Struggling S'porean says we deserve better than being cast aside, retirement is 'deadline we can't reach'

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Singapore is progressing, but are its people prospering along with it?

One citizen, who asked to remain anonymous, feels like he is being passed over and left behind despite decades of contributions - and penned his thoughts in an open letter.

Here is the letter in full:

I'm an ordinary Singaporean who has quietly spent decades contributing to our systems. I modelled security over glamour, responsibility over ambition.

This letter is my reflection, unfiltered, from the ground up. It's anonymous - and it's heartfelt.

We built this nation, but now we're part of the silent majority risking everything and we're quietly being pushed aside.

As a born-and-bred Singaporean, I write not out of anger, but from exhaustion and a quiet desperation shared by many like me.

For decades, we toiled, contributed, adapted. We upgraded. We reskilled. We stayed the course. But today, our voices are increasingly drowned in policies and promises that rarely reflect the daily realities on the ground.

We are told Singapore has no natural resources - but we, the people, have always been the nation's greatest asset. Yet many of us now feel like disposable parts in an overcrowded machine.

Yet today, we're told to reskill again and again, accept decreasing wages, to compete not only with each other, but with new immigrants, permanent residents (PRs), foreign PMETs (professionals, managers, executives and technicians), and even long-term visit pass holders for roles we once filled."

And while we struggle, we're told this is progress.

Meanwhile:

• Housing, healthcare and daily expenses keep rising.
• MRTs break down and our once-proud identity fades.
• Our birth rate halts as too many of us cannot afford to raise a child here.
• Our sandwich-class families are stuck under unending debt.

The steady influx of new immigrants, PRs, foreign PMETs and long-term pass holders has intensified competition not only in jobs but across all facets of daily life: housing, education, healthcare and basic living standards.

🦁 The Singapore We Remember… and Miss

We remember:

• Neighbours who greeted one another, not strangers packed in silence.
• MRTs that ran on time, without fear of sudden breakdowns.
• National Day when flags flew proudly outside HDBs - not as an obligation, but a true celebration.
• Jobs that gave meaning, not anxiety.
• We were once proud of our clean streets and cohesive society.

Today?

• We were once proud of our clean streets and cohesive society.
• We're packed shoulder-to-shoulder in trains, struggling to afford homes with shrinking space and rising prices.
• Our children compete in an overstretched school system, while elderly Singaporeans clean tables and push trolleys just to make ends meet.
• Our voices feel drowned out by imported noise.
• Our tiny dot feel overcrowded, but our hearts feel empty.
• We are working longer, harder, but falling behind.

All in the name of economic growth.

But who's really growing?

💰 The Price We Pay

• Sandwich class families suffocate under the weight of expectations.
• Our birth rate drops, because raising a child feels like a financial risk.
• Owning a flat means 20/30 years of loan chains, not pride.
• Healthcare is top-tier - if you can afford it.
• The poor suffer quietly; the rich get louder.

Retirement? It's not a dream. It's a deadline we can't reach.

All of this, while we're told to be "resilient," "adaptable," "grateful."

But can resilience be eaten?

We're told to keep upskilling. But no certification can undo the bias that comes with age or the invisible wall that appears when an employer opts for a cheaper foreign hire.

🧓🏽 We Deserve Better in Our Golden Years

We're not asking for handouts. We're asking for dignity:

• Local-first hiring that truly prefers locals.
• Affordable living, not inflated metrics to mask hardship.
• Retirement with security - not working till our bodies break.
• Long-term immigration policy that values local lives, not just GDP growth.
• To not be pushed into gig work or dishwashing at 65.
• To not constantly fear retrenchment because we're "overqualified" or "too expensive."
• To not watch others leapfrog into the jobs we once fought so hard to get.

We built this place. Brick by brick. Shift by shift. Don't treat us like we're replaceable.

We're not angry because we hate Singapore. We're heartbroken because we love it - and it feels like it stopped loving us back.

Worse, our voices are often dismissed. Raise a concern, and you're labelled resistant to progress, anti-globalisation or simply "not competitive enough." But this isn't about fear of foreigners. It's about dignity, fairness, and the right to a livelihood in our own country.

❤️ What Do We Ask For?

• Policies with empathy, not just efficiency.
• Real local-first hiring, not tokenism or checkbox compliance.
• Affordable living, not inflated metrics hiding uncomfortable truths.
• Retirement dignity, not working till our bodies collapse.
• A system that values contributions, not just qualifications.

We ask only for policies that protect Singaporeans first, not last. We want transparent hiring practices, fair wage protections, and limits on how foreign hiring is managed in essential roles like sales, marketing, admin, and customer service etc. Jobs that do not need "talent" to do it.

Is this too much to ask?

We are tired. Not lazy, not ungrateful - just worn out from trying to survive in the very country we helped build.

Let our voices be heard - not just on National Day, not just when it's convenient, but in the daily decisions that affect our future. Because Singapore doesn't need to be No.1 in the world. It just needs to be home for the ones who have given it everything.

Let us age with grace, not with fear. Let us rest, not rust. Let us hope, not hustle forever. Let us grow old in peace, with basic income, security and a home to rest our bones. Let us spend time with our grandchildren, not a lifetime of sacrificing just to stay afloat.

We built Singapore. Now please don't make us feel replaceable.

Lastly, wishing Singapore a happy SG60 birthday 🎂

- A Singaporean who still believes in dignity over drive. A worried and worn-out but still hopeful Singaporean.

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