The myth of skills set

You need to have the right papers, right experience and the right skills set to be hired. Many PMETs are no longer employable because they don’t have the skills set to be employed. What are the skills set that is needed for one to get hired or to be suitable for a job, especially a high paying one?
 
Should I ask Lim Swee Say? He just said, or ‘believes that his successor is the "right person" for the job.’ Ok, he did not say Chan Chun Sing has the right skills set for the job of Secretary General of the NTUC. He said he believed. Actually not much different, just semantics. 'Kar ki kong, kar ki song'.
 
Chan Chun Sing’s background was a general in the army, a soldier. He had a stint as a minister in the Ministry of Social and Family Development, nothing to do with labour or workers or trade unions. Now what would the skills set be like for someone to fill Swee Say’s position in the NTUC? What are the job specs or job description? What kind of work experience that are related to this job?
 
Other than being a general, and a minister with some relevance in management and making policies at ministerial level, there is totally no relationship in Chan Chun Sing’s experience and training to the job of Secretary General of NTUC. In all counts, ask the recruitment specialists, they would throw his resume out. No relevance, no skills set for the job. Even if he produces a MBA would not be of much relevance.
 
So, how come a person of a diverse background, with unrelated job experience, be the ‘right person’ for the job? This analogy is not to say that Chan Chun Sing is not a super talent? He is a super talent and touted to be the next PM. But if you were to use the same reasoning to dismiss those PMETs who have lost their jobs, it makes his appointment and being the ‘right person’ for the job a bit funny isn’t it?
 
How could a sweeping statement like no skills set be good enough to rubbish all the PMETs as no longer employable but a person with Chan Chun Sing’s military background, nothing to do with workers and trade unions, be suitable, have the skills set for the job?
 
What is wrong with the skills set myth? It is only applicable to PMETs. Or super talents are exceptions? Luckily this position is not thrown to an international recruitment agency to find the right candidate. I am pretty sure Chan Chun Sing’s resume will not match anything for the job. No skills set!
 
What do you think? Got myth or no myth? Why no one says got not skills set? This is what they used to say, head I win, tail you lose.
 
PS. No disrespect to Chan Chun Sing. Just using this example to show the silliness of the no skills set myth. If a recruitment agency wants to reject him for the job, it is so easy to use the no skills set myth and it sounds so logical. Did anyone say political appointments no need to talk about skills set, even for million dollar jobs?

Amos Yee – Making a mountain from a mole hill

Not say I want to say, I think it is unwise to pursue this Amos Yee’s case from the start. It was a video clip, people would have a good laugh and passé. To make this into a case and now snowballing into a monster would extract a heavy political price pay in an election year. I am saying this from the political perspective. It would definitely be an election issue for sure. No amount of damage control can help now. Many people are watching this episode but not saying anything but forming a lot of impressions about it. Only hope the damage is not too serious.
 
And there is another joker who taught it wise to attack Amos Yee outside the court and had his picture taken by so many cameras. What is going on? Hope this joker is a lone wolf and this is a lone wolf incident. Whatever, the perceptions and the court of public opinion is going to be very noisy and not very good for publicity. People tend to put one and one together to get two. It is a PR disaster.
 
Oh, it is reported that Shanmugam is visiting the Vatican City and even meeting Pope Francis. Good for him to get some divine blessing for Singapore. A little enlightenment from the Holy See would be useful and beneficial to Sin City. He should take the opportunity to get a shower of holy water for a good cleansing on behalf of Singapore.
And don’t forget to ask for blessing in front of Prophet Amos in the Vatican.
 
Literary there is now a mountain of issues coming out from a mole hill, something that could be avoided, with a little good communication, yes, didn’t they know good communication can move mountains? Didn’t they say that?
 
God bless. Good timing.

Singapore an education hub compromised

The Singapore Brand and the education hub Singapore is promoting for quality education would be the first victim if degree mills are going to be widespread and accepted without any disapproval shown by the authority. An education hub is all about quality of education and integrity of the institutions and the degree or diploma awarded. No legitimate students looking for quality education and a reputable degree would sign up with a degree mill or come to Singapore’s education hub if the image of degree mills and fake degrees become the norm here.
 
Degree mills and fake degrees will undermine and compromise the institutions of learning here. They will make a mockery of acquiring a good degree from a reputable institution and render them useless or a waste of time. Why waste time and money when a fake will do to get a good job?
 
How could the existence of good quality education and reputable universities exist side by side with fake degrees and degree mills? How could the authority tolerate the flaunting of fake degrees from degree mills and treating them lightly, like no issue and expect some respect for the graduates of legitimate universities?
 
What is the message? On one hand we are promoting quality education. On the other hand we are turning a blind eye to fake degrees and degree mills. Are the institutions of higher learning going to protest when their students are raped openly by the holders of fake degrees and losing out to them in employment opportunities? Do these institutions see the damage done to the value of their degrees and to their graduates?
 
The issue of fake degrees and degree mills has wider implications and consequences not only to the institutions of learning and the Singapore Brand. It will have negative effects on the education industry and the education hub that we are promoting here, to invite foreign students to study here, to grow an industry and revenue for the country.
 
Let me contribute a little to the degree mills. I am going to register for a few Ph Ds. My wall is quite empty and I need a few decorative pieces on it. Better than expensive paintings. Collecting degree mill Ph Ds can be an interesting and cheap hobby. I swear I will not put them in my resume. It is just a past time, a hobby.
 
PS. The Oregon state had named 6 institutions in Singapore offering unaccredited qualifications:
 
1. Cranston University
2. Templeton University
3. Trident University of Technology
4. Vancouver University Worldwide
5. Westmore University
6. Lee Community College
 
ST reported that Vancouver University Worldwide, which was ordered to be shut by the Canadian government in 2007, had been offering its courses in Singapore for several years.
 
(This is posted in an editorial in TRE)

Amos Yee - Identity of attacker not disclosed

Many people are demanding that the police release the photo and identity of the man that attacked Amos Yee out the court house. You can sense the anger and suspicion of the people wanting to know who this man is, how he looks like, where he lives, his family and background that brought about this attack. Nearly a week has passed and the police are not revealing anything.

Those people demanding to know who this man is must look at things from another angle. The police must have learnt a lesson in the Amos Yee case. When Amos Yee was under police custody, handcuffed and shackled, he was safe. I remember many years ago the police handcuffed a photographer photographing the flood in Bukit Timah for his own safety. It is getting to make sense, safety in police custody.

Amos Yee would have been safe under police custody and if his photos and identity were not disclosed. When the masses are braying for his blood, letting him walk around unescorted had proven to be the wrong thing. Also, with his photos everywhere, he could be identified easily. Unfortunately Amos Yee took the safety of our streets for granted and forgot that low crime does not mean no crime. And there are bound to be extremists, the loose ones, hiding somewhere waiting to strike.

This could be a possible reason why the assailant’s identity and photo are not in the newspaper. It would be very embarrassing if there is a repeat incident when this assailant is assaulted outside the court house. Protecting the identity of criminals may be a new practice to be adopted in view of what could happen to such people when there is an unrestrained mob out there with different ideas. Ya, the man may be a violator of the law, he still needs to be protected and not exposed to danger in the public.

And it may be a good thing that Amos is back in custody for his own safety. Amos, please do not opt for bail. It is definitely safer for you under the protection of the police. Now, would his attacker be produced in court wearing a hood for his own safety?

My reasoning ok or not?

When the people turn against the cops

The frequency and repetition of cop violence against the black Americans continue unabated. With the adverse publicity and seemingly some justice brought against rogue cops for killing black Americans, unarmed, boys, or in police custody, it was thought that such unjust acts would be put to a stop. Apparently no, the cops are continuing with their violence against the black Americans. There are deep seated reasons to treat the blacks that way. But when law enforcement officers took the law into their own hands, like virtuous killings, it is as good as the good cops turning against the people they are supposed to protect.
 
When the cops turned against the people, when the people see the cops as enemy, it is not going to be pretty. The law, the govt, the police, cannot be seen to be against the people, turning against the people. The situation in the USA has reached a critical point and someone posted this in TRE,
 
‘Apparently, this woman made a threatening post in her Facebook:
 
All black people should rise up and shoot at every white cop in the nation starting now…
and she ends with “Death to all white cops nationwide”.’
 
The FBI jumped into action and the woman arrested. But this did not solve anything. The distrust and hatred for the police would not go away and more shooting and killing of cops are going to happen. There are more reports of cops being shot without any provocations or warnings. The safest place for the cops is now the police station. Patrolling the streets would expose them to life threatening danger, the hunter is now the hunted. They brought it upon themselves.
 
It is so sad that the law is seen as anti people, the police turning against the people, that the people no longer trust the law and the police. Abuse of authority, of the law, against the people, can come in any form. Once the trust is gone, and when the people are hurt and felt they are the victims of the law, betray by the people they trusted to protect them, to uphold justice and the law, they will rise to challenge the law. In the case of the US, they are shooting at the law.
 
When the people turn against the police it is about the end of the police and the govt.