9/27/2013

Dubai – Food for thought for material Singapore

‘So many myopic comments here. Myanmar is a far larger and more complex country than tiny Spore. And Myanmar should not adopt Spore’s style of meritocracy and penchant for material success.
 

A better comparison is Dubai which has emerged from the bleak landscape of the desert to be a vibrant financial and tourism place. Dubai is more than 95% managed and operated by foreigners and is thriving. They also have brilliant Emerati leadership and top class CEOs.
 

Singaporeans are a very unhappy lot. They do not appreciate the journey that Spore has taken since independence and Dubai imitated Spore initially but has over-taken Spore in many aspects.’
 

The above is a comment by a Webex in TRE. For a country like Singapore to be over taken by Dubai is nothing surprising. There was really not much growth in the island for many years if we take out the elements of influx of foreigners, the housing balloon, the ever increasing high rentals, the COEs and car prices and the high medical fees. These factors alone could have wiped out all the growth there was, or negative growth in their absence. How’s that?
 

But with the example of Dubai there is real hope. Singapore should imitate Dubai to over take Dubai with our brilliant leadership, at the moment second only to Dubai. What Singapore needs is to rely more on foreigners. 50% foreigners could only bring us 2-3% growth. Dubai is managed by 95% foreigners. If we follow Dubai, we could increase our growth by 4-6%, which is good. According to a banker Mak Weijie as quoted in the Today paper, ‘As long as the person is capable enough, it doesn’t matter what nationality he is.’ (My comment: Are you a citizen or a new citizen? We have a country, not a shop)
 

And what is 6.9m? Go for it, 95% foreigners, Singaporean core reduces to 5%, and we will be so much richer as a shop, oops, I mean a country. Our population could be what, 30m? Knn, what am I thinking?

34 comments:

Anonymous said...

RB, knn I have to agree with you. That is either we do it all the way or don't do at all. Reducing Singapore core to less then 50% might as well reduce to 5% to get the benefits mah. Tio Bo?

Anonymous said...

Actually hor.
I'm thinking ahead just like our Great Forecaster.
How about imitating Lenin's Tomb in Russia?
Lenin's body was embalmed and put on public display since shortly after his death in 1924.

How about a Limpeh's Tomb in Singapore?
So that Limpeh can be called back into active service whenever Singapore is in trouble.
Just like he promised.

Anonymous said...

Rb, why you sound so piss off? Did some one did that to you?

Anonymous said...

yes! Singapore will have 50M people by 2100.......

we will have a very complex integrated linkages between surface infrastructures and the underground infrastructures such as houses, shopping malls, schools. factories, offices, hospitals, mrt, roads, gardens-by-underground, etc.....

people all over the world want to live here.....we are so very popular that people have to queue to live here.......

WE ARE THE WORLD ..........

Anonymous said...

Cannot compare Singapore with Dubai, Redbeans pau. Dubai got only one revenue: oil. S'pore got cpf, erp, gst, coe, parking fees, car import tax, fines, medilife, casinos, etc. so many streams of passive income. Not fair to compare.

Anonymous said...

That's why PAP is smart but Sinkies are daft.

Why? Because PAP knows that 6.9M is really no big deal but yet Sinkies kpkb.

Daft Sinkies really blur about the world outside, don't know how big is big and how small is small.

So I will support PAP even if PAP want 20M population. No problem. Because PAP knows what they are doing.

Anonymous said...

9.22 am......

not 20M.....it is 50M by yr 2100.....

Anonymous said...

The opposition don't know what they are doing. Until now still not ready to be govt.

Anonymous said...

The opposition don't know what they are doing. Until now still not ready to be govt.
@ September 27, 2013 9:27 am

Ya hor!
And Pee Am Lee knows what he is doing hor.
And PAP is operationally ready to be government hor.
And Pee Am Lee is operationally ready to be Prime minister hor.
And PAP Ministers are operationally ready to deserve every single dollar we are paying them hor.

Anonymous said...

@ 9.27 am

No worry lah! No need do anything aledi! The papayas continuously yaya keep tripping over themselves whole SinCity may just vote like pe. After next GE, likely get coalition between papayas and one or two small oppo parties. So whether 50m or 20m or 6.9m probably not going to happen cos GE2021 they may be totally out if they do that. You never hear the various programmes pushed out recently. They think very good among themselves. Even their own supporters now openly say group think so viral among themselves. How not to be almost totally disconnected from the ground? They can talk until so grand in whatever talk, speeches, work seminars etc but on the ground things mostly are the opposite. How not to get a pent up tsunami you tell me lar?

Anonymous said...

why care whether it is 5.4M, 6.9M, 20M, 50M .....

most important is you must be DEBT-low or DEBT-free...

your pockets must have money .....

don't be asset rich but cash POOR ....

don't follow the crowds ......

simple living .... simple living ....

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

The grass is not always greener. Dubai has many problems, it is not a "utopia".

Though far from being "perfect", life is definitely better in Singapore. And if you look to the future, Singapore's future is definitely brighter than Dubai.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Hi Anon 9:06, this silly talk about getting the best and most capable person to replace daft Sinkies is getting dangerous. Today's population data say Sinkies still 61%. How many of this 61% are new citizens?

And every joker, citizen or non citizen are yakking, bring in the better man, how can we give the job to the better man?

On a small scale it is selling out, on a big scake it is treason.

Anonymous said...

@ RB 10.08am

Kopi sua x 1,000 cups :)

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

oh, thanks for your kopi. The last few days not much kopi where got kopi sua? 1000 cups? : )

Anonymous said...

Tio Bo, Tio kang is a matter of gender.

Anonymous said...

Wa sai, even pimple cream advert i go in and look see look see, and still not enough for kopi, no joke leh, u better check, u sure we looking only or must we buy. MDA cutting your rice is it?

b said...

Most Dubai locals live in big houses with aircon full blast all day, drive nice big lux cars and no need to work hard. If thats the case for sinkies, most sinkies will also not kpkb. Most sinkies wishes are actually very simple. A proper house, car and job will do. No need to be big, lux, high ended.

Anonymous said...

If asking for a proper house, car and job is material than those ministers who are staying in high end houses, drive big lux cars and high pay cheque are monsters (aka dracula) huh?

Anonymous said...

September 27, 2013 4:01 pm
"Most Dubai locals live in big houses with aircon full blast ...."

PAPigs are 2 legged pigs.
They have no intention of sharing with Singaporeans.
What part of elite don't you understand?
That is why we have to recognize the PAPigs for what they really are.
The enemy of Singaporeans.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Hi anon 3:49, just check, think got one and a half cup of kopi. Thanks : )

b said...

Unfortunately, most voters are stupid. Just give them some red packets before elections and most of them will happily vote for the same money/blood sucking party forgetting all the bad policies they created.

'Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.' - Albert Einstein

Anonymous said...

...and this bit of truism from Albert; "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

Anonymous said...

There are problems in many aspects in Sinkieland. Not only many unhappy working adults but many overworked students. Long run, when they grow up, could there be more social problems? This trend is not in a few kids but more like across the board. Has the system led to many children undergoing undue stress too early in life?

Anonymous said...

It is the stupid voters (unfortunately the majority) that gave the proalien party the chance to implement bad policies to screw everyone and the chance to do so much evil. Many of those proalien people are even religious leaders. They should be very ashamed of themselves. If proalien party only has 30% of seats in last GE, things would be very different now. Stupidity is indeed infinite.

Anonymous said...

Keep educating your friends, relatives & family members to vote opposition.
60% of them voted for the traitors.

The PAPigs can be voted out.
One vote at a time.
One SMC and GRC at a time.
Make sure you achieve your patriotic quota of converting one PAP voter into an Opposition voter.

If everyone of the 40% do this.
40% will become 80% in GE 2016.

Anonymous said...

There's a joke about empty boxes.
Here's how it goes;
'There's nothing in them'
Ha Ha Ha...ad neuseam.

Anonymous said...

It's ad nauseam, stupido.

Anonymous said...

The joke is on the losers. They must be scratching their heads on what really happened on that day.

Anonymous said...

For one or two or a few men's aspiration or in another angle, their ego, or rather to achieve the attainment or fulfilment of their aspiration or ego, a whole nation of a few million people may be put through tough regiments day in day out, week in week out, month in month out, year in year out, decade after decade until they are like juice-less over-crunched sugar cane and by then in their late 70s or early 80s allowed to have some rest. Why millions & millions of other countries do not have to work and suffer in such "prolonged tortures" yet do not get their lunch "eaten by others". They still have their lunch day in day out, week in week out, month in month out, decade after decade and live in the warmth of their family and kinship bond. Is the current model the only way forward for SinkieLand? Is the current livelihood the only way for Sinkies to have their lunch? Hey, co-drivers, aren't you all on tax-payers payroll as well? What say you? We are asking you because the elites have already spoken countless times and maybe even the kindergarten children can recite their "templated" answers not only from front to back but probably from back to front! Co-drivers! Since you have the courage to step forward, do you not have some alternative answers to the above questions? Otherwise, true blue Singaporeans may have to look for true blue Singaporean leaders who can look at some alternative ways forward. Obviously, time is fast running out. It may be as early as next GE. Actually, it should have taken place long ago! Next GE may be a long overdue resolution. Whoever can give Singaporeans a decent answer shall be the exalted leader. Many do not want the lives and paths we are currently being led. Blind materialistic pursuit may not necessarily be the best way to live one's life. We are in 21st modern century, not in some kind of Dark Ages era or some 5,000 years ago feudal kingdom. We need not have to live the lives as "ants" to fulfil some possible "megalomanaic's" greed, ego or aspiration. They can live their aspirations. Nobody can stop them. But not through our "perpetual sufferings" from "cradle to grave". They can said one zillion times others are going to eat our lunch to "instil the fear in all of us" and thus make all follow their biddings but 7 billion minus 3.1 million people throughout the world has predominantly refuted that claim. If 7 billion people really have been going without their lunch, how could they have survived till now? How could the world population keep increasing if those before them should have long perished without their lunch. What say you, co-drivers?

Anonymous said...

The 'best available' bogeyman cometh.

Anonymous said...

All schools are good schools? After having so many delinquents and problems in the education systems? All ministars are good ministars? After so many screw ups, train breakdowns, extra marital affairs, over-spending, senior civil servants helping themselves to tax-payers hard-earned $$$$$? All CEOs are good CEOs? After losing billions and billions?

Anonymous said...

Although Dubai is run mainly by foreigners, the big difference is that all foreigners' residency status will expire. Singapore's dishing out citizenships and PRs will come back to haunt the government and/or PAP.

If the government thinks its a challenge to satisfy the 2-3m locally born citizenry. They may want to consider the bigger citizenry base 10years down the road. The same issues of aging population, low fertility, inflation and overcrowding from new migrants will still persist but at larger scale. The pink-IC crowd at HongLim park protesting against new migrants then will be more colourful with their birthplaces stretching from India to China and across S.E.Asia.

How about Dubai or UAE 10 years later, the expats of today will be out by then along with their old-age healthcare problem. The economic growth of UAE will not be constrained by social-demographic factors. Dubai workforce will remain dynamic due to the continued influx of cheap and young workers.

patriot said...

Hoho!
The Incumbents care not what happens 10 years and further from now.
Most of their offsprings would have by then stay in villas, mansions even castles in Europe, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, US, UK and elsewhere. Those parliamentarians over 55 year old now will either go with their children or shake legs and clubbing amongst themselves. Should they make it to be your rulers, they wil continue to collect their millions.

By then it will be You die your business to them.

patriot