Singaporeans lacked skills set, experience and track records

According to a FT HR consultant, Singaporeans lacked the skills set and experience to be employable in Singapore. She could only find such experienced people in India. And that could be the compelling reason why all her job placements for companies in Singapore come from India.

This is indeed a great revelation to the state of affair in Singapore. She did not mention which skills set were found wanting among Singaporean PMEs, but very likely these could be in finance, IT and engineering or may even be in medical science. So what does this say? Plenty.

In the first place the education system is not producing the required people with the necessary qualifications for employment, or it is producing too little of them. Our Minister of Education and the institutions of higher learning would need to do some reflection on their shortcomings. Two, the job experience of Singaporeans were inadequate or unsuitable. This could be a problem of Singaporeans not given the chance to gain job experience. But how could they gain experience without being employed first?

The remedy to this problem is simple. Singaporeans should study in Indian Universities as they have proven to be the best in producing graduates for the job markets in Singapore. They must know something we don’t or our MOE and tertiary institutions don’t. And the next step, after getting a degree from the Indian universities, they should stay in India to gain the needed job experience so that the FT HR consultants can place them for jobs in Singapore.

The whole process is now even made easier by the free trade agreement between India and Singapore and there will be no problem for their degrees to be recognized here. And being educated in Indian universities, they will learn the Indian culture and could, hopefully, integrate to the Indian expat and professional community here, and may even be earmarked for higher appointments.

Now that we know the shortcomings of our education system and the needs of the job market, it is easier to put this into practice. Forget about NUS, NTU or SMU or whatever U in Singapore. The road to success, to get a job in Singapore, is through India and Indian Universities.

Tensions in the Korean Peninsula

Who is threatening who? Who is the provocateur? Who is the cause of rising tension in the Peninsula?

If you read the western media, the answer is obvious, it must be the North Koreans. Last week’s first page headline in MyPaper carries a report by Reuters, ‘Tensions rise as North Korea threatens US again’.

What is the truth? North Korea tested its rockets to launch its own satellites. The Americans accused the North Koreans of testing missile technology. So threatened sanction against North Korea. But the Americans have been doing the same year after year and with a complete arsenal of missiles carrying nuclear warheads is ok.

Similarly, when the North Koreans tested their nascent nuclear bombs again the Americans threatened the same and Japan even talked about pre emptive strike against North Korea. Who is threatening who and raising tension? Why is it that the Americans can have all the deadly nuclear weapons and other countries are not allowed? Which is more provocative, test launching a rocket to launch its own satellite or the threat of a pre emptive strike by Japan?

The recent hiking of tension in the Korean Peninsula was started by the Americans and South Koreans conducting massive war games at the borders with North Korea. Why did the western media not report,’ American and South Korean war games provocative’, or ‘American South Korean war games raising tension in the Korean Peninsula’?

Then the Americans flew their nuclear bombs capable B52 in the Peninsula which was a show of force to threaten the North Koreans. Why didn’t the western media report, ‘Americans raised tension in the Peninsula with B52s’?

Then inside the same paper was a report from AFP titled, ‘N. Korea threatens US bases in Japan, Guam’. Why not a title, ‘US threatens N Korea with B52s’?

Who is the real culprit in raising tension in the Korean Peninsula? Depending on your sympathy and who is reporting the activities there.

Can a Cyprus visit this city state?

The big banks in Cyprus are in trouble and facing downgrading. And the EU is recommending robbing the depositors to bail out the banks. This is another case of too big to fail and bailing out the criminals and crooks in the banking industry by using the people’s money. Another twist to this whole dirty episode is that the EU is eyeing all the dirty or hot money from Russia and finds it convenient and appropriate to rob the Russians of their illegitimate wealth parked sinfully in this tax haven, a version of Switzerland and Singapore.

There are many similarities in the banking systems of Cyprus and Singapore. Too few but over size banks, financial centres, tax havens due to low corporate tax, rich foreigners parking their money under secrecy laws. But there are also clear differences like our strong corporate governance, our strong control over money laundering, our well managed banks by the best banking professionals money can buy.

And should the bank hit a crisis and needed more cash injection, Cyprus would have to look outwards, to the EU for help, our banks can always look internally instead. The Govt has huge reserves, SWFs have a lot of funds, and there is always the CPF to tap. There would be no need to rob the depositors in case of bank failures.

I think it is unlikely that we will be hit by a Cyprus and have to rob the depositors to bail out the banks. Our banking industry is very well managed and even if it got into trouble, we can rely on our national reserves and the CPF for interim bailout fundings.

The gods have landed

The Pacific Ocean has been dotted with many little islands with islanders that had not seen modern civilization and modern technology. Several decades back, they would not even have seen a ship or a helicopter. And as all civilizations behaved in a similar way, they looked to the sky or heaven for their gods. They prayed to anything that flew or came down from heaven.

These people were in a way happy with their own existence, self sufficient and without any worries of how to make ends meet. God has provided them well and they were quite contented. Then the day would come when modern civilization would dawn upon them. The White gods would land from the sky with all the roar and thunder and fire of their flying machine. And to the natives of these islands, these White men must be gods. And they looked up to them in fear and awe. They knelt and bowed to them, feasted them and let the gods to rule over them. And the gods knew that the natives were ignorant and simply took advantage of their simplicity and acted like gods and lived like gods to affirm the belief of the natives.

Today, in the 21st Century, history is repeating itself in another rich and prosperous island. The islanders were once very progressive and productive and had built a little paradise for themselves. But through the passage of time they were told that they were daft and lazy. And they believe, and other people from around the world also said so. Everyone is calling the inhabitants of the island stupid. And they believe too. How could they not when their leaders were a bunch of frogs. The frogs are the smartest and live in their ivory well. They have not seen much of the real world since they descended into the comfort zone of the well. And when they look up to the sky, it is as big as the well’s opening.

And sure enough, the gods came, descended from the sky. Every god is greeted with great admiration as some wonder beans, some super natural beans, definitely better than the local beans. And the gods were worshipped and prayed and feasted. The gods were elevated to all positions of importance to be the gods of the natives. And the natives cowered in awe and fear of these new gods. They felt inferior to the gods and accepted their new low down existence.

The gods knew how daft the natives were, including the frogs. So they acted and behaved like gods, walked like gods and lived like gods as expected by the natives. The more they acted as gods, the more impressive they became and the frogs were in high praises of these gods.

Without their knowledge, these new gods started to plot for their continued existence and dominance as the privileged gods, above the mortals, above the natives, to be served and ruled over the natives, including the frogs. Who knows when they would chop up the frogs to be served as frog leg stew when the day comes to rule over the natives and the frogs. And what's next when the frogs were gone?
The new gods have arrived and shall inherit the paradise from the natives. A new religion will be founded for the daft natives to believe in. The gods have found their willing and daft followers and believers.

In Love - A piece of RAR Art

This is an abstract black and white piece called In Love. Another creation of Mother Nature.