1/16/2014

The implications of Asean Economic Community or FTA

In 2007 Summit ASEAN leaders affirmed their strong commitment to accelerate the establishment of an ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by 2015.
The AEC aims to make ASEAN a more dynamic and competitive economic block by making it a single market and production base by 2015 governed by the principles of an open, outward-looking, inclusive, and market-driven economy.
 

As a single market and production base, the AEC comprises the following five core elements:
1. Free flow of goods
2. Free flow of services
3. Free flow of investment
4. Freer flow of capital
5. Free flow of skilled labour
 

The above paras were copied from a post in TRE by a Honest Singaporean. Presumably the 5 core elements are true. This is another FTA in the same nature as CECA that is starting to destroy the very fabric of our society and causing many PMEs to lose their jobs as well as social and security problems. The more serious implication is the flooding of foreigners to replace the true blue Singaporeans if not managed carefully.
 

The AEC has good intention and is meant to help all the Asean countries to grow and prosper together. What if the result is the reverse or what if there are adverse consequences that outweigh the benefits? We have seen how destructive the CECA is. We are at the verge of signing the American initiated PPT with so many hidden terms that are unable to see the light or they did not want the people to know. Anything that cannot be known or must be hidden is unlikely to be good. When people say I can’t tell you, it is likely to be bad.
 

Now this AEC, in particular item 5, Free flow of skilled labour, will undermined the whole foundation of our meritocracy and education system. We have set a very high standard for our students and they are now being forced to compete with the graduates of other countries with doubtful and funny education systems and standards. Are their qualifications equivalent to ours? Are we going to recognise any backlane universities or degrees from the degree mills? Are we being fair to our graduates that sloppy and questionable papers will not be accepted wholesale as equivalent to our local universities?
 

Further, we are only 3.5m people and we can be easily overwhelmed if we blindly open our legs even wider. We can dream big but we must also know that we are small and have a lot of limitations and weaknesses. We are already feeling the pain of uninvited forced entry, being raped unknowingly and unwillingly. The AEC could amount to legalised raping across the whole island in all industries and at all levels if there are no restrictions placed on them.
 

If not skilfully managed, we will be absorbed into a sea of humanity from the Asean countries and be lost completely. The govt needs to explain the implications and consequences to the people before committing to the AEC. We do not want to be a Britain standing out like a sore thumb in the EC and after messing it up has to quit the community with scars and wounds that would take a long time to repair.
 

What is this AEC? What is CECA? What is PPT? Do the people know what they are in for? Does the govt think it owes the people a responsibility to explain the demerits of joining and not just about how good they are, like the Medisave Life, only telling the good stuff, the influx of more foreigners and 6.9m population, again only saying the good stuff.
 

Tell us the whole truth, the whole picture. How many of our professionals would want to work in the Asean countries to earn pesos, rupiahs, ringgits, dongs, bahts or whatever? They are plenty of opportunities for business and jobs, but to earn less. Is that what we want to trade our professionals with their professionals? It is likely to be a one way traffic and our PMEs being left on the shelf.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

AEC 2015

The implementation date is 31 December 2015.

This is the official site:

http://www.asean.org/communities/asean-economic-community

Anonymous said...

Now no need to worry about 6.9m. If each Asean state sent 1% of their people here we will have an additional 4m or 5m to add onto the 5.4m that are here now.

Got to be appreciate that the govt is planning ahead. Unfortunately the 6.9m is not big enough. Maybe they also did not know the AEC is coming.

Back to the drawing board.

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

I don't know what the fuss is all about. Free markets are the basis for wealth creation and freedom.

Anecdote: I was on the Circle Line yesterday, and was doing what I enjoy so much -- people watching. Whilst most folks choose to shut themselves off from the world -- by burying their consciousness in their smartphones/ tablets, and plugging up their ears with earbuds -- I find the opportunity to observe them. This is like Attenborough observing beasts in the wild. The beasts are completely oblivious to his presence.

The only difference is that beasts in the wild are engaged with their environment. People engrossed with their mobile phones are not -- they are completely lost in their own worlds.

Anyway, there was this young fella -- about 16-18 years old, local lad. He was totally immersed in Milton Friedman's magnum opus: Free To Choose -- one of the famous works hated by the unions and embraced by free market capitalists and freedom lovers everywhere. Occasionally this lad would look up from his reading, and make a point with his friends who were accompanying him on the journey. They would smile, and then laugh apprrrrovingly.

The point is this: the younger generation are far more receptive to the good ideas of individual freedom and individual, private ENTERPRISE. They obviously do not feasr the future, but look forward to it.

I mix around with many young people, and for the most part, they want freedom to choose the lieves they want and the freedom to embark on and do "their own thing" and make alot of money, and have a wonderful life of travel, varied experiences etc.

A free market ASEAN is what these young people want. They look forward to living well, and we, the older generation owe it to them and ourselves to remove all barriers which prevent people from being the BEST they want to be

I give these FTA's 100% support. Capitalism rocks the world!

Anonymous said...


fear not fear not......

with AEC, the extra land to house 6.9M population and for expansions to achieve higher GDPs may be solved........

we may try to lease Batam for 888 years with an extension option of another 888 years from Indonesia........

this is "one stone kills two birds".....

cheers.....

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

Addendum: replace ASEAN (which is SE Asia) with AEC (which is Asia in total)

Anonymous said...

I would fully agree with MS if the state barriers within Asean are brought down and everything goes. Only apprehension is whether Sinkies will be picked out one by one as they migrate to neighbouring countries to live like kings with the money from the sale of their homes and find themselves buried them prematurely.

It is so easy for them to come here. For Sinkies moving to their countries there is always the issue of personal safety.

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

@1103:

If one is able to muster up the courage to face the new frontiers and opportunities free markets bring, then one has also to pay attention to any "threats" that could occur.

No risk, no reward -- it is the free market. The risks and profits are your's to own or defend against.

For non-free market: you can take stupid risks and the government can bail you out. Socialise the losses, individualise the profits.

Anyway the govt from other cuntrees will have to beef up their security and court systems to protect contracts and private property -- i.e. The Rule Of Law must be sufficient to put at ease the minds of foreign investors and entrepreneurs.

...then you'll see Asia rock the planet, and eclipse the N Americans and the EU!!

Capitalism rocks Asia! Asia rocks the world!

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Anonymous said...

Dr Dean Baker

[The Trans-Pacific Partnership Is Not a Free-Trade Agreement]


"free-trade"... is an inaccurate characterization of the deal.

Many parts of the deal have nothing to do with free trade;
they are about setting regulatory standards.


http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/the-trans-pacific-partnership-is-not-a-free-trade-agreement

b said...

Nothing is free. Freedom is a myth. Someone have to pay the price and in sg case, the locals paid the price and the rulers and the rich laughing all the way to the banks.

b said...

MNCs who outsourced IT to india has their recruitment servers controlled by the indians who deleted excellent candidates applications who are non indians so that their own indians can easily get selected for any opening. They have hidden agendas to control the world starting from this island.

Anonymous said...

The daft leaders are still sleeping.