7/17/2015

Sino Indian relations – A breakthrough




Heard over the news last evening that there is a major breakthrough in Sino Indian relations, at least in the economic front. The pro business and pro development PM Modi has given the green light for China’s largest mobile phone maker to open a factory in India. This has never been allowed before, not even to western countries. It sure spells good news for more cooperation between the two Asian giants.

The only catch that is holding back this development is the condition that all the top management staff must be Indians. This sounds very reasonable to a very nationalistic Indian govt. What it entails is that the whole manufacturing company would be operated and run by the Indians with the Chinese footing the bills and providing the technology and know how. Would the Chinese agree to it? Putting money in India and losing all control over their money and investment? Would there be stupid countries to allow such an arrangement to take place?

As a Singaporean, I find this strange. We have no problems with MNCs setting up business and employing whoever they want. We do not insist that they must employ Singaporeans, at least not a condition for them to be here, at top management level. We only hope that they will employ more Singaporeans and in some professions, they may be a certain quota to ensure that some Singaporeans are employed. But we definitely did not demand that the top management of foreign companies must be Singaporeans. How can we do that when we don’t have the talent to offer them, when our top talents are misfits?

In fact many foreign companies are free to hire as many foreigners as they want at top management level. Even local companies are doing the same. Even govt ministries and GLCs are doing so. But we got no choice, we got no talents. We need the foreign talents or else we will end up in the 3rd World, no growth, no progress and our people will suffer.

How nice if we are like India, with so many talents to offer and can insist that foreign companies operating here must employ Singaporeans in top management. But that is too much to expect. We don’t even have enough Singaporeans to fill the top management positions in GLCs and the ministries. We need more, we need to sign more free trade agreements to ensure that more foreign talents are here to replace the no talent Singaporeans.

When will we have the local talents for our own needs in top management? Oh, the govt has started to plan for this eventuality. Maybe we will be there when our population hits 10m.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...


If I m not wrong, we had started the "LOCALISATION" program
many many moons ago where locals were "earmarked" to take over
the senior/management jobs of FTs working in MNCs.

I think the will to push this policy through were diluted,
neglected and forgotten along the way, over the years.

We can still implement the policy now. It is never too late.
What is needed is the strong political will to push the policy
through.

There are pots of gold at the end of the rainbow!

Cheers.

Anonymous said...

When will we have the local talents for our own needs in top management?
RB

When? When we have the local talents to join the opposition and ready to be govt, then we will also have the local talents for our own needs in top management.

Anonymous said...

Once upon at time in Singapore, Singaporeans were talents. Ask Dr. Goh Keng Swee.

Anonymous said...

VTO if you want Singapore talents to be in top management.

b said...

PAP is ok. Only a few of the members are not ok. They must be replaced. GKS is from PAP too. Only under PAP, some sinkies became talents.

Anonymous said...

The Indian government only trusts their own citizens to be in senior positions.
But the PAP government is better.
Our PAP government trusts Aliens to be in senior positions.