myth 105

'The Foreign Myth' Lately the foreign talent debate has taken a higher profile with foreign talents openly calling local talents silly and shallow. If we may take a step back and ask ourselves, what we have today, are they the contribution of these new foreign talents? Technically we were all foreign talents once as we were all migrants. But these migrants have settled and sunk roots here, indigenised and formed our first and second generations of local talents. These are the talents that built what Singapore is today. And we have them to thank for, not these new upstart foreign talents who came here yesterday and trying to claim all the credits. If these foreign talents are that talented, they should have elevated the poverty in their home countries. But they are quitters of their own countries and coming here bragging how good they are. Just show us what they have achieved for their countries before they tell us we are silly and shallow. But sad to say, they are right in this last comment. We are indeed silly and shallow to bring them in to insult us. If this foreign talent madness is not straightened out, one of these days these foreign talents are going to line up the local talents and screw them nicely one by one, including those who idolised foreign talents.

what FT said of local talents

What Faruq Shadhili(foreign talent) said of Singapore talents 1. Foreign companies are eager to raise the CPF contributions for employees. 2. Most foreign companies would like to put a local to take charge, BUT... 3. Singaporeans(with MBAs) are industrious and can be entrusted to carry out routine management duties,...do it by the book, ...lack the independent mind to take matters to the next level. In short, unthinking but hardworking, good as production line operators. 4. Singapore talents are egoistic and worked for their personal interests instead of company's long term interests. 5. Singaporean talents 'had the gall' to disagree with European directors just to look good to his local subordinates. Would unthinking and mindless Singaporeans dare to disagree with their bosses, just my view. 6. The first contradiction to 5, local talents would cut salary of staff to please foreign bosses. I thought they would talk back? 7. Local talents would fly first class but cut cost of other departments. I only knew of one such talents that appeared in the big news that travelled first class. And this practice is rampant here according to Faruq. 8. Local talents think that foreign bosses are daft. 9. Curry favours is commonplace and employees got rewarded for that. 10. Local talents hired employees and demanded that they speak mandarin which actually is unnecessary. And foreign bosses disagreed but got along to please local talents. 11. Local talents demand workers to have proper qualifications. Foreign talents can perform without proper qualifications. Faruq quoted an example of an O level engineers training new aeronautical engineers. Phew, which part of the world could this happened? And Faruq commented the CEO of the airline for doing just that. I will fire the CEO first. 12. He concluded that not all Singaporean bosses are that shallow. So many must be shallow. Before any shallow Singaporean bosses reading this article and start to sack all the local talents and replace them with foreign talents, and before they start to hire O level 'engineers' to train qualified aeronautical engineers, they better examine this concept of foreign talent is better than local talent before they be called silly and shallow by foreign talents in their employ.

Corporate governance and ethics not necessary.

Corporate governance and ethics not necessary. Acra and Icpas have withdrawn recognition of the NUS BBA(Accountancy) degree. They wanted accountants to be taught courses that are related to accounting and auditing the traditional way. But NUS thought the emphasis on corporate governance, ethics, risk management, internal control and business acumen are more important and relevant in view of all the big time corporate frauds. 'Even ACCA, the international body representing the profession, had launched a new qualification this year to focus on "professional values, ethics and governance", in line with the "industry demands and expectations", the Association's Singapore head Penelope Phoon told Today.' It is indeed a strange development. Or is it that corporate governance is not important in Singapore? How could taking a few electives in these courses undermine an accountant in his accounting and auditing skills? I think it is the former. Singapore's corporate world is filled with men of high integrity. No problem with corporate governance and ethics.

the other govt

The Other Govt A young boy asked me in my blog yesterday whether I am pro govt or anti govt. It is a profound question to come from a boy who does not know what constitutes a govt. So I told him that I would toss a coin and see which side it landed. I am not going to discuss about the three arms of the govt or the complex machinery of the whole govt. To that boy, what is govt to him is pretty obvious. Actually in his thuggish behaviour, he is asking me whether I am for his party or gang? This prompted me to the other govt that is running parallel to the legal govt that we have today. This other govt runs a gamut of businesses ranging from spas, entertainments, security and money lending. The most prominent and explosive arm of this other govt is of course money lending. They charged exhorbitant interest rates. And failure to pay will subject the borrower to threats of violence, something like the young boy was trying to do in my blog. But violence or personal harm was more of an intimidating tactic. What they would normally do is to lock up the borrower's flat, and with thick strong chain by their bailiff. Instead of posting the Notice of Seizure, they will just paint it on the adjacent walls or in the lift to make sure the borrower did not miss it. More efficient that way. And if this failed, they will burn the door to the flat. They might place a pig head for decorative purposes. Now they have taken it further by demanding the neigbours to pay or they will burn the neighbour's flat as well. And they do it in broad daylight, walking freely everywhere. Now that is truly another form of govt. We have parallel imports of cars. Now we are having a parallel govt. Am I talking about JB or Hatyai?

Amazing Singapore

Amazing Singapore Below is a quote from an ex Malaysian that I plucked from littlespeck.com. ExMalaysian wrote: By my own experience I can tell you that it's great being a new citizen in Singapore. You are judged by what you can contribute and not but some NEP policies. The education in Singapore is also about the best in the world. Yes, even the educators from the native English-speaking countries adopt how Mathematics and Science are taught here Best of all, every time you cross the causeway to visit Malaysia you are rewarded by at least 2.3 times in your spending capability. What are you waiting for? Singaporeans are lucky.