Illustration: CNA/Nurjannah Suhaimi
SMU Assistant Professor of Sociology Liu Jiaqi noted that the rise of "super commuters" – Singaporeans who live abroad but work in Singapore – challenges traditional policy assumptions about loyalty and national obligations. He explained that these individuals occupy a grey zone and can face suspicion about their loyalty, especially when they are perceived as economically benefiting from one country and socially and politically identifying with another. If this trend grows, he believes it will have significant implications for economic redistribution, cultural affiliation and politics of mobility. SMU Associate Professor of Sociology Yasmin Ortiga added that super commuting complicates the allocation of state protection and welfare, as it becomes difficult to determine where people can claim support, highlighting the struggle of migrants when state categories fail to recognise the complexity of their identities.
