Feb 24, 2010

Local & Foreigner - Little Ironies in Singapore

My brother-in-law (BIL, for short) is an engineer. He used to work in the manufacturing industry, in a well-known MNC in Singapore.

I say "used to", because BIL no longer does. You know what has happened to the manufacturing industry in Singapore, over the years. The MNC in question is still a famous global brand. But it has drastically reduced its manufacturing activities in Singapore, and moved those activities to cheaper offshore locations.

For a year or two, BIL was posted to Thailand to help the MNC set up its new factory there. Meanwhile, the operations in Singapore continued to get downsized. Eventually, when the new factory in Thailand was up and running, BIL lost his job too.

He tried to find another job in Singapore. But he could not. Those were dark days for the manufacturing industry here. Eventually, BIL did get an offer. The job was to help set up a new factory in China. So off he went. He didn't really want to go, but it seemed like the best option at that time.

While BIL was working in China, he met a young Chinese woman (quite a bit younger than himself). They fell in love. They got married. The woman was keen to come to Singapore - she felt that she would have better job prospects here - so the plan was that they would make Singapore their home.

In fact, they did come back to get married here, and since then Sister-in-Law (SIL) has been staying with Mother-in-Law. However, BIL was, and still is, unable to find a job in Singapore. It seems that nowadays, there is no demand whatsoever in Singapore, for his type of work experience and skills.

So he's still working in China, setting up new factories there. He flies back to Singapore whenever he can, to visit. Now, years have passed, and they have a two-year-old daughter (here, in Singapore).

In the meantime, SIL had been upgrading herself, by learning English, and by taking courses to be a beautician. SIL now works in a beauty parlour in the Raffles Place area. She also has the ambition to set up her own beauty parlour business in Singapore.

And yes, SIL flies to China a couple of times a year, to visit her husband.

A series of small ironies here - do you see them?

1. The China wife ended up in Singapore; the Singapore husband ended up in China.

2. The Singapore man could get a good job only in China; and the China lady could get a good job only in Singapore.

2. The China lady came to Singapore to be with her Singapore husband, only to find that the Singapore husband is still stuck in China.

I offer no conclusions, no final remarks. Just telling a true story ....

65 comments:

takchek said...

Such a two-body problem is quite prevalent in academia, and it is a product of globalization.

Anonymous said...

so why is there a claim that there is job creation to ensure singaporeans have job when the truth is many still can't find a job here and has to search offshore? personally I find it frustrating.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Mr Wang for posting this story. It is very common and is indeed a sad reflection of how our economic and manpower policies have screwed up the lives of middle age Singaporeans. The Singapore society is changing very fast and into directions which can be potentially destructive. I don't like it.

The said...

/// I offer no conclusions, no final remarks. Just telling a true story .... ///

Let me proffer one:

Highly skilled and technically competent Singapore - sorry, no jobs for you.

Lowly or unskilled foreigner - yes, come up exploit our various schemes for skills upgrading and make up for the number of Singaporeans emigrating.

Anonymous said...

Mr Wang, such stories are so commonplace. Nothing new anymore.

Obama talks about jobs, but good jobs. PAP talks about jobs, but what kind of jobs? hahaha

Anonymous said...

nothing surprising. i'm a victim of such a forced move myself, except that it's a 16 hour flight away from my wife and family, so my situation is much worse than your BIL. all a necessary consequence of globalization.

Anonymous said...

That's the reality.

Investments may be coming in by the billions, but the jobs created are few, because everything is largely automated. So, don't read too much into those statistics about increases in investment commitments by foreign MNCs.

Anonymous said...

Mr Wang,

be glad you are not in this routine,this scenario you have mentioned is very common...

Being a lawyer has its pros n cons,but being an engineer...you have Indians,Filipinos,Burmese,Vietnamese,etc,etc...
i have a few friends working for Lucas Film Animation Singapore,guess what,@ least 30-40% of them are either PRs' or foreigners...

Its time to vote for a change,i vote PAP out!

My name is James Michael & I am a S'porean,not a foreign talent!bwhahahaha!!!

James Michael Parthi
London School Of Economics
UK

Anonymous said...

^ Do you know what type of people Lucas Film Singapore hires? graphic artists, illustrators, producers etc. I'm not surprised why Lucas Film is hiring foreigners and not Singaporeans.

Our education system has been too restrictive that it stifles the creativity of young ppl.

Anonymous said...

your BIL is a victim of the myopic economic policies of the PAP/civil service in Sg. Those people in the ivory towers are in for short term figures and never planned for a solid long-term industrial ecosystem that is of value to large western MNCs. the only tricks they can manage is wage depression through lax immigration policies and low taxes. all textbook tricks expected of exam-smart "scholars"

Amused said...

A first world country sends its best workers to third world countries and accepts their workers in exchange. Amazing!

SG Girl Next Door said...

No problem finding a job here. You just have to accept the same salary range employers offer to the FTs...

Cannot survive with the pay package? Change your spending habits. Stop eating at food courts; bring lunch to work; don't go for movies in cinemas; etc.

Anonymous said...

Singapore talent highly sought after abroad but not recognised by its own employers or state. Who can blame one for migrating?

Anonymous said...

You should ask your BIL to join his resident committee and become a grassroot leader.Given his education and experience he will given a leadership role very quickly and with that the job opportunities will pour in. He can also start his own business offering engineering services. Our estates need such services. If he is loyal, he will soon be invited to tea or at the least become a CC member and he is made for life.

Kaffein said...

Personally I am amazed by people's comments to put the problem into one word - Globalisation. And if still cannot find a job? Another word - Economic Recession.

Gee, that sounds so PAP. Just blaming external factors instead of looking internally at the situation at hand. One can start with 'your policy doesn't really work'.

I have told some MPs before:

Don't keep pouring water into a leaking bucket. Perhaps patching some of the holes might help retain the water.

Kaffein

Anonymous said...

Kaffein: i'm sure the PAP wouldn't mind hearing some of your bright ideas if you think that current policies suck.

But what's the problem in the first place? Globalization is a necessary evil - if the world was isolationist, Mr Wang's BIL would be still unemployed in Singapore and his SIL would be leading a hard life in China. I fail to see how that is a better situation for the both of them. Which is probably why Mr Wang didn't explicitly say it was a problem, just that it was... ironic.

Anonymous said...

Actually the local U produces the most number of engineer graduates all these years. Many times more than lawyers, doctors, architects etc. Most even go into engineering not by choice but due to not being accepted by other faculties.

So lawyers, doctors, architects have no problem getting a job or even be self employed. The good ones also earn multiple times what good engineers earned. Of course there are also those not doing that well but they are also much lesser in numbers than those of engineers.

In fact many engineers by training do not do real engineering work, partly by choice but mostly due to circumstances.

Is it any wonder that Singapore is not renowned for technological R & D, manufacturing and innovation unlike the Japanese, Koreans, Taiwanese and even mainland Chinese?

Kaffein said...

@ Anon February 25, 2010 11:18 AM

I've given my $0.02 worth of bright ideas to the MPs. Well they classified them under 2 cents worth. *shrug*

Globalisation is NOT a necessary evil. I don't know where you get that idea from. It's like saying guns are evil. Gee, depends on whose hand it is in!

The line draws here:
Singaporean citizens like his BIL have to go other countries to look for work. And continue to work there and not be able to come back home because opportunities are very little for him past 50. Whereas for the SIL, she can go back to China once she feels she has earned and saved enough.

There lies the difference.

Anyway, see links:
- Australia cancels 20000 visa applications

- Singapore mulls limits on foreigners

Go figure why AU is putting a stop to immigration and Singapore is considering it too.

Kaffein

lee sg said...

To: James Michael Parthi about Lucas Film Animation

If Lucas Film is producing film only for singaporean consumption, then there may be a case for it to employ nearly 100% singaporeans.
If it cannot employ foreigners, then it may set up their office in Hong Kong, Japan or US and it could not employ the 60 to 70% singaporean in the company.

Are u working in the UK as a foreigner? Does the British hate foreigners?

Henry Leong said...

So both can use video conferencing more regularly?

Anonymous said...

To Lee Sg,
The british put their citizens first, and will only allow employment of foreigners when there are no qualified citizens available. Likewise for all other 1st world (and even 3rd world) countries. In fact, that's how every country in the world behaves, except for...

Singapore, which, under PAP, puts cheap foreigners first and will employ foreigners even when more qualified (but also more expensive) citizens are available.

This kind of behaviour is that of a traitor. PAP has betrayed Singaporeans. Therefore, please do not hide behind "Does the British hate foreigners?" or similar rubbish that your fellow PAP apologists have come up with such as "it is all due to globalization" "globalization is a necessary evil" etc.

We are not 3 year old. We can see through such tricks. All these problems would not have existed - globalization or not - if PAP has put Singaporeans first.

Anonymous said...

"All of you remember, we are Singapore citizens, citizens of this country. And as citizens, we have right. One of your most important right is..."
Singapore for SIngaporeans

Anonymous said...

PAP has always been assured of support by Singaporeans, even from the opposition! Out of 98% seats, 50% are walkovers given by the opposition!

No wonder lah, Singapore for Singaporeans, Hahahaha!

Anonymous said...

Seems like the readers here generally feel that this is the result of our government's alleged myopic policy. But the truth is, Singapore has already lost its comparative advantage to China in the manufacturing sector. It is therefore not surprising that there is deficient demand for your BIL's type of work experience and skils (I wouldn't say "no"; it's too extreme) and that some of our local-born engineers have to be sent overseas by the MNCs to set up factories elsewhere in low-cost countries. In addition, low-skilled foreign workers also help to fill up jobs which Singaporeans themselves don't want to take up. I know this may not be applicable to your SIL, but still, there is a need to acknowledge this fact instead of complaining how foreign workers are snatching away the rice bowl from locals.

Anonymous said...

Let's be frank here. The problems here are fundamental in nature and largely a product of 45 years of PAP policy.

1. There was no coherent plan to develop local industry, and no plan exists. The PAP felt from the start that it was a waste of time, and till this day, no concerted effort to create successful tech giants has occurred. If there was any concerted effort, it's a joke. Chartered is gone and bought over by Global Foundries, ST Engg remains a joke in terms of tech level and earns most of its revenue leaching off govt military contracts.

2. MNCs have less incentive to stay here. They go to where the prices are low period. As a result, our engineers, to be again frank, are inexperienced and compare poorly to their First World Peers. Engineering is a sum of experience. If that experience is not accumulated over decades, then nothing will work. Exam results mean nothing in this.

3. Jobs are only as useful to a country as they bring added value. The Govt largely sees jobs as a tax revenue source, and doesn't really look at the big picture. That's precisely why they invite MNCs down to set up shop, even temporarily, and with huge tax breaks to the company.


4. Govt's habit of being half assed in implementation of policies. A*Star remains, and shall remain as a joke because it is not a R&D unit, it's really a glorified product development organisation, despite it being branded as an R&D organisation. They can spend billions, but they will soon realise they are better off spending money on fundamental science that produce trickle down effects decades from now.

I could go on, but really, there's a lot of crap going on in the country that no one is really bothering to look into.

Anonymous said...

Let me add some frankness here too.

The PAP is clueless. LHL is clueless, LKY is history+clueless. The continual political dominance by one family has done more harm than good for Singapore and Singaporeans.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Anonymous @ Feb 25 2010 11:19 pm. There are many engineering graduates here but no opportunities to accumulate real engineering experience. Yes, "Engineering is a sum of experience. If that experience is not accumulated over decades, then nothing will work. Exam results mean nothing in this."

Anonymous said...

This is a familiar story. It began with our govt handing out our core competence on a silver platter to China. Singaporeans' management ability, honesty and reliability are well sought after in China. But we are not able to acquire China's advantage of low labour cost and abundance of land. So the MNCs moved to China once Singapore has helped them establish industrial Parks.
Many of our men in manufacturing ended up in China while our women from these same manufacturing plants ended up working as cashiers in NTUC Fairprice, Cold Storage and bakeries. They know English too and are computer literate. They have worked as supervisors before in MNCs. Why are we replacing these Singaporean women with PRC women who have yet to learn English? This is the puzzle to be unravelled if we really want to find out the paradox in our Singaporean society.

An ex-MNC supervisor

Anonymous said...

This is a familiar story. It began with our govt handing out our core competence on a silver platter to China. Singaporeans' management ability, honesty and reliability are well sought after in China. But we are not able to acquire China's advantage of low labour cost and abundance of land. So the MNCs moved to China once Singapore has helped them establish industrial Parks.
Many of our men in manufacturing ended up in China while our women from these same manufacturing plants ended up working as cashiers in NTUC Fairprice, Cold Storage and bakeries. They know English too and are computer literate. They have worked as supervisors before in MNCs. Why are we replacing these Singaporean women with PRC women who have yet to learn English? This is the puzzle to be unravelled if we really want to find out the paradox in our Singaporean society.

An ex-MNC supervisor

Anonymous said...

Wow, Mr. Wang.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am no PAP lapdog. (I can't be, since I am too far away for them to pay attention to my sycophantic ways).

But I must say that your original post uncovered a fair number of Minister-wannabes.

A talented lot, we Singaporeans. Especially when it comes to ad hoc analysis. Like they say, hindsight's 20/20.

Here's a challenge to these wannabes: spot for readers of Mr. Wang's blog the next booming industry.

Answers on a postcard please.

Anonymous said...

Typical of Singaporeans too. Take a bit of criticism, and the skin breaks and blackens with gangrene, and go on rattling about hindsight etc. etc.

Grow a thick skin and start being constructive instead of being destructive to new ideas.

Gilbert Koh aka Mr Wang said...

"Especially when it comes to ad hoc analysis. Like they say, hindsight's 20/20."

For the record, I think that Singaporeans have been expressing these views for years now.

It's not a "on hindsight" analysis, except perhaps for the government

(notice how in the recent past week, the govt has suddenly started doing a U-turn on its foreign policy

- when Singaporeans have been loudly pointing out the issues for at least the past 5 years).

Onlooker said...

The disparity of intention and result of our "?flawless?" garment policy.

Make the people want to iron our garments so that it can be useful to the people wearing it again.

oh.. the irony!

okay, I know bad puns that are not punny.

Anonymous said...

Mr Wang,
"- when Singaporeans have been loudly pointing out the issues for at least the past 5 years)."

Well it does somehow follow the 5 year cycle, *hint hint* if you know what it means. The foreign worker policy is never popular with singaporeans.

The said...

/// A talented lot, we Singaporeans. Especially when it comes to ad hoc analysis. Like they say, hindsight's 20/20. ///

Need another backsight example?

How about the stop-at-two campaign where citizens have been against for decades.

Anonymous said...

We are in the wrong industry makeup. We should not be. LKY said to grow the second wing like 20 years ago? What has been done? Nothing!

Now 20 years later, after a failed FT policy and a looming possibilty of big time backlash at the polls, they pull back the FT policies.

Where is the impact analysis report? Is it done at ALL?

Which ministry has been co-ordinating all the FT efforts by all agencies? Is there a ministry in charge anyway?

See the loopholes?

Anonymous said...

Which ministry has been co-ordinating all the FT efforts by all agencies? Is there a ministry in charge anyway?

If yes, WHEN did this ministry/agency start to co-ordinate the FT initiatives across all sectors, segments and agencies? Was there an impact analysis? Were decisions made based on impact analysis reports?

I strongly suspect the Prime Minister is in for some very good surprises (or disappointments) when he starts asking his Ministers and Scholar directors all these questions. I hope he is sharp enough to ask the "when, where, who, what, how" questions when the smoke and bullshit starts coming in fast and thick.

Anonymous said...

So the MNCs moved to China once Singapore has helped them establish industrial Parks.

And other countries will hop in to help China even if Singapore does not do it. It's not like China will be a big time failure without Singapore! They might move slower, they might just pay a bit more to buy over technologies, send their people out to learn.

China is not a lame duck as protrayed in popular media. Those guys are more intelligent than the crap you see on TV.

The thing to ask is, what have those sent in to "help" China done to ensure our early relationships with the Chinese translate to advantages to late movers into this massive market?

Bet my last underwear those idiots failed big time, or never thought of it.

Anonymous said...

http://app.mti.gov.sg/data/pages/485/doc/ES__AES2009.pdf

Ministry of Trade and Industries data.

Goods producing (ie Construction and Manufacturing) - 25.9%
Services producing - 68.9%
Onwership of dwellings - 5.3%

So we are big on "services". Really?

Manufacuring - 18.2%
Wholesale & Retail - 16.8%
Business Services - 14.3%
Financial Services - 13.5%
"Other" Services - 10.0%

SO, according to the above, Singapore depends on MANUFACTURING the most, then Finance, then consultancies. Why are we still manufacturing major when the warning has been sounded for at least 10 years that China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brazil are ALL SO CHEAP IN MANUFACTURING WE CANNOT WIN?

Where is the R&D sector? Where is this Biopolis billions we poured in? A*STAR what on earth have you contributed? Education hub?Results?

Who is overseeing the TRANSFORMATION we were promised? Stop telling us about structural unemployment. It is all foreseen at least A DECADE ago!

PM Lee must start to really relook at his civil service, scholar system and sack those who are redundant/cannot perform and reduce our budget/GST. Otherwise he will answer at the polls.

Anonymous said...

I was the one who pointed out the stupidity of handing out our core competitive advantage to China more than a decade ago and even used a story to illustrate it. I am so sick and tired of repeating the story so I am not going to repeat it here.
The usual response I get from the listeners were that even if we do not help China, someone else would. This is a lame excuse, just like a rapist would say that even if he did not rape the girl, someone else would.
By accelerating China's growth through a rapid assimilation of our core competencies we have given away ten years of our value and the result is our 40 year olds are now suffering loss of employment in our own country. It would have been a different story if we were prepared for this and have something already prepared for the loss of the manufacturing industry for these people who are now working as cashiers and frontline staff in bakeries.
And no, I am not a minister wannabe, never wanted to be in politics, ever.
Just thought that our ministers should have more foresight than this.
Someone wanted to bet his underwear that those who have gone to China did not bring back their expertise!
HaHa, several years ago I went on air to prompt our ministers to utilise the knowledge gained by our overseas Singaporeans and that is why you have so many contact Singapore centres nowadays though how effective they are is up to you to bet your underwear with again.
The point is the Singapore government is voted in by Singaporeans and should at all times consider Singaporeans' interests first: looks like now they finally get the concept right and that is why our PM now has gone public to put this on record. That he has to say it now is a shame because this is a basic requirement that should never have been questioned, just like the fundeamental requirement for a minister never to be dishonest, let alone corrupt, that makes the concept of having to raise their salaries by millions just so that they are less likely to be corrupt is a daft one.
Ex MNC Supervisor

Anonymous said...

Anon February 25, 2010 11:18 AM

But what's the problem in the first place?

___________________________

The problem is the pap government manpower policy which dictates that the top talents must be spread over the various critical disciplines. I know of people who have perfect academic results and are keen to do medicine but forced into engineering. Now in their 40's and 50's they have problems finding employments. If they had been allowed to do medicine, I am very sure they will still be serving Singaporeans.
Meanwhile the standard of doctors have declined as mediocres are accepted into medical school. I know of a top government doctor who was such a borderline case that she was rejected on her first attempt. So the really talented ones are unemployed and the mediocres get national awards.

Anonymous said...

To lee sg & to the curious citizens about life in UK,

London is a melting pot full of immigrants,you can Google it on Wikipedia,a point to note,England prefers locals to foreigners,albeit there are lots of immigrants residing in UK,the foreign legion constitutes of a small percentile,here are the details

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_to_the_United_Kingdom_since_1922

I am a student here doing my honors in IT n Finance...will graduate by july this year,after that,i plan to start my own biz...Singapore used to be my home,a place where everything was a silver platter,now i have to share with a DNA Alien Breed who condemn,criticize,demand,run afoul of the laws,do not respect the local cultures n traditions,u know why?

The ruling coalition allows them to do so n we S'poreans have been given the sucker punch,we should be more like Australia & USA,citizens first n foremost,we have the rights,they have none other than basic human rights of necessity,if the foreigners want to have a share of our cake,its plain simple,whatever S'poreans have done for the past 46 yrs of nation building,they follow suit,not happy,get the HELL of my country,they are not WELCOME!!

My name is James Michael Parthi & I am a disgruntled,red passport holder who unfortunately have served 2.5 years of my wasted time n life in NS plus reservists,other reservists out there share my sentiments too,NS for local men,JS(Job Security),HS(Housing Security),SS(Spouse n Salary Security),etc for the aliens!!!!

What about Singaporeans???Pay taxes,licenses for radio n tv,pay gst,pay utility bills,pay n pay n pay n pay non stop....what else is left for us?Nothing!


James Michael Parthi AKA

Neo from The Matrix!

Anonymous said...

[quote] PM Lee must start to really relook at his civil service, scholar system and sack those who are redundant/cannot perform and reduce our budget/GST. Otherwise he will answer at the polls. [unquote]



Really? Majority of Singaporeans will continue to vote for the PAP.

Even when the day comes when majority Singaporeans stop voting for PAP, it will also not matter because the various institutions and branches of government have been subverted to assure a PAP "victory".

So what are you going to do, Singaporeans? :)

Anonymous said...

Contact Singapore has been turned into an agency to tout how good Singapore is, match foreigners (anything from CEO to contruction worker) to jobs in Singapore.

This is not servicing Singaporeans. This is not allowing Singaporeans who have gone oversease to share knowledge and contribute to Singapore. This is not promoting the Singaporean worker to increase GNP. This is really ultimate betrayal to tout Singapore as a world class hotel where we pay to help foreigners undercut our pay and get a job through our own Gov agency when Singaporeans have to send resumes on their own!

Anonymous said...

Where is the R&D sector? Where is this Biopolis billions we poured in? A*STAR what on earth have you contributed? Education hub?Results?

Education Hub? HAHAHAHAHAHA they cannot even decide who is the agency responsible for the accreditation of foreign qualifications! And of course, they cannot explain to you where and how all the money for this accreditation thingy has been spent!

And if you just wiki for A levels, you will find HK authorities actually doing and releasing a proper paper to tell the world that Hong Kong A levels has no grade inflation like the rest. Singapore MOE?

The world education scene is dominated by Americans and Europeans. The American education and the European IB. What has MOE or their wonderful spinoff SEAB done all these years to capture at least the regional market with Singapore A levels? Or are they still stuck in "this is national agenda/interests" era? So much money, and political mileage to earn for Singapore, and... have you heard or seen anything?

There were so many "hub" status we went after. Region HQ Hub, Logistics Hub, you name it. Tell me which Hub has not quietly "hub" (hokkien for close down) already? And PAP has been campaigning on track records. Funny. Let them now go really look at the civil service proper.

Anonymous said...

The problem with A*Star in general is misplaced ideas and expectations. They thought they could make patents and companies out of biotech research. Sadly, 5 years on, nothing has been produced. Not even a damn groundbreaking paper published in Nature or Science. In fact, LKY's daughter made a valid criticism of A*Star in that it is not focusing on the right niches. Of course, Philip Yeo the Great would not be too out done...

Anonymous said...

Here's an interesting article about a small German company that produces glass cases for museums and mostly exports: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/27/business/global/27gcon.html.
Singapore's challenge (and this is one for the people as a society and not just for the government) is to ensure that small, highly technical exporters can grow up alongside the new beauty salons and small retailers etc. Only then can highly skilled workers continue to find meaningful employment at home, by starting their own niche businesses that are resistant to large mass-scale foreign competitors. That army of well-trained, formerly MNC-employed technologists must somehow be converted into specialists of custom solutions.

Anonymous said...

Anon 1.02 am,

For Singapore, very, very difficult lah. Because the environment is not conducive for that. Can plants and crops grow in deserts? Unless there are greenhouses built to do that.

Instead of focusing to develop locals, Singapore use foreigners or foreign companies to fast track everything, from population to research (A*Star has lots of FTs) to even manufacturing (they did it once by acquiring disk drive maker Micropolis and it was a disaster).

Trying to fast track development and growth with above means is like a sportman on steriods to improve performance which is not acceptable and harmful in the long term.

lee sg said...

To : James Michael Parthi

Lucky u want to start your own business and not work for someone else. If u join a well established co. with 46 years of history, u will just follow suit and cannot give a opinion on the running of the co.

In which normal country can u have spousal security? Lock up your wife?

If u start your own business, u will have no salary security.

Being a student can lead people to be very theoretical, working for a few years can change your view.

Anonymous said...

I am past 40 and working in IT sales management. I have been in my current job for the past 4 years. Have been going to many job interviews but no avail, because I cannot talk as well as Indians and Australians. My guess is that if I were to lose this job, I would also have to go to China to get a job. At least for now, the Chinese cannot speak good English and this gives job opportunities to foreigners like us. However, once the next generation takes over, they do not require Singaporeans anymore. What will Singaporeans do then?

Anonymous said...

To : lee sg,

I'm in my early 30s',before i went to London in Sept 2007,i have worked for S'pore's biggest telco firm for 4 yrs as an engineer plus working with a local n foreign bank for 3.5yrs as a personal financial consultant,i know working for a MNC,we have to mind other people's business,just like what Robert Kiyosaki has mentioned in Rich Dad,Poor Dad!

In fact,the way S'pore is heading in the next decade,we are gonna be sore losers,people from other SEA nations are utilizing S'pore to their advantage,we have people from India n China who take advantage of the lax immigration policy set by the govt,what can S'poreans do?What can we do?

I remember my lecturer once told me,S'pore never really got its independence from the sovereign state of Malaysia,we have no natural resources,our land is scarce,people are fighting for space,there's no freedom of speech,our education hub is stifling our young minds,there's no creativity,our so-called scholarships n bursaries are handed over to PRs' n foreign legion who have no sense of honor or gratitude,what do our ministers say?Its all our fault,the S'poreans are @ fault,its easy to point the blame to us,but then again,we are ones who voted for them,have we learned our lesson??Only time will tell,till then we have been screwed up,down,left,right n center...'nuff said!!!

James Michael Parthi

Anonymous said...

takchek is an ignoramus. Two-body problem applies to couples in the same profession trying to find the same type of positions that are usually very hard to come by. Nothing to do with globalization.

Don't know don't anyhow say.

Anonymous said...

To anon: February 28, 2010 12:56 PM.

It is no longer true that speaking better English will make it easy to look for a job in China. China is swarmed with returnees and overseas chinese (taiwan, US, Canada, HK etc). There is no shortage of people who are effectively bilingual. The window for Singaporeans to work in China has closed a few years ago (in my humble view).

denzuko1 said...

Those were the days. 1998 the dark hour for manufacturing in Singapore, and the Garment then still insisted that moving all manufacturing out was a good move. In fact, it killed of a generation of expertise in Singapore and mind you it was not the women who become maid in other countries. It is the men who were forced to work far from their home.

I was lucky to switch my line from manufacturing to marketing, otherwise I would have lost my chance of meeting and marrying my wife in Singapore

Anonymous said...

There's something similar between SG and other first world countries.

Large influx of foreigners, massive betrayal of their own citizens.

Their own citizens don't even know about this, same as SG. Just for the record: Obama, Democrats and Republicans all sold out their country. Stop comparing Obama's salary with Lee Hsien Loongs.

BTW, I do not believe for a second that the people in charge have myopic vision or have poor forecasting abilities. I adopt the view that this whole thing was done according to plan right from the start.

Importing large amounts of foreigners and having them remit their earnings back home is done deliberately. It is a global SCAM to transfer money from developed countries to certain 3rd world countries. This outflow of wealth will crash the country, while enriching foreigners!

Anyone noticed the recent EU issue involving Nigel Farage, who did a "Chee Soon Juan" on the EU President Herman Van Rompuy?

The mass media called Nigel "rude" and character-assasinated him instead of focusing on his valid question: Who exactly is this Herman van Rompuy?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bypLwI5AQvY

I wouldn't bet on anyone answering that question for years, just like no one answered Chee Soon Juan's question for the past 9 years.

"Where's our money?"

Anonymous said...

To Anon March 1, 2010 7:00 PM

1.Name me one country in the world where foreingers have grown to 36% of the population in less than 5 years.
2. When u start comparing Singapore to some of the other first world countries pls have the decency to mention that all these first world countries have some form of welfare and medical supports for their citizens. On the other hand the papist leegime is so scarce of welfare as if welfare will exposed their evil ways.
3.Dr. Chee Soo Juan is a Singapore patriot who was and still is being vicitmised and persecuted by Lee Kuan Yew for his own personal reason only LKY himself knew.
4. Since u r so close to LKY having been licking and sucking him, can u tell us how much he has got stash away in his accounts. I heard people said that he has more money than Mahathir. This must be very funny as our ministers always tell us that Malaysian politicians are corrupt and our Singapore politicians "squeeky clean". How to explain to young Singaporeans that politicians from "squeeky clean" Singapore have got more money than corrupt Malaysia ?

Anonymous said...

March 1, 2010 8:25 PM

I was the one who posted at 7pm.

Regret to inform you I'm against governments in Singapore, USA, UK, and other first world countries working AGAINST their own citizens.

Therefore, I am unable to grasp the concept of your accusation of me sucking and licking LKY.

Will only answer this question:
3.Dr. Chee Soo Juan is a Singapore patriot who was and still is being vicitmised and persecuted by Lee Kuan Yew for his own personal
reason only LKY himself knew.

I agree. Which I pointed out that Nigel Farage, just like Chee Soon Juan, has been victimised by the mass media. The mass media never addressed the real question of who's the EU president, just like the mass media never addressed "where's our money".

Anonymous said...

Will attempt to answer this question:

2. When u start comparing Singapore to some of the other first world countries pls have the decency to mention that all these first world countries have some form of welfare and medical supports for their citizens.

Answer: A SCAM and coverup of government-made disasters to transfer citizens' wealth to big pharma and medical industry.

While it sounds good to have your healthcare bill taken care of AFTER falling sick, it would be prudent to do research on why people fall sick in the first place.

The reason why people fall sick is due to government action and inaction!

The addition of poisonous artifical sweeteners and additives to food. Google "aspartame" and read for yourself. FDA approved it despite research linking it to tumours and neurological dysfunction.

The release of nuclear radioactive particles into the atmosphere. Apart from the 2 bombs on Japan that most people know of, there've been 400+ (or was it 700+?) other instances of USA, UK and Russian governments conducting nuclear tests in the environment. Google "Snap 9a", a satellite fall from space and "Trinity nuclear", a US govt nuclear test.

The pain and suffering of sick people are caused by governments themselves! The "healthcare benefits" is not a solution. It results in nothing more than a transfer of wealth to the healthcare industry, a scam of epic proportions. After they make you sick, they make themselves richer while you get cut up in the hospital like a guinea pig.

I do not have a solution to the above. I do have something for you guys to think about: the people really in control in Singapore are less than 200. The mass public greatly outnumber them. Think about it.

Anonymous said...

Sure some of the big businesses in America are unethical.
However it is a long stretch to link this to government causing citizens to be sick. Why would they want to do that ?
The individual has to take responsibility for his own health. If he don't and is sick, then it is irresponsible to blame the government.

Anonymous said...

How much does it cost for the Fda to reject a poisonous food additive? $0.

How much does it cost for governments to NOT conduct nuclear tests? $0.

The fact that they went ahead and did it tells the whole story. It's all about the profitable cure, never about prevention.

Please advise how you protected yourself against poisonous food additives and nuclear particles. That's extremely hard to believe.

Anonymous said...

Any government duty is to protect it's citizens interest.

The irony here is ours forgot about their duty

jimmy said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

"Personally I am amazed by people's comments to put the problem into one word - Globalisation. And if still cannot find a job? Another word - Economic Recession."

And if they cannot beat you to your complaint or argument. They will start to tell you some froggie fairy tale on a certain kingdom of frogs, a pretty convenient red herring.

Anonymous said...

Strikes me as a value-chain problem. Your BIL's expertise is in starting and building factories... an activity Singapore has largely outgrown. Your SIL is investing herself in a business which is still in its growth phase in Singapore.

In the long term, I think China holds better prospects for both of them: factory-building will last quite a while in China, while the nouveau-rich in China will start wanting beauty-parlours quite soon. Win/win.

I hope their children are equipped to join them in China in a decade's time.

Anonymous said...

The irony of the Singapore economy. Drawing investment for MNC to set up base here for job creation only for foreigners to take up these jobs.