$400,000 was wasted on a branding exercise
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A*star spends money on foreign talents and many are from China.Originally posted by crazy monkey:then was A*star then the zoo now its marina bay how much more taxpayers money are they going to waste ??
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Although A*star binds these chinese with bonds, once these researchers obtained their PhD or get enough experience, they can run away to states, europe or australia without repaying the bond. There is no way A*star can catch them.Originally posted by Honeybunz:A*star spends money on foreign talents and many are from China. -
That's right!Originally posted by Cindyfeh:Although A*star binds these chinese with bonds, once these researchers obtained their PhD or get enough experience, they can run away to states, europe or australia without repaying the bond. There is no way A*star can catch them.
A china girl whose husband is here for study told me that they will not stay in singapore once her husband finishes his study. His studies is sponsored and he only needs to serve 1 year bond (maybe 2 years, can't recall exactly). But our gahmen stupid enough to give these ppl PR so willingly and easily. This couple are already PR. But they don't like it here and have no loyalty, even though they enjoy the same welfare as all of us who are born here.
A*Star even set up a club to offer these ppl benefits.
http//www.irc.org.sg
Each member only needs to pay $60 per year. Spouses' and children's memberships are free. They get to use the facilities at Arena Country Club, free admission to various attractions in Singapore and so on. The club even organises holiday trips, whereby the members are subsidised a big portion of the tour fee. -
I know the Indians and the PRC chinese only get Singapore PR as a good cheap stepping stone for their eventual migration to USA or European countries. There is zero loyalty from them. Can't blame them too much. Our stats boards are run by peanut-brained scholars who do not care much as they themselves are not keen on serving their bonds.Originally posted by Honeybunz:That's right!
A china girl whose husband is here for study told me that they will not stay in singapore once her husband finishes his study. His studies is sponsored and he only needs to serve 1 year bond (maybe 2 years, can't recall exactly). But our gahmen stupid enough to give these ppl PR so willingly and easily. This couple are already PR. But they don't like it here and have no loyalty, even though they enjoy the same welfare as all of us who are born here.
A*Star even set up a club to offer these ppl benefits.
www.irc.org.sg
Each member only needs to pay $60 per year. Spouses' and children's memberships are free. They get to use the facilities at Arena Country Club, free admission to various attractions in Singapore and so on. The club even organises holiday trips, whereby the members are subsidised a big portion of the tour fee.
Thanks Honeybunz for that IRC website. One look and I try to compare it with other gov clubs like SAFRA and I asked my bro to compare afterall, he is the one using the SAFRA club.
I asked my bro to take a look at the IRC website and this is his comment:
"WTH! I pay $30 to get a SAFRA membership for a super crowded swimming pool and NO gym (SAFRA charges $350 entrance fee and $360 per year for gym and its only for the card holder only, doesn't include spouse nor children). IRC's $60 bucks covers the members, children and spouse free use of swimming pool, gym and sauna! Bloody hell. Fuck SAF. I serve NS for FCUK?!? To protect foreign elites who despite making so much money yet can enjoy cheap clubs?? Wait long long that I will protect Singapore. "
Quite a revelation from him. Normally he is calm. I am quite pissed off too. After all, its my tax money that goes into subsidising the IRC club membership. What do the guys in the forum think? -
write to loong loong and tell him off!!!!! sign petition to protest!!!Originally posted by Cindyfeh:I know the Indians and the PRC chinese only get Singapore PR as a good cheap stepping stone for their eventual migration to USA or European countries. There is zero loyalty from them. Can't blame them too much. Our stats boards are run by peanut-brained scholars who do not care much as they themselves are not keen on serving their bonds.
Thanks Honeybunz for that IRC website. One look and I try to compare it with other gov clubs like SAFRA and I asked my bro to compare afterall, he is the one using the SAFRA club.
I asked my bro to take a look at the IRC website and this is his comment:
"WTH! I pay $30 to get a SAFRA membership for a super crowded swimming pool and NO gym (SAFRA charges $350 entrance fee and $360 per year for gym and its only for the card holder only, doesn't include spouse nor children). IRC's $60 bucks covers the members, children and spouse free use of swimming pool, gym and sauna! Bloody hell. Fuck SAF. I serve NS for FCUK?!? To protect foreign elites who despite making so much money yet can enjoy cheap clubs?? Wait long long that I will protect Singapore. "
Quite a revelation from him. Normally he is calm. I am quite pissed off too. After all, its my tax money that goes into subsidising the IRC club membership. What do the guys in the forum think? -
Start a petition? No way. I am planning to migrate. I don't want to be sued till bankrupt or be in jail, charged by ISD Act for the rest of my life.Originally posted by Lowclassman:write to loong loong and tell him off!!!!! sign petition to protest!!!
As for my brother? He is like many of the forumites. All talk no action.
Maybe lowclassman will want to start something? -
Maybe I should migrate to China, then give birth to a china baby. Send my kid to Sg to be Foreign Talent here.Originally posted by Cindyfeh:Start a petition? No way. I am planning to migrate. I don't want to be sued till bankrupt or be in jail, charged by ISD Act for the rest of my life.
As for my brother? He is like many of the forumites. All talk no action.
Maybe lowclassman will want to start something?
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How to start a petition? Do I need to present my personal particular?Originally posted by Cindyfeh:Start a petition? No way. I am planning to migrate. I don't want to be sued till bankrupt or be in jail, charged by ISD Act for the rest of my life.
As for my brother? He is like many of the forumites. All talk no action.
Maybe lowclassman will want to start something?
DOES the petition need to be approved before putting up online?
Please tell me.
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Somebody just wrote in today in the Straits Times forum page that Marina Bay is a generic name that exists everywhere around the world. Do an internet search and you get a list of other marina bays all around the world.
Go figure. -
It's not a waste of money
Marina Bay rebranding went beyond choice of name: URA
Friday • August 5, 2005
Lee U-Wen
[email protected]
Under fire from the public for a $400,000 branding exercise, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is staunchly defending the planning process for the Marina Bay area.
The branding exercise — carried out by North American firm Interbrand — was an extensive one that went beyond name selection, the statutory board told Today. And the amount spent will be recouped many times over in investments and tourism spending in the coming years.
As URA's director of urban planning and design Michael Koh put it: "This branding project is not a name selection exercise. The scope of work is far wider and took nine months to complete."
In three phases, the team embarked on a process that involved, among other things, researching the strategies of competing cities such as London and Shanghai, interviewing stakeholders, and market-testing the brand locally and overseas.
Contrary to what some people have said, the views of the "man on the street" were sought through random street interviews conducted at places near Marina Bay — such as the Esplanade and One Fullerton.
But why not have a more extensive consultation process?
"We are, after all, identifying a strategy for Singapore to compete on a global stage and we don't want to give anything away to our competition," said URA's head of urban design Cheng Hsing Yao.
"We wanted to keep our plans under wraps until the final product was ready," he said.
One issue that concerned some of Today's readers was the decision to stick with the original name "Marina Bay" — which they said was not unique enough — at the end of the extensive process.
Addressing the criticism, Mr Cheng argued that the name, picked from over 400 suggestions, was "favoured by the stakeholders" and also the most "well-received".
While he declined to give examples of the shortlisted names, reiterating that the focus of the branding process was not on the name, he called for the public to "give (them) time" to realise the dreams of the Marina Bay brand.
This brand, he pointed out, would be used to promote the area internationally for the next 10 to 15 years.
He admitted that the $400,000 spent was "not a small sum" but he also called for the public to see the amount as an "investment that would bring long-term economic benefits".
"The real estate investments will be big, and this will create many jobs and increase tourism spending. A strong brand needs time to be built, we can't see the results overnight," he said.
But were the services of Interbrand truly necessary?
Insisting it was so, Mr Cheng said: "We cannot underestimate the knowledge and expertise needed to develop this core idea.
"Just urban planners and architects are not enough. It's clearer to engage a third party to come in to assess.
"If you look at many other private companies, they undergo branding exercises too."
Touted as Singapore's "future downtown", the Marina Bay area is being planned with the lifestyle of "work, live, play" in mind.
Modern office spaces will be juxtaposed among residential apartments in a place where recreational and entertainment activities will take place round-the-clock. It is also the site for one of the two integrated resorts that will be up by 2009.