Recently the residents in my block, and in the three blocks sharing the same number as mine, have been complaining about flats in the lower floors being leased, mostly to foreign workers. Somehow I can't help but feel that they're making a mountain out of a molehill.

They say it's unsafe, but instead I feel it's unfair of them to accuse the tenants based solely on the fact that they're foreign. Or, more accurately, that they're foreigners from asian countries. I doubt they'll be complaining if the tenants were from other countries. That's blatant discrimination! Coming from educated people, no less. What a disappointment that Singapore is said to be a progressive, multi-racial, multi-cultural, cosmopolitan country, and yet there are still Singaporeans who stereotype asian foreign workers as inferior beings, capable of crime.

I think if they're really so fond of complaining, the time could be better spent complaining about the students from the school right next to our blocks who often loiter in the corridors after school, hanging around and smoking, littering the floor with cigarette stubs. When some shoes belonging to my family (including a pair of mine) placed outside our flat were stolen last year, they were high on my suspect list. Or should I say they were the only ones on my suspect list? Now we only put footwear unworthy of their attention outside the flat. Anyway, enough digression...

Another thing the residents complained about was that by leasing flats to these tenants, the value of the flats in these blocks will surely fall. I don't disagree; this is a fact. And I only agree that the value will fall because the empty flats in the blocks are being leased (as opposed to sold), not because there are foreigners now living in the flats. I'm disgruntled that Singaporeans are so 爱面子 [literally: 'love face'] that they are actually bothered that their flat values will fall. I mean, ok, if they are looking to sell their flat, then they are really affected by this and it's just too bad I guess. But how many people actually bought flats in this area as a form of investment, as opposed to as a place to stay?

I think most people who bought flats here meant to be staying here for some time to come. People in the property market would know better than to invest in flats in such an 'unwanted' estate like mine. In any case, the value of the flats in this area has always been low low low, because nobody was ever interested in this area anyway. Which is why so many of the flats have been empty, leading to some newly (or, used-to-be-newly a few years ago) built flats nearby to remain closed to the public and not-for-sale. Finally, it's led to the flats in the lower floors of our blocks being leased in an attempt to fill up more flats.

Just my random thoughts on the complaining residents, I just thought it's not such a big deal that some tenants are now living in our blocks. Accusing others based on their nationality is plain disgraceful and surely some flats being leased is not going to cause the value of the flats to drop that much lower? (I must highlight that I have absolutely no idea of property values and what not.)