‘Singapore authorities should
realize they are dealing with the citizens of two Asian giants and the two
leading economies in the world, which could possibly have repercussions.’
Why do Singaporean landlords
avoid Indians and Chinese?
‘Indians always cook smelly
curries using too much oil and spices.’
‘Indians and Chinese do not maintain
property well. They are not house-proud.’
This is what the Singapore
landlords feel about Indians and Chinese. Isn’t it funny a small city state
trying to irritate the citizens of two Asian giants. Remember the ultra-rich
Indians are driving the global trend of global citizenship or place of
residence. One in seven ultra high net worth individuals in the world is an
Indian or a Chinese, according to Wealth-X report.
The bias against Indian and
Chinese expatriates in Singapore is taking a vicious twist – no Indians and
Chinese is becoming an increasingly common clause in rental ads for tenants,
with reasons ranging from smelly cuisine to shabby housekeeping. On certain
days, one can find more than 100-150 housing advertisements on the website PropertyGuru
that clearly states landlords do not wish to rent to Indians or migrants from
the People’s Republic of China, according to a BBC report. Many foreign workers
have been affected because of the racial bias and several expatriates have
described experiencing varying level of discrimination and irritation while
hunting for accommodation.
Estate agents confirmed that
landlords refuse to rent to Indians and Chinese because, Indians always cook
smelly curries and the Chinese tenants, they believe would not maintain the
property well.
Mathew Mathews, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Policy
Studies stated, ‘There are stereotypes that people have about different
immigrant groups and how responsible they are in terms of the upkeep of a
rented apartment.’ There is more to this. There is resentment among
Singaporeans who blame foreigners for taking up their jobs, the increase in
living costs and a spike in housing prices, even blaming them for adding to
traffic chaos.
The incident of Dec 8, which triggered the worst violence in Singapore in
40 years saw several Indians deported and sentenced to various prison terms.
The incident sparked strong response on social media, denouncing foreign
workers without realizing the ground situation.
Ethnically a diverse nation, Singapore with a population of over five
million consists of 74% people from Chinese origin, 13% Malay, 9% Indian and 3%
of other groups. And 90% of Singaporean families own their homes, a significant
portion of tenants are foreigners.
Singapore authorities should realize they are dealing with the citizens
of two Asian giants and the two leading economies in the world, which could
possibly have repercussions. I do not know about China, but as far as Indians
living abroad in rented homes in Far East, Gulf, Europe, America, Canada, etc
take care of the rented property as their own.
They maintain it well,
ascetically decorate their homes in traditional Indian or modern style with a
welcome feel. For Indians, home is not just a place to reside, eat and sleep; a
home is considered sacred almost like a religious place; be it from any
community. Well there may be a few who may not maintain rented property, but
one cannot generalize it. And as far as cooking and smells of spices and oil,
one can say the same about local Singaporeans cooking and smells. The
authorities should intervene before things get out of hand.
* To be here or to communicate: aneelanike@gmail.com
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