There is little intermixing between Indian Singaporeans and Indian expatriates in Singapore. They will draw closer together if the expatriates settle down in Singapore, says Shashi Tharoor.
But will the descendants of the expatriates be as successful as them?
Tharoor, the former United Nations undersecretary general, himself notes the difference. He compares the Indian Singaporeans with the Indian immigrants in the US and writes:
Unlike in Singapore, the majority of Indians in the U.S. (though by no means all) are educated, well-off and professionally successful. Today, the ethnic group in the U.S. with the highest median income is not white Americans, but Indian Americans. In Singapore the story is a little different, since there is a large Indian population that has been settled there for several decades, a majority of whom came from more humble backgrounds, mainly from the Tamil working class. Of course there are many first-rate professionals from that community as well, but they are by no means the majority. By contrast, the NRIs — many prefer to call themselves “global Indians” — who have moved to Singapore from India in more recent years are all educated professionals (they are the only ones who would get long-term visas).
But why is it that the Indians, who are the most successful ethnic group in America, have lagged behind in Singapore? Please don't say Singapore is more competitive than America.
And I don't think it's because of the "humble background" of the majority of Indian Singaporeans because that would mean there's no social mobility in Singapore. Which is nonsense. Singapore is, as the government says, a meritocracy.
So is it because America is a more open society than Singapore?
Look at Barrack Obama, a man from an ethnic minority close to winning the Democratic nomination to run for president. Is there a parallel anywhere in the world?
Singapore is a meritocracy, but its culture, geography and demographics are such that some jobs can be done only by Chinese speakers.
Still, Singapore welcomes and nurtures talent.
Tharoor is full of praise for Foreign Minister George Yeo and Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam. They must be two of the most knowledgeable ministers anywhere in the world. I wish Yeo wrote and spoke more often. And Tharman is brilliant.
Indians, however, should be especially grateful to Senior Minister Goh Chok Thong. It was he who as prime minister brought India and Singapore closer together. Even as I write this, he is in India. He met the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi today.
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