singtel may be looking for foreign ceos

In the paper's headline today, Singtel may seek foreign CEO. This is probably the wisest and most sensible thing to do since there is no local talents left after Hsien Yang vacated his seat. He was there for 12 years and was too busy expanding the business that no one was groomed to succeed him. Don't they have any good local talents left? I did asked earlier about Ngiam Tong Dow's criticism of getting foreign CEOs to run local companies. I think he was joking. We truly, really, don't have that kind of talents that can earn US$200 mil a year. See, talent is measured by how much one can command. We have seen so much praise to a local talent who earned peanuts. The second notch international talent should be asking for US$50 to 60 million. Third notch maybe US$30 mil, and 4th to 5th notch maybe asking fot US$10 mil. These are still far more talented than all our local CEOs who are talented only up to US$3-5 mil. So maybe we get a 6th to 7th notch foreign CEOs should do the trick. It is actually quite disappointing that after so many years we still don't have top notch CEOs. Not even in the top 5 levels. It is high time we employed someone who is really top notch and pay him US$200 million. Then we can showcase to the world that we have world best top notch CEOs. For the time being we shall be content with our 10th notch local CEOs and quickly replaced them when some foreign 6th or 7th notch CEOs are available. But better check which universities they graduated from, if they did graduated as claimed.

is it embarrassing to be a local journalist?

Mr Wang Bakes Good Karma spoke about the declining and limited role of local journalists in the main stream media. What he said actually made a lot of sense. Not only has the credibility of the local journalists is being badly bruised, they should be now quite clear what they can write about and what they cannot. And the good thing is that the bloggers and internet forums are given a freer hand, which means that people who wants an alternative view must get them from the internet. The mainstream media is just there to present a specific news angle. Would this lead to more interests in internet news and internet be seen as a threat to the official views in the mainstream media? And, would the local journalists speak out to redefine their role or are they going to swallow everything and surrender their sacred role and duty as journalists? How would our journalists face up to their international counterparts when confronted with questions regarding their professional duties as journalists? Maybe all these are good for a young country like ours. We don't need the flair and inquisitiveness of journalists running around and telling different things to the people. We cannot afford to have different viewpoints that may undermine the efforts in nation building.

myth 43

'Renewal of leadership will save the party and country' There is no doubt that renewal of party leaders is important to keep the party fresh and highly motivated and not be stuck with a stagnant system of ideas and people. But this is only a small piece of a whole tapestry. Sorry many are just tapestry weavers. There are many other aspects which have to be addressed other than just head counts. The goals, the direction and priorities to reorganise and restructure society and people as a nation are equally important. We have done very well as a nation for many years. But strains and cracks are appearing but either ignored or viewed as not important or irrelevant, or even as a part and parcel of progress. A little reflection on what life was before and now, how a single income family could live life quite comfortably, how a university degree was a passport to a comfortable lifestyle, how four figure monthly income was considered quite wealthy. The time when a decent semi D cost an equivalent of 3 or 4 years annual income, a car could be had at the price of half a years income of a fresh graduate. What is happening to our wealthy society when more people are feeling stressed and unhappy, got lost in the rat race, and a two income family can only just get by, a single income family is never enough? Are the masses of today really better off than the masses of yesteryears?

after singel, what's next?

This must be the most frequent asked question among Singaporeans since the announcement on Friday. After Singtel, where else? It has to be something better and bigger. Are there are not many companies that are bigger and better than Singtel? SIA, DBS? Not many to choose from actually. Or what about Temasek? Does Temasek's recent performance demands for a change of leadership? Or maybe Hsien Yang has a different call, maybe he has seen enough of the corporate world and wanted to live life and see the world in peace and quite, or to serve God. Not a possibility to rule out. The third option is politics. The reluctant brother who is thrown into the arena when saying no is not an option. We have seen how Rajiv Ghandhi was made to accept his political assignment when Sanjay was cut down. Would Hsien Yang be made to step into his brother's shoe because he has no other choice? Would we be hit by a second and bigger surprise of Hsien Loong calling it a day from politics? You never know would you?

the people is not your enemy

Tan Soo Khoon is in the best position to offer a balanced advice to his new and old comrades. Be humble, respect people who disagree and not to question their motives and live a normal life. Being out of the system, no longer entrenched in it and with the vested interest of preserving and protecting the system and policies, it is easier for Soo Khoon to look at the whole picture as a bystander. It is always clearer from that angle. Be humble may be asking too much when one is already told that he/she is the best, the cream of society. It is ok to have that wow feeling, just don't get too swell headed. It is difficult to be surrounded by power and wealth and to live like an ordinary man who has nothing. Good, live it up, but stay rooted to the ground. Accepting different views and knowing that there will always be people who disagree with you is a sign of wisdom and humility. Unless one still believes in being god, supreme wisdom, and unquestionable. As for motives, there are those who have real bad motives. There is no doubt about that. But not everyone harbours evil thought. If that be the case, all those gossipers in the kopitiams should be put away. And there are thousands of them, and the taxi drivers or officer workers. Everyone has something to say, good or bad. Only when it arrives at your ear or not. Or is it preferable to pretend that there is no disagreement by shutting one's ears or cutting off people who say something unacceptable? Living a normal life, continue to drink coffee in the kopitiam may have to go. Not realistic because of time pressure, the activies and the bulging pocket. But there will be opportunities to sit in the kopitiam with the grassroots. Plenty of opportunities to do so. But do not pretend that the kopitiam is still the natural habitat. What is most important is not to see the people as your enemy. The communists like to swim as fishes among the sea of people. The people is there to provide the props and support to raise a leader higher. Cutting off the people with the slightest annoyance will eventually destroy the connection between people and leaders. A few more cases of brown soup will definitely draw a clear line between the ruler and the ruled and the widening of the divide.