In the 1st phase of Singapore Nation Building, between 1965 and 1992, the main policies were:
(1) Meritocracy
(2) Governmental Efficiency,
(3) Education,
(4) Industrialization,
(5) Controls and Regulations to ensure law and order,
Arts, Cultures, Welfare, Community bonding, Openness, Accountability, Creativity, Teamwork, Entrepreneurship, Sports etc did not seem to fit in with the above-mentioned main policies.
Today, there is a realization that sports, arts and cultures, welfare, community bonding, youth participation in nation building, entrepreneurship etc are just as important.
Tan How Liang the only Singapore gold medalist was not recognized because under that kind of policies there was no point given to sport excellence.
So, how do we promote sports, community bonding or entrepreneurship?
Mass participation and practical knowledge should be emphasised in schools and works to reverse the overriding impact of these past policies. But past policies were still emphasised by various ministers.
We have an educated workforce today with many over-educated people but not enough entrepreneurs to give them jobs.
We are still harping on importance of talents and foreign talents. How about local talents? Can those local talents be duly recognized first before trying to promote foreign talents?
Is it true that we still must rely on all these past government policies bent on attracting more foreign workers in order to do well. Proofs must be produced before continuing with all past assumptions of any kind to avoid making of so many mistakes just to justify past policies on jobs and investments.
