Can we afford not to be selective?

As our Govt continues in its relentless drive for growth, without growth no salary increment, it has become something like the Hokien saying, 什么南鸟都要。Who can say don’t want growth and don’t want salary increment? But can they say got increment must be more than inflation? Got $200 increment, inflation and cost of living eat up $500, good huh?

We have three national universities and several semi govt funded universities. Now we have this thing called NUS Yale University that is costing a bomb for the infrastructure and the foreign staff being brought in. Not forgetting all the great professori in the other govt universities. Do we really need this NUS Yale University and all the expensive foreign professors that are paid so handsomely that all of them is looking more handsome than before arriving here? Yes, our students will also become more handsome and would earn just as much as them or more.

We have F1 supposedly bringing in more revenue indirectly than the direct cost. This is necessary, I think, as all the rich and super rich need a past time like the F1 to kill their boredom. And all the hotels, retail shops and supporting businesses will get more businesses. Simply put, it is good for business and the indirect income is more than the millions spent. The businesses must be grateful for this govt largesse.

We have a super expensive man made garden. This one sure brings in more tourists to spend more money here. One day it may get into the Guinness Book of Record as one of the new 7 wonders of the world, man made wonders. Then Singapore would be known world wide and the publicity is worth every millions spent on its maintenance. And the people got to enjoy the great plants in them.

We allow all kinds of industries and businesses to operate here. Many businesses need not be here but because we are so good, good in everything, infrastructure, power that never break down, water that comes out of the tap without fail, MRt that never stop, and a world class workforce, world class workers to support the businesses. And if the workers are found not good enough, too expensive, the businesses can import their own workers, or at least most of them. Just make sure they have some pieces of papers to say they are talents.

And we are selling properties like hot cross buns with great profits.  We have unlimited land and we can afford to keep selling and selling. The sky is the limit. We can build higher than the Tower of Babel or deeper than the deep blue sea. In this sense, we have no land constraints. That is why 10m population is no big deal. I am thinking of 50m or more. Our ingenuity beats the world hollow.

We are never short of talents. We just import them. No need to grow them from young. No need nurseries or pre schools or primary schools. We bring them in like ripe durians, minus the trees. We are bringing anything that walks on two legs and called them talents. We can have the old and mature ones. We can have the young ones, just pay for their tuition fees, food and accommodation and hopefully they turn out good. We can have those that came with papers, fake ones also can. No worry as long no one knows. Just pray no one blow the whistle and everything will just look fine.

Everything is about generating money and more money. With land no longer an issue as the sky is the limit, we crave for more and more people to fill up our land, to create more economic activities, it is easier than manufacturing, to generate more revenue and money, but there is a little hitch. Somehow the average people are finding money no enough, and money disappearing everyday, even those in the savings. They said inflation is under control, no problem.

Can we be more selective in what we want, what we do, what we allow to come in, what kind of businesses we want, and how we spend the money that we made so easily? Or shall we adopt the gambler’s mentality of easy come easy go? We have so much money, spend lah! Just keep on buying anything we fancy, more angmoh professori and FTs, F35s, or buy anything in the name of investment, short term, long term, or very long term as long as it is not gambling.

We are such a blessed city, with God’s grace, everything will just go on fine. And everything is just looking fine. Bring in the people to increase economic growth. No need Samsung, Apple or Toyota. Our products are people and unlimited good value added land.