Reversal of fortune? Singaporeans heading to China
October 13th, 2009 | 
Author: By Michael Tan
Over the weekend, the Sunday Times published two articles side by side which showed up the stark contrast between Singaporeans and mainland Chinese.
While two contestants of the controversial Miss Singapore World, Ris Low and Claire Lee engaged in an open cat-fight with one another through the media, Chinese national and Singapore PR Zhang Yuanyuan was involved in the grueling six-hour parade to celebrate China’s 60th anniversary.
Miss Zhang came to Singapore to study and work in 2003, and got her blue Singapore PR identity card two years later.
Despite a job with a multi-national company, which reportedly paid her some $4,000 a month, she returned to Beijing last year and worked in a state-owned enterprise.
Months later, she heard about the chance to be part of the women’s militia contingent during a recruitment drive, she jumped at it.
When asked by CCTV Channel 7 reporters why returned to Beijing, she proclaimed proudly in impeccable mandarin with a wide smile on screen that “repaying the motherland is her greatest wish!”
One can hardly find any Singaporean who is confident enough to speak to reporters let alone announced one’s allegiance to the nation publicly with pride.
Watching the video clip again and again, I can’t help admiring the pride displayed on Miss Zhang’s face which is brimming with joy and elation, a sense of identity and patriotism seldom seen in Singaporeans.
If Singaporeans already have ambivalent feelings about their nation, their identity crisis is further exacerbated by the relentless influx of foreigners in recent years.
In a desperate bid to increase the country’s population, the ruling party opened the floodgates to encourage mass immigration into the country indiscriminately without study the likely social cost and impact to ordinary citizens.
As a result, we have many fine PRs like Miss Zhang who returned to serve their homelands after studying and working in Singapore.
In the past, many Chinese nationals would have jumped at the chance of making Singapore their homes, but with the rising affluence of China, many of them are preferring to stay put there.
Unlike local Chinese who grew up in a multi-racial society, mainland Chinese can never adapt to the way of life in Singapore no matter how much money the ruling party throw at them to beg them to stay.
The push factors which will cause them to stay in Singapore for good are no longer that great with China’s major cities enjoying a boom no seen in decades.
Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen now have a standard of living comparable to Singapore. That’s why you will hardly find Chinese from these cities taking up Singapore PRs or citizenships.
On the other hand, we have quite a number of Chinese from the poorer inland provinces of Hunan, Henan, Liaoning, Hebei and Heilongjiang.
As the former head of civil service Mr Ngiam Tong Down puts it succinctly:
“Today, migration is economics driven. The best and the brightest move around the world searching for higher paying jobs……Singapore will be left with the second tier of average people. Educationally, they would hardly measure up to the Singapore average. When they are given citizenship and the right to vote, they will use their new-found electoral power to demand equal access to social services as other Singaporeans. The difference is existing citizens would have paid for those social services over a lifetime of tax payments; the new citizens would not.”
[Source: Straits Times]
The irony is, with China becoming an economic powerhouse, young and bright Singaporeans are flocking to work in China while we are getting the second-rated mainland Chinese to replace them.
The creme la crop of the Chinese will not come to Singapore because they are either retained by the state or seek greener pastures elsewhere like Australia, Canada and the United States.
According to a recent China Daily report, there are 20,000 Singaporeans are working in China and scores of joint ventures are underway. It is a huge question mark whether these Singaporeans will return to Singapore after they complete their stint.
Today’s China offers limitless opportunities to Singaporeans eager to make a mark for themselves in life. The cost of living is relatively low, the culture is similar to ours and in some ways, the government is less oppressive than Singapore’s.
To compound matters, China is now a favorite destination for retirees to spend their golden years simply because it has become so expensive to retire in Singapore.
When I was in Dongguan last month, I came across a 60 year old ex-civil servant who sold off his HDB flat and bought a sprawling 5,000 square foot bungalow in the suburbs. His wife passed away 2 years ago and his two grown up children have their own families in Singapore. He now lives with his mistress, who is only 24 years old.
According to him, more and more Singapore men are discovering the beauty of Chinese women and the country.
“We are too late!”, he lamented to me. “The Taiwanese and the Hong Kongers come before us. Now we are left with the crumbs. Look here, this place is a village only 10 years ago, now it is a metropolis. In another ten years time, Dongguan will catch up with Singapore.”
To those who can afford it, China is indeed a paradise on earth. Besides Dongguan, there are now a sizable number of ex-Singaporeans and Singaporeans living in nearby Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Zhuhai. Their numbers are expected to grow in the future.
It is only human nature to want the best for themselves. Few will want to work till their twilight years in order to support themselves or service their mortage loans. With the exception of some, who don’t wish to retire and enjoy life while they still can?
As more and more Singaporeans leave for China and elsewhere leaving the government with little choice but to continue to import Chinese nationals to maintain the ethnic ratio, will Singapore end up being a backward second class province of China?
National identity, pride and patriotism are intangible and necessary components of a nation which can never be inculcated through education, immigration or economic growth.
Unless Singaporeans reclaim ownership of their country, the brain drain will inevitably continue to grow and we may end up as an ambiguous political entity which is neither a country proper or a dependency of China.
Related articles:
>> Singapore PRC PR proud to be Chinese
>> PRC resident hung China flag to celebrate its National Day
>> PRC student in Singapore wants more scholarships for foreigners
>> PRC prostitutes solicit for customers on Singapore’s cyberspace
About the Author:
Michael is currently working in Hong Kong as a financial analyst. He is still proud to be a Singaporean and he hopes that Singapore will become a free society like Hong Kong one day.
Posted in Opinion
This is the work of globalization. Countries no longer can afford to close their door. China will overtake many countries as predicted ages ago should she opens up.
Our close relationship with China is definitely our survival ticket.
Intrinsically Singapore and China is very similar, both have a large population of Chinese. Most of our forefather were from China. This has given us a very unique relationship with China.
TR should give a positive twist to the whole affair and not let our people feel despair. Who is better and who’s worst is only but a transient feeling. Greater if we stop any comparing and live harmoniously.
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I ve just returned from a 9 days tour of Jiangnan in China, and I was shocked that Shanghai is, now much more advance than Singapore (compared to my last visit 15 years ago). Singapore has lost her appeal and certainly Singapore’s attraction dropped drastically maybe to equal Hanzhou. At Suzhou and Wuxi, the tour guide thanked all Singaporeans on board the bus for our Govt’s generous donations to help them rich and prosperous. At Hanzhou, the guide pointed at Asahi brewery, saying it was originally bought and supposedly to be owned our home brand Tiger beer. But for some reasons, after having sense some winds from Suzhou, Tiger got cold feet and pulled out. Of course, a large Singapore tyre factory, just opposite to it also pulled out and leaving a huge empty land which is now, owned by a Vietnanese investor running a bus depot instead for tour coaches – making good money from parking too.
The guide adding his side of the story, and eventually paused….smilling and remarked “your govt is now coming back again after 15 years.” “Good luck!.”
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The cream of the crop in Singapore split into 3 groups.
The 1st group are the street smart type that remain in Singapore and decide to just concentrate on their field of expertise and ignore politics. They are the millionaires of Singapore (mostly self made) or senior executives of local branch of MNCs.
The 2nd group studied very well and got co-opted into government services and due to the conforming culture there and fat paycheck, became salaried employees and maybe hope to join PAP to become million-dollar ministers.
The 3rd group got fed up and migrated to various western countries. Usually these are the more artistically inclined or expert in fields that may have little advancement in Singapore should they chose to stay.
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Absolutely true! All the tier 1 cities in China are now even better than Sillypore. Smaller cities like Chengdu, Wuhan & Suzhou will probably catch up in another 5 years time.
Living and working in Shanghai for a year, married a local, bought an apartment here, invested in another commercial property, excellent living conditions, good food and shopping, can experience the 4 seasons, lots of holidays and festivities, good balance of work and family, have many nice local friends….the list goes on.
Go back to the red dot? Would you if you are me?
I will stay here and sink my roots in Shanghai!
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Which group do you belong to?
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My cousin is working in Shanghai, China having been recruited recently by a bank there. He owes it all to his English and Chinese language combination. All thanks to MM he said. It was MM who envisioned the rise of China in the late seventies and made Mandarin compulsory for all Chinese students. So he has the edge over others indeed.
He enjoys a confortable salary as a banker there and plans to marry his new found mainland girlfrend soon.
China is indeed booming. Soon many of us will be flocking there like many used to, to Australia and Canada. The only different perhaps it’s like going home where the food and culture are similar. One cycle. Our great grandparents left China then to find a better life and today their descendents are making their way home. CHinese do best being capitalists rather than communists in economics.
Well, China is destined to be the economic power house overtaking the US in the very near future.
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“In a desperate bid to increase the country’s population, the ruling party opened the floodgates to encourage mass immigration into the country indiscriminately without study the likely social cost and impact to ordinary citizens.”
– to increase the country’s population is a lame excuse.
“Today, migration is economics driven”
– it should be political driven as well.
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silenceisgolden, Singapore government has failed to nurture and train locals for the globalization. Singapore in the past TWO decades had provided FREE TRAINING, FREE INVESTMENTS and FREE SPONSORSHIPS to PRC at the cost of the tax payers.
China is a communist country all out to devour others with a smiling mask. If you examine the regime carefully, its brutality and ruthlessness is very real. Even the US has valid reason to be careful of China.
Singapore is too foolish to think that by being Pro China we will ride the economic tide. WRONG. China has Never given any concession to Singapore. China has been TAKING and not GIVING to Singapore. Chinese government still consider the past of Singapore as Anti Chinese and Anti communist. They will suck us dry whenever possible. Look at Shuzhou Industrial Project. If you have been to SuZhou, you will call it SwirlZhou because it is a garbage land filled with smelly rivers. Singapore’s hard earn money are all gone. Tell me Singaporean, did you earn ONE PENNY from this SuZhou Fiasco?
Singapore government consistently LOST money in China until I feel Singapore should become a MINOR city of China and lick the communist’s butt. Pay taxes to the central government and at least get some incentives or businesses.
Good luck Singapore. When countries like Vietnam and Phippines establish more ties with China, and when China has developed their financial services, Singapore will soon be come a small fishing village next to Malaysia.
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Today’s China offers limitless opportunities to Singaporeans eager to make a mark for themselves in life.
I am one of them now living in both HK and SZ for the last 7yr. and already got HK’s PR. The cost of living is relatively low even for HK, and I have more than 4 houses in SZ/HK here as compare to and only allow to have 1 HDB back home.
in HK , there are too many subsidies when you have a Resident ID and a house. HK Govt granted of more than 6K HKD subsidies for home owner since last sept when the ecomony goes tailspin. And I have yet pay single cent for electric and water bill since then.
My wife and I have plans for our retirees and spend our golden years here. We will pull out our CPF before reaching 55.
Life here in HK/SZ is simply to good as compare to Singapore with a screw up govt.
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MNC on Tue, 13th Oct 2009 7:46 pm
Apparently, you are living in the dark ages.
When Singtel invested in the bankrupt Indonesian telco and made good after a couple of years they suddenly came up with
all kinds of anti-monopolistic laws to get the telco back. The rest is history.
Do you really think Singapore is stupid. If so why the 2nd Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city?
You didn’t even know that now the Singaporean investor is treated like its Hong Kong compatriot in ALL ways short of flying the Singapore flag at the site.
Why? Because of Shuzhou? Yes they remember. We were there when they needed us.
In fact I’m sure you know very little of the special relationship bt China & S’pore – skin deep perhaps. I forgot you are not privvy to inter-state discussions. Are u?
Anyway, I can tell u it augurs well economically for Singapore. It’s going to be a huge, wealthy market and we need only a small slice of that 1.3 BILLION.
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@MNC
Sad to say i share your pessimism, however my belief is that singapore’s end game would be much closer to other small island nation states with little local resources – become a tax haven.
We have already taken many steps down that path and it is not too far a stretch to evisage a future where singapore is the switzerland of asia – minus the high living standards for its locals, and with a large as possible standing army.
We have the potential to become switzerland, but instead of focusing on building internal competitive advantages (uniquely skilled labor) for industries here, we had chosen to go down the path of low cost production.
In the past we could play the game of catch up to the first world nations, cos voting public’s expectations for livings standards and opportunities allowed it.
The situation has reversed now – other less developed nations are copying the roadmap we had laid out for them from our own success story.
It is simply staggering that our supposedly world class govt can miss such a fundamental shift and instead of fixing the problem, attempt to solve it by the laziest means possible – demographic expansion via immigration.
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@Tan Say Hoe
Yes we only need a small slice of the 1.3 billion pie.
But the question should be who enjoys the fruits of that relationship? Labor or capital?
It is a fact that wealth gap in singapore is growing NOT shrinking, have you asked yourself why?
Singapore as a sovereign nation can and will survive, but the more pressing and valid question is will most of her citizens see the fruits of that success, or is that privilege only for the few?
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don’t know what you are trying to say Tan Say Ho… pls clarify
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@Tan Say Hoe
I have been working in China for the past 8 years. I fly between Singapore –> Shanghai, HongKong, ShenYang more than I take taxi in Singapore. Like what HK said, life in China is good. Life in Singapore is going down hill. Very rapidly especially for the past few years. This really strike me because I was away for the past 9 months. I can see the Singapore market is a lot more quiet, still in recession, and a housing bubble.
Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city? Better do your homework. Da Lian is the major port now. Singapore government is doing free funding again.
Special relationship bt China & S’pore, don’t tell me about it. It is far more complex than you imagine. Remember, a sword has two edge. China is communist. There is no such thing as friendship.
Let me tell you the truth. China will be a great wealthy market. But YOU will have no part in it IF you are still in Singapore. The downfall will happen very soon. I predict June 2010 the whole of Singapore will see a Paradigm shift.
Good luck and best wishes.
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qussl3 on Tue, 13th Oct 2009 11:13 pm
“Singapore as a sovereign nation can and will survive, but . . ”
Yes . . . BUT you of course didn’t know (until now) that Singapore is the one and only surviving city state today on the planet.
The rest have either been eaten up by bigger neighbour(s) or have declined like good old Venice.
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I’m back for holiday. I do merchandising in Shenzen. Already 3 years there.
My business has grown and I can relly see China growing from strength to strength. The disposal income market is also blugeoning. Nothing now can stop the dragon from ascending since adopting capitalism doing business.
There’re a lot of opportunities especially with the interior and western parts of China quickly opening up for business as well.
The best part of it is the Chinese treat me like one of them; not an overseas Chinese. They see me as a fellow compatriot! My Mandarin has also improved over time.
I own a car and own a condo. Food’s delicious and cheap too. Massage’s great!
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@Robert Soh on Wed, 14th Oct 2009 8:21 am
…”have declined like good old Venice…” I thought most aptly put it. Singapore is heading that way, maybe faster than most of us think.
Look at LHL speech to NTUC and read his thoughts carefully. He talks of Singapore “still an attractive place” for foreign investment in the future. My thoughts ask – has it past its peak in this regard? Hong Kong are CLOSER AND PART OF CHINA. Even in banking and finance, BOTH Shanghai and Hong Kong beats us by the longest distance imaginable in relation to opportunities in booming China.
LHL warned correctly of current regime of printing money in all major economies including China – sustained solely by stimulus spending ending soon. What will happen next? Nobody knows for any certainty ahead if global economies tank again in 2010. Consumer spending is barely rising and now confidence petering out in US in October figure. LHL is confident that unemployment will keep rising globally including Singapore well into 2010. Gloomy indeed. Beyond 2010, even if China is booming, Hong Kong and those inside China has the first and closest shot.
LHL still see prospect for manufacturing as of now. I bet NOT. Very simple with the UNENDING FALL OF US DOLLARS, Singapore dollar already appreciates 10%, but Chinese Yuan up only 2%. The costs differential is 8% difference in just 6 months of currency movements. When companies made only 5% to at very best 10% after tax basis globally, which manufacturing in Singapore, not keen to move into China – just on exchange rate consideration alone??? US dollar, many economists now agree, will be heading for a long-term decline. The hollowing out of manufacturing here is, in my best judgment INEVITABLE. It is not whether it will happen or not BUT ONLY WHEN THE FINALITY WILL COME.
Some of the manufacturing we attract here like aerospace is because of trusts in certification. These could move into China. Why, European aircraft manufacturing is moving into China, so what is stopping Rolls Royce moving into China given costs competitiveness and growing confidence in their technical certification of reliability of repair, maintenance beyond manufacturing???
All said, China is booming this century. We got to be there to reap the harvest. relationship talks of kinship is stupidity. Chinese knows communism is as foreign to money as kinship as to money IN THEIR POCKET. If Singaporeans goes into China as employees, are you a better slave than their locals more deserving? I bet not. If you are there, you have to be the boss setting up business to reap the growing economy. If you going there to work as employees, better stay in your comfort here. There are more hungry Chinese and probably more capable ones that the lack of international experience Singaporeans are. FORGET IT. IT IS THE ENTREPRENEUR’S WORLD IN CHINA. We are not the equals in Chinese eye to Hong Kong and Taiwan. They are PART OF CHINA and we are not even remotely distant cousin – culturally and complex thinking they have which we have little comprehension. Suzhou is a good lesson and proof of our gullibility and stupidity.
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it looks like the govt of the day is not putting in much marketing efforts to win contracts and increase business deals with China. Rather we are appeasing china by building free cities and ports for them based on equal share basis ? And also letting China and India migrants easier passage into singapore hoping and wishing that they will set up roots here and hence connect singapore with them ? The problem is that our ministers are not pro business and lacked creativity to meet the present day challenges among nations. If the ministers can’t take the heat , then please make way for others.
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@ jolly on Wed, 14th Oct 2009 11:08 am
EXACTLY RIGHT!!!
Just like MM says publicly, you cannot train politicians. YOU CAN’T ALSO TRAIN BUSINESSMEN!!!
Can’t take the heat, give way to meritocracy, not ideology.
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Like some people here, I shuttle up and down Singapore – Shanghai. I pretty much know the crew at SQ on the midnight flights, as I always sit at the same seat. Ive worked for many yrs in Shanghai and have been up and down China for personal reasons for more than 10 years.
I do not share the view that Shanghai, Beijing or any other Chinese city are better off than Singapore. Far from it. Anybody who has lived there will know this. Perhaps the infrastructure is superior now (since it is new), but just 3 years ago, I worked in Pudong, and you couldn’t find a single good place to eat in the financial district. Every lunch place is hidden in the buildings and no advertisements were outside, so you never know where to eat, if you are a tourist.
Now, things are better, definitely, but it is a long, long, long way to go in terms of software – taxi drivers still stop on the roadsides to relief themselves. The city centres are continually populated with people from the village areas. Like Singaporeans, Shanghainese (and Hong Kongers) feel the threat of the less educated streaming into their cities.
That is not to say Chinese cities will not get there. They will, and it is a matter of time.
I can’t fanthom why some people here put down Singapore so badly. HK and Taiwan has China, but we have resource rich indonesia, malaysia, thailand, and they will boom one day too. Do you think HK wants to be up there in NE asia competeting with the likes of Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei? Wake up you detractors! Singapore has HUGE potential for growth, there is only 1 REAL capital in SE Asia, which is Singapore.
Of course, we have a lot to do and improve, that is no doubt. I love my country and I am in pain when things go wrong (and many things have gone wrong).
Take for example the big fuss in the websites when the Chinese PR showed her blue IC (it isn’t even a pink IC). Can I remind that THERE WAS A BIGGER FUSS IN CHINA WHEN GONG LI AND JET LI BECAME SINGAPOREANS? AND NOW THERE IS COCO LEE?
So be objective before making comments, look at both sides! Then this website will be better received than ST.
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I work in Shanghai too. Lest we think so highly of ourselves, the Chinese view us as good executives only. Because of our education and political background, they want us as good servants to lead their pack. They dont think we are too smart and the HKers and Taiwanese beat us hands down when it comes to creativity and business sense.
And who do we compete with in China? The local university graduates only. When the current wave of see turtle (海归）returning overseas Chinese coming back, they beat us hands down again with thier perfect English (with slang) and forgetting they are native Mandarin speakers too. Where do we stand?
Sea turtles come back to China, our inadequacies will be shown and soon, many of us will be sent back to Singapore. The current batch of Singaporeans are expat and enjoy benefits. The next batch of Singaporeans? Junior executives on loacl terms!
Also, remember not to be too eager to boast to outsiders that we Singaporean Chinese are like their ‘brothers’ and are there to ‘help’ them etc. Do not try to align yourself to them. Because they have never felt that we are one of them in the first place.
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first i saw lots and lots of angmohs swamping raffles place.
then they disappear from the pedestrain malls ,the lifts and
now i see indians and more indians in raffles place and the lifts and the malls…ah, i wonder when will they be making an exodus like our angmoh friends who have since flocked elsewhere…
only,we will stay for we are singaporeans!
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Sotong Head on Fri, 16th Oct 2009 12:05 am
Well, we’ll find out. Me and my friends are making our way to Shandong as we have secured jobs as engineers in China’s construction industry.
I’ve not heard of the mainland Chinese disliking overseas Chinese. In fact I heard many overseas Chinese have made their way back to contribute to Chiona’s development.
We look alike. Speak potonghua, eat and celebrate Chinese culture.
I guess the only difference (which we can suppress being a yellow banana over there) bt us and them is our Western thinking (education) making us more critical and self-serving. That’s all.
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1. Singaporeans (males or females) should be flocking to china and see what is their value there….I guarantee that even though there will be different opinions, 90% will find the opportunities much more better than singapore.
2. Chinese come for our passports (it is certainly not the salaries or opportunities) – they will buy one, forge one or even marry for the sake of one.
3. We go there for their money, salaryman or biz man….there are easy money to be made, regulations are loose, lots of back doors and risks are relatively low…
4. Singapore men go there also for the ladies – marry them or simply sleep with them (either paid or sincere relationships) – singapore men certainly realize that chinese women’s “price / features” is higher than local singapore women.
5. Chinese women will find singapore man to be attractive (for now, at least) because english speaking, a different perspective and yes, our red passport.
No data to support above but by and large, should be the trend for now…sorry for being crude.
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@ Sotong Head, I agree with a lot of your observations – especially on the strength of Hongkonger and Taiwanese. They ARE BETTER than Singaporeans and PRCs hold them to higher respect than Singaporean in the manner you put it. I lived in China too – different places.
Mainland Chinese may be quiet, VERY SUBTLE AND SCHREWD in business dealings. And the “kinship thing” is remote almost mythical of our own creation which PRC Chinese don’t hold any water to that.
Public transport in Shanghai is not as good as Singapore, too jam-packed (but we are soon going to be like that too with this migration influx) but I find it safe to roam the street past mid-night on my own even up till 2.00 a.m – better than Sydney. Compared to Singapore, rental is cheap and way cheaper than Sydney, I thought even for reasonably good accomodation within close proximity to mass transit rail services. I like Shanghai.
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@ aceofbase.. the quality of business and socio-political relationship between Hong Kong or Taiwan with China is far better, richer and stronger than Singapore with its Asean neighbours where tensions is hardly below the surface. Hong Kong, Taiwan and China is almost like family. Culturally we in Singapore are some distant from our neighbours – politically, culturally and economically.
Look at how old Asean is today – as old as our independence – WHAT LEVEL OF ECONOMIC INTEGRATION BESIDE FREQUENT POLITICAL SQUABBLINGS among themselves and in their perspective in dealing with Myammar? Indonesia won’t sell us construction sand and Malaysia territorial water issues at Pedra Branca still not resolved besides that crooked Causeway.
It is simplistic to think of economic potential working with Indonesia – very resources rich BUT FIND ME JUST ONE SINGAPORE COMPANY THAT KNOWS A PEANUT SIZE OF SKILL AND EXPERTISE TO PARTICIPATE IN THAT SECTOR. It is Australian, Chinese, South Korean, Japanese and North American opportunity. For Manufacturing, Indonesia so low tech, how to integrate with our growth opportunity? Or are we downgrading. Batam a success after two decades?
We had some success in Malaysia certainly in economic cooperation and integration but can Malaysia fill the role and size comparison of China opportunity? Philippines – 5 decades of history sending their people to work as foreign maids in different parts of Asia, mining is dead end despite resources rich. Thailand could teach us a trick or two on running red-light business.
Comparing Asean to China as a beneficial market opportunity is like comparing Laos to Singapore’s economy in GDP terms. The economic structure is NOT the same of pace and component mix to be of relevant value of any integration.
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to : for singapore
You are so right. If I sound racist, I appologise first. The ang mohs help each other. You will often see ang mohs employing fellow ang mohs. The Indians are the most friendly. If you employ one Indian, and before you know it, he employs his whole village!
These are smart moves because they surround themselves with their friendly parties and it is not easy to sack or get promoted as they always support each others.
Who has the weakest link? Singaporeans! We were taught to be ‘fair’, promotion by ‘merit’, just like our education system. So what happens? we see Singaporeans employing Ang Mohs, Indians etc, because we are FAIR people! We are so fair that we forgot to look after ourselves! we are a bunch of cookoobirds! And soon enough, we lose our job!
Wrong?
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Hi Tan Tian,
Congratulations on your new job!
Remember to be 低调 and be helpful. They appreciate us better this way. Once we behave like Mr. Know-it-all, it will be the beginning of the end. They will learn as much from you and then get rid of you.
My impression is that they do have rather good opinion of S’poreans executives vs HKGers and Taiwanese as the Chinese find them too arrogrants.
But once you become rude and behave badly, then we will not be much better than them. And like I said earlier, never think that we are one of them for they do not think likewise.
I can also assure you that your fellow Chinese will be juding you too for they will think “knn, why is this Singaporean Chinese better paid than me and has access to our girls too?”. So you must work hard to show that you are indeed better than them and thus worth the higher salary (and the Chinese girls!).
But if you are Ang Moh, never mind, your honeymoon period is longer….
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at least in china you get economic growth, at least in america you get political freedom .. in singapore you get nothing but GST and ERP hahaha
wake up singaporeans and leave the sinking ship now while you can
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