5/04/2013

We are not the cheapest




While the message has got through somehow, the drug for more foreigners is difficult to wean from the businesses and the Govt’s mentality. And let’s not confuse ourselves again and again. The foreign workers are needed. It is the middle and top management that are flooding the market at the expense of our PMETs that is the real problem, the pain facing our highly qualified and trained workforce. We shall not trade our PMETs for cheap FTs and making them drive taxis for a living, ferrying cheap FTs that took over their jobs. Thinking of this I boiling already.

As Hsien Loong put it in his May Day message,

‘We have spent many, many decades nurturing this reputation for reliability, for openness. We have made a name for ourselves; not necessarily the cheapest place but a competitive and dynamic city that’s worth paying the premium for. And we must keep that reputation because otherwise we’re dead.’

So, do we believe that we don’t have to compete to be the cheapest? We have so many advantages, tangible and intangible, that all the foreign businesses will be salivating to be here. Think SPGs aplenty. What a life! Let those who want to leave, let them go. Be selective, shrink a little to relief the pen up appetite for more FTs. We can start by getting rid of those businesses that are here and employing mainly FTs. The Govt can start by getting all GLCs to employ Singaporeans first.

Why be threatened by a few businesses and buckled under their threats of not investing here? What would Goh Keng Swee and his colleagues do when faced with such rubbish threats? Do we believe in ourselves? Do we have confidence in our system and infrastructure that the businesses need to pay a premium and not getting a Singapore discount? We have world best universities with Angmoh professors that would turn out graduates as good as Angmohs, if not, would still be better than third world universities right? With so many high quality third world FTs replacing our local graduates, I think I may be wrong on this count.

We have world famous man made gardens that cost us a fortune, F1s, casinos, safe and secure streets to party till the wee hours. These don’t come free. There is value for money. The more expensive the better right? This one surely right. We keep on raising university fees to raise the quality of our education, and also medical fees for better medical services and professionalism. We have all these good stuff within 15 mins of driving, in a world class city. Want cheap cheap, go to operate in third world countries lah.

See, I also can sell koyok for my country. It is time to seriously relook and restructure and take in only those that are beneficial to our bigger game plan that compliment and not sabotage our social and economic development of our people. We want to continue to be in the First World and not downgrade to cheap cheap Third World. Swee boh?

I can also sing a song of being cheaper and cheaper and cheaper or else all the foreign businesses will run away. Singaporeans must tighten belt, compete with all the hungry workers. It is market forces at work. The song I sing depends on my mood and the weather.

34 comments:

Anonymous said...

Rb, I am asking you again. Can you recommend some Indian universities for my kids? I think they are better irrespective of the bullshit ranking. The market forces are the best ranking.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

I replied to you earlier. This is not an area that I am familiar with. You may want to ask the super talents and the knows all for an answer.

But from the feedback from recruiting agencies, and the number of Indian talents here, my bet is that all Indian universities are good. Just close your eyes and pick one.

A further proof is the CECA that our govt signed with India allowing their graduates to work here. This is an affirmation that their universities are good if not better than our world class universities.

Just send your children there. They will get a good education and be sought after by recruiting agencies for jobs here. They will become FTs quality.

My recommendations are based on what I read in the media. I have no empirical proof of their worthiness. Caveat emptor.

Anonymous said...

RB, thank you so much for your advice. I feel so much better already. I agreed that they are so good that Tikam Tikam to choose one will do lor. Will advise my kids accordingly.

Anonymous said...

"Do we believe in ourselves?"

Singaporeans believe in ourselves.
What is missing?
A leader who believes in Singaporeans.

So please vote wisely in GE 2016.
Be daft no more.

Anonymous said...

The reason why you, as a PMET is driving a taxi ferrying a useless piece of crap from the airport to his office, which by the way, is now mostly staffed by more trash of his ilk is that those people who is supposed to take care of you and be responsible to you and for you since you put them in office, have lost their balls to tell the foreign companies to stuff it if they do not want to employ Sinkies first when they set up office here.

Simply put, you have been sold out, lock stock and barrel.

Good luck and just carry on driving your taxi and getting cursed by the other motorists.

Anonymous said...

10.59am, put it this way, only 40% mind driving a taxi and likely they are doing it now. The other 60% are not driving taxi at the moment and they don't mind if they have to do it in the future. So what to do, majority win mah

Anonymous said...

Blame yourself when you over qualfied yourself. No one needs you to arm yourself with honours and MBAs, worse is when you demand high pay to go along with your qualification before you even start work. Cheeky you!
Why should employers offer you job when they can get cheaper, better and faster staff who can do the work competently and are more obedient than you?

You know, when I hire foreigners and when they go back home, they invited me and treated me like VIP. What does local staff offer? Compliants and more compliants. You want them?

Anonymous said...

11.30am that is right. Before retirement, I used to be based in the sg regional office. Whenever I visited the countries outside of sg, I am treated as a VIP by my staff but not those in sg. So can you blame people when they hire FT.

Virgo 49 said...

Mr Redbean, specialises in the forging of degrees.

You want bachelor?, masters? or Phds??

Cheap, cheap, come come ah!!!

Anonymous said...

The earlier sinkie accepts to give up PMET job, the better. Focus on being crane operators that can earn 7 k and taxi drivers that earn 4 to 6 k then getting a useless degree that cost a fortune losing 4 years of earning and earning a pathetic 2500 salary. Better give these low PMET jobs to the FT and sinkie take the higher paying jobs

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

Singapore is a package deal: you have vast economic liberty, but you have to watch yourself because there are restrictions on individual liberty.

The labour market is fairly free, so you can get "bang for your buck" as an employer/ enterprise owner/manager -- but real estate and rents are high.

You enjoy low personal and corporate tax rates, but are heavily taxed indirectly when you buy and then drive a car, alcoholic beverages, gamble at the casino.

And so on... To deliver a speech about Singapore about how goo or bad it is, is simply political grandstanding -- a complete waste of time.

There are trade-offs, costs and benefits to anyone choosing to live anywhere in the world.

For a nice comment on Singapore, list to this interview with Perth author Rodney King, and the 2 Singaporean immigrants about the pros and cons of this Unique Island.

oldhorse42 said...

We are not the cheapest. Agreed. But we are cheap and good. That is why so many foreigner, rich and poor, flock here to work and to spend their ill-gotten wealth.
I understand the govt has a change of heart. The G no longer want foreigner to be crane operator because of one or two incidents PRC went up the crane to protest of slow pay and bad working conditions.They now want to recruit more locals to go up the crane. How to train kiasi local to do the job? High pay?

Anonymous said...

Old horse ya hor never thought of that leh

Anonymous said...

Any job or profession that is shunned has got it's reason, many reasons in fact.
Minister Khaw Boon Wan suggested crane operator as a vocation for 2 reasons. One is, it will help his housing programme. Two is that he can prove that Singaporeans do have 'high' paying job but, not interested.

Khaw Boon Wan did not tell that crane operators have to climb high vertical ladder, no height phobia, work directly under the Sun without airconditioning. Meal, drink and bowel matter are just as challenging on top of usual long working hours making the challenges even more difficult for most.

Crane operator's so-called 4 to 7k income is really no big deal. The job is at least 10 times more difficult than driving taxi. Singaporeans know it and that is why only the very desperate job seekers take up crane operation.

There can be another reason for Khaw Boon Wan to talk about crane oprator job other than showing that Singaporeans are choosy. He could be showing the people that he can give them 'lobang' to earn 'good' money. He is very kind.

virgo49 said...

Presume you are just a salaried msn same like the others.

The only difference is that you are in the management to hire employees on behalf of your boss and company.

Here I concluded that you are just an insecure man who are simply afraidthat your subordinates will take over your job.

You want to be Sar kar by your employees and only employed those that obeyed you and not smarter than you.

You expected your fellow men to protect you and your family and your boss's business in case of crisis and wars.

Put it simply, you are just selfish and heartless man
and put it bruntly a traitor to your fellow man and citizens.

Remember you are also what the Japanese said. A salaried man and when the time comes either replaced by one or simply falls out of favour with tour boss, then you shall taste your same medicine by someone as selfish as you.

When I was a Boss before retirement, I always employed only Singaporeans and even ex drug offenders/prisoners to give them a second chance.

You are been blessed without you knowing of it.

So please change your selfishness before no gods can save you.

Cheers

Virgo 48 said...

You are just one who wanted to be carried by your employees and hokkien said siow thiam.

When you retired what have you??

You might not know that those employees who Sat kar you talks so badly behind your back.

Sigh

A shallow man

Anonymous said...

Now he wants us to give up being PMETs to be taxi drivers and crane operators. Maybe next year, he wants us to be porn star and pimp when more jobs are opened to foreigners. Maybe another year or two, we will be ushered to be prostitutes and shit collectors. Can people grow up and wise up instead of listen to this dimwit who cannot be bothered with his million dollar pay job but just read from a speech prepared by his gay secretary and also to stop voting for a party headed by a dimwit?

Anonymous said...

'You enjoy low personal and corporate tax rates'

- this is rubbish. the poor in singapore pays more tax in relative to their income than the rich. the breads selling in the supermarket are markup after taking into account of costs of coe, erp, gst, property tax, rentals, high management fees etc. The bread can easily be sold at 50% if all these ridiculous stuff is taken out of the equation.
- why is the bread selling in Orchard road where there are so many erp gantires be the same price as those selling in jurong? the poor is subsidizing the rich all along here in this sinking island.

Anonymous said...

Cheapest? You must be joking!

Our ministers are still the highest paid in the universe, even after the salary review recently.

Anonymous said...

3.18 pm, u got watch porn movie or not? For the guy that is the best job one can have screwing all those beautiful women and get paid too. Please lar those are well paying jobs in the USA at least

Anonymous said...

My guess less locat PMET in banks - We are a people with integrity, banks/gomen scared of whistle blowers.

SIA does not recruit as much ITE graduates like in the 80s/90s. Lots of Pinoys n PRCs.
At MRTs n interchange, educated local young men n women pushing banking/insurance products.

Why like that?

Anonymous said...

6.31 pm because those jobs sell con products very high comm. like real estate, if u can sell one property per quarter for private property, u can earn around 15 to 20 k. Just one deal every three months instead working your guts out as fresh graduate, u get 2.5 to 3 k. No point lar

Anonymous said...

The problem is not 6.9 million.

Maybe the problem is that the PAP government no longer has the vision and ability to create high paying jobs for Singaporeans anymore.

With the exception of the creation of high paying Ministerial jobs, what other high paying jobs have the PAP government created of late?

Anonymous said...

We keep telling the world that Singapore Universities are world best. So if you graduate from any of our universities you should be well sought. But the truth is employers here prefer cheaper graduates (some fake) from 3rd world countries. To add salt to wounds, our government endorses their employment plan. WTF! He should not talk so much.

Anonymous said...

Do Singaporeans have Leeders who are machine men with machine hearts and machine minds?

Are Singaporeans continually fooled by the paper qualifications of these men?

Singaporeans as cheaper, better, faster digits.
Is this the Traitors' Vision for Singaporeans?

Do Singaporeans deserve better leaders?
Do Singaporeans deserve a grander vision for our children?

Can we VTO in 2016?
YES WE CAN .... ???

Anonymous said...

Anon 7:14
- ..... Just one deal every three months instead working your guts out as fresh graduate, u get 2.5 to 3 k. No point lar
But what if no deal? Those I saw are sincere people and I feel most had no alternative.

I am upset bcos PAP let the foreigners took over what rightfully our children's future.




Anonymous said...

We can not be the cheapest lar as sinkies need certain level of income as hdb has a large vacuum cleaner waiting for sinkies the next 30 years to pay off the mortgage. After that monetize the flat sell it back to hdb and leave the world with nothing

Anonymous said...

"Bankers are like heroin addicts"
"High Frequency Trading is evil"

http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2013/05/charlie-munger-hft-is-evil/

What do you think?
Is Charlie right?

Anonymous said...

Like that ah? Ok lah asked the papy to set up taxi acadmey,insurance university, real estate college, sanitary institute of higher learning.
look like new rea for local educated and their off spring new career path.Never mind the power,engineering factory,offices can maned by Ftrash.last night mediacorspe program "sexy in the city"by a white trash who can't survive in oz. A myanmama ladies boss said" without them Ftrash sinkie cannot survive walan good ah papy right leh sinkie will sink ahahahahah.Getting bolder and bolder with present number, can't imagine when thay are 51%? dead meat

Anonymous said...

I think we must admit we are expensive.

So we need Govt to find ways
to help Singaporeans to
enhance one's skill or easy acquire technology. Govt must also need to set
more requirements
and fix a clear cap of number of foreigners entering our job market.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

We are top expensive, as a nation and in every business. The top is being overpaid to the extent that nothing much is left for the workers.

And they demand the workers to be cheaper and the top get more bonuses and increments.

Anonymous said...

We are expensive not because of welfare or wages but because the biggest landlord wants to charge very high rents.

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

@328:

>> - this is rubbish. the poor in singapore pays more tax in relative to their income than the rich.

Not rubbish. I am referring to those who "can do" and "do do" and thus are responsible for the creation of wealth. You achieve? Great. Thank you for your contribution, therefore you are entitled to less tax as a proportion to your income.

Poor fucks don't contribute to the wealth. They take more "free" stuff than they produce. Therefore it is only fair to tax them, since they are the largest consumers of public resources. ;-)

Meritocracy means the successful get to enjoy more than those who...er...have somehow managed to "avoid" success.

Singapore is a place for "winners". Which is why it is so darn AWESOME!

Anonymous said...

Maybe because most Singaporeans have part of their salary deposit into CPF. Thus increase in living
cost impact is felt more.