4/08/2016

Singapore’s successful formula for Asean Economic Community(AEC)

With the impending implementation of the Asean Economic Community, ChannelNewsAsia held a forum on 6 Apr to discuss the implications and concerns of free movement of human capital in the Asean states. The three main concerns raised were, the different educational system, the different quality of degrees and professional qualifications and the political will of the respective govts to get this free movement of human capital across borders flowing.

The President of SMU commented that it was unsustainable and politically difficult for any govt to allow the free movement of workers across national border. The domestic political forces would not allow it to happen. But all these concerns have proven to be nothing to Singapore and Singapore has embraced free movement of human capital, we called in foreign talents, like fish in water. With the right political leadership and political will, nothing is an obstacle. The different education system, degrees and professional qualifications too were non issues. These have never been a problem to Singapore and it has more than 2 million foreigners in the island to prove that all is well.

Singapore’s successful formula is best seen in the broad and sweeping CECA agreement with India. This is the most important formula to prove that freedom of movement of talents can be done. Singapore simply accepts all the qualifications of all the Indian universities, all the differences in educational system and standards with no question asked.  This is not about stupidity or administrative convenience, but about building trust and trusting the quality of India’s universities and human talents. When these differences are set aside, there is no more problems to talk about.

In Singapore’s experience, all the foreigners hired are genuine foreign talents. No one has complained about hiring duds or fakes.  Even if they were fakes, as long as they can do the job, the piece of paper is irrelevant. There were one or two cases of mistakes but too little and too few to worry about. Only stupid employers will be hiring duds and fakes. Singapore’s employers are not stupid and therefore have no stupid problems.

Singapore should sell this wonderful CECA formula to the Asean countries, that this is the way to go forward. Forget about the differences, ignore the differences, don’t look at them, don’t bring them up, pretend that everything is fine and all will be fine. And Singapore can use its 2% economic growth as proof. By bringing in 2m foreigners, Singapore achieved a 2% growth. And to prove that Singapore truly believe in this formula, Singapore will raise its population to 10m, ie, bringing in another 5m foreigners which will translate to another 5% growth.

Singapore has done it, see how successful Singapore is? Have no fear about free movement of human capital. With the right political leadership and political will, all problems will become non problems.

CECA is the miracle formula that Singapore has signed with India that benefits both countries greatly, economically. And Singapore now has so many spare and  talented Singaporean PMETs to export to Asean countries, armed with certificates with courtesies from the NTUC, trained for export, to work around the world.  Singapore would not have the luxury of sharing these spare talents with Asean countries if we did not bring in the better foreign talents to replace these no skill set local talents, or obsolete talents.

Singapore can be the leading light in the free movement of human capital in Asean. We have been experimenting and enjoying a surge of productivity with so many foreign talents to choose from. There are so many waiting at the door for Singapore to pick and choose, attracted by the good working environment and very excellent pay package and a very strong Singapore dollar.  Singaporeans are so appreciative of these foreign talents that many are giving credits to the foreigners for building Singapore to what it is today. With the AEC, Singapore will have no problem boosting its population to 10m and all the property prices will go up 100 fold.
Singaporeans will all stand to gain, to rent out their expensive HDB flats and move out to live in Bintan, Batam and Johore. No need to work any more, except for the young doing two years of guard duties. The free movement of human capital with the implementation of AEC is the greatest thing that can happen for Singapore and Singaporeans.

39 comments:

Anonymous said...

Uncle RB,

Do you mind if some relevant past MSN comments about AEC are "reposted" here?

Anonymous said...

/// But all these concerns have proven to be nothing to Singapore and Singapore has embraced free movement of human capital, we called in foreign talents, like fish in water. ///

Please don't conflate or confuse the PAP with Singapore or Singaporeans.
Don't you think it is more true & accurate to write;

"But all these concerns have proven to be nothing to PAP and PAP has embraced free movement of human capital, PAP called in foreign talents, like fish in water.

Anonymous said...

/// Singapore simply accepts all the qualifications of all the Indian universities, all the differences in educational system and standards with no question asked. ///

Isn't it more accurate to say;

"PAP simply accepts all the qualifications of all the Indian universities, all the differences in educational system and standards with no question asked."

Anonymous said...


Agreed with you.

Yes! Singaporeans "hoped" to gain from the free movement of human
capital with the implementation of AEC. Many many planned to
rent out their expensive HDB flats, second or third properties
and just collect their passive incomes.

Yes! Only foreigners work Singaporeans no need to work, only
collect rents!

Good! Good! Welcome them! Welcome them!

Come come come to Singapore, FTs!

新加坡是天堂! 新加坡是天堂!

Cheers.

Anonymous said...

RB // With the AEC, Singapore will have no problem boosting its population to 10m and all the property prices will go up 100 fold.//


Wow!

Sounds good?

Heng ah?

Ho Say liao ah?

MarboroTan, Goh Ting Tong etc all ho say liao hah?

Owning so many properties ......?

In fact all the multiple properties owners all ho say liao ah?

Jiak Buey Liao?

Rent seeking is the way to go for the rich ......?

The poor and masses can fight and squeeze and claw their ways through for all they care ......?

You die your business?

patriot said...


Think a merger with Malaysia will beat any CECA with India, AEC with Asean or FTA with any Others.

Merger was envisioned by the Late Lee Kuan Yew. He did not specifically explain the Rationale for the Merger, however, as he was considered a visionary and super talented person, whatever hid rationale, it must be a wise thing to do.

The Only Question is whether his successors in the Regime share his vision.

As it is, it does not seem like either side is interested about merger.

patriot

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Anon 8:51, post whatever you like. I have just started to thread for discussion.

Patriot, a more viable merger will be with Johore and the East Malaysian states. More similar in thinking and aspiration.

Anonymous said...

Oki oki

"Shao Dou"!

Veritas said...

A merger with fucking Sunni Islamofascist who are 2nd in line of being the most fuck up civilization on this planet, I would rather commit harakiri. I always surprise why would some people have the shit face to survive on this world living like a parasite, skimming on their minorities, and yet still have face to accuse minorities of babi. The same tribe is among champion of incest and yet still accuse her well behave minority of moral deprivation.

Nevertheless, Sunni Islamofascist is a chemo towards even worse civilization the hindus. Hindus here despise all East Asian and Islam. But in Malaysia, they stooge and suck Sunni cock like nobody.

OUr problem is PAP is align to USA, who use Sunni terror regime and hindu shit culture as asset to create trouble. So PAP create "sensitive to Sunni" "sensitive to Hindus" and that is the euphemism that Chinese is dalits and minorities can bash us up.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Ooops, I mean 'started the thread'.

patriot said...


Haha.....

Chin Leng Sir;

You think Johor can be autonomous from Malaysia?

patriot

Virgo 49 said...


Did you read our DPM TarMan praising India which is the most suitable partner for sinkieland in IT, smart cities etc with free flow of manpower.

Have fore sight or not in ten years time no more called sinkies. Will be called slavekies and be as what veritas said what daljits to the brahmnins.

Chinee sinkies just accept whosoever ruled them as long as they are leave in peace making monies.

However the others besides sinkie own countrymen wiyh india might be not sk accommodating.

Hence, now the Papies trying best to coddle them slowly to accept their fates.

They cannot be like Malaysia no talk reason beans said: Not happy then go back to China.

We cannot said not happy go back Maxxxx

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Hi Patriot,

Just wishful thinking. It would not happen, but no harm hoping.

And Veritas,

You are in your usual hot mood. Come on, India got the most talents in the USA and Singapore. They are taking over the banks and financial institutions in the USA, Europe and Singapore. DBS Bank is what it is today because of an Indian talent.

You are very bias, looking only at the bad side. Singapore will be stronger and richer with more Indian talents here. CECA is so good to Singapore, bringing so many Indian talents here. Soon we will have an Indian PM and Singapore will prosper.

We already have Mumbai Financial Centre and Chennai Business Park here and both doing very well. Without the Indian talents our financial centre will kaput.

Anonymous said...

In another decade India will be helping Singapore to build smart cities here and how to run our breakdown prone trains.

Veritas said...

Every single western financial institution taken by Indians quickly become cesspool of scam and bankruptcy. Citibank under Vikram Pandit, Deutchebank under Anshu Jain...etc... Not to mention Standchart.

Right now I believe DBS is going to blow up. We just donno when. Piyush Gupta can always cook his book showing DBS making record breaking profit, until the very last second before we see explosive.

Problem is Hindus have no meritocracy in mind.

It is good to have Google and Microsoft infested with Indians. The 2 companies are finished. China will be the last one to laugh.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Veritas,

Your assumptions are unjustified. We have so many super talents watching over DBS and our banks, you think anyone can cook books and no one knows about it?

Like that cannot lah. Trust our super talents to know what they are doing. DBS and our banking and finance industries are in very good hands. Nothing to worry about.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

I dunno what to say.

Veritas said...

There are so many fucking Indian think thank in Rajaratnam school all fucking China. Basically PAP is dog of USA and she is more friendly to India than China.

Get real Indian national hate Chinese.

Reason being we defeated their evil plans to conquer Tibet.

Also fucking Hindus despite east asian. They make their east asian land like manipur, nagaland, megalaya, ladakh, south tibet, mizoram, tripura so dirt poor that EVERY single indus think east asian are shit.

Every though east asian land fucking poor, they are infinitely cleaner than hindu land. no one shit on streets.

They call east asian land people chinky and despise east asian women as slut.

They think we stupid.

Until they time, Hindus go overseas into japan, China, HK, Korea and Singapore and knew East Asia is infinitely more advance than Hindus.

Fucking PAP elites should have knew this.

Meanwhile stupid Singaporeans never read, and forever there are race traitor accusing Chinese as racist.

Anonymous said...

I think the Singapore leaders love Indians and the Indians love the Singapore leaders. Goh Chok Tong, George Yeo are good examples of Singapore leaders who think very highly of Indians.

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

AEC is yet another boondoggle designed to transfer tax-payer funds to a new quango of central planning, private corporate and government "joint ventures", and politcal manipulation and control.

Got union? No? Well then....it sucks to be you! 😜

....OTOH, if you know how to manipulate the system and are clever enough to look for 'lobang' (opportunity to be exploited), AEC "integration" can be very profitable.

Profiteer much? 😹 💰

b said...

Part of UA hegemony. They want to flood europe with muslims and asia with indians in a way to destabilise, depopulate, destroy and rule so that UA will remain as the most advance.

Anonymous said...

And UA very successful. Europe is going to be destabilised for good and the Asean countries are all itchy want to fight China. Asians killing and destroying Asians. How daft can Asians be, fighting for the UA to benefit?

Anonymous said...

Rb //With the impending implementation of the Asean Economic Community, ChannelNewsAsia held a forum on 6 Apr to discuss the implications and concerns of free movement of human capital in the Asean states. The three main concerns raised were, the different educational system, the different quality of degrees and professional qualifications and the political will of the respective govts to get this free movement of human capital across borders flowing.//


First of all, it is POINTLESS to engage further DISCUSSION WITHOUT KNOWING what EXACTLY this AEC entails?

1) Is it just a FTA?

2) Or a custom union?

3) Or a common market?

4) Or an economic union?

Anonymous said...

Like the "$500 SKILLSFUTURE grant", a name can be misleading at times .....?

Anonymous said...

With the name AEC ( ASEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY ), it tends to ( at least subconsciously ) link one's perception to EEC ( European Economic Community ) which is the predecessor of the current EU ( European Union )?

But the current EU's harmonisation of monetary, fiscal and social policies and/ or monetary union ( the Eurozone Area ) is at level (4) namely an economic union?

Whereas AEC's regional integration is probably at level (1) as listed above namely the formation of a FTA ( Free Trade Area )?

Anonymous said...

If there is any incorrect assumption or perception here, economic experts such as the opposition's "Mr Neon Umbrella", "SonofADud", "Mr 23% Presidential Candidate" can feel free to point them out?

On the other hand, MSN's regulars such as Matiseow, Meimeiseow are NOT EXCLUDED as well?

Any reader is welcome as this is just a discussion under RedBean's current thead on "AEC"?

Veritas said...

Qualcomm is one fucking IC company infested by Indian. Many people do not know Qualcomm and just 1-2 years back, pundits predict Qualcomm is going to take over Intel as No 1. Turns out QUalcomm now in shit hole is Taiwan (Chinese) companies Mediatek is catching up.

Get real, Qualcomm, the most promising mobile companies is going bankrupt soon.

Anonymous said...

Oops typo ..... should be "current thread" .....

Anonymous said...

Ok?

Good?

Oh, another "regular" is here, shall let him takeover the discussion from here .....?

Anonymous said...

In several official literatures on AEC, a customer union is not mentioned ( as far public information is concerned ? ) BUT that of achieving a single market and production base is?

Thus, the level of a custom union integration has been side-stepped but co-opted some characteristics of level (3) integration which is a common market?

As far as mobility of labour is concerned, it pertains specifically to "skilled labour"?

Anonymous said...

Rb //The President of SMU commented that it was unsustainable and politically difficult for any govt to allow the free movement of workers across national border. The domestic political forces would not allow it to happen. But all these concerns have proven to be nothing to Singapore and Singapore has embraced free movement of human capital, we called in foreign talents, like fish in water. With the right political leadership and political will, nothing is an obstacle. The different education system, degrees and professional qualifications too were non issues. These have never been a problem to Singapore and it has more than 2 million foreigners in the island to prove that all is well.//


The SMU President could have made a "VERY" SALIENT POINT?

Mobility in skilled labour in AEC is "EMPOWERED" under the mandate of AEC ATISA AFAS MRAs?

The concluded MRAs ( as of now ) for skilled labour are in the following 8 sectors:?

1) Engineering Services;
2) Nursing Services;
3) Architectural Services;
4) A framework for Surveying Qualifications;
5) Medical Practitioners;
6) Dental Practitioners;
7) A framework for Accounting Services, subsequently succeeded by MRA on Accountancy
Services;
8) Tourism Professionals.

Anonymous said...

The above-mentioned abbreviations are as in the following list:

a) MRA --- Mutual Recognition Agreement

b) AFAS --- ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services

c) ATISA --- ASEAN Trade in Services Agreement

Specifically, the various aforementioned sectors ( as of now ) in terms of "skilled labour mobility" is given the mandate under AFAS?

Veritas said...

Technically it is not possible for ASEAN doctors to flood SG as SMC recognized none of their degree other than 2 universities in Malaysia.

So doctors are protected.

It would be interesting to see how these ex-doctor ministers react if their profession is welcoming millions of invaders.

They will loss dignity as their compatriot salary will plummet,

Anonymous said...

As a general note, globally which are the regional partnership bodies which can cast some light on what ( on earth? ) such a "MOMENTOUS, CONTINUOUS and CONTIGUOUS" CHANGE, INTEGRATION, DISLOCATION/ DISPLACEMENT etc etc across such a vast geographical disparate region of 625 million disparate people, over a land area of about 4 million sq km etc etc ..... can bring to a highly developed, densely populated TINY 700 SQ MILLIMETRE barren rock with the last 3 years in a row TOP OF THE WORLD ACCOLADE of THE MOST EXPENSIVE CITY?

Examples in other parts of the world of similar ( 3rd world ) settings are CARICOM ( Caribbean Community and Common Market ), MERCOSUR ( Common Market of the South ), The Andean Community and COMESA ( Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa )

All their member states so far are committed to work for the establishment of a common market but as of now, it is too early to tell whether their goals will be achieved?

The entity arguably with the longest precedence is EU which spans almost 60 years back since 1957?

But look at Greece, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Ireland?

Even France is chronically mired in high annual deficits and unsustainable debts?

UK might be "exiting" EU ( if their people voted for it down the road ) in what is termed as "BREXIT" by European media?

So, what does the future forestall?

Hopefully, it is not as viewed in the eyes ( and words ) of International and Regional Trade Scholar Professor Richard Baldwin in terms of the East Asian Regionalism?:

Quote:

"When it comes to East Asian regionalism, the state of play is easily summarised --- it is a mess. Dozens if not hundreds of trade deals are under discussion, under negotiations, or already signed. Even limiting the universe to the deals that have been signed or are near signing, it is clear that East Asian regionalism has the Noodle Bowl Syndrome. "

Unquote


Good nite Uncle RB and everybolee :)))

Anonymous said...

Oops ..... auto correct typo .....should be "..... a custom union is not mentioned. ....."

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

Folks,

Bullshit accords like this AEC are going to gradually (and then rapidly) matter less to the point of irrelevance the more automated processes (algorithms, Artificial Intelligence--AI and robotics) take over the production space of goods AND services.

Additive manufacturing (AM---like 3D printing) and nanotechnology (building stuff by tiny self-assembling "bits" for example) are going to render many human operators to dinosaur status. AM and nanotech developments are moving along steadily, but once a certain point is reached (no one knows what the point is or when it will be reached) the change is going to be so rapid millions of workers will be caught unaware and be royally fucked-up.

AIs are already used in journalism, and the rate is increasing. Check out some of the machine-written prose. It's not bad. You can't tell it's a machine....granted they're only doing sports and business reporting which doesn't require the write to plumb the depths of his soul, or embark on hedonistic drug and alcohol suffused benders to cure their angst and writer's block. AIs are also learning entities---which means they tend to get "better" (depends what you mean by "better") the more they iterate their particular types of tasks.

Got plan 'B'?

Regional Economic Perspective - 501 said...

In global context, the 2 waves of global regionalism started in 1957 and 1992 after the establishment of the EEC and EU respectively.

They triggered many "bangwagoning" and contagion imitations in the 3rd world.

ASEAN was formed in 1967, 10 years after the First Wave of regionalism started.

AEC 2015 was ( finally ) established 23 years after the Second Wave of regionalism was triggered upon the formalisation of the EU in 1992.

AEC 2015 is superceded by AEC 2025 to "finish off" some "uncompleted businesses"?

This "significant delay" of 2 to 3 decades after the Second Wave of global regionalism caught on could signify "major impediments and weaknesses" in AMS ( ASEAN Member States ) than intended prudence?

More ( potential ) delays and ( major ) hiccups could be in the offing?

Before the euphoria of the formation of AEC died down, internal problems and undercurrents could have already thrown ( many ) spanners into the engine of integration and economic cooperation?

Anonymous said...

The states of affairs or regional cooperation ( in ASEAN ) could be best summarised and epitomised in the "Perennial Haze enshrouding" much of AMS ( ASEAN Member States )?

If what can be ( so obviously ) seen cannot be resolved ( among AMS ), what cannot be seen or underneath could mostly ( easily and likely ) end up under the carpet?

Over the next few months, with the impending dry seasons, the state of ( economic ) cooperation ( among AMS ) will most likely be under the spotlight ( and even microscopic scrutiny )?

Historically, when tiny problems of the mass transit system on a tiny barren rock of 700 sq millimetre cannot be solved after so many donkey years, but the "super talents" think they can solve the problems generated across a land mass spanning about 4,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 sq millimetre?

Anonymous said...

Oops ..... typo .....

Not " .... 700 sq millimetre. ...."

Should be " ......70,000,000,000 sq millimetre. ......"

Make it "SOUND BIG" mah?

(Pa)Pigs style?

Got contagion imitation enterprise?