If you are leaving Singapore, where will you go?!
-
Originally posted by Lionoasis:
What does this bus stop provide you, why this bus stop and not others?
There's not too many bus stops. -
used to have alot 10 years ago.....but now like less than 2 or 1 left.
-
Genie & Miracle,
What are you guys getting at...? Huh?
For that guy who treats Singapore as merely a bus stop, please handle your time here with more respect, responsibility and care for people who call it home. Thanks.
-
Originally posted by Lionoasis:
Genie & Miracle,
What are you guys getting at...? Huh?
For that guy who treats Singapore as merely a bus stop, please handle your time dohere with more respect, responsibility and care for people who call it home. Thanks.
bus stop???this was the term i got from some indian guy interviewing me for a job with a strange indian accent back in spore.think he mentioned bout job being a bus stop....
so its not my fault.....
besides they do treat spore like a bus stop.......if u dont believe all those werking in spore from india all migrated to oz.so they foreigners treat spore as another easy bus-stop!
if u have an issue with that...tell those indian guys who immigrated to oz after working in spore for 10 years!
funny,,,,,,arguing and fighting over some bus-stop thats ridiculed by foreigners from india who werked in spore. thats really not using much pia mater.
-
Originally posted by Sajiro:
bus stop???this was the term i got from some indian guy interviewing me for a job with a strange indian accent back in spore.think he mentioned bout job being a bus stop....
so its not my fault.....
I can appreciate that not all expatriates living in Singapore intend to stay here forever, and some really abuse the open door policy that they enjoy now. I am not saying you are one of them, but when you mentioned that Singapore is a "Bus Stop" for most foreigners (some called FT - foreign TALENTS - what a nice name given to them), I do not like it, and urge that mutual respect be established.
Foreigners needs to be more sensitive to the locals who have more or less perceived FT as competitiors for their rice bowl, and are also trying to adjust to a new demographic structure - the original locals and new immigrants - the new Singaporean pool. So for a fereigner to come in and say "hey Singapore is no big deal and we are just here to reap the benefits, and this is just a stopover for us, we can leave anytime", is not helping harmony at all.
If you are not such a foreigner, good for you. But if you are, please handle the situation with care, that is all I am saying.
So are you?
-
lionasis,
im not a foreigner!!watch your tongue or i will have it shipped to pulau tekong on a fishing line!
-
Originally posted by Lionoasis:
Hi,
Like what you shared, thank you.
In your opinion, where do you think this country is heading towards? The demographics (real locals vs new immigrants), & how do we development a greater sense of belonging in these two groups of Singaporeans?
Personally, I have been living outside Singapore (in many cities over 20 years in fact)due to job and now, business commitments. I don't enjoy discussing with many Singaporeans issues that are dear to me, and don't approve the attitude towards life of many Singaporeans, and I don't think the government will ever take people like me seriously cause' I am out of their radar scope of "worthy investments" - of time & resources (and yes, I dun think they really care). BUT, I will return to Singapore because it is my country, and this is the only place on earth that I feel a genuine sense of belonging.
A few years ago, I picked up a book written by a new immigrant originally from Europe - "Proud to be Singaporean" - and in it, he shared many of the angles that Singaporeans take for granted, and the conclusion is similar to yours.
Over to you...
-
Where is my country going?
January 1, 2010
By Lawrence Pek
I have lived more than 12 years outside of Singapore. During these times, I have missed home and my family, my country and I have tried my best to keep track via the net, what is happening, where is it going and what it will take to get us there.
I cannot say that I am at all happy with all that has happened in the last 2 to 3 years. The PAP which I knew, trusted and depended on, has changed, evolved and maybe mutated….
There has been many articles pro and anti government / PAP in recent months, with all sorts of people with all sorts of ideas thrown into the mix. I have read many of them and after a while, paused to wonder, where all these will lead to, while entertaining, many of the stories are now merely specific incidences of indiscretions by either pro or anti establishment figures. Pro government / PAP stories are heavily carried in the Straits Times and other MSM (Main Stream Media), while any anti government antics are heavily exposed via the various blogs.
The objective of my article is not to go into specific issues like growing influx of foreigners, rising HDB prices or losses incurred by our GIC and Temasek Holdings. As the battle rages on b/w pro and anti establishment, I am inclined to think about the following questions.
Where is my country going? Why are we on this course and who decided?
Why do we need 6 mil headcount in Singapore by 2020? What is this number about and how was it derived? What scares me is that our numbers people from various Ministries will be so fixated with this number and becomes a KPI which they will die trying without a clear understanding of how this number was derived and what impact this number will mean.
My assumptions are that in the various ministries, the below were discussed at length:1. We need this number to achieve a certain GDP growth, to sustain our economy, living standards and yes, our way of life. (in biz, we acknowledge that Size Does Matter), if we do not achieve this KPI, we will be left behind in the global fight for talents and growth engines.
2. Our local birthrates is not growing, if not declining, therefore if we cannot do it organically, lets artificially import them.
3. Yes, there will surely be unhappiness in streets, but our people have always known a singular PAP, we can explain, communicate via our MSM, we will highlight examples of “Success Stories” and eventually, at some point in the future, they will accept our policies, they always have anyway….When we (PAP, the government of Singapore) arrive at 2020, my local children will understand my pains and they will thank me later, for now, the healing medicine is bitter and they need to be forced feed to them.
My concern is not whether these assumptions are right or not (in the rules of global politics, these are never straightforward) – but what about the voices of the local people? what they want and if there were any constructive discussions before the conclusions, the target settings and eventually, the executions.
Yes, there will be a lot of objections if these issues were brought up 5 years ago and nothing will move forward, if such sensitive issues were to be brought up for discussions and a referendum sought. Further, there is a lot of arguments to be made for a lot of successful policies that benefited the people, which were not welcomed and not discussed and so why should this be any different? (ERP is a good example, no one likes it, but it does solve the congestions problem, somewhat..)
But why can’t we do things differently? How about a simple 3 step process…
1. Please tell us what you are thinking? What are the basis of such thinking? What are the alternatives?
2. Let’s table for discussion via a debate online or via MSM – with either Opposition or NMPs or even better yet, the common man on the streets (lets choose them carefully, of course)
3. Let the Various Ministries Decide with clear communications about what were the critical issues and why we need to do this, what will be the impact if not….
I would like to implore the ruling party to consider the following…
a. The Policy of the Paternal PAP – has worked (somewhat) for the past 44 years – but given the new social fabric, will be the way to go in the future ? Is there no scope, no more tolerance for public discussions before each and every major policy announcements?
b. The Process of Discussions has a lot of benefits – the people cannot say their views were never considered, they did not know before, the government agencies, the ruling party (which we have voted in) has studied the issues, heard the feedback and now, have made a decisions.
c. The Winds of Change are Blowing – things are different now, the policies of the Past cannot be the way forward, unless I am mistaken, the ruling party knows this, but maybe, just have no idea what to do about it. They need to evolve and not mutate, if they continue to NOT LISTEN to the people, they will do so at their own Perils.
On a more personal note – having served my National Service, I have grown to realize, to value, to love, the sanctity of a sovereign state, my Country, my Singapore. I consider it my privilege that I have met my Minister Mentor, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, in person….I will take a bullet for the man, but I do not want him to lead my country into the next lap, the next 50 years.
The Winds of Change are blowing…. -
sg-quitters.blogspot.com
-
Originally posted by Lionoasis:
Hi,
Like what you shared, thank you.
In your opinion, where do you think this country is heading towards? The demographics (real locals vs new immigrants), & how do we development a greater sense of belonging in these two groups of Singaporeans?
Personally, I have been living outside Singapore (in many cities over 20 years in fact)due to job and now, business commitments. I don't enjoy discussing with many Singaporeans issues that are dear to me, and don't approve the attitude towards life of many Singaporeans, and I don't think the government will ever take people like me seriously cause' I am out of their radar scope of "worthy investments" - of time & resources (and yes, I dun think they really care). BUT, I will return to Singapore because it is my country, and this is the only place on earth that I feel a genuine sense of belonging.
A few years ago, I picked up a book written by a new immigrant originally from Europe - "Proud to be Singaporean" - and in it, he shared many of the angles that Singaporeans take for granted, and the conclusion is similar to yours.
Over to you...
Singapore: Morality and Freedom
January 2, 2010
By Richard Lu
The foundation of a free society is the general level of morality. If there is no morality or accountability, freedom does not work. Freedom is the absence of interference with the sovereignty of an individual and when that morality becomes unimportant, we lose our freedom and we head towards a dictatorship. This has happened to Singapore.
Our generation of the Sixties and Seventies failed to understand the importance of morality / amorality. For dictatorship to take root, morality of the people must firstly be eroded. In the case of Singapore, the erosion was subtle – little by little – employment, economic progress, material gains, the 5 C’s, etc. How we sold ourselves cheap!
Consider these:
The Newspaper and Printing Presses Act (NPPA of 1974) and subsequent legislations effectively put the media in the hands of the Government.
In 1986 Mr. Francis Seow became the President of the Law Society. He attempted to involve the Law Society to comment and check on legislations that the Government had then rushed through unrestricted and without appropriate and quality parliamentary debate. Then-PM Lee Kuan Yew had him castigated. And to ensure that lawyers could not repeat their acts of disobedience, then-PM Lee introduced amendments to the Legal Profession Act that barred the Law Society from commenting on existing or proposed legislation, unless its views were specifically sought by government.
In 1988 the GRC was imposed on us and in 1992 the Elected President. All these were fiat accompali, thrust upon us seemingly innocuously at first.
The decimation of the opposition ranks mainly through foul methods;
Lastly the lack of transparent separation of powers between the Elections Department and the ruling party should be clear for all to see.
As a matter of fact, Goh Chok Tong admitted in 2006 that the GRC system is a method to enable new PAP candidates to win election easily. So what is this telling us? Younger Singaporeans must awake or we will be voting into government either PAP Team A, PAP Team B or even a PAP Team C – the election process merely a sham democratic exercise.
Tang Liang Hong was accused for being a Chinese chauvinist, made a bankrupt and had to flee Singapore. Today Singapore leaders’ noses are deep in the butts of the powers-that-be in China. What hypocrites!
There is a lack of morality in the present Government from the Ministerial salaries to the appointment of the Judiciary. In a recent interview, Dr. Lim Hock Siew said his integrity (and that of Chai Thye Poh, Zaid Zahari, Dr. Poh Soo Kai, Lim Chin Siong, etc.) was sustained by 17 years in jail but the integrity of the Ministers and Government leaders are sustained by their shamelessly high salaries!
On 18 July 2008, Singapore together with ASEAN called on Myanmar to release all political prisoners. Political prisoners are not only found in the confines of prisons. Political exiles, asylum-seekers and conscientious political objectors are also prisoners. Ayn Rand quotes “The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws.” We are arriving towards this end for the Government sadly lacks morality.
Chia Thye Poh, Dr. Lim Hock Siew, Dr. Poh Soo Kai, Francis Seow, Said Zahari, Tan Wah Piow, Tang Hong Liang and others have sacrificed much because in the words of Aung San Suu Kyi “It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it.”
I now call MM Lee and PM Lee to do two things: to go back to Confucian basics to practice morality and be moral guides to the rest of society. We call on them to cultivate themselves morally, show filial piety and loyalty where these are due and cultivate humanity, or benevolence. Isn’t this the gracious society they countenance? give us back our original constitution (minus Elected President, GRC, etc.) as in the words of Patrick Henry: “The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government”.
Finally let me quote my then-1955 hero Lee Kuan Yew and ask him to self-examine what he said and honestly ask if he deviated:
”If you believe in democracy, you must believe in it unconditionally. If you believe that men should be free, then, they should have the right of free association, of free speech, of free publication. Then, no law should permit those democratic processes to be set at nought ,…. “ – Lee Kuan Yew, Legislative Assembly Debates April 27, 1955.
-
Topic: Have you considered leaving Singapore? Where would you want to go?
There are some 160,000 Singaporeans living overseas. I'm not sure how many have migrated. I read that in a recent survey of young people, some 50% (or was it more) of respondents thought of migrating.
Have you? If so why and where? After living abroad for a fair number of years, I certainly have a view on this. But I'll let others share their thoughts first.http://www.funkygrad.com/forum/read_msg.php?tid=1483&forumid=yourshout
-
Originally posted by Great1:
Topic: Have you considered leaving Singapore? Where would you want to go?
There are some 160,000 Singaporeans living overseas. I'm not sure how many have migrated. I read that in a recent survey of young people, some 50% (or was it more) of respondents thought of migrating.
Have you? If so why and where? After living abroad for a fair number of years, I certainly have a view on this. But I'll let others share their thoughts first.http://www.funkygrad.com/forum/read_msg.php?tid=1483&forumid=yourshout
Hi,
I would like to clarify that I did not suggest people should leave the country, it was a mild challenge to people who kept saying Singapore had this and that problem, and that they wanted to migrate. First of all, I never thought they were serious (well most of them), and secondly, I wanted to challenge them to list any country that would do better in the areas of their concern. Thirdly, and I know now I may get fried for this, I hope people would realize that there is no better palce for them their native land - Singapore.
I did think of migrating during my younger years, at the age of 18-22, but what did I know about life in general. After taking stock of what I would find in other countries, I came to realize that Singapore was the best place to be, despite its impecfections.
In short, I went through the excercise to reach my conclusion, and now I hope to inspire some serious thoughts about the same subject amongst younger people reading in. Finally, whatever they decide, their decision should be respected.
-
Australia or New Zealand
-
I WILL go to Vancouver , Canada .
Been there once during May/June 2009 . Hope to go there again this year as I have relatives there :D
Its really a beautiful place !!www.youtube.com/sealalula
See my videos =)
-
Originally posted by Lionoasis:
Genie & Miracle,
What are you guys getting at...? Huh?
For that guy who treats Singapore as merely a bus stop, please handle your time here with more respect, responsibility and care for people who call it home. Thanks.
This is what I know about Singapore being treated as a stepping stone.
Singapore is one of the more developed countries in Asia, and is THE gateway to the West (and the East for Westerners who wish to go the other way)
A survey once placed Singapore as the 3rd fave place to work in for Indians from India (after USA and Australia).
For PRC Nationals, their route to the West is usually via studies (which is what they are good at). Many of them would get scholarships from our govt, come here to study, and then apply for a USA university. It's much easier to get admitted into a USA university via the Singapore route, than the direct route from China (due to intense competition). Our scholarships come with a bond of 6 years after graduation, but the only penalty for ignoring this bond and going to USA in less than 6 years is that these people cannot come back to Singapore any more (do you think they care?)
Indians are another interesting situation. I have worked with them, and out of 10, probably only 1 or 2 are serious in their work. The other 8 start writing resumes for USA/Australia once they start work here, coz it's easier to emigrate via Singapore.
Of course, Singapore govt hopes to capture 2 or 3 of these people out of every 10 that come our way, if you heard what LKY said before.
-
Originally posted by soul_rage:
Of course, Singapore govt hopes to capture 2 or 3 of these people out of every 10 that come our way, if you heard what LKY said before.
Try drink water with a sieve?
-
for most of these oldies Singaporeans, I think the time they leave Singapore, it the time for funeral n cremating them.
-
-
, hello, u r suppose to go against me, that is the rule we set out for...how come laughing leh??? aiya, dun play already lah. -
-
-
-
-
-
