Argue for argument’s sake. Argue just to win. Argue just to insist that one is right despite all the evidences proving against it. This seems to be the position many have taken in the issue of foreign talents in Singapore. We need foreign talents or else we will not be where we are today. Yes and no.
In a way, practically every Singaporean is a foreign talent. Our forefathers were migrants, so we are migrants. Up to a point, I may say yes, our forefathers were migrants. But we Singaporeans born and bred here are not migrants. We were the original people here on first principles just like the aborigines of every country were the first people. There were some locals but not many. Our forefathers built this place and we inherited from them as the first owners of this land. Subsequently the Johnnys come lately are the migrants, the foreigners. This is where the line I like to draw. We are not migrants in this sense. So for those who still want to push the argument that since our forefathers were migrants, there is nothing wrong with welcoming more migrants. I say bull. Our forefathers maybe migrants but we are not.
And neither are Singaporeans anti foreign talents. Which clown still harping on this point that Singaporeans are anti foreigners? No one is anti foreign talents. So anyone accusing Singaporeans for being anti foreign talents is talking through his arsehole. The crux of the matter, of why this foreign talent issue becomes such a pain, is that many were not really talents vis a vis Singaporeans. And worst, they were made to look better than Singaporeans and given plump jobs which otherwise would have been given to Singaporeans. The other issue is the over crowding which I am not addressing here.
Singaporeans would have no difficulty accepting real foreign talents. Singaporeans would have not difficulty if a position has to be filled by a foreign talent because of job specific needs or because no Singaporean is good enough for it. We need an angmoh face to look good. Ok, get an angmoh. The good examples are the CEOs of SMRT, DBS, SGX, OCBC, and even some positions in the academia. These are talents that are much superior to Singaporeans, or jobs that no Singaporean is good enough to do. I read in the paper that it took SATS 37 years before they were able to find a Singaporean good enough to fill the job of a CEO. Now he has just left, and very likely a foreigner will replaced him as Singaporeans talented in airline food is hard to come by.
And Mediacorp finally got a Singaporean to be its CEO, a President scholar, when they could not find a more talented man than him after months of search. If they could, this President Scholar Singaporean too will have to play second fiddle. Oh, I forgot, even MPs and Ministers, when they can’t find Singaporeans good enough, they can find foreign substitutes.
When and which Singaporean is against genuine and real foreign talents? Please lah, don’t talk nonsense and argue for the sake of arguing. Singaporeans will continue to be pissed off with ‘foreign talents’ when the foreign talents are not really talents or anything better than Singaporean talents. Singaporeans will continue to be pissed off when jobs that Singaporeans can easily filled but given to foreigners who are no better than them, which is a great insult to our own people.
Seriously, how many of the top jobs given to foreigners cannot be filled by Singaporeans? Seriously, do we need foreigner, or new citizens to be MPs? Oh, we have many great ministers that were foreigners. This was due to a different stage in our history when we were a new nation. Even Boon Wan has been living here and a citizen for many years and not really new. Now what is new? No need silly reasons to win this argument.
Can Singapore do better without the average ‘foreign talents’ or the many fake talents with fake papers? Having said all this, I am sure all Singaporeans will agree with me in showing our appreciation to all the real foreign talents that really make a difference to our economy and well being. No one will deny their great contributions. But please lah, nothing great about the average foreigners that are here to contribute to be the bread and butter in our society and to deprive jobs and university places that should rightly go to Singaporeans. This is like being sold out, betrayed.
I can only say one thing. They refused to listen to what the Singaporeans are saying and refused to understand them.
Ok Ok I dun argue and is willing to listen and understand you.
ReplyDeleteBut I am a nobody,so can only listen.
But you people also play a part that result in this.Blame who?
Why you people are not producing more babies when others tell you to stop at 2.Even Heaven or whatever god never say so.You all scared the meesee at KK scold you ah?The Kia Bor cannot marry 2 wives and tell you not to get mistress and you people just comply...
Now no local talents how?
You people also can buy paper,why jealous of others who did so?
So got to import now lah..
I am fine with FTs.But only despise those who betray their countries. How loyal can they be if one can leave their country and settle elsewhere not for better survival but just to get rich.
I only worry that my descendants are suffering under a group of greedy bosses in future.
I was offered and also have many chances to be a FT elsewhere and I now started to wonder whether I have made a right choice for turning the offer?
Why?Because I am loyal to my homeland mah.Money cannot buy me and I want to contribute to my country instead of others as a gratitude but...ai....sometime I think,I should have pledge my loyalty to....
We are all immigrants, no doubt. But with one big difference. When our forefathers came, this little rock was hardly developed and not being overcrowded means immigrant workers were needed to open up and build up the place.
ReplyDeleteWhat we are doing today is entirely different. With little land space and growing population competing for limited space and jobs, the rulers can argue about foreigners bringing us prosperity. What about the other side of the equation?
What about the needs of the local population? For whose benefit are those sterling economic numbers brought about by the immigrants? How much of the goodness that the foreigners bring in are for the benefit of the common people looking for housing and jobs? It is obvious the main benefit accrue to the state and, by extension, the rulers, entrepreneurs and landlords, while the man on the street are the ones paying the price.
I am not convinced by the yoda's argument and never will.
Anyone who bothers to sit back and look at the bigger picture will know how bad things will be. Does yoda really believe in what he is saying? It may be good for the remaining few years he has left. What then?
ReplyDeleteherein we are once again reminded that too much of a "good" thing IS bad. everything needs to be in moderation, including the number of foreigners taken into a country, especially a small one...
ReplyDeleteSingapore will no doubt be a vibrant/cosmopolitan city with a fusion of citizens/PRs and a multitude of temporary work residents from the West, South Asia, East Asia and South East Asia and also from the other continents...attracted by all the positives of a well organised city including Spore's low crime rate and most important of all... opportunities to park their careers/wealth/families here compared to their own countries. Seldom does one come to be a citizen, they come for the opportunities of career and other material/financial aspects of enhancement.
ReplyDeleteThe effects on property prices, transport, social cohesion amongst colors/cultures/tongues....you just have to tough it out...so to speak for those not financially able enough to overcome these effects.
If a time ever comes for each individual to express their loyalty to this vibrant/cosmopolitan city...( remember.... it is not a nation due to the economic policies that drive Spore's growth goals )...would there be enough individuals willing to make sacrifices for this city???? or would a significant many decide that this is only a city and not their country ( birth place ).... just a place to be gainfully employed, raise a family safely and enhance their assets but not to make any individaul/family sacrifice.
The decision makers are optimistic about the nature of the individual and also optimistic about the gelling of many colors/cultures/tongues...perhaps they are right and perhaps they may be wrong but alas too late to avert the situation.
Are we building a world class vibrant city or are we building a nation based on the flag that we put up in 1965? Or are we muddling around to do both at the same time?
As one NTU lashes out at T Tan ,yes we had not only foreign talent but alot of foreign parisites
ReplyDeleteMust learn from China PRCs. Can lie through their teeth and confront you even though they lied and are at fault.
ReplyDeleteHi jax and tkw, welcome to the blog. This FT drug is going to be a permanent fix for our well being. Everytime we need a high, just get a bigger dosage of FT.
ReplyDeleteThe little problem is that after every fix, the next dosage must be bigger to get the same high. We are suffering from FT dependency and not easy to quit.