Why be a Singaporean?
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Your solution for your predicament is to complain to your MP??? ... and *POOOOOF*! You expect him to .... do what, exactly?Originally posted by miong:As if I did not, I and many others have made ourselves heard in a thousand way.
I could try to be pretensiously patriotic, that would be working against the interests of every citizen.
One typical way to improve our lot is -
the high cost of living . Many Singaporeans have brought this subject up to MPs.
Has anything been done besides the usual rhetoric of excuses?
No.
Want to hear some more on how we can improve the lives of Singaporeans?
I have a solution. Save money. Leave the country.
But I have a funny feeling that no matter where you go ... you'll find a way to make yourself unhappy! -
Ar? me foreign talent liao.....if I stay back in sg ...me = mati financially. Yes, talk is cheap . That is why I went overseas to get what I want in life , instead of whining about no jobs back home. Thank you for pointing out why I should not be in SingaporeOriginally posted by sgdiehard:Looking at many of those postings which concluded that there is no true democracy in singapore, you should not be in Singapore!!
Making judgement on what is good and bad is easy. Many theories exist only in ideal situation which does not exist. Talk is cheap!
Nothing is perfect, play your part in improving it so that those around you can be proud of you.
. Much appreciated since I haven't even considered what you have so aptly concluded for me .
long history of disciplinary problems? To me disciplinary problems = police case problems ....unless you talk about homework not done or act pai kia and teacher caught you for vulgar utterings...that's nothing. If you have a police case - no way you can get scholarship from govt. If you are talking about special gifted stream, no wonder you are with pap...you guys get the best stuff.Originally posted by Qitai:I am a FT of USA. Working for a USA firm from Singapore. Why worry about FT. Be one yourself.
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YEAH! Agreed . Why moan about foreign talents taking away jobs when you can be one urself.
[quote]Originally posted by runningismylife:
likewise you're equally ignorant. even in switzerland, economical landscapes are bound to change. so what is there to confirm that what i want to be would be there in 10 years time?
btw, even God can't guarantee your starting pay in 10 years time.
btw just to fulfil your survey: i'm in Special stream. my future would be great. i would go to a foreign university under a scholarship. and i think i should have a minimum wage of $1500amonth, and i believe with hard work comes a great future. so wad do u think?
btw if i'm ur typical singaporean nerd. nah i guess you'd wrong. i have a long history of disciplinary problems regardless of the school i am in. i am a compulsive gambler who happens to love betting with singapore pools with the help of my parents.
and yes, regardless of this, i'm still with the PAP. you could say that to me, the opposition stink.
Good for you that your future is bright , Good for you that you contribute to Singapore's economy by buying 4D/toto. Good for you because your minimum wage as a scholar will be more than 1500/month ( I remembered a scholar earning more than me altho she had a second upper while I had a first class degree) . Just feel sorry for you that you actually think that you belong to the marginalised group (as evident by your implication of the words "regardless of this"). Anyone like me who has been to normal stream and tried to advance into positions, will find out that the past academic results will catch up with them in Singapore . Doesn't matter overseas...they just want to see your performance - academic results are just a bonus but not an essential part of life unlike in dear homeland.
Gambling with help of parents...oh please. Like it is such a great felony . What do you expect? people to say you are pai kia because of it? Well to the elites it is shocking ...to a commoner like me ...that's nothing lah. -
Migrate to Africa. The cost of living there will be lower.Originally posted by Bamboozler:Your solution for your predicament is to complain to your MP??? ... and *POOOOOF*! You expect him to .... do what, exactly?
I have a solution. Save money. Leave the country.
But I have a funny feeling that no matter where you go ... you'll find a way to make yourself unhappy!
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I frankly would vote against the people who made the foreign talent policy because I refuse to believe that no singaporean can actually allow singapore to compete against the global economy. My vote is against government policy that makes singaporeans think we need foreign talents while I see singaporeans are doing well over where I am. Better than the locals I might add.
I love singapore that is why I am for Singaporeans in top jobs. Only Singaporeans...no foreigner from usa or europe etc should be even sitting above our own people. That is my personal opinion. Feel free to disagree with me. -
Perhaps you might want to consider that it is not the policy that is wrong, but the general mindset of some of the bosses.Originally posted by fymk:I frankly would vote against the people who made the foreign talent policy because I refuse to believe that no singaporean can actually allow singapore to compete against the global economy. My vote is against government policy that makes singaporeans think we need foreign talents while I see singaporeans are doing well over where I am. Better than the locals I might add.
I love singapore that is why I am for Singaporeans in top jobs. Only Singaporeans...no foreigner from usa or europe etc should be even sitting above our own people. That is my personal opinion. Feel free to disagree with me. -
Thanks for the advice, well i am considering this path getting a oversea Job. Had gotten PR status from Aus. The only problem is my parent over here. It will take time.Originally posted by Qitai:I am a FT of USA. Working for a USA firm from Singapore. Why worry about FT. Be one yourself.
The way to compete is not to ask your competitor not to compete with you, but to improve yourself so that you win the race.
Malaysia has proven protection policy (bumiputra policy) only makes the people weaker rather than strenghtening them. In the longer run, the whole country will collapse due to not being competitive.
Competition makes one stronger. Protectionism makes people weak. I do not like being a weakling. I fight when challenged. I do not asked to penalized my opponent just so that I can win. I improve my skill until I can win my opponent. Have you become too weak and dependent? -
"Dong jia bu da da xi jia."Originally posted by sgdiehard:The world has changed, MYPR. Social fabric has been torn apart because of differences in religion, politics and foreign influence. Family values have changed because of the different education your parents received and what you were taught, or not taught. Foreign influences coming into you living rooms and bed rooms directly via two boxes, yr TV and yr computer monitor. There is nothing we can do about it but to recognise it, face it, and think how can we handle it. Running away, don't be singaporean will not solve your problem.
What affect our job is globalization, including fund management which racked havoc to the financial systems in Asia in 1997. Few years ago, Nike moved all the shoes manufacturing to Indonesia, created jobs for thousands of indonesia who left their farms to work for a better living. After one year, or slightly more, Nike found Vietnam cheaper so the orders went to Vietnam, leaving 7000 indonesians out of job! could go back to farming because their farms had been left unattended for too long. They went on to the streets to demonstrate but what could the government do?
It is known that many IT jobs moved to India and the Philippines. Many MNC regional HQ moved from LA to HK then to singapore and now to Shanghai. What can we do?
European don't have it good because of the great influx of cheap labour from eastern europe and north africa. Ever heard of any angmoh expatriates who came here return home happily? Ever heard of angmoh who went for their summer vacation and return to office only to find out that they have been replaced? I tell you, there are plenty of cases like this. That is why today nobody talks about loyalty to your companies anymore.
Foreign fund managers came in to singapore and brought up the share prices and many singaporean followed. When they pulled out, the STI dropped like crazy and there goes our hard earned money. What can we do? don't invest in stock?
There is nothing we can do to all these! This damn situation was created by the american, the very one who claimed to be democratic and value human rights. To them those who have money to invest have the first right to the money the companies make; the workers who work for a living comes later. So if return of investment is not there, workers are retrenched. Unfortunately singaporean companies, even SIA and SATS follow. They announced making so much money, then announced retrenching so many workers to save so much money. There is a lot of hypocrisy in the American system!! True democracy or not I don't know but human rights is double standard
But what can we do?
The bosses first priority is to make profit, evil or not. Employing FT who are cheap but useless, or locals who are expansive but productive, is entirely up to them. That is why they are called Boss!! But what if the FT are cheap and productive or the locals are expansive and useless? Beware, there are billions of Chinese and Indians, not to mention Philippinos (who also speak good english), Taiwanese, Indonesian, Malaysian who are catching up fast!! The chinese says, "Bu Shi Men Long Bu Guo Jiang", which means you have to be a fierce dragon to swim across the river. These FT did not wait for their government to give them job in singapore, they swam across!!
If you are young, you can learn, you can go places. "Dong jia bu da da xi jia." i.e. if you don't work here you can work elsewhere. There may be short term setback but have faith in yourself, be hopeful, stay healthy, keep you debt low and manageable. The future is still bright for you. Don't wait for the government, for goodness sake!!
Sorrie for being long winded.
Great advice here from the boss himself. Will take note and thank.
However, i will never consider continuing the next generation in singapore where stress is high, cost of living is high with lots of liability and in the end, you see fresh grad jobless having hard time paying off their debt. I would think that It will be better off to be an FT working in singapore if you really like singapore so much. They enjoy the almost the same benefit as the local anyway. -
All the best to your future, Mr 16 years old in the special stream.Originally posted by runningismylife:likewise you're equally ignorant. even in switzerland, economical landscapes are bound to change. so what is there to confirm that what i want to be would be there in 10 years time?
btw, even God can't guarantee your starting pay in 10 years time.
btw just to fulfil your survey: i'm in Special stream. my future would be great. i would go to a foreign university under a scholarship. and i think i should have a minimum wage of $1500amonth, and i believe with hard work comes a great future. so wad do u think?
btw if i'm ur typical singaporean nerd. nah i guess you'd wrong. i have a long history of disciplinary problems regardless of the school i am in. i am a compulsive gambler who happens to love betting with singapore pools with the help of my parents.
and yes, regardless of this, i'm still with the PAP. you could say that to me, the opposition stink. -
Hm...this I might like to disagree. To the bosses, profit is the most important and hence first priority as mentioned by sgdiehard or why came here to do business. When the cost of operation in singapore is expensive due to rent, tax, ultilities etc, they can only cut down on the wage of the employee. And since the singaporean cannot accept the low salary due to the high cost of living in singapore, they resort to employing the cheaper FT. So are they wrong?Originally posted by Qitai:Perhaps you might want to consider that it is not the policy that is wrong, but the general mindset of some of the bosses. -
cos don't want to be malaysian yet hated to become indonesian
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Perhaps this discussion is mixing two types of foreign worker here (1) Cheap labours; (2) FTs. My comment was made on (2), not (1) in reply to the earlier comment.Originally posted by MYPR:Hm...this I might like to disagree. To the bosses, profit is the most important and hence first priority as mentioned by sgdiehard or why came here to do business. When the cost of operation in singapore is expensive due to rent, tax, ultilities etc, they can only cut down on the wage of the employee. And since the singaporean cannot accept the low salary due to the high cost of living in singapore, they resort to employing the cheaper FT. So are they wrong? -
Because of these problems of low paid, high living expenses and many retrenchment which make many Singaporeans realised if giving birth to many babies will give their childrens lot of suffers in their future life.Their parents themselves will also have to face financial problems.In the end both sides suffers.My advice is that it's wise to encourage those who have no financial difficulties to give more babies if possible.
But for those who have few childrens to save more money and buy some insurance for aging medical fees.
Companies should encourage more youngsters to invent new products so as to create more jobs for the country people.Even young schools childrens are able to think and invent great things which is out of adults imagines.Creative is down showing that in fact youngsters are creative and have many good ideas too.This should be the right way to strive for excellent for Singaporean.s -
Singapore needs to change the culture to a culture of creativity and innovation. The current culture of obedince and respect for law only creates good employee, but not employers. This country will always continue to depend on MNCs and GLCs for survival as long as the culture do not change. Personally, I love and think that the Japanese culture of encouraging creativity and innovation is one of the biggest reason for their success.
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Looking at the alarming high numbers of PRs Government is bringing into our country, Singapore-born citizens will soon be pressurized by PRs and foreigners presence even more! This migration figures were given recently.
Will we end up as second class citizens - outpowered and outnumbered by Government preferred qualified and rich foreigners who take up Singapore citizenships? -
Singapore. Love it or Leave it.
That would make a good bumper sticker. -
your mother jibai made from Singapore mah, no choice!
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hi Fellow Singaporeans,
This is your future Prime Minister speaking.
Miong is actually very insightful and I guess let us not misconstrue his intentions. I am very sure he is whole heartedly a Singaporean.
His point is that we, the original Singaporeans, has been cheated by the PAP government for betraying our intrinsic special benefits as citizens.
He is right.
Do you know that the PAP is increasing our population by emigration. The target is 8 million by 2008.
We are in danger of losing ourselves to foreigners and becoming second class in our own country.
PAP has betrayed us. Lim yew Hock may have sold Christmas Island. The PAP government has sold us to the new emigrants, foreigners and investors.
Let us petition the government to stop its emigration policy!
Your
Future Prime Minister
Relevation
True Blood Singaporean Loyalist. -
Firstly, I beseech Revelation to stop referring to himself as the "future prime minister". Your purility will get you nowhere, certainly not into parliament.
I left Singapore a couple of years back and I never looked back. Seriously. I am having the time of my life in this "foreign" land which I have grown to love. I hate being squeezed into little concrete boxes called HDB flats and living like a sardine. I can't stand the SS-like totalitarian bullying methods of the PAP. After I left Singapore, I really saw the flaws in the country.
For those of you who want to get out, I urge you to. The government no longer cares for you, so why bother to be "patriotic" to a country that has deserted you? Follow your dreams and migrate! You will be thankful that you did. Don't let the Singapore media fool you into thinking that Singapore is some utopia and that other countries pale in comparison. Ironically, I think the reverse is true. The quality of life, the freedom and the rights you can receive by staying out of Singapore is much better than working my butt off to pay for a tiny car and my HDB sardine house for the rest of my life, seeking enjoyment in cinema complexes, shopping centres and artificial beaches. My children will grow up in an elitist environment, blacklisted for failing some primary 3 exam and condemned to be a panel beater for the rest of their lives. You call this living??? Leave Singapore while you still can! -
Weirdo80> Where do you live now? And care to introduce the place where you live to us?
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I've been PR in Singapore for a couple of years. I eventually left the island few months ago and I have to say I do not miss the place except the food. There was nothing wrong with the Singaporean though, fine people for the most.
It is very telling that many Singaporean citizen would like PRs to pay more for all kinds of goods and services. It only shows that even Singaporeans cannot even see the benefit of being a citizen in their own country. From where I come, nobody would advocate that foreigners who are legal migrants should be financially penalized for all kinds of things...because we know the difference between a citizen and a non-citizen, and that's the ability to vote, demonstrate, etc... but all these things are worth something only in a place where democracy has a meaning, not like in Spore where democracy is a farce. -
You're very right.We are a farce, a puppet show designed to please our masters.You know, I once thought that this island could give me what I wanted in life.I may be in my 20s but I've lived here long enough to see the gradual change from a idyllic place with a hallmark for reliability and a good quality of life become a place where the only things that matter are the interests of the establishment.We have produced good schools, institutes which teach us in a holistic manner, telling us that there is more to life than the power that you possess or the car you drive.Sadly, even they have been co-opted by the tentacles of an insidious command and control entity.We are exhorted to speak up, yeah , to mouth the official lines and act out the scripts smacked in our faces,like actors who are forced to perform for one single mega-company.Originally posted by Viking1:I've been PR in Singapore for a couple of years. I eventually left the island few months ago and I have to say I do not miss the place except the food. There was nothing wrong with the Singaporean though, fine people for the most.
It is very telling that many Singaporean citizen would like PRs to pay more for all kinds of goods and services. It only shows that even Singaporeans cannot even see the benefit of being a citizen in their own country. From where I come, nobody would advocate that foreigners who are legal migrants should be financially penalized for all kinds of things...because we know the difference between a citizen and a non-citizen, and that's the ability to vote, demonstrate, etc... but all these things are worth something only in a place where democracy has a meaning, not like in Spore where democracy is a farce.
Substance is also something which is slowly disappearing from our landscape.Look around you, everything is a false picture, from the sweaty grins on the faces of our NSmen to the "humility" that the establishment show when they turn up for the nation's birthday not in suits but white shirts becuase they do not want to "appear" elitist.People are just lamely following the trend in everything they watch, listen or consume, akin to lemmings.Where is the individual in all of this?Dead and buried alive almost like Arafat, our destiny sold for a measly bag of gold? I am sick of seeing my friends and acquaintances sidelined for far too long in society because they are dramatists, artists and poets; people who dare to think and ponder on the sorry state which we are in now.People whose lifestyle and attitudes piss off the ones that are in charge.Sure, it pisses them off grealty because these control freaks can't keep us dear lemmings from escaping the cage which supposed to be the best place for us, safe from the threats of creative destruction.Will someone enlighten me what the hell is creative thinking lessons?And what in God's name does anyone mean when they say you can do any project as long as we approve it?Over-regulation only chokes the blood vessels of the nation, and yeah it bleeds white over time.
I see old men working their asses off at hawker centers and fast food outlets, not because they are too bored to enjoy their golden lives, but by the stubborn refusal of certain people to realise that there are other ways to reduce the livi ng cost of the old and infirm.Have we become a South East Asian Maquiladora, merely a factory for MNCs to come in and not be subjected to a minimum wage?By passing the buck to another generation, is this securing a stable future for our children?I want and call for socially equitable FDI.Not wanton exploitation of the dreams of our children because we are told to study Subject A because Industry A is gonna bring in the bucks.And more often than not, the sugary sweet forecasts leave a bitter pill in the mouth for our young.
I want my Singapore to be a place where I can raise my children to be people who are not penalised in one way or another for being themselves, not be treated as units of produciton but as individuals with goals and worthy desires which we must accord mutual respect.They must not come home and tell me that they are afraid of the police because Daddy is an opposition politician.Is this hard to acheive?We must grab the future we desire, no one will hand it to us on a silver platter.What I have said may sting, but it is the truth, whether you like it or not.The faster we as a society wake up and realise WTF is wrong here, the better.Time waits for no man. -
Brute force?What does that mean?Anyway,at least the Americans get to vote according to their will in their election,we?As far as i know,most of our election is "Walkover",we didnt even have the chance to vote,sooner or later,i think i can throw away my pink IC already,this f**k up government!Originally posted by the Bear:we're not perfect... but then who is?
even the US got idiots like Bush who can get win an election through brute force... -
i refuse to pledge allegience to a system which is trying to ruin me.
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Originally posted by miong:
i'm forced by the PAP to be S'porean: if i ever become rich heehee i bcome Australia: goo bye small dot
" Why be a Singaporean
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I dont think so!
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I do not want to be a Singaporean but I would rather be a PR. Being a PR is better, not so much liability. Anyway what has Singapore ever done for people on the lower rung like us. Nothing. Maybe got something. NS liability.
Only know how to tell us to "upgrade" and "accept" our lives. Even PM Abdullah from Malaysian know how to tell the farmers it is disgraceful to be contended with what you have and stay as a "HAPPY POOR" man.
If I get rich I will also leave this country for good. It has never done anything for me nor given me any chances at all. I'm sure that a lot of other young people on the lower rung has also realise we deserve a better fighting chance than this.
To put state before people is rubbish from my point of view. It only means the lower "value" people are expendable. When people are HAPPY and GET WHAT THEY WANT most of them will find a way to give or contribute back to the society. Not the other way round.
Singapore is a good country but it is not a good home! And a home is the place where my heart will be!