Seah Chiang Nee :Top performers on the decline?

‘According to former PM Lee Kuan Yew – and quite a few employers – it was good to have brought in foreign workers to offset the decline.
 
“Over time, Singaporeans had become less hard-driving and hard-striving,” Lee said in a 2011 interview.
 
The hard-talking Lee then upset many people when he said that if Singaporeans were falling behind because “the spurs are not stuck into the hide”, that was their problem.
 
He described the new immigrants from China and the region as “hungry” – helped by parents who “pushed the children very hard”.
 
(Actually, Singaporean parents are often accused of putting too much pressure on their kids.)
 
Lee had often made known his preference for the entrepreneurial spirit of the Hong Kong people.
 
Predictably, some Singaporeans were angry about the remarks that implied they were becoming lazy and ought to be spurred like slow horses.
One retiree said Lee was partly right: “Many middle class Singaporeans are becoming spoiled and complacent compared with (their counterparts in) some emerging nations.”’
 
The above paragraphs were from Seah Chiang Nee’s article on the decline of top talents among the Sinkie breed. The article was addressing the issue of falling talents in Singapore but the facts are contradictory, and so were the comments. The superficial comments that Sinkies are losing their drive to be world beaters did not make sense when the parents are pushing their children to the limits, hot housing them to be not only tops in academics by enrolling them in the best nurseries and kindergartens, but also in many artistic programmes to make them all rounders, the best of the best in everything. And their academic results have proven that this is the case.
 
During my time, or during yesteryears, in every cohort of O level or A level students, to find one with straight As is so difficult. Today, in the many top schools, throw a stone and you will hit a dozen with straight As. How can this be the case if the Sinkies are slacking, lazy and losing the drive to be better? And the latest PISA test proved that our 15 year olds are also world beaters.
 
Is someone talking cock or has his mind out of sync? But if you were to listen to the 3rd World recruiting agencies, given a licence to recruit foreigners for jobs here, they will tell you that indeed Sinkies are all useless, no talent, no skills, no creativity and poor workers. Unfortunately many of our foolish leaders and employers believe the foreign recruiting agents and went along to replace the ‘daft’ Sinkies with ‘talented and skilled’ employees from 3rd World cities and villages.
 
There is a silver lining though. Though the title of Seah Chiang Nee’s article is about the decline of top performers, this is only in general. Specifically Singapore is very lucky that the top talents in govt are not declining and in fact are living proof of supermen and superwomen. Just take a look at the portfolios they are involved in, many have 20 or 30 hats to wear as advisers and helming many organizations, ministries etc etc. They are the natural know alls, born to know everything, like immortals. I think without this group of super super top performers, Singapore would have gone back to the 3rd World long ago. These are the few top performers that are pulling the country out from the rut, with the help of 3rd World talents.
 
I am sure when Seah Chiang Nee said that top performers are on the decline, he was not referring to our top performers in govt.
 
Now what am I rumbling about and sounding so incoherent? My thoughts are all in a mess, and I am all confused with what I said too. What is the truth? Am I confusing everyone or is everyone confusing everyone? But one thing is true, we have the most talented and well trained and well qualified and ‘with a spur stuck on their hide’ taxi drivers in the world, fetching maids and construction workers all over the islands to amuse themselves and to have a good time.

Kopi level - Yellow