Yushui Village in Lijiang, Yunnan, with snow mountain backdrop and cascading waterfalls.
12/07/2007
KPKB in cyberspace works
Who says kpkb in the internet has no effect? After all the cursing and swearing that Singaporeans are getting a raw deal while PRs are getting a free ride, things are changing.
Hospital subsidies for PRs and foreigners are going to change. No subsidies for foreigners and lesser subsidies for PRs. Why does it take so long to realise how stupid such a policy was when Singaporeans are not getting any better than PRs and foreigners? And if the bloggers and forumers were not in cyberspace to kpkb, I think there will not be any policy change on this.
Bloggers and forumers should give themselves a pat for changing this policy. And the govt, ok, should also be given a pat for listening to the cries in the wilderness.
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17 comments:
since one has no 'official' physical space to kpkb, the only other real channel is thru the web.
I say that even if there wasn't the kpkb in cyberspace the Singapore govt would do exactly what is done. Credits to the Singapore govt.
i disagree with that. the official statistics have, for many years, lumped singaporeans and prs as one. indistinguishable.
if not of the outcry and the screaming that singaporeans are being disadvantaged in their own country, no one is going to care two hoot about singaporeans and their sacrifice in national service.
it was the national service that triggered off a barrage of angy cries.
And the result of those angry cries is that the gahmen are now making it even easier for more FTs to come onshore. So much for being heard.
And why shouldn't there be more FTs? The FTs are here to help in the survival of Singapore. If as a result of some unforeseen events, all FTs were to leave Singapore, Singapore would return to the swarm island of 60 years ago. Be thankful the FTs are here at all.
That's right. FTs are here to whip mollycoddled, wimpy Singaporeans back into shape. The success of recent years have lulled them into complacency such that they believe the world owes them a living, and that this country belongs exclusively to them. Well, Singaporeans, we FTs have got news for you. We are here to stay and we stake our claim to this country because we pay taxes and contribute to the economy, some of us I dare say pay more in annual taxes than what 20% of Singaporeans earn in a year. There is nothing you can do about it. We FTs are going to be a permanent feature of Singapore's demographic landscape. So, eat your hearts out, losers.
Anon 1.35, well said. To all Singaporeans who cannot stand fair competition, I suggest you pack your bags, go to Changi Airport, buy a one-way ticket and go somewhere where your talents are still above the average locals. That way you will feel you are still in control.
i think this is the best thing to do. singapore is just a hotel. so those who cannot afford the high quality of living should pack up and go. they should not stay here and ask the govt for handouts. singaporeans must not think that they can live on charity.
we should boot them out and give their places to high quality and rich foreigners. then singapore will be a hotel for the rich and famous. no poverty and no ugly people on the streets. no slums, no old and feeble people.
it will be a paradise like in heaven with beautiful and rich people, and no trouble.
that's right man! will all the old and havenots please leave. who are you to compare with fts. if they all leave you will go back to swamp island like 60yrs ago and eat shit.
anon 1:35
> FTs are here to whip mollycoddled, wimpy Singaporeans back into shape. <
Ain't that the truth.
Now the legal sector will be freed up so that foreign lawyers can set up shop in S'pore.
Laissez faire competition brings out the best in everyone, and benefits the Sovereign Consumer.
The average belly-aching, whinging S'porean can scream all he likes. I suggest that these people pull their fingers out from their arses, and get with the program.
If you are good, you deserve to win. You are in no way "obliged" to lower your standards to meet the level of the indolent and the incompetent.
'EQUALITY' and DEMOCRACY' SUCK ASS.
MERITOCRACY and INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM ROCK THE HOUSE!
I'm all for foreign talent, but my concern is with the unscrupulous dealings especially of those mainland Chinese who come here.
e.g. the approval of engineering plans: the services they render are cheap because they just stamp their signature for a small fee without actually vetting through the blueprint.
You can't have a functioning free market economy when people do not abide by the rules.
Let me share my 2 cents worth of space on Redbean's territory.
1) Singaporeans were living in swamps 60 years ago and I do not remember that. Our British Colonial Masters must therefore be governing this island perched on tree-tops and living in houses built on stilts. So much for the 'talented' version of Singapore's history.
2) Mr. Loaded FT paid taxes that are more than what 20% of Singaporeans earned in a year. Good for him, but I hope he is not suggesting that the poor whinning Singaporeans are directly benefitting from his massive tax contribution. And specifically, how does his massive tax contribution actually help the poor whinning Singaporeans living in Hougang (like me) and Potong Pasir, which even the Government refused to help. I do know that his massive tax contribution does help to fatten the coffers of the taxman and bulge the pockets of our ministers with the hugh salary increases, and also the reserves of GIC.
If Mr. Loaded FT is suggesting that his presence helps to bring in better jobs for Singaporeans, may I ask how do such high-tech jobs help those lower-educated poor whinning Singaporeans? Mr. Loaded FT's massive tax contribution may have help to improve our roads and facilities, but these are used by everyone and not only by those poor whinning Singaporeans that he wants to chase out.
Oh, I am old, feeble and poor and tend to forget that all that we have today are only possible because of these FTs, our unsung heroes indeed!
3) In Singapore, those who left the country to settle elsewhere are branded as 'quitters'. I do not know what they call them in other countries. Our forefathers came here to help open up and develop the land and now the FTs are just here to enjoy the fruits of their labour. Foreign investors & FTs go where the grass is greener. They reap the benefits when times are good, and when things turn sour, off they go. Then, are we to recall the poor Singaporeans we kicked out to look after this swamp?
And all this gives FTs the right to demand that poor whinning Singaporeans should leave to provide them the space. We Chinese like to ask this crude question - "How many fathers do you have?"
Interesting.
actually anyone who thinks he is good enough as a talent because he earns more than the lower 20% of the singaporean is to me no talent at all.
i never consider myself a talent though i pay tax in the top 20% of singaporeans.
i only consider a ft a talent if he is better than me or earns more than me, ie pay tax in the top 20% bracket. otherwise he is just a semi skilled worker. nothing more nothing less.
Dear Singaporeans, don't you think your antagonism towards FTs is a little misplaced. The FTs won't be here if they weren't allowed in by your government. hence it is towards your government that you should be channelling your frustrations, not us. Your government was the one who coined the term "Foreign Talent". If you feel that you have been shortchanged, then why didn't you exercise your democratic right to kick your government out of office in May last year ? Well, I'll tell you why. Coz you have NO BALLS!! All you can do is just whine and bitch on the Internet.
>Foreign investors & FTs go where >the grass is greener. They reap >the benefits when times are good, >and when things turn sour, off >they go. Then, are we to recall >the poor Singaporeans we kicked >out to look after this swamp?
This is the beauty of globalisation. Those with the skills ans money are citizens of the world, instead of being just the citizen of an insignificant peesai on the equator. Globalisation can work for you as it has for us FTs, if only you, as matilah_ singapura so aptly puts it, PULL YOUR FINGERS OUT OF YOUR ARSES AND START MAKING YOURSELF USEFUL TO THE COUNTRY. Gone are the days when being a citizen of a country is a cherished status. Today, your status as a Singaporean does not provide you wth any advantage over the PR or EP holder who can do the same job for less money. And stop using the old tired Singaporeans have to do NS/Reservist argument. If you feel this is something that disadvantages you viz-a-viz FTs, then again this is something you should take up with your government, not continue begrudging FTs.
> Today, your status as a Singaporean does not provide you wth any advantage over the PR or EP holder who can do the same job for less money. <
It's funny how many whining S'poreans want cheap maids but shudder at the fact that their own jobs could be done by someone better and cheaper.
The opportunities available to every foreigner were first made available to locals. What do you expect businesses to do? If no one local is up to the task, then foreign talent is the only IMMEDIATE logical answer. Over the long term the locals could be trained.
Whining S'poreans also forget the fact that open-bordered, laissez faire S'pore has helped many locals prevail economically. Have you noticed the growing number of wealthy self made LOCAL 20-somethings?
In what other country do you see 20 -somethings and those in their early 30's driving new expensive cars, and committing themselves to million-dollar mortgages? You get this phenomenon only in extremely economically well-developed countries, or countries which are developing very quickly.
In Singapore, poverty amongst young working-age people is virtually non-existent.
When you stop being a "victim" by blaming some faceless foreign stranger for the paucity of joy in your shallow lives, become more positive in your beliefs and open your fucking eyes to the facts, you will notice that it is all too easy to live and make money in Singapore.
If it is so damn bad, and those pesky foreigners are swallowing up every economic opportunity, HOW COME so many Singaporeans are "winning"? (more than any previous generation)
Anon 3.53pm, you are sadly mistaken if you believe the relationship between country and citizen is akin to that of a father-son one. That may have been so in the past, but is no longer the case with the advent of globalisation. That relationship now bears more resemblance to one between an employer an an employee. The employees who have the skills that are in demand by other employers will have no qualms about walking out the door, be it for better money or career prospects. They aren't tied nor dependent on any single employer. On the other side of the coin, those who do not will have no choice but to remain with the employer, no matter how bad that employer treats him, because he knows the only other option is to be out on the streets. The question you whining Singaporeans should ask yourselves is which type of employee do I want do be ?
> The question you whining Singaporeans should ask yourselves is which type of employee do I want do be ? <
This is the psychological downside LKY never saw coming. The Sheeple are so used to being "looked after" from cradle to grave, as long as they play it "by the book", i.e. work for low wages, contribute to CPF, buy their HDB with CPF, and continue to vote PAP at every election, don't give a shit when someone's right's are continually violated**... and when any "threat" looms—like cheaper, better and work-ethic driven, HUNGRY foreigners... the molly-coddles and sppon fed S'porean throws up his arms in despair and becomes a "victim".
Well, you fuckers don't get any sympathy from the likes of me. I hope you suffer, painfully :-)
** None of the sheeple will ever come out to defend a moral principle. I do not agree with a lefty like Chee SJ, but I consider it CRIMINAL to use the cops against this peaceful citizens. The cops should be ashamed of themselves. Police are supposed to protect the citizens and ensure that the citizens can conduct their peaceful activities unaccosted by the state. When a policeman breaks this, he becomes a thug, taking orders from organised criminals.
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