Shanmugam: Foreigners generate jobs for Singaporeans
December 11th, 2009 | 
Author: During a speech made last night at the 40th anniversary of the Harvard Club, Law Minister Mr K Shanmugam said that the presence of foreigners here, far from taking jobs away from locals, helps to generate more jobs for Singaporeans.
Due to the ruling party’s liberal immigration policies, the number of foreigners in Singapore has increased by more than 100,000 a year in recent years.
According to Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng, there are more than 90,000 PRs and 20,000 new citizens in 2008 alone. Two out of every three PR applicants are successful.
Foreigners now make up 36 per cent of the population, up from 14 per cent in 1990.
Despite rising discomfort and resentment on the ground at the rising number of foreigners which leads to direct competition for limited jobs, school places and opportunities, the ruling party is adamant that foreigners are essential for Singapore’s growth.
Mr Shanmugam made an open plea to Singaporeans to understand that the need for foreign talent comes against the backdrop of a global ‘war for talent’ by citing a YaleGlobal Online article published in The Straits Times yesterday on how India and China are wooing their talented nationals back from the United States.
‘To succeed, we need to get investments into Singapore, encourage local entrepreneurship, become a sophisticated service centre and ensure safety, security and stability. Achieving this, in turn, requires a government that thinks long term, a talented population and collective effort between the people and the Government to implement these policies,” he said.
While Singaporeans understand the need for a small country like Singapore without any natural resources of its own to rely heavily on foreign talent, what they don’t understand is some foreigners who are competing with them for mid-level or lower income jobs are considered as “talents” as well.
The Straits Times reported last week of a Singapore PR and Chinese national Liu Gui Ling who was jailed for nine weeks for throwing two lighted match sticks at her lover’s fish farm. She works as a cleaner.
Another PR, Song Jing was fined $1,000 for stalking a Singapore man who once patronized her for “special services”. Her occupation is a masseue.
How these non-English speaking foreigners who are not really considered as “talents” can become Singapore PRs is anybody’s guess.
Mr Shanmugam reassured Singaporeans that the government will ensure the system is not abused’, and that Singaporeans continue to benefit from the country’s progress, a point reiterated frequently by senior cabinet ministers as the next general election approaches.
Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew urged Singaporeans to bear with the “tide” of foreigners lately which has since become a “flood”.
At this rate the ruling party is mass importing foreigners from elsewhere to become new citizens, native Singaporeans will soon find themselves in the minority.
Not that they care much anyway since new citizens are usually pro-government and thereby will ensure their continued political hegemony for many years to come.
Interview source: Straits Times, 11 December 2009
Posted in Editorial
Chip Goodyear – the acknowledged best of the best foreign talent, were headhunted to give us a future. Why did we failed to retain foreign talent of this calibre?
Is the foreign talent that Shammu talks about is only about PRs working in massage parlours?
Sure those PRs working in massage parlours give me jobs – ALL KINDS OF JOBS THOUGH I AM ACUTELY EMBARASSED TO BROADCAST IT HERE.
when i first saw the title of this article in TR, i had feared that it would be one of the usual biased xenophobic diatribe against non-’true blue’ Singaporeans. but i was pleasantly surprised that the article is actually fairly balanced. at least the article acknowledges that ‘While Singaporeans understand the need for a small country like Singapore without any natural resources of its own to rely heavily on foreign talent’.
i do agree that the government has appeared to be pretty lax with its immigration laws, resulting in people of questionable quality coming to Singapore. i too, hope that the government will raise the quality bar and tighten the controls so that the people we bring in do indeed augment our talent pool (rather than just boost numbers).
that being said, i hope that once the government does that, we ‘true blue’ Singaporeans will be more welcoming of new citizens who really bring value to our nation and foreigners who are truly talented. if we can’t be more welcoming, not being xenophobic would certainly help…
“Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew urged Singaporeans to bear with the “tide” of foreigners lately which has since become a “flood”.”
Soon he would urge foreigners to bear with Singaporeans.
We are finished!
once again mr shanmubullshit is talking loud and saying nothing…i have more respect for people who are assholes and behave like assholes rather than those that hide their bullshit behind a cloud of integrity and goodwill! This is getting tiresome!
I have lived long enough in Singapore, and now, they keep telling us that we need foreigners and foreigners will create jobs. But I am still jobless becos of newly imported cheaper PRs.
I am dumbfounded.One third of SG belongs to foreigners.If Shanmugam is right,say each foreigner creates a new job for 1 Singaporean.SG would be overwhelmed by jobs,jobs & jobs.The reality is our elderly are picking old card boards & empty cans for survival..
Compare to the 60s, each MNC that set up manufacturing in SG created thousands of jobs.The foreigners aka exapts were hardly a few.The same is not true now.New PRC takes up all the unskilled labor such as cooks,cleaners,bus drivers,NTUC staff and etc.New Indians take up all the jobs in banking & IT sectors.Filipinos take up all the jobs at the counter level and the casinos.Banglas & Indians take up all the jobs in construction and shipping.Than they are Burmese-who takes all the jobs in PSA and others…What is left for Singaporeans?
Shanmugam is like an old gramophone playing and out dated record again and again..It only helps to rub salt at our wounds.
Someone remind Shanmu please that this massage parlour is too crowded already – It is NOT a country!! Whores are everywhere from Geylang to Chinatown to Balestier.
A few really top notch foreign talent with scientific, technical or business skills and lots of money will get us really far.
Please leave out those specialising in handjobs, blowjobs and “other jobs” out of this little red dot – we don’t want these uniquely “foreign or PR talent”
Tell him bluntly this – GET YOUR PRIORITY AND REALISM RIGHT and no more whispering of rhetorics that rational Singaporeans don’t believe one bit.
‘To succeed, we need to get investments into Singapore, encourage local entrepreneurship, become a sophisticated service centre and ensure safety, security and stability. Achieving this, in turn, requires a government that thinks long term, a talented population and collective effort between the people and the Government to implement these policies,”
YES, quite true indeed. With the HUGE HOLE that the famiLEE members have collectively dug in Sinkapore’s Reserves, more money are needed to cover them.
@True Singaporean, you forgot to list PRCers taking up jobs as mistress, wives and also hostess in Karaoke and Nightclubs.
if they are here to create jobs, why are most of the newly created jobs going to the foreigners, and more Sgeans are jobless….
hmmm….
“Foreigners generate jobs for Singaporeans” .
Everything under the sun generate jobs for Singaporean if you people so choose to say. It is same as water quench our thirst, babies are our future leaders.
This is a sweeping statement that has no meaning in itself unless we can be very specific.
Does it mean that native Singapore workers does not generate jobs for other Singaporeans? Are Mr. Shanmugam implying that when available jobs done by foreigners are better to generate jobs for Singaporeans than we give these jobs to our own.
If we gather all the foreigners in Singapore and make a head count, how many of these foreigners are truly talent as an individual that contribute immensely to our country well being.
At this very moment there is nothing much the citizen can do as they have already entrusted to the wrong people to govern our country. We have to do something right and this call for the young of our nation to rise up and teach these wise guys how to treat us.
Yeah, come on, if this shameless and despicable idiot can proclaimed loudly and vociferously that “SINGAPORE IS A CITY AND NOT A COUNTRY”, what types of rational speech he can delivery besides than utter rubbish, talking rocks. My dear readers, listening to him is liken to listening to an “idiotic-pig”
If you disagree with his observation, kick them out at the next GE. They are bankrupt of ideas and prostituting Singapore to the foreigners.
Soon we will all be prostitutes!
doesn’t the pig realise that even china and India are trying their utmost to woo back their own from around the world back home. even PM Lee acknowledge this fact deep down in his heart. PM is indeed sadden by the fact that all his staff under him are inefficient and unproductive in carrying out their duties. Cut their pay and they will revolt. so how? time for change?
ya they are here to create jobs for more foreigners!
This is totally BS, I have to relocate and work in Hong Kong /China due to the fact that jobs have been replaced by cheaper FT in Singapore.
It never make sense from what the govt are telling us. Untill today I still can’t figure it out “increase GST help the poor”.
@ smallfly on Fri, 11th Dec 2009 10:30 am
When Singapore is a city, NOT a country told on the world stage and national pledge is not a solemn declaration but an aspiration in Parliament, WHAT ELSE CAN I TRUST OF THEIR WHISPERING?
Shamnu should be talking about the deficient state of law and justice in Singapore and reforms that is necessary to overhaul that (anyone missed reading yesterday’s paper about Sambasivm Kunju case of judicial treatment of justice denial needing a re-trial), why is he talking about immigration which is WKS’s portfolio??
If I hear another statement of immigration from another Minister other than WKS or LHL, I have to conclude that the Government has really lost its direction of economic agenda and NO confidence in leading this country forward.
Why?
THEY WOULD, IN THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES, DEMONSTRATED OBSESSION WITH POPULATION EXPLOSION VIA IMMIGRATION ONSLAUGHT to momentarily drive up the GDP, leaving the BIGGER AND ONEROUS mess to work out the turmoil later of all consequences. Or is it not?
THE GOVERNMENT HAS RUN OUR OF FRESH IDEAS TO MANAGE THIS COUNTRY AND ECONOMY – gambling the last card of of migration
flood to rescue a near dead economy. Is this not true?
Or devious undisclosed political agenda is at work INEXPLICABLE TO THE CITIZENRY?
How can mediocre foreigners be carelessly labelled as talent to cover-up political agenda of population influx?
If WKS cannot explain these illusions, it is to my mind, highfalutin hoax of no believability.
Any rational Singaporean disagree?
wonder how many SG talents have already left SG ( age below 40 ) . Rest of those 40 and above now un-employed and officially considered retired or at worse holding $600/mth jobs as such taxi drivers , cleaners , sweepers , insurance and property agents . CPF contribution as a whole have already slump and will get our monies back at 82 . HDB not getting much sales , Cars sales halted , Private properties halted , Sports HUb never take off . No babies boom ……How How How ..
Yes we exchange our top talent as they migrated for middle and lower FT to create jobs. Get them back, give the local talent a reason to return, stay and create jobs for us. Why should a local talent stays if every ideas, concept and innovation need our authority approvals when other country need not. If you carefully analyze, most FT comes here because this is a boring, dull, un-expressible and stable society and they will leave if it is no longer stable. Our local talent leave for challenges and dream elsewhere and of course a disillusion Govern. A real foreign talent will not choose Singapore? Why should FT choose Singapore instead of New York, Tokyo, Australia, London and Toronto ect. Ours is not foreign talent but foreign replacement to replace our jobs.
Hey that guy is right. Foreigners like Malaysian Mr Yong Vui Kong provides jobs for local distributors.
Shanmugam is one of the worst of the lot of Ministers and he’s been making lots of stupid statements recently. I wonder why? Has he been arrowed to be the target board to test Singaporeans reaction to the PAP’s rationale?
The PAP’s policy to allow foreigners in by the millions generate more freaking problems than jobs for Singaporeans.
Go ahead and continue your BullShit Sham Mugam. It only serves to instigate more Sporeans to question wisdom of giving mandate to your PAP which over the years generate more and more freaking jobs for stooges and running dogs.
From a purely economic perspective, foreigners will generate more jobs if the amount of money a typical foreigner spends each month is roughly more than half of the monthly wage of a typical Singaporean worker. Whether or not this condition holds remains to be seen.
let’s compare with Japan, who LKY was lecturing on the usefulness of foreigners
Nov 27, 2009. Japan jobless rate falls. TOKYO – JAPAN’S unemployment rate fell to 5.1 per cent in October
30 Oct 2009 … Unemployment Hits 5% Among Singapore Residents in the third quarter
figures are almost the same,how can shanmugam justify his claim?
I think what Shanmugam is saying is that lot of business is being set in Singapore with the eye for the talent pool that it is able to pull from Asia. If it were not for the ability to pull talented individuals from across asia and including singapore, these businesses would not be setting up here.These businesses are creating new jobs for not only talent pool from across the region but also for singaporeans which is good news.
Also, these businesses and enhanced talent pool of Singapore makes Singapore more ready for future.
As for competition for low and middle end jobs, I think there would be some loopholes and some people who come into this category.
What is important for Singaporeans to think is how to enhance the local talent pool so that the reliance on regional talent pool to attract investors is reduced and there is more satisfaction in the local population.
ya,MINISTER.
They took away our jobs but they actually created “WORK” for our locals to clean after their litter?!!!
please,lah,my dear MINISTER,JUST GO AND VISIT YOUR CONSTITUENTS AND YOU WILL KNOW what “jobs” these foreign workers that the MOM has been letting in have created JOBS for the people?
@ Lehman Brothers on Fri, 11th Dec 2009 4:45 pm
Sorry, can’t comprehend your logic below
“From a purely economic perspective, foreigners will generate more jobs if the amount of money a typical foreigner spends each month is roughly more than half of the monthly wage of a typical Singaporean worker.”
Perhaps you could explain a little of how that works out????
And any job created is POROUS of who might benefit from it – it could well be a job created but only available only to foreigners again JUST LIKE THERE ARE JOB ADVERTISEMENT IN SINGAPORE WHICH SPECIFIED ONLY PRC CHINESE OR PHILIPINOS ONLY.
For example a job of Chinese traditional medicine business importing from China might only hire a PRC national knowledgeable of fauna and animal matters in China used in Chinese traditional medicine?
Do you agree or disagree?
@ thirdrockfromsun on Fri, 11th Dec 2009 4:52 pm
People working in massage parlours can get PRs, it is not an accidental loophole- IT IS A FLOOD. If it is regional talent pool, then the PEPs really worked in the past.
WHY NOT GRANT longer dated PEPs with options for citizenship application for the best suitable talents instead of PRs???
NOBODY IN GOVERNMENT WILL ANSWER THIS QUESTION.
Why thrash of PR flood now of the most dubious quality and quantity.?
Why the Ministerial silence on PR screening criteria?
Is the release of these information endanger national security or provide transparency OTHER THEN A HIDDEN POLTICAL AGENDA OF POPULATION TIME BOMB FOR GDP STATISTIC FOR WHOSE FINANCIAL ADVANTAGE OF PAY?
If Government cannot even trust their PRs selection criteria to even public information, how can we trust their selection political objectives of 6.5 million within a decade???
Put in Freedom of Information legislation first, then ask the citizenry for trust.
Is that unreasonable?
LET US SEPARATE LIES FROM TRUTH!!!!
I am disgusted by Singapore mainstream media/authorities on the act of spinning lies and myth.
Truth no.1: Foreigners and immigrants are robbing away jobs from locals. The government are allowing them from all walks of life (low, mid & high) to work/live here. From June 2008 to June 2009, I was just above 1yr jobless despite being educated/skilled.
Truth no.2: Salary of locals remain stagnant or lesser for the past couple of years. Locals have been changing jobs cause everywhere is contract. Everywhere foreigners rob our jobs.
Truth no.3: We Singaporeans tend to keep our feelings to ourselves. Foreigners are nuisance especially in public. They speak loudly in their foreign languages and crowd our public transportation.
Truth no.4: Foreigners/immigrants are insincere. They’re here either for money or to escape from their origin country. This statement is evidential cause “they do not understand the meaning and language of our national anthem Majulah Singapura”.
Singapore government have become less mindful about the feeling of locals. The psychological and financial pressure caused upon locals by foreigners are unprecedented.
IMAGINE THE BARELY CONCEALED ANGUISH OF THIS NATION’S PUBLIC POLICY MAKING FAILURES – A MEETING OF HARVARD CLUB’S 40TH ANNIVERSARY, IN THE PRESENCE OF FOREIGNERS, THE ISSUE OF NATIONAL MIGRATION WAS IN THE FOREFRONT OF EVERYONE’S DEEPEST CONCERNED THOUGHTS AND PUBLIC DISCOURSE AND IT WAS THE LAW MINISTER THE VIP IN PRESENT REPRESENTING THE VOICE OF THE GOVERNMENT’S POSITION.
Don’t they have specific matters of unique relevance of international dimension of such a distinguished gathering of scholastic crowd THAN THE ANGUISH OF POPULATION AND IMMIGRATION DEBATE ,PERHAPS, APPERTAINING ONLY TO SINGAPOREANS????
IT IS TELLING OF HOW PROFESSIONALS ARE ANGUISHED AT HOW PUBLIC POLICY MATTERS ON IMMIGRATION IS EVOLVING AND THE UNSPOKEN RELEVANCE OF THAT TO ALL OTHER RELATED NATIONAL ECONOMIC ISSUES LIKE INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORT SPENDING, HOUSING CRISIS,COSTS OF LIVING, ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION, OVERCROWDING OF PHSYICAL, SOCIAL AND RECREATIONAL SPACE, STRESS LIVING, TRANSPORTATION JAMS AND EVERYTHING ELSE TO DO WITH SUPER-HIGH DENSITY LIVING.
I will bet that many foreign executives will leave because they are so used to much wider social-economic and political space and overcrowding via a doubling of population will anguish their stress of living and working in this country.
I am sure a lot of foreigners are concerned about these, NOT about the bread-and-butter issues that Singaporeans focussed on.
THE WHOLE MIGRATION INFLUX IS CONTROVERSIAL TO SINGAPOREANS AND FOREIGNERS ALIKE.
The end consequent could be only the marginal stays ( THE GOVERNMENT ALREADY ADMITTED THAT MOST OF THE PRs WOULD NOT STAY ANYWAY) AND THE BETTER AND BEST FOREIGN TALENT LEAVE FOR HOME OR ANOTHER MORE CONGENIAL, PLEASANT WORKING ENVIRONMENT. We would be left with PRs suited to massage parlour work and Singapore’s professional also leaving in anger.
I believe the Government’s migration policy will fail to meet its economic (if any) objectives but perhaps cemented its undisclosed political intent.
sure.. foreigners create jobs. how about stop cancelling work permits of foreign journalists for a start. and stop rejecting those protestors from the custom gates.
they are foreigners. they create jobs. don’t be too choosy, just like those singaporeans that MIW have been so obsessed in criticising.
really CMI.
sometimes,to be hoNest,i get really sick of hearing the Minstersa nd their cronies incessantly harping on FOREIGN THIS AND FOREIGN THAT.
If these FTs are that great,we might as well replace our seemingly non-performing overpaid Ministers with some FTs?
what say you bloggers?
Don’t BULLSHIT about security reasons just because it’s a top
civil servant position which they and their cronies want
protected,an iron ricebowl?
our rice bowls can be borken,theirs can’t be touched?
what is this monsense?
why do you think you need to canvass s o hard for citizens’ voites at every election?…you think we vote you to please you
and for you to create countless displeasures for us.
NO,at your elcectoral pleading,we vote you in so that you
would SERVE our citizens’ interests,not your own.
this is as simple as it can be,do you now understand,Dear Minister?
We are not saying that you guys cannot be compassionate to outsidersjust like when your NGOs ask us for donations to help foreign nations but please be REASONABLE to their benfactors,the common taxpayers,the rightful stakeholders who voted for you to run their country at every election.
Foreigners generate tax revenue to pay even higher ministerial salaries !!!!!
Let the truth be known!
//Just Curious on Fri, 11th Dec 2009 5:08 pm
There’s 2 channels through which foreigners create jobs for Singaporeans. First is through high flyers who run businesses in Singapore. There’s no argument against foreigners who are truly skilled, so I won’t delve further on that point.
The second channel is through the multiplier effect, in that every foreign worker who comes in requires lodging, food, and other goods and services, which in turn creates more jobs. Theoretically speaking, as long as each foreign worker spends more than 50% of their wages, then it is indeed true that they will create at least one additional job. Even if this job goes to a foreigner again, that foreigner will in turn provide yet another job if he spends more than half of his wages and so on.
That is all in theory of course, because other factors come into play in reality. One of them, as everyone already mentioned, is that wages of Singaporeans from lower income groups will be suppressed. Another factor is that the workforce in Singapore becomes less productive overall, and that leads to inefficiencies, especially if a large proportion of workers are unable to speak English. Furthermore, it creates a moral hazard in that, to use the MM’s words, it creates a “crutch mentality” among firms for them to tolerate inefficiency by using cheap labour to cut costs instead of innovating.
Perhaps most importantly, job creation does not occur overnight, especially when we consider the global economic climate right now, where firms both local and overseas are hesitant to employ more workers. Australia has tightened its immigration procedures, with a number of professions receiving less points for PR applications, while Singapore has done the exact opposite by further opening its doors.
So I agree that the open doors policy is not the right one to implement at this point in time, but my reasons fo reaching that conclusion are different.
“A gun protects lives”.
This is a fact.
This is not a wrong statement.
But we need to qualify the statement a bit more because in life there is no such thing as perfection.
To make the statement more meaningful, we should addd :
“A gun also takes away lives”.
Everything has pros and cons.
we need to mention Both sides of a coin.
That is the difference.
@ Lehman Brothers on Fri, 11th Dec 2009 10:50 pm
Thank you for your explanation.
I also found some interesting article on Australia’s migration intake going forward. Australia is SLASHING DOWN its migration intake from 158,800 in the final year of Howard Government to no more than 35,000 if Liberal Country coalition comes back with Kevin Andrews again the Immigration Minister. You will remember Kevin Andrews was Immigration Minister in John Howard’s premiership time and is now Shadow Immigration Minister,
See the drastic change because of deep society’s deeply concerned about problems such as urban sprawl, overcrowding, traffic snarls and dwindling water supplies etc. You can’t just picked a number of the air and flood the whole town.
http://www.theage.com.au/national/andrews-call-for-debate-on-slashing-immigration-20091210-km93.html?skin=text-only
China has aging population too BUT STILL NOT ALLOWING IT TO EXPAND BECAUSE OF CARBON TAX CONCERNS AS HUMAN ACTIVITY IS THE LARGEST CONTRIBUTOR TO C02 emission. They can’t afford it in the same way as Australia to allow for a flood of population is economically sustainable of long-term development. A population target is NOT something that is inevitable of outcome.
In fact, China delegate warned in Copenhagen that one cannot deal with C02 emission in isolation without tackling the problems of overpopulation DESPITE AGING CONCERNS AND GENDER LOPSIDE IN CHINA. They are right.
In a climate change era, how do we know now the costs of food supply as scarcity sets in from reduced activity ranging from metals from mining, to fertiliser supply, to cattle farming, shipping transportation, reduced fossil-fueled electricity generation etc. A major consequence of slower economy activity is POVERTY and how nations cope in those trying circumstances of adjustment.
IT IS A LOT HARDER OF ADJUSTMENT WHEN FACED WITH AN OVERPOPULATION BURDEN AND SINGAPORE IS DOING A SUICIDE HEADLONG RUSH INTO EXPLODING ITS POPULATION BASE WITHOUT A SLIGHTEST CLUE WHAT THE WORLD WILL BE IN A FEW YEARS TIME.
It is recklessly irresponsible of this Government to conceal political agenda of massive migration when economic rational is irrefutably false when demanded of substantiation.
THE FRIGHTENING THING IN SINGAPORE IS THERE IS OFFICIAL SILENCE AND NO DISCUSSION ON POPULATION LINK CHANGES PROPOSED IN RELATION TO GLOBAL WARMING CONSEQUENCES.
POLITICS OVERRIDE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES AND FEW SINGAPOREANS IS ADEQUATELY INFORMED OF THE TRUE ECONOMIC PRICE OF CLIMATE CHANGE PORK-BARREL POLITICS IN COPENHAGEN AND HOW THAT WILL AFFECT THEIR LIVES FORWARD.
IT IS SCARY OF THE POLITICAL COVER-UP HERE.
SINGAPORE is just small pond with limited resources, and with the bigger fish that swim into the pond, are singaporean really benefit from it. JUST to end this, singaporean have do what is good for their own country.
Shanmugam is a parasite new citizen from India same as Mr. Fredric Fanthome. They are here to defend the policies of PAP so that they can import more of their citizens here.
Besides taking millions of dollars from our taxpayers and “talking rubbish” in public places, I don’t see how this foreigner did ever create job for Singaporeans.
We finally have the truth:
Foreigners generate our livelihood not Pigs @ parliament.
Why do we pay them a high salary then?
remember the PRC woman PR cleaner that torched her boyfriend’s farm after a tiff with him?
Foreign talent cleaner?
how many jobs did she create?
how’d she get PR?
It another hint on who u should vote for come 2010 or 2011
Besides looking forward coming election, I patronise only shops and restuarant which hire local talent. I know that will left few choices but what else can we do? It’s time to show them our unity.
Many good points have been raised. What has not got a good airing are the following:
What happens in the future if for some reason or other Singapore’s growth slows down or stagnates? This could happen if the world economy doesn’t recover or recovers weakly, a war breaks out somewhere or political changes occur in China or India to derail economic progress. What do we do if we cannot support the 6 million population that we target to have? Send the foreign talents back, jettison the locals, send out wives and daughters as maids overseas?
What is this magic figure of 6 million? Is it because the MIW have to do something spectacular to justify their high salaries? Is it because their bonuses are directly tied to GDP growth and they have to raise GDP at all costs? If a 2% growth in GDP means an extra 6 months’ bonus, this can easily be achieved by increasing the GST. Doesn’t it worry the MIW of the pain it would cause Singaporeans?
Why are we so much in rush to over populate Singapore? Is it for bragging rights to say that we are bigger than Denmark, Finland, Norway or New Zealand? What has our infrastructure of roads, housing and social facilities been designed for? These things take decades to build but this obsession with the 6 million mark only took place recently. Supposing we built these facilities and the scenario mentioned above takes place? How are we going to pay and maintain it if the population declines by a third? Shouldn’t the quality of the population be more important than quantity? Bring in by all means the entrepreneurs, the talented and those with bags of money to invest. Do we need the other foreign talons (pun intended) that fight for housing, MRT seats, school and university places? Can we place hand on heart and honestly believe that these foreign talents are going to be around to support us when Singapore is in trouble? And what is this bull about a declining population needing young people to support them. They have their own aged parents in their home country to support. If the theory about declining population is correct, then whatever the size of the population it will one day decline. Then should we keep bringing in more and more people until we become like the seal colonies with each fighting for a one square foot patch to lay their eggs. Meanwhile, where are the benefactors of the GDP increase? Will it suffice to say ‘Sorry, I made a mistake, let’s move on’ like the language policy. And note they haven’t said sorry for the stop at two policy, the graduate mothers’ scheme and the billions lost in ill-conceived investments overseas.
What is most alarming is that none of the MIW can see what is going on and question the wisdom of these decisions. Just because the Old Man says it then it must be true? Heck, he hasn’t done a good job forecasting and we still pay him good money to continue forecasting. Is it a case of collective blindness or absolute and utter obedience?
I know that some commentators have praised the MIW for a job well done in making Singapore what it is. I will be the first to say so too. But don’t be too blinded by the razzmatazz and tinsel of a subservient media and a troop of well paid bootlickers. If I am allowed to do some free forecasting. I forecast the concentration of power in the few and the absence of social institutions to balance power and opinion will create a compliant citizenry who will have no stake or interest in Singapore. The longer this situation exists, the more violent will change be when it takes place and it will take place for sure. History has shown that people will not be satisfied with bread alone. When the time comes, they will forsake bread for a right to live their lives as they want to, the right to determine their future and the right to determine the future of their children. This will be a sorry end to Singapore.
So what do I know, I am only the Born Loser.
Who can say that the economy will not crash again?
What if it crash again during a prolonged slow recovery stretching 2 to 3 years?
If it is possible to prevent an economic crash, there would not have been economic crisis in the 1st place.
So, to me, anything is possib
I see so many rants and so much of whining yet no one seems to mention one particular trend: singaporeans themselves fail to understand that singaporean business owners are the ones who try to get rich at their fellows expenses by giving work to foreigners. Let’s not go to massage parlour+china girls story which is kindda double standard(where most of the customers are singaporeans themselves shhhh…) that are owned by singaporeans shhhhh… let’s not talk about coffee shop owners who are singaporeans that hire china workes….shhhh and list goes on…
How about Dr BK Modi who was given PR and who opened his HQ here in Singapore… why don’t we check out how many singaporeans he hired… http://www.singaporesights.com/sight/spice-corp-india-chooses-singapore-their-global-office
How about Botak Jones? who has outlets all over Singapore..? Isn’t he creating jobs for local market?
http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_420339.html
Last PM Goh Chok Tong then who said Singapore need a population of 8.9 Million and he sounded so ‘cock-sure’ too!!!… And now it has been scaled down to 6.5!!!…
What the difference bwteen a Con and a THOROUGHBRED???…
FICKLE or UNprofessional???… Take your pick!!!…
analien is correct.
many born citizens are businessmen who like to use foreign workers for 1 simple reason that they cost less.
so many singaporeans are businessmen/women.
These surely support the policy.
The new citizens mostly will support who?
So many of these queueing up to be grassroots leader.
Capable talents exist in ample quantities and they do not join the opposition.
the population size has changed since last election.
opposition may not get the 33.3% again unless they give all they can and treat this as their last attempt.
So, opposition like WP should not take the 33.3% for granted.
@ analien on Sat, 12th Dec 2009 2:33 pm
Sorry to disappoint your minute thoughts on the irrelevance. The migration debate is NOT about Botak Jones nor Dr B.K. Modi. These out “outliers” of fringe relevance.
Much more critical issue is the migration influx interlinked global change WHICH Pappies and MSM have NOT spoken one word officially or publicly discussed in MSM.
The simple truth is – how many are we bringing in? Botak Jones and Dr. B.k. Modi? If it is only these two, I said NOT enough. If it include Chip Goodyear, I say still long enough by the long shot.
But if it is these three foreign talent and planeloads and planeloads of massage parlour talents and cleaner quality PRs, I did say scrapped the migration policy – the negative outweighed all the positives.
The problem of bringing in 3 million or more of migration is not just infrastructure pressures from school placing, hospital bed availability, emergency ambulance, traffic snarls in emergency, it is ALSO THE COSTS OF INFRASTRUCTURE BUILD-UP TO SUPPORT – unless of course you want to sit on top of MRT trains zipping from stations to stations while your foreign talents sit inside the carriage perhaps. And then what about enviuronmental degradation, water supply, JOBS THAT ARE SUSTAINABLE FOR THEIR LIFE TIME AND MINE TOO. And when the war comes, we Singaporeans (NOT imported PRs) have to fight floor to floor from apartment to apartment right from void deck to 42 story higha accomodation to rescue our civilians and them
IS THERE A LOT OF FUN IN THESE?
perhaps you got brainwashed and gone STUPID?
I have a lot more to say, but I will keep it brief for you and TR readers.
In climate change era, carbon tax add to your costs of living. No one escape. A lot of marginal agriculture will be wiped out of production. Food will go up. Already the costs of accomodation of HDB prices have gone up despite the near catastrophic Depression risk this year. How many low paying jobs do we have to share to buy enough toilet paper to clean your ar$e? The Government keep silent.
Are you deaf to hear or too blind to read this post? STUPID AGAIN!
@ Bong Mong Song on Sat, 12th Dec 2009 4:45 pm
analien is correct. His argument is flawed – shortsighted. There are far bigger issues as I have raised above. Climate Change era is different. Australia slowed its immigration intake. Countries prefer QUALITY but lower population – not quantity. Even China with the world’s largest population wants a SMALLER population because of fear of climate change impact. This Government wants a bigger reason – SOLELY FOR UNDISCLOSED POLITICAL REASONS, not the economic furphy they pretends.
NOTICED THAT MSM NEVER DISCUSSED MIGRATION POLITICS WITH THE SAME ENTHUSIASM AS IN THE CYBERSPACE BLOGGING AND OF COURSE NEVER LINKED POPULATION RISKS WITH CLIMATE CHANGE CONSEQUENCES – it is politically dynamite. Nobody know how the carbon tax will be allocated adding to cost of living worse than COE, ERP, GST combined and costs of living pressure as migration push up demand and costs for housing.
Botak Jone and Dr B.K. Modi, though symbolically valid, is a drop in the ocean of what is awaiting us – IN THE FACE OF GLOBAL ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY OF FINANCIAL MELTDOWN RECENTLY.
PLEASE, DON’T GET FOOLED AGAIN.
i feel angry… Singapore businesses are saying they need more foreigners when i am still unemployed after graduating.
LOT program was meant for fresh grads but companies are asking up to 3 years of experience.
I hear of stories of companies hiring Bangla Engineers now and i heard they knew little… BUT they willingly ask a lot of questions.