China lady on visitor’s pass among 7,800 applicants for casino job
August 4th, 2009 | 
Author: From our Correspondent
The Marina Bay Sands IR had received about 7,800 applications for more than 1,000 dealer positions it offered during a job fair last weekend. About 20% of those signed up are foreigners. (reference: Straits Times)
Of the reported 80% who are Singaporeans, the real number of citizens is not revealed. The Singapore government has categorized citizens and PRs together as “locals” in the official statistics.
One of the job-seekers is China national Ms Han Li Na, 26, a former sales assistant in China here on a visitor’s pass. She has never been to a casino before, but is willing to learn the trade.
According to Sands, short-listed applicants will be contacted so that face-to-face interviews can be arranged with the management.
Those who are selected will receive an employment contract and begin a three-month training programme. The Marina Bay Sands IR is scheduled to be opened early next year in stages.
Ms Han said she hopes she will receive updates on her application soon, as her visitors’ pass expires at the end of the month.
‘I really need a job now. If I am successful I will return to China for the next few months and come back for the training in October,’ she said.
The financial crisis has hit China hard leading to a rise in the unemployment rate with a tide of out of work rural workers returning to the countryside.
According to official statistics, a record has been broken with the number of unemployed college graduates this year, which is over seven million. (reference: Inside China)
Many young Chinese, like Ms Han, are forced to seek for jobs elsewhere. Singapore has a large number of Chinese nationals working in various professions such as nursing, engineering as well as blue collar jobs like construction labor, mechanics and cooks in restaurants.
Chinese nurses are ubiquitous in all the public hospitals in Singapore. In addition, Singapore also has a significant number of “peidu mamas”, single mothers who accompanied their children to study in Singapore who are not registered in the workforce. However, many of them find part-time work such as “massage therapists” to learn a living.
It is not uncommon to find China nationals on a visitor’s pass working in Singapore. Singapore is an attractive destination to an unconfirmed number of Chinese prostitutes who pry their trade along the alleys of Geylang during their short stay here.
Both the Marina Bay and Sentosa IRs have not revealed exact figures for the number of foreigners on their payroll. It is unlikely that the majority of the available jobs will go to Singaporean citizens (not PRs).
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The government does not care about Singapore belonging to Singaporeans. We have no national identity. As long as lip service is paid and the necessary propaganda done. The rest, you can blame the Singaporeans for being choosy about their jobs, their pay, working conditions, off days, etc etc etc. How many times have u read in the papers about Singaporeans being choosy about jobs? Doesn’t it implicitly give u a bad impression about Singaporeans being unrealistic about their expectations? Is this again national propaganda, or are we really so “mm jia lan”, for lack of a better description?
Our own government slams the true blue citizen at every opportunity on the newspapers and in important conferences. While our government revels in praising and holding the balls of foreign visitors, expats and new PRs or citizens at the same time.
However, the second group need not serve ns and reservist(maybe their children might, if they had not move to a western country after treating us like a springboard, or back to their own country after earning enough to retire).
I am beginning to believe this is media propaganda to keep us in our place. It’s manipulative. Insinuate that the people are ungrateful brats. Tell us we have much to be grateful for. Let us question ourselves. Keep self doubt alive. Less rebellions that way. As long as we keep doubting our rights to our liberties and happiness, they will be kept in their “rightful” power.
Good Job! I have to applaud them for their successful mass manipulation of the Singaporean Psyche. Is it any surprise we are rotting from the centre of the apple out? But we still look like a fresh red healthy apple from the outside, cause of our “economic growth”.
wow i didn’t know that people can come singapore on visitor passs and apply for a job?!
Why slam the mainland Chinese? The biggest number of PRs are Malaysians (Chinese) who dont have to do NS/get scholarships/recruited into PAP after immigration!
I’ve lived in Singapore for ten years and I will no doubt offend most Singaporean readers of this page. Yes, it is easy to criticise mainland Chinese and other foreign workers for coming to Singapore but look at these important facts:
1. Younger Singaporeans are generally lazy. Sorry to be so blunt but you’re no longer hard-working. Add to that a lack of initiative, a predilection for sick days, poor English language skills (Singlish needs to die), an inability to work through lunch (because of gastric problems) and a general lack of flexibility and you can see what both Singaporean and foreign employers do prefer to hire cheaper and harder-working foreigners. Yes, I am generalising… but, yes, I am also telling the truth. Why should I pay a higher salary for lower productivity?
2. Your government, which you continue to allow to rule despite its myriad faults, makes it easy to continue to hire foreigners but makes it difficult to express the difficulties in hiring locals. How can your country change when you can’t discuss the real issues for fear of defamation writs and/or expulsion?
Honestly, the IRs would be crazy to have majority Singaporean staff. There would be constant HR issues when large percentages of shifts aren’t available for work because they have MCs. It’s better to employ foreigners and know that they will turn up to work.
Singaporeans need to work harder and, more importantly, think harder. Initiative. Responsibility. Forthrightness. Punctuality. These are some other qualities that are lacking and that need to become part of the culture once again.
Hi Neil Bishop,
Thanks so much for sharing your honest views with us. It is always useful to see things from a different angle.
Would you like to touch up on your points and write a short article for us about your perception of the Singapore worker?
You can email us at: temasekreview@gmail.com
Dear Neil,
I appreciate you voicing out your views despite the barrage of criticisms u might receive from Singaporeans in denial.
That said, i would also like to say that the company i work for is local based. We employ about estimated 70 staff. 30% of these are Malaysians, Fillpinos, PRC, some of them are now PRs. In recent years, i have seen a greater number of foreigners employed by the company, esp in the min wage or job requirements level.
Looking at them, i do not believe that Singaporeans are exclusive to taking more sick days off, unable to work through lunch, lack initiative and are lazy. HONESTLY. In fact, i see the non locals as working less hard & lack even more initiative. They seem to be working for the sake of working, doing just enough to get by. There is one who is particularly enthusiastic in his job and hard working. But just that one. The rest are like what i said, or just like an average Singaporean.
Perhaps it’s a case of different industry and different company culture.
However looking it from the viewpoint that they might be just like the average Singaporean workforce in that some are lazy, some are hardworking, some lack initiative, some are enthuasiastic about their work, i would agree that yes, i would rather pay less for the same than more from the company’s viewpoint.
But i strongly disagree that Singaporeans are lazy & lack initiative on a general basis.
If our LEADERS can lose S$40 billion of state money in a non transparent investment fund and evade personal responsibility, along with other fiascoes like MSK, why should the average worker put in more effort and assume responsibility for their own professional mistakes?
Mr Bishop, on one hand you criticize Singaporeans for poor English while extolling the virtues of foreign workers, apparently you haven’t been to any other country (worldwide), where English is NOT the “lingua franca”. You will find our English competency more than adequate if for example you were to go to China and try to communicate in English. In fact, imo the reverse is true, for the majority of the Chinese population has a lamentable command of Mandarin, including yours truly.
HR issues are more problematic with something called National Service reservist training, rather than MCs. If I am not mistaken, the number of sick days are mandated by company policy, whereby an employee is then subject to termination/etc. These days with H1N!, would you want a hardworking employee to turn up with flu, or allow a flexible policy of allowing employees to telework via the Internet?
@Neil Bishop on Tue, 4th Aug 2009 1:11 pm… Greetings…You made an interesting and compelling post. I am a true-blooded Singaporean, will remember my country in my proverbial graveyard but will NOT BE OFFENDED by your writings on this thread.
Your comments about some of our youths ARE NOT MISPLACED bites.I have seen it in my own relatives and in other parts of the world as well I might add. It is the phenomenon of “DIGITAL BURIAL” – the rest of the world DOES NOT exist. They don’t read news and events happening around the world, with rare exceptions, conversations about current affairs and global developments in this economic and financial turmoil is like talking to the wall of concrete.Every day of their life is planning for good times and party time if they got a decent income. Other than their electronic gadgets, they are also lost in zombie land of internet addiction to ever challegning and conquering computer games. But watch my word, some of these strange digitally-buried dead WILL EITHER EXTINCT before long or THEY WILL WAKE UP WONDERING WHY LIGHTNING EVEN CHOOSE TO STRIKE AT THEM.
Anyone who lived, worked and/or travelled for business a very very large portion of the life on the globe outside their country of birth will know HOW FAR THESE YOUTHS HAVE FALLEN DEEP OVER THE CLIFF AND NOT KNOWING.
GLOBALISATION WILL DO NATURAL ATTRITION OF THOSE INCAPABLE OF SURVIVING IN THIS CHALLENGING WORLD because Singapore is clearly losing it competitiveness. It is sad but true because we got one generation now COMPLETELY SHELTERED FROM REALITIES GROWING UP FROM CHILDHOOD.Parents here in our culture DONT LET BABIES CRY, metaphorically speaking off course.
And you are also COMPLETELY CORRECT of statement that…..How can your country change when you can’t discuss the real issues for fear of defamation writs and/or expulsion? So what is DYSFUNCTIONAL CONSEQUENCES OF THAT OPPRESSION – a retard national pysche of POLITICAL CORRECTION and apple-polishing of even in the evidence of ENORMITY OF OBVIOUS GOVERNMENT FAILINGS. And MSM add another layer of deception – the myth of MONOPPOLY OF WISDOM of those who seat is araldited to power. This country went the wrong track of economy and politic and no one scream – YOU GOT IT WRONG, TURN BACK!! – BECAUSE THERE IS PERSECUTION WAITING AT YOUR DOOR IF YOU DARE. We did NOT have a strong external arm of economy – no one care or talk about this failing publicly and certainly not in MSM. It is a taboo subject to discuss anything wrong in this country. It is like a blind man falling into a craggy crevice, badly hurt and refusing to climb up on its own or don’t know how to climb back up on our own.
You been long enough in this country to see how FAKE OF LOYALTY THIS COUNTRY IS. Just look at the post Olympic celebration scandal. We CONSTIPATED of POO ANGUISH for 50 years to see one Olympic medal only to be done in by a wet bucketload of excrement poured over public enthusiasm and celebration of national identity, pride, dignity of our national soul and achievement of some measure to bring this nation together. In the face of angry public outcry, who among those POLITICALLY CORRECT AND THOSE POLITICALLY WELL PLACE DID ANYTHING TO RELIEVE OUR NATIONAL ANGUISH???? And now, they want this countrymen and women to deck this country with our national flag of love expression, solidarity, pride, identity and celebration of our oppressed history??? IT IS DIABOLICAL OF TRUTH OF A FAKE SHOW OF NATIONAL PRIDE AND BELONGING.
I am yearning for change – of law, politic and economy for the love of my country in my graveyard and for hopes, not hypes for the next generation.
“Younger Singaporeans are generally lazy.”
Agree. I also deem myself lazy. But there’re even lazier ones whom you just can’t bare to see. It’s now a “do just enough” attitude that’s amongst the people. I blame it on performance based incentives, because if they don’t get more for doing more, they think it’s better off not doing any better, nor going the extra mile.
FUCK CHINA. GO HOME!
If you say Singaporeans are lazy, than who do you think built up Singapore since independance? Now that we are old, and still being unable to reap the fruits of our earlier hard work and still working. Our children seeing us, seem disillusioned and discouraged. Not knowing what the future is in stall for them. A FT who comes to work here is purely for money, even if he and his family take up citizenship here. It will eventually be a matter of years when he realises what the original Singaporeans are going through. The FT would simply pack up and return to his family based country.
For Neils info. young Singaporeans don’t speak good English because it’s drummed into their heads to speak mandarin.
@Omega…Greetings…Agree with your observation…. A Spanish wisdom says that if you want to know if the “fresh-looking” fish is rotting, smell the head.” THAT IS EXACTLY RIGHT.
When leadership failed, others watch and be “politically correct” of dwelling in “bunker mentality” and better still do less to avoid inadvertetn exposed to more professional mistakes – denying professional responsibility as a survival instinct. IT IS CATERPILAR INSTINCT but it is a learnt survival skills.And for those a little bit ’smarter” like ruthless politicians, refine and practice the art of apple-polishing, it might get you one step further in career.
Those who get “ahead” are not necessary the work-knowledge capable ones – they are “kept” below to do the work. This is the paradox in inefficient and non-functioning organisation. If you promote the best and brightest, who is around to do the execution to perfection if the smartest ones are already assign to do the “ordering of command”?? For some organisations, it is better that it is at least “functioning” i.e. like caterpillars in charge and the real good slaves to get it done rather than have good ones in charge and caterpillars at the bottom non-functioning. THIS IS REALITY OF ORGANISATION LIFE.
An Anerican organisational scientist Edgar Schein did a study of American POWs returning from the Korean War. The US Government, at the end of the war and POWs exchange with China discovered to their amazement why so many POWs adores their captors and denounced the political doctrine of their own Government despite the political indoctrination. They found that Chinese were better at indcotrinating the POWs in captivity a lot better than US military. THE CHINESE REVERSED THE ORDER OF HIERARCY, THE GOONS IN CHARGE OF OFFICERS, PRIVILEGE WITHHOLD OR SELECTIVELY FED TO POLITICALLY CORRECT. WITHOUT PILLAR OF SUPPORT OF MORAL BEHAVIOUR AND RECTITUDE OF CORRECT SOCIAL ORGANISATION OF RESPECT FOR AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITY, THE DISCIPLINED INSTILLED IN THOSE CAPTURED POWs COMPLETELY DISINTEGRATED. THE GENERAL, LEUTENANT COLONEL, MAJORS, CAPTAINS POWs WERE TREATED LIKE SCUMS BY MEN THEY PREVIOUSLY COMMAND AND NOW COMPLETELY DESPISED.
The consequence is that the “rational” organisation became the MOST IRRATIONAL ORGANISATION BUT MOST EFFECTIVE in perpetuating a PERVERTED LEADERSHIP IN COMMAND. It gets things done BY DECEPTION, MISINFORMATION, DENIAL OF RESPONSIBILITY AND ALSO SELECTIVE REWARD FOR POOR AND NON-PEFORMANCE.
I hope Singapore is NOT heading towards the direction of ‘IRRATIONAL ORGANISATION” BY INTENT OR CARELESS DEFAULT.
READ THIS STUFF ON EDGAR SCHEIN for those interest in the subject of political brainwashing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_washing
Dear Fairplayplease,
You can say that Singaporeans are ignorant fools. Most do not care or talk about current affairs. We are an apathetic lot. That i can admit. Partly caused by the government, partly caused by the not bothered attitude of the general population. We are insulated from the outside world. From a young age, i did not read or refused to read the local papers cause i had the idea all of it is rigged. Now, i have no choice but to read the papers anyway. When i talked to some teenagers about the government, about state media, it turns out that they do know! whether from mass emails, facebook, etc i have no idea. But they do have an inkling of how things actualy are. Which is somewhat more than i can say for myself when i was years younger. But everyone just keep quiet and stay quiet? Why? I am not sure. Fear of persecution? Helplessness & despair? Resignation? Maybe cause everyone just feels that no matter how u talk about it, nothing changes. No matter how you question the government, and they do let u question them, it’s still useless. Cause they market the worst policies in the nicest sweet wrapping and tell u it’s for your own damn good!
But to call the younger generation lazy fools, i am not sure i agree. We all have to work to support this, to support that. As always, our income level and our cost of living differs and the difference in level is growing wider, which causes the basic population stress and to work harder.
Apathetic? yes. Ignorant? yes. Lazy? NO!
@ Silvir 24…Greetings…. I WOULD NOT CALL YOUNGER GENERATION..by these words of quoted descript
“But to call the younger generation lazy fools”
I would say a lot – not even necessarily the majority – are trapped in digital burial – a bit closer to “alice in wonderland” dream world. Many are like you said, vaguely aware and thinking of making some money and look quickily to in their words “migrating to other countries before I gets old”.
Almost childlike niavety – that other countries are always waiting for their migration applications from every anomie Singaporeans???? I don’t understand what they want to do in other countries to give them a better life?? I ask some – what do you plan to do in Australia ( if they want to migrate there)…the answer inevitably…. I will do some little jobs and get some money from Government to spend…no need to work so hard, so stressful like here….and these are young graduates who are absolute digital kids…. my mind goes blank of further discussion…”
Looking at your regular posts in this wayang party com, I am sure you BELONG TO THE MINORITY if you are in your early twenties fresh out of poly or university here. I met young foreign students in Sydney, THEY DONT THINK LIKE THAT – I guess because they are exposed living in a different culture BEYOND THE DIGITAL BURIAL.
i am also recently realised the younger ignorant and laziness attitude and take thing for granted. it is sad to knwo that even my children are likewise.
i suspect all along it had to do with moral civic subejct beign less teaching in education system among others that brought up the younger batch culture. they dont bother to read news, like to laze most of the time, procastinate and take for granted. coupled with our political lopsided system culture and controlled, it make me no hope for singapaore’s future.
HI I FROM HONG KONG BUT I READ UR BLOG OFTEN. EVEN AFTER HANDOVER IN 1997 WE AT H.K. NO LOVE CHINA. OVER HERE WE HAVE POPULAR WISDOM: “ONLY GOOD CHINA-MAN IS DEAD CHINA-MAN”
Stenley or Fatt Lam: LOL that is hilarious!!!
I’m not a fresh grad. Never saw much point in the educational system. I only have my O levels. From young, i also saw the educational system as trash/rigged. I had a feeling if i studied more, i would only see and hear what “they” allow me to know. Perhaps it’s my paranoia.
We might complain that the younger generation take things for granted, in digital burial, procrastinate etc. But is that partly how we made them? How many times have the parents told their kids, go to school, study hard, next time can earn more money, if not wash dishes ah! How many students in Singapore repeatedly do 10 year series to score high marks. memorise and regurgitate. That’s our study style. It carries over into adulthood. What’s there to discuss when they are not even taught to think for themselves. Is it any wonder we have degenerated to the state that we are?
The government later comes up with policies to encourage more creativity, independence etc etc etc… BUT in a CONTROLLED environment. cause the more independent thinkers there are, the more dissent there will be. So they are stuck between wanting more but not willing to give more. Wanting more from Singaporeans, but fear that this will threaten their stranglehold on Singapore. So what’s going to give? It’s as much your guess as mine.
@ Fairplayplease on Tue, 4th Aug 2009 3:39 pm
I like your posting on political brainwashing. The mass conversion of human beings to pervasion can be so shockingly easy.
What makes us think our government who consists of those elite few has not been so easily perverted/converted? Especially with the lack of accountability or checks & balances.
Typo! Pervasion should read Perversion. Vastly different meanings.
This Chun-Li must be thinking that the casino job here is some Street Fighter tournament for her to participate in and display her lightning kick.
@silvir24 on Tue, 4th Aug 2009 5:52 pm …Greeting….Glad youu like my posting political brainwashing.
cynical political institutions and politicians are like that…the fanatical cleric in Iran put their sick ideology ahead of economic welfare of their people and maintain control by violent intimidation of legitimate dissent. Thirty years of political isolation and suppression, no progress and only a bit better than North Korea, Cuba, Myammar -even remiscent of Pre-Deng era China when people took the stupid Red Book with them into the toilet lest you be accused of politically incorrect.
Any political institution who claims monopoly of wisdom IS AN IMMEDIATE SUSPECT of good intent and integrity of governance. PEOPLE SHOULD REALISE THIS. If you are any good, why afraid of political challenge to your power supremacy? IT GOT TO BE MISCHIEVOUS OF HIDEOUS POLITICAL BRAINWASHING OF THE PEOPLE, NOTHING LESS!!
to Neil Bishop:
This is the answer to your No 2:
“Repression, Sir is a habit that grows. I am told it is like making love-it is always easier the second time! The first time there may be pangs of conscience, a sense of guilt. But once embarked on this course with constant repetition you get more and more brazen in the attack. All you have to do is to dissolve organizations and societies and banish and detain the key political workers in these societies. Then miraculously everything is tranquil on the surface. Then an intimidated press and the government-controlled radio together can regularly sing your praises, and slowly and steadily the people are made to forget the evil things that have already been done, or if these things are referred to again they’re conveniently distorted and distorted with impunity, because there will be no opposition to contradict.” -Lee Kuan Yew as an opposition PAP member speaking to David Marshall, Singapore Legislative Assembly, Debates, 4 October, 1956
The recent rally in the stock market is a tactic to transfer monies back to the town councils as they prepare for battle in the coming elections.
They were holding to a lot of shares and suffered paper loses.
This rally is created to transfer monies back to them to the detriment of the various govt public bodies finances.
Once PAP won again, they are transfering the monies back to them via the stock market.
The one losers are Singaporeans, who ended up giving their rights in exchange for peanuts.
We should welcome FT …
FT will help to create more jobs for us … hahaha
Singaporeans should get this idea right lar …
To all the blockheads.
There are more S’poreans working in China than Chinese nationals in Singapore.
Mind you their average wage is also higher than the locals there.
And we better open up ourselves to the world before we are swamped by the Mas Selamats. Then maybe this website is also outlawed by fatwas.
Dear Realist where do u get the numbers from? Looking at population, Chinese nationals form what percentage of the work force in Singapore. In comparison, the Singaporeans who go to China to work forms a negligible percentage of the workforce? I’m not sure. perhaps i am very wrong.
Yes, we do need FTs in Singapore. To an extent. This extent has perhaps been exceeded if we’re hearing more and more dissent.
The government wants us to be cheap enough to attract more foreign investors into setting up shop here. At the same time, they want us to be rich enough to afford exorbitant public housing which is a reflection of our wealth. Can this 2 vastly different policies be reconciled?
When we are not cheap enough, we import cheap workers to sustain the need for cheap labour. Gradually displacing local workers. We are importing them in droves. How often do u go out to eat, drink, make merry and you’ll ALWAYS see FTs in place of local workers now. Everywhere you turn, they are there. Where are the Singaporeans? In the higher paid jobs which requires higher skills? The sector which requires more skilled workers are less labour intensive. Where do u think are the locals who have been replaced? In SPUR programmes upgrading themselves?
@ Realist…Greetings…you good at cooking up imaginative undisclosed statistics which don’t seem realist to me. A casual internet search would show even “foreign experts” teaching English in Universities gets maybe 4,000 mb to 5,000 rmb per months. NOW THAT IS AROUND $1,000 PER MONTH. Which “blockhead”, other than you perhaps goes there to earn this money that won’t even feed your single living expenses in Singapore when you must some day come back??? Or are you one of those utter rejects here, got no other options but to go to China to teach or other insignificant jobs staying there legally after marrying some trash from that place??
“Everywhere you turn, they are there. Where are the Singaporeans?”
Perception, my dear boy.
They live in small chicken coops and must come out and stretch their legs and save electricity.
Singaporeans live in comfy. Watching TV and enjoying air-con in their condoms (sorri i mean condos) and upsized HDB flats. Come school holidays, Singapore is as good as empt. Everyone fly out in budgets or whatever to spend the Sing$.
Please lah. Check out the facts. 80-20 is good anywhere – the Pareto Principle. Get it?
“And we better open up ourselves to the world before we are swamped by the Mas Selamats. Then maybe this website is also outlawed by fatwas.”
For somebody who claims to be a realist, this guy seems more like a RACIST.
“Darth Vader on Wed, 5th Aug 2009 11:27 am ”
Fortnately he’s back in prison albeit in Malaysia.
I said, “And we better open up ourselves to the WORLD . . .” lest you can’t understand English. Secularists (not on State welfare) as opposed to the fundamentals. Which would you have?
I’d welcome the former with open arms anytime from anywhere.
Otherwise there’ll be replays of what is happening in Indonesia. Indonesia simply can’t manage. One after anotherc blast. From Bali to Jakarta; every now and then.
So, it’s not abt race (racist) my fren. It’s abt religious fanatism! Therefore, so long if it’s not this group we shd welcome the others who will, now or later, contribute to our Treasury.
The choice is yours. Changi Airport and Yishun MRT are still standing.
“Singaporeans live in comfy. Watching TV and enjoying air-con in their condoms (sorri i mean condos) and upsized HDB flats. Come school holidays, Singapore is as good as empt. Everyone fly out in budgets or whatever to spend the Sing$.”
Seems you believe that what you see among you is the norm. But perhaps you’ve only observed your friends, especially the younger, richer ones, where traveling conversations and condominiums is heard nearly too often. I can only assuming that you’re currently studying, but calling sliver a dear boy makes you sound too old in contrast to the fact that you’re seeing so little.
You, Realist, my friend, is the one blurred by the Pareto Principle. You’re only looking at the minor side of Singapore, thinking it was 80% all these time. Just take a closer look into the “comfy homes”, and perhaps see for yourself sometimes what it means to stay in a 3 room flat filled with at least 7 people. Sure they have food on the table, roof over their heads, basic necessities for sure, but not the luxury of enjoying life, nor the time to do so. You have not seen enough of the lower class in Singapore, they hide in the shadows, covered by clouds of the MSM. You have not, I assure you.
P.S: Suddenly reminded me of an incident where an old indian and an adult couple were quarreling over a trolley of cardboard, making a commotion so loud I could hear it off the coffeeshop. It was almost amazing.
randomnessinmind on Wed, 5th Aug 2009 1:07 pm
There’s no PERFECTION, fren.
Look at the per capita income & GINI index of this no economies of scale little red dot relative to other large and resource full countries and you will understand reality better.
No need to go any further. Visit any of the other ASEAN countries nearby and see how their poor live and sanity will return.
Neil Bishop is wrong.Even older workers are given the short shrift.So why blame the young alone. The number of MCs I took in my 37 years I can count with only two hands.
I put in a lot of extra hours in the job. At 60 I am still able and strong. But because the Government has continued to drum up this talk about older workers lacking productivity, I get the bad end for any job I apply. And Lee Kuan Yew at 80 is still working. What is sauce for the gander is not sauce for the goose.
@man aginst the tank on Tue, 4th Aug 2009 9:15 pm
wherever your got your source, i like your post. Indeed… Repression is a habit that grows.
http://www.asiaone.com/Business/News/Office/Story/A1Story20080303-52391.html
I just read this link which supports what Realist has said about more Singaporeans working in China at higher pay than the locals.
While i still argue that the percentage based on population numbers is vastly different. But i concede that these Singaporeans are very well paid compared to the common PRC labourers if the stats are to be believed.
I am not a little boy, and when i say wherever we turn, we see foreigners, i was speaking of the working force. Not the shopping crowd or leisure crowd.
They are replacing our workforce on a 30% basis. This is from what i can see in my workplace, and also in the general industries outside. More and more foreigners are being hired in place of locals. Probably due to lower labour cost.
However, doesn’t it make it worse for the average Singaporean in the lower income group, struggling to survive.
Of course perfection doesn’t exist. But isn’t human life about struggling to get there?
The government is not completely wrong in its policies and there are good achieved which must also be weighed against the bad. If we are benefitting, thus sitting back and say well… that’s the way it’s going to be. U were born to be poor and that’s just too bad for you. Then… what can i say? you’re of course entitled to your views from up there. Afterall, our very government practice the same elitist policies. From where i am, u can struggle all you want. You’re an ant in the big scheme of things. U were born to struggle.
And that’s it? I personally object to policies which seek to achieve artificial numbers of economic growth at all cost, especially at a great cost to the people.
You… can view it anyway you like, as long as it doesn’t affect the comforts of your air conditioned life in condo or upgraded HDB flat.
To Silvir24
Martyn See is the man:
check it out http://singaporerebel.blogspot.com/2008/08/democracy-justice-equality-peace.html
Realist on Wed, 5th Aug 2009 2:22 pm :
I never said there was perfection. And yes economic numbers do well to showcase us as being alot better off than the others. And yes comparing our poor people with other countries reflects us as better off.
But is this where we’re supposed to stop, feeling content that we’re better off than other countries? Is this where we let our current government tells us “Oh we’re doing alot better than most other countries, so you citizens should be grateful and keep quiet about all the things we’re not doing.”
They paid themselves first class pay, and I expect to see first class effort to help Singapore citizens in every way they can. And even if they didn’t receive first class pay, I would expect an effort to at least produce a social safety net for the poor so they can try to climb out of poverty. But I’m seeing nothing done.
They Peg their salaries to the private sector. So I expect professionalism from them. But what I see is instead of providing solutions, they twist words and gives excuses to justify their methods. “THEY ARE ALWAYS RIGHT”
So why should I stop at accepting the fact that poor people in Singapore is better off? Why would I accept an 80% work when people were paid to do 100% as promised. Sure there’s no perfection, but we try to be near perfect, regardless. We’ve been constantly told to improve ourselves, I’ll agree to that, but Singapore isn’t improving, even if it is it is not improving fast enough even though people are being squeezed dry. And for some people, not only are things NOT improving, life’s getting worst. My only demand is these citizens get helped, so they, and I, can still call this country my Motherland.
I don’t reject foreigners, but I would prefer a better aide in letting lower income Singaporeans have higher chances in landing a job. Either that, or help them fully with welfare (Dream on!) and allow them more opportunities to climb out of poverty themselves.
Does anyone know why we do not outsource our govt ?
This is because it would be cheaper and better for us to have paid millions to look after true blue Singaporeans interest…..
Not working hard enough ….. ??? it starts from the top…..
Simple analogy, try keeping fish in a tank, and gradually increasing their numbers, with the same resources available… (i.e food, oxygen, water change )
@SPOF on Thu, 6th Aug 2009 7:52 am
I’m curious. What would happen? The fishes will start to eat each other? Grow smaller? Die?
The fishes will start eating each other. And Die. Not grow smaller, but yea. They will start eating the corpse of those who died, or kill each other right off if they’re fierce enough. (I meant real fishes, really.)
And if they were fishes of different sizes the bigger fiercer ones usually survives. My brother raised an overpopulated tank before with no dividers, it ended up horrendous.
Randomnessinmind:
The government’s policies have a underlying principle of ruthless elimination. LKY’s dream probably of creating a Super Singapore. Only the elites will live. The rest will merely survive on bare necessities. If u want to live, feel free to join in the game.