4/16/2014

Seah Chiang Nee :Top performers on the decline?

‘According to former PM Lee Kuan Yew – and quite a few employers – it was good to have brought in foreign workers to offset the decline.
 

“Over time, Singaporeans had become less hard-driving and hard-striving,” Lee said in a 2011 interview.
 

The hard-talking Lee then upset many people when he said that if Singaporeans were falling behind because “the spurs are not stuck into the hide”, that was their problem.
 

He described the new immigrants from China and the region as “hungry” – helped by parents who “pushed the children very hard”.
 

(Actually, Singaporean parents are often accused of putting too much pressure on their kids.)
 

Lee had often made known his preference for the entrepreneurial spirit of the Hong Kong people.
 

Predictably, some Singaporeans were angry about the remarks that implied they were becoming lazy and ought to be spurred like slow horses.
One retiree said Lee was partly right: “Many middle class Singaporeans are becoming spoiled and complacent compared with (their counterparts in) some emerging nations.”’
 

The above paragraphs were from Seah Chiang Nee’s article on the decline of top talents among the Sinkie breed. The article was addressing the issue of falling talents in Singapore but the facts are contradictory, and so were the comments. The superficial comments that Sinkies are losing their drive to be world beaters did not make sense when the parents are pushing their children to the limits, hot housing them to be not only tops in academics by enrolling them in the best nurseries and kindergartens, but also in many artistic programmes to make them all rounders, the best of the best in everything. And their academic results have proven that this is the case.
 

During my time, or during yesteryears, in every cohort of O level or A level students, to find one with straight As is so difficult. Today, in the many top schools, throw a stone and you will hit a dozen with straight As. How can this be the case if the Sinkies are slacking, lazy and losing the drive to be better? And the latest PISA test proved that our 15 year olds are also world beaters.
 

Is someone talking cock or has his mind out of sync? But if you were to listen to the 3rd World recruiting agencies, given a licence to recruit foreigners for jobs here, they will tell you that indeed Sinkies are all useless, no talent, no skills, no creativity and poor workers. Unfortunately many of our foolish leaders and employers believe the foreign recruiting agents and went along to replace the ‘daft’ Sinkies with ‘talented and skilled’ employees from 3rd World cities and villages.
 

There is a silver lining though. Though the title of Seah Chiang Nee’s article is about the decline of top performers, this is only in general. Specifically Singapore is very lucky that the top talents in govt are not declining and in fact are living proof of supermen and superwomen. Just take a look at the portfolios they are involved in, many have 20 or 30 hats to wear as advisers and helming many organizations, ministries etc etc. They are the natural know alls, born to know everything, like immortals. I think without this group of super super top performers, Singapore would have gone back to the 3rd World long ago. These are the few top performers that are pulling the country out from the rut, with the help of 3rd World talents.
 

I am sure when Seah Chiang Nee said that top performers are on the decline, he was not referring to our top performers in govt.
 

Now what am I rumbling about and sounding so incoherent? My thoughts are all in a mess, and I am all confused with what I said too. What is the truth? Am I confusing everyone or is everyone confusing everyone? But one thing is true, we have the most talented and well trained and well qualified and ‘with a spur stuck on their hide’ taxi drivers in the world, fetching maids and construction workers all over the islands to amuse themselves and to have a good time.

Kopi level - Yellow

31 comments:

Anonymous said...

Frankly, I am not amused.
We paid millions in salaries.
We sacrificed in national service to support PAP policies.
And we find out this is how PAP policies are formulated:

"According to former PM Lee Kuan Yew – and quite a few employers – it was good to have brought in foreign workers to offset the decline."

- who are these "few employers"
- do these "few" employers have a self serving interest by telling a frail old man a story that seems to serve their own self interest?

- who formulates PAP policies?
- a frail old man or LHL's government?

Anonymous said...

"Specifically Singapore is very lucky that the top talents in govt are not declining and in fact are living proof of supermen and superwomen."
RB

No Lah. Specifically Singapore is very lucky that the top talents in govt are not replaceable because their strongest alternative is not ready to replace them. Not only that, the alternative even praised the top talents as being competent in their job!

Lucky or not, u say lah?

STOP vomitting shit and nonsense like Mati said...

Rb:// Specifically Singapore is very lucky that the top talents in govt are not declining and in fact are living proof of supermen and superwomen. //


EXCEPT in COMICS AND CARTOONS, the SHIT and NONSENSE uttered in the above statement do not exist in reality lah! Can you ask kee chiu or the YOG mdm fly everywhere here and there for everyone to see like the cartoon superman character? It is just make belief lah. All these people are just as plain human as anybody on the street. No?

SUPERMAN IS CARTOON AND COMIC MAKE BELIEF said...

Anon 8.46am //
AnonymousApril 16, 2014 8:46 am
Frankly, I am not amused.
We paid millions in salaries.
We sacrificed in national service to support PAP policies. //


Rightly SO!

So y is it still happening since no human is really any cartoon make belief superman?

Think!

Think real HARD!

Y some generals who are past their "SELL BY DATE" and should be like most retirees and become "much less in market value" can "defy the natural law and gravity" and be given millions and even ridiculous power to run rings and some even can carry out "dumb" policies inflicting more pain and damage on the masses? No?

Y?

Ask yourself?

They are supermen?

Obviously not?

So Y?!

Anonymous said...

"All these people are just as plain human as anybody on the street."
Anon 9:03 am

Then how come they are not replaceable, when they are not only plain but also on the decline, u tell me lah?

Anonymous said...

We need 87 RBs with the RB here as leader to replace those top talents in govt next GE.

Definitely only one RB, even if able and willing, is not enough.

Anonymous said...

"Definitely only one RB, even if able and willing, is not enough."
Anon 9:18 am

No wonder he did the next best thing to do. Blog and get kopi.

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

Actually I've mostly agreed with Old Harry's take on the situation, and have commented profusely on his points, although I arrived at them indepemdently:

1. Honkie's "mo tuck ting" spirit of self-interested individual enterprise

2. The slacking off of Singapore's increasingly pampered wage-earning middle class

3. The change in attitude and motivation, leading to entitlement mentality.

RB: >> And their academic results have proven that this is the case.

Sure. S'pore's kids trounce the world in academia, and S'pore parents are world famous for pushing their kids (as good parents are apt to do), but succeeding in school and being PRODUCTIVE and MOTIVATED in the real world of intense capitalistic market based competition are completely different things.

Once you leave school and get into the "jungle", you don't have mummy and daddy to spur you on. If you haven't developed your own MOTIVATION and individual spirit of enterprise, you ain't gonna make it.

Playing, and winning at the capitalistic game is not taught in schools. In fact, you can have multiple degrees and end up working for a multi-squillionaire who is her own success and only has a Polytechnic diploma, or less.

Basically the FT "policy" is this: they are motivated, hungry and will work longer and are cheaper.

Sure, this kind of thinking will work --FOR AWHILE -- but after some time this model will fall apart and then you are back to square one, unable to compete again...UNLESS the entrepreneurs innovate The most productive enterprises in the world pay the best wages and are heavily capitalised, and the enterprises MANAGEMENT on the ball. Take the privately owned Koch Enterprises for example -- run by David and Charles Koch, by what they call MBM or Market Based Management

The Koch Brothers are broadly hated and mistrusted by their competitors and left-leaning entitlement mentality labour union types. Even in the libertarian community, the Kochs are not universally admired. But proof is always based on hard, measurable EVIDENCE, and the Kochs have plenty of hard evidence to back themselves and their entrepreneurial achievements up.

Anonymous said...

Singaporeans should just ask ourselves and PAP a very simple question:

How do I (yourself the individual and not Singapore) benefit if I voted PAP?
When was the last time the PAP has done any lasting good for me?

Let your personal self interest guide your vote.

Think! 想想, 想想. said...

Anon 9.13am // Then how come they are not replaceable, when they are not only plain but also on the decline, u tell me lah? //


Haven't Yew heard of "Super Inhuman"?

Superman?

Have yew ever thought what is the extreme human being can become when they go to the opposite extreme end of the spectrum of the super good?

The Chinese has a saying, "物极必反".

Could the resulting outcome be a "superinhuman", a "superanimal", "superhumanbeast" ........?

Anonymous said...

If Sinkies were to think selfishly on what the govt has done to benefit them, the next GE will be the end of this regime.

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

Parlaiment goes into recess.

Reopens May 16. IMO, I think election will be announced around that time.

Anonymous said...

I am in favor of more co-pilots in the Parliament simply because of one reason: naive migrant policy as I think this is the root cause of all issues such as housing, medical, education...etc. Let's do it to demonstrate our disapproval of the naive policy.

What do you think?

GREATEST MARKET DISTORTIONS? said...

Anon 8.46am // We paid millions in salaries. //


Why?

How do you quantify their worth?

Base on market value?

But where is the market for such jobs?

So the "distortion" began by an ex-economist and "bench marking against top market earners"??? Can yew see the illogical deduction of this bench marking "logic"?

How do yew priced "sympathy, love, sadness, happiness, anger, evil, honesty, filial piety, ........"?

Is there a market for all these human traits and values?

What would happen when yew "forcefully" priced them based on arbitrary "definition and bench marking"?

What would result?

Heard about "Distortion"?

All these years there was no universal minimum wage legislation or policy because someone believe in economics teaching and say that it will distort the labour market.

But at least such labour has a market value anf minimum wage policy is to set it slightly above market price.

Now, where is the market for ...... ahem ...... super talents?

Can name one?

Yes?

So there is no real market for such jobs and someone went about "bench marking it" to actual market top earners.

No DISTORTION will happen?

Any conflict in the "economic logic"?

Historically, most, if not all, of the DISTORTIONS of the market ended disasters.

Anonymous said...

Now, where is the market for ...... ahem ...... super talents?
Can name one?
April 16, 2014 10:06 am

There is only one market for super talents in this world ... PAP's Singapore.

In the rest of the world.
Super talents create their own self worth by becoming rich on their own merits.
Without PAP to mentor and spoon feed them.

Anonymous said...

When the worth of your national leaders are measured by 'market value' like businessmen, they are saying they can be bought and sold.

悬崖勒马? said...

@10.17am // There is only one market for super talents in this world ... PAP's Singapore.

In the rest of the world.
Super talents create their own self worth by becoming rich on their own merits.
Without PAP to mentor and spoon feed them.//


Dear anon 10.17am,

When yew are in charge and yew have to make things work and yew are led to believe under the then circumstances and settings that certain things would work that way with no past examples or precedence, yew go ahead and yew would do it mb bcos that was the best option then.

So in a way, it was an "experiment, a trial and error". There is no 100% guarantee it will deliver the intended outcome and objective.

After about 20+ years or more than quarter century of "experiment", yew should have observed some empirical conclusions?

Does it work?

Can it work in the longer term?

When PG leaders are paid pittance and they worked their socks off no day no night, have the massive excessive highly inflated reward brought about better or worst outcome?

Could the system have been better without this policy and brought in better altruistic people and mb be more sustainable in the longer term through delivering optimun results?

There is rightfully no right or wrong policy. See it as a "gamble", a "risk taken" ....... Could it be tweaked or even revamped to deliver better results, better outcome for the tax paying masses, NS serving citizens, law abiding train squeezing commuters, teeth gritting suffering folks who endured and endured and at times have to even bite, grind their teeth to pieces and swallow down their throats to eke out a living, raise their offsprings, look after their suck parents?

Can the system be made fairer?

Is the system fair now?

Or is the burden lope-sidedly hoisted on certain segment of the population and others FREE-RIDING on it?

More importantly, is the present structure and governance sustainable going forward?

Where is the blue print?

Where is the road map?

What is the road map?

Does the driver has a road map?

How about the co-driver?

Does he not have a responsibility to ensure that the driver does drive with a road map and a definitive destination and NOT TAKING THE ENTIRE BUS UP THE MOUNTAINS TOWARDS THE EDGE OF THE CLIFF?

Anonymous said...

Stop blaming the co-driver.

The driver is in charge.
The driver is responsible.

Anonymous said...

Why does PAP like to mentor and spoon feed "talents" that are weak and susceptible to accepting assistance from PAP?

What does it profit PAP?

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

The world's wealthiest and most successful nation (thus far) in all of human history is the United States -- formed as republic of a federation of states.

This cuntree rocks the planet because it was prepared to conduct itself immediately from independence as a HUMAN EXPERIMENT. It made lots of errors: slavery, bat-shit insane religiosity, foreign entanglements, the formation of the US Fed...but warts and all, it has been a "suck-cess", because in America even if you suck you are able to consume to excess.

Some of America's founding fathers were educated men. However most of the population after the war of independence were bootleggers, pirates, outlaws and gangsters -- all united in a spirit of freedom where the individual was KING and could do whatever the fuck he wanted. And so it was a chaotic mess with lots of arguing and fighting.

That is the nature of big and bold social experiments. Singapore is a young republic and throughout its modern PAP-based history has been one experiment after another, which cumulatively have rendered a UNIQUE IDENTITY as a city state, not unlike the rich European city states of antiquity, like Florence, Venice, Monaco, The Vatican etc.

Modern city states are some of the most rocking places on the planet: Dubai, Hong Kong, Macau, San Marino, Qatar, Abu Dabi...and so on, and of course Hotel Singapore.

City states are usually FUCKING RICH, and Singapore is definitely well poised to try SOCIAL EXPERIMENTS -- regardless of success or failure (there's no such thing as "failure") -- to try to be the best it can be.

Thus I fully support, for the sake of awesomeness and social experimentation:

1. Open borders
2. Open economy
3. Free labour markets
4. Freedom to own property
5. Free banking
6. Growth limited only by physical constraints of nature, not silly man made govt "policy"
...and so on.

Motherfuckers, you live on one of the most happening places on the planet. Why all the waling and moaning?

Everyday can party until drop, but you still complain...

Singaporeans are hard to please lah.

鸟! said...

11.37 am // Singaporeans are hard to please lah. //


Why become quitters if it is so "GREAAAAAAAAT" being a sinkie and "rocking" in sinkieland? Free RIDING?

Anonymous said...

Singapore is a great success, a great experiment with 200 people robbing the whole population.

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

@1144:

>> Free RIDING?

If it were true, that would be great. It is human nature to get as many "free rides" as you can throughout your life. This is why "free gifts" are a very popular marketing technique in materialistically bent Singapore.

Unfortunately "free rides" only occur in rare cases. To be in Singapore, you have to produce enough money to live, because there are virtually NO FREE RIDES here.

"Quitters" was a term coined by that idiot PM Goh to win political points by demonizing Singaporeans who emigrated. Those days are long gone, and I would say that the current Goh regrets his silly words now that he is grandfather to "quitter" grandchildren.

Living in 2 or more cuntrees is a motherfucking expensive choice, and one has no option available (unless you're filthy rich from inheritance) but to work and produce...or you will die from financial cancer. My airfares alone to Hotel Singapore cost 15-20k per year -- just for myself. add to that the cost of running 2 households, and office premises. Kaninah, dun pray pray.

The worst thing you can possibly do in Singapore is not have enough money. No money, no talk, you die, your business.

You better pay attention lah

Anonymous said...

Be a quitter in Singapore and you will be welcomed. Duplicity?

b said...

“Over time, Singaporeans had become less hard-driving and hard-striving,”

- Singapore is not the best but also not bad. Honestly, I think this person should be charged under the sedition act as he was trying to incite seditious tendency -" is a tendency —d) to raise discontent or disaffection amongst the citizens of Singapore or the residents in Singapore;" by making such a generalised statement. Majority of singaporeans are still labouring away hard all day long. Those few in the ivory towers are the ones he is referring to.

Anonymous said...

" April 16, 2014 11:37 am "

- I think no one will complain if they also have a dual citizenship like you. Btw, i think it is not legal. Unless you cheat, con, deceive, bribe the officer who reissued you the passport.

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

@327:

Oh no. I would never ever consider dual citizenship. Anyway, it is against Singapore law, and yes, people are being caught regularly. I have no respect for people who willingly break the law.

Because of my heritage, I am PR with "British Subject" status in Oz, and my visas over the years have swung from regular perm res to business visa -- back and forth, depending on what I happen to be doing.

I would never give up my Singapore citizenship for another cuntree, especially one that still swears allegiance to a MONARCH. NO. FUCKING. WAY

I also served bloody NS and reservist, plus still paying CPF and have never (and will never) sell my mature estate, soon-to-be-enbloc HDB which I bought DIRT CHEAP long time ago.

>> Unless you cheat, con, deceive, bribe the officer who reissued you the passport.

You have to be A LUNATIC to bribe govt officials as a small fry in Singapore. You will get fucking caught, and both will go to jail and be humiliated in the press. Don't be silly. Don't attempt bribery here. Go to Malaysia, Thailand or Indonesia...even India and China...your "bribery money" goes very far in those places :-)

Here in Singapore: Play by the rules lah. Dun be stupid.

@148:

>> Be a quitter in Singapore and you will be welcomed. Duplicity?

Probably...or not. Who can say what goes on in the hearts and minds of others?

Please lah, keep your morality, like your religion to yourself. No one gives a shit about your standards of morality, and you have no place imposing your morality on others. What? Do you think you are the one and final judge for all humanity? ;-)

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Yew are talking like a dictator, asshole.

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

@RB:

Yes, I wear many hats. Today a dick-tater, tomorrow a priest, the next day I'd be a pimp.

I change out of pure whim.

Anonymous said...

Matilah, can you for the sake of humanity just die.

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

@1036

Be patient. You will get your wish one day, provided you out live me ;-)

Anyway, if you do happen to survive, go and celebrate my death with zeal and revelry -- get yur mom drunk and fist her cunt and ass (together, use both your arms), knock out her teeth and invite your buddies to gang bang her. I'll be very honoured :-)