Is Singapore Ship sinking? Can it survive next 50 yrs?
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I was told by some of my friends in overseas, that singapore is going down. The Government is finding very difficult to manage. They said singapore will be flop within 5 to 10 yrs. Singapore looks rich only from the outside poor on the inside. Because many people are suffering under poverty. You better rethink of migrating to another country like canada, Australia, UK etc because this singaporeship is sinking. Here afterwards you can find future both in china and India. And if you belong to the minority group either Malay or Indian your future is in deep trouble as you do not know mandrin.
Is Singapore really going down? will we not see economic success as in the past? Are we going backwards? Can singapore survive for next 50 yrs? Can singapore government efficiently manage singapore after LKY? Is singapore a future " Bankok" or even future "Malaysia or Indonesia".
Pardon me, I am not good in either economics and business so can some knowledgable person educate me in good english because my singlish is very poor.
Below article is updated as of 09-03-2009
Rememeber I am not pro-PAP or Anti-PAP, below are some of the factors to be discussed why Singapore will or will not sink
1. Media is tightly controlled, so this leaves the singaporeans ignorant on the other half of the truth
2. If the ruling party is perfect, then Singapore will not sink. Do you think Singapore government will remain perfect forever?What if they turned out to be corrupt in the future? Are Singaporeans dared to oppose them and change their leaders like what Americans did to George Bush? Any country can still survive with an imperfect government not Singapore.
3. If the current PAP administration so efficient then why LKY should still be in the office? which cast doubt in minds of some that this administration can’t manage Singapore efficiently after him. It seems like LKY even though not PM still managing Singapore from behind and LHL is doing what he has been told to do.
4. History has proven that the fall of great empires can be attributed to Greed, selfishness, injustice and poor administration. So we can’t be too complacent
5. Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia are looking for fair share of singapore’s prosperity in the region, so there is an intense competition. First of all these three are not happy with Singapore, could be political. Don’t forget some terrorist camps in Indonesia waiting to strike singapore when caught off-guard.
6. I read in one of the article that LKY once said Singapore has enjoyed economic prosperity under “US UMBRELLA” but now uncle SAM is in trouble heading towards bankruptcy can he still offer protection to Singapore? There is this report http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article5213321.ece saying US superpower status is challenged in 2025.
In the past Singapore is under British protection, today US and tomorrow who?
7. There were rumours saying that when Singapore tried to build even closer economic ties with china, china requested or attempted to take control over Singapore banking and finances.( Not sure how far its true). Personally, I don’t have enough trust about this dragon (china) because he has history for taking things by force. This guy is already waging an economic war with US.
What I mean here is that Singaporeans can’t take things for granted because we are living in a highly vulnerable state.
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last time there was this documentary on discovery about singapore. think it was shown last year's national day. there was this economist or what la, said that no city-state country ever lasted for 100 years.
i'm also wondering what you asked. looking at things, on the surface, people complaining here and there. after getting more educated, people still find shortcuts for getting fame and wealth. people running away from here. horrendous civil pay, influx of foreigners, bringing down local's paycheck to increase productivity.
i am no expert. just a layman's point of view.
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Haiz.
So sad.
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I sure hope it can survive longer.
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sigh! perhaps it is true, time will tell.
LKY is not indispensable. Without him life will still go on.
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Nothing lasts forever -- Sidney Sheldon
Even great civilisations decline as a result of past greatness. (Collapse -- Jared Diamond)
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Originally posted by alwaysdisturbed:
last time there was this documentary on discovery about singapore. think it was shown last year's national day. there was this economist or what la, said that no city-state country ever lasted for 100 years.
No wonder the HDB only offers 99-year leases on their overpriced pigeonholes! -
Originally posted by AndrewPKYap:
who shall we thank for the downfall?
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Sadly, I don't agree with TS.
I don't believe in running away.. doesn't mean SG is not doing well, we will just "emigrate".. this is surely not the SG spirit..
I think the SG g@v is doing what it can to help SG as a whole. But given we are not big market power like the developed countries, we are vulnerable to any ripple effects from a US or etc. But it doesn't means we will topple and belly flop..
No doubt, a lot of people here talk about changes in the leadership of the country but I believe deep down, they would not want SG to suffer cause either directly/indirectly, we still have links/ties to this country.
Just my two cents.
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Originally posted by iceFatboy:
Sadly, I don't agree with TS.
I don't believe in running away.. doesn't mean SG is not doing well, we will just "emigrate".. this is surely not the SG spirit..
I think the SG g@v is doing what it can to help SG as a whole. But given we are not big market power like the developed countries, we are vulnerable to any ripple effects from a US or etc. But it doesn't means we will topple and belly flop..
No doubt, a lot of people here talk about changes in the leadership of the country but I believe deep down, they would not want SG to suffer cause either directly/indirectly, we still have links/ties to this country.
Just my two cents.
Don't you see the great divide that is getting ... wider?
It is getting to a point where it is "them" and "the rest of singapore".
And it is only "them" that seem to get richer and richer with every passing year while "the rest of singapore" drifts further and further away.
Like driftwood at the side of the ocean liner.
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Originally posted by charlize:
Don't you see the great divide that is getting ... wider?
It is getting to a point where it is "them" and "the rest of singapore".
And it is only "them" that seem to get richer and richer with every passing year while "the rest of singapore" drifts further and further away.
Like driftwood at the side of the ocean liner.
LL that we have the great divide. if they think they deserve then so be it.
but at least show some humility. show off by using words like 'elite' for what.
just like that minister, tell the whole world for what. go and come back quietly, how many will actually comment.
now i'm getting irritated. we are just like foundation of the building and they live on top of the roof, trying to get a view of the whole world. when they can't see, they get more people to support so that they can go higher. never think that people below are hungry and need to eat.
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Originally posted by iceFatboy:
Sadly, I don't agree with TS.
I don't believe in running away.. doesn't mean SG is not doing well, we will just "emigrate".. this is surely not the SG spirit..
I think the SG g@v is doing what it can to help SG as a whole. But given we are not big market power like the developed countries, we are vulnerable to any ripple effects from a US or etc. But it doesn't means we will topple and belly flop..
No doubt, a lot of people here talk about changes in the leadership of the country but I believe deep down, they would not want SG to suffer cause either directly/indirectly, we still have links/ties to this country.
Just my two cents.
when they help, its because they are helping their titanium rice bowls.
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I'm sure the anti PAP in the forums would be very eager to attribute the fall of Singapore completely to the PAP and LKY.
But what i feel that it's just going to be a very minor contributing factor. A major war or severe nature disaster in the region that disrupts our food/fuel supply would hit us far harder than anything the PAP can throw at us.
Everything we use is imported, so any disruption in that supply will do a far cleaner job.
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That scenario can be mitigated if not completely prevented or completely planned for and if you are the government but all you are intested in is how to take as much money from the public as possible and put in as much into the hands of your relatives, cronies and dogs as possible, these cancer prone and cursed senile despot/s must shoulder the blame.
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Singaporeans are not feeling the pinch.
Else why are we still seeing flocks of people in shopping malls and queueing outside restaurants?
So I don't agree that Singaporeans are living under poverty.
As for whether Singapore can survive within next 50 years. Yes we can! As long as we believe so. If we as Singaporeans don't believe in it, Singapore as a nation will fall. If we Singaporeans see that the gahmen is doing something wrong, we will stand up against it.
The fact that nobody is standing up against the gahmen(as shown by the election results), proofs that the gahmen is doing what Singaporeans deems as okay.
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Sg need to do something about thier shopping prices....loosing the competitive edge man..
oh.. n yes Sg IS sinking.. to the bottom of the ocean. Start buiding massive retaining walls. ;p
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Originally posted by dotaro:
Singaporeans are not feeling the pinch.
Else why are we still seeing flocks of people in shopping malls and queueing outside restaurants?
So I don't agree that Singaporeans are living under poverty.
As for whether Singapore can survive within next 50 years. Yes we can! As long as we believe so. If we as Singaporeans don't believe in it, Singapore as a nation will fall. If we Singaporeans see that the gahmen is doing something wrong, we will stand up against it.
The fact that nobody is standing up against the gahmen(as shown by the election results), proofs that the gahmen is doing what Singaporeans deems as okay.
it has nothing to do with we believe it or not. It has to do with how the ruling party run the country.
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Originally posted by BadzMaro:
Sg need to do something about thier shopping prices....loosing the competitive edge man..
oh.. n yes Sg IS sinking.. to the bottom of the ocean. Start buiding massive retaining walls. ;p
i agree. i once met a danish guy when I had holiday in NZ, he commented that the prices in Singapore are not competitive with those in Thailand and the neighbouring countries. -
Modern Singapore's been around for what...140 years or more, flourishing as a port for more than 140 years. Of course, since it was part of the British empire no one ever raised the question: will Singapore survive?
I have no doubt Singapore will survive as an economic, trading, and shipping hub because of various factors...but as a city-State, I can't even hazard a guess.
It may be true that no city-State has ever lasted more than 100 years. Perhaps Singapore will be an exception.
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Originally posted by F-22A Raptor:
I was told by some of my friends in overseas, that singapore is going down. The Government is finding very difficult to manage. They said singapore will be flop within 5 to 10 yrs. Singapore looks rich only from the outside poor on the inside. Because many people are suffering under poverty. You better rethink of migrating to another country like canada, Australia, UK etc because this singaporeship is sinking. Here afterwards you can find future both in china and India. And if you belong to the minority group either Malay or Indian your future is in deep trouble as you do not know mandrin.
Is Singapore really going down? will we not see economic success as in the past? Are we going backwards? Can singapore survive for next 50 yrs? Can singapore government efficiently manage singapore after LKY? Is singapore a future " Bankok" or even future "Malaysia or Indonesia".
Pardon me, I am not good in either economics and business so can some knowledgable person educate me in good english because my singlish is very poor.
The Malaysian central government in the 60s thought Singapore would never survive, thats why they kicked out Singapore from the federation;
many Chinese in Singapore thought Singapore would never survive, so they migrated down under and else where;
many people, like Mahathir, who are jealous of what Singapore is today, want Singapore to sink;
many who are against the PAP, like AndrewPKYap, hope that the nation of Singapore would collapse to show that they are right;
many ignorant foreigners believe that Singapore will not last long as a nation because it is small;
the fact that Singapore is what it is today proved that many people were wrong;
how long Singapore would survive into the future depends not on what some ass holes want or what some ignorant people think, but depend on the people of Singapore, the government they elects.
for now, Singapore is definitely not sinking, so people like AndrewPKYap will have to think long long and far far...
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die hard is back
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Future of Singapore
This is a subject of rising concern despite the media's glowing employment figures. By Derek Wee
When I read the Straits Times article (dated 24 Sep) on PM Lee calling the young to be committed and make a difference to Singapore, I have so much thought about the issue.I am 35 years old, graduated from University and gainfully employed in a multinational company. But I cannot help but feel insecure over the future of Singapore. Lets face it, it's not uncommon to hear, "when you are above 40, you are over the hill".
The government has been stressing on re-training, skills upgrading and re-adapt. The fact is, no matter how well qualified or adaptable one is, once you hit the magical 40, employers will say, "you are simply too old".
We have been focusing our resources and problem solving on low unskilled labour. But in reality, our managerial positions and skilled labour force are actually fast losing its competitiveness.
I travel around the region frequently for the past 10 years. It didn't take me long to realise how far our neighbours have come over the past decade.
They have quality skilled workers, and are less expensive. When I work with them, their analytical skills are equally good, if not better than us.
It's not new anymore. Taxi drivers are fast becoming "too early to retire, too old to work" segment of the society. I like to talk to taxi drivers whenever I am heading for the airport.
There was this driver. Eloquent and well read. He was an export manager for 12 years with an MNC. Retrenched at 40 years old. He had been searching for a job since his retrenchment.
Although he was willing to lower his pay expectations, employers were not willing to lower their prejudice. He was deemed too old. I wouldn't be surprised if we have another No. 1; having the most highly educated taxi drivers in the world.
On PM Lee calling the young to be committed and make a difference. Look around us. How dedicated can we be to Singapore when we can visualise what's in store for us after we turned 40? Then again, how committed are employers to us? But we can't blame them. They have bottom lines & shareholders' gain to answer to.
Onus is really on the government to revamp the society. A society that is not a pressure cooker. A society that does not mirror so perfectly, what survival of the fittest is.
But a society, where it's people can be committed, do their best and not having to fear whether they will still wake up employed tomorrow. Sadly, Singapore does not offer such luxuries and security anymore.
On the issue of babies. The government encourages us to pro-create. The next generation is essential in sustaining our competitive edge. Then again, the current market condition is such that our future has become uncertain. There is no more joy in having babies anymore; they have become more of a liability. It's really a chicken and egg issue.
Many of my peers, bright and well educated have packed up and left. It's what MM Goh called "quitters". It's sad but true, Singapore no longer is a place where one can hope to work hard their lives and retire graciously. It's really the push factor.
A future is something we sweat it out, build and call our own. Unfortunately, people like me, mid 30's going on 40's, staying put by choice or otherwise, we can't help but feel what lies ahead is really a gamble.
To PM Lee and the Ministers, we are on a different platform. Until you truly understand our insecurity, the future of Singapore to me remains a question mark.
(SPH rejected this letter - From: LocalSin. An old article but as ever, still relenvant today.)
http://www.littlespeck.com/informed/2006/CInformed-061012.htm -
Originally posted by F-22A Raptor:
I was told by some of my friends in overseas, that singapore is going down. The Government is finding very difficult to manage. They said singapore will be flop within 5 to 10 yrs. Singapore looks rich only from the outside poor on the inside. Because many people are suffering under poverty. You better rethink of migrating to another country like canada, Australia, UK etc because this singaporeship is sinking. Here afterwards you can find future both in china and India. And if you belong to the minority group either Malay or Indian your future is in deep trouble as you do not know mandrin.
Is Singapore really going down? will we not see economic success as in the past? Are we going backwards? Can singapore survive for next 50 yrs? Can singapore government efficiently manage singapore after LKY? Is singapore a future " Bankok" or even future "Malaysia or Indonesia".
Pardon me, I am not good in either economics and business so can some knowledgable person educate me in good english because my singlish is very poor.
Hi, sori hor, me also no good in economics, but on business wise, i am quiet efficient, i believe the govt knew that singapore is in a bad state and will not last long, that is why they are paying themselves high so as to save for the future. If a minister is drawing 2 million dollars per annual, in 50yrs, they already calculate that he/she can take 100million plus yearly increment, that will be around 150millions, enuf for perhaps 5 generations of their decendent while the rest of the citizens may not even last one generation or 1/2 of it, so to speak.
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Originally posted by Fantagf:
die hard is back
Happy New Year, hahaha..