NOT welcoming foreigners to stay near us does not mean Singaporeans are not gracious.

How many of you have daily dealings with these people? I have switched jobs from the civil service to the private sector and have my fair share of dealings with foreigners.

Let me tell you howI feel.

They treat Singapore as a stepping stone, hoping to "jump" from here to European countries.

They are arrogant and unhygienic.

Take a look at Jurong Point, Serangoon or Peninsula Plaza and the mess they leave behind after their gatherings.

Look at the recent rise in the number of China citizens who have committed murder in Singapore, the number of maids taking boyfriends into their employer's home and so on.

Are we being selfish by keeping them at arm's length? No, not at all.

You might say that not all foreigners are like the people I have described but I say that a great many are.

I thank God that I was born in the 80s, before this increase in the number of foreigners in our midst. It was not so bad in those days - at most, there were some Malaysians. So I grew up among my own countrymen.

I feel that people who argue that it is all right to have foreigners living near you probably have not had to deal with them on a daily basis.

Rachel Lim

This article was first published in The New Paper on October 29, 2008.