said were "forever embroiled in political issues".
But possibly what impressed the social work and social administration professor most was the casual, almost matter-of-fact way citizens considered Singapore their home and not just a city of residence. "Interestingly, the equivalent to our "City" section in the South China Morning Post is called "Home" in The Straits Times. Well, Singaporeans are building a home while many of us in Hong Kong just live in a city, which some may leave when things are not right," he wrote.
Photo: Coconuts Singapore / Alexander Hotz