THE TEMASEK REVIEW

btan:

You and your friend are citizens. We still have one last weapon up our sleeves and that is voting in the general election. While it is not entirely free and fair, what with GRC systems and high publicity given to the PAP, you still can exercise your vote.

Wake up and vote for the opposition and then see positive change coming. We can’t expect PAP to change itself.

csl:

the author failed to count the levy the pub will be paying for the two girls. Add in possible accommodation provisions the pub will be paying just about the same anyway.

In any case, his friend could be able to get a job as a bartender in a hotel or other establishments looking for good talented bartenders. Given that he commanded 1.5k, I assume he should be able to make a proper Singapore Sling. Bartenders with skills and good service attitudes are hard to come by there can be greener pastures somewhere else for him.

BuiTaHan:

We can never compete against foreigners who have a different cost of living back home. The government is asking for an impossible from the citizen, who is expected to live in a first world cost of living but receiving salary that is good for a third world countries. Another impossible that is expected from the PAP government is that we have welcome them like a special guest despite that we are affecting adversely by this influx of foreigners. Where do you find this happening in another country ???

citizenofSG:

Singapore should have a pro Singapore’s workers bill. I recommend that opposition can come up with some constructive recommendation and push it through for the people of Singapore.
Some foreigners with a standard of living way below that of Singapore back home is prepared to work for meager salary and put in a one hundred percent effort. If I were an employer I will opt for these workers instead of Singaporean for many good reasons. A foreign worker has less option and they will not job hop (under work permit) or have an attitude towards their employer(sending back home is not an option) unlike local. They are more subservient and easier to control(naturally). The foreign workers pose direct threat to local workers and they will eventually win hands down given time. Employers genuinely would prefer foreign workers rather than local and there are many other reasons too where I am not going to discuss here for now.
To protect our worker it is necessary to have a pro Singapore’s worker bill. The fact that Singaporean are our very own citizen and they live here and if they are unemployed, the country will be worst off. Unemployed Singaporean will lead to social unrest and many other problems. Most important of all they are our very own and you don’t need a rocket scientist to work this out.
Singaporean workers has to earn money either to sustain their family or build a new home. Singaporean living expenses is high and employer does not subsidize their living expenses like paying for their accommodation whilst unlike foreigners they are subsidized at times.
Male Singaporean serves national service and reservist, employers support for these are not unanimous. It is again detrimental to our own Singapore workers.
Singaporean has their family here, they have to devote social time with their own family (which is very important) and cannot devote 100% of their time to work. Comparing to a foreign worker who does not have anything better to do they are readily available to work overtime and devote their entire social time in work. This is totally unfair to the well being of Singaporean.
A pro Singapore workers bill must iron out all differences and give Singaporean an edge over their work competitor, namely the foreigners, in order to restore Singaporean faith in joining the workforce.
An example when an employer has to pay CPF to local workers and not for foreign workers, this is not favorable to Singaporean. The employers will consider employing foreigners more beneficial. However to remove CPF from Singaporean worker is a pay deduction. This again is not acceptable. Some thing must be done to make the imbalance more balance.
It may be true that foreign workers who are more readily to work hard is productive and they can contribute to a better economy for Singapore. However the price to be paid by the nation will eventually be one of destruction and capitulation to foreign invasion. We as a host doesn’t want to invite guest over to our house then allow the guest to eventually take over the running of our house and make themselves at home and share our husband or wife or our children. A line must be drawn.
I urge the opposition to be the first to take up this stand and urge the government to reform. Only by proving to the nation your worthiness can you expect the nation to vote for you. You should instill change and not wait for things to change. Opposition must not let the PAP usurp you on this by allowing them to recommend the bill first before you. Strike while the iron is hot and not when the issue sizzles out. The PAP will let the matter cool off as of now in preparation for the election. Keep reminding the people of this issue and tell them a temporary reprieve by the government is not a permanent one. Tell the people to act now or it will be too late cause after the election a greater invasion by the foreign workers will be coming to make up the short recess of pre election cooling of the issue.
The PAP came to power by championing the rights of the workers in the past , you the opposition has the very same opportunity now to champion for your disadvantaged fellow man and their work and their ideal. Go for it.
Wish you all luck.

cy:

see what i mean abt appealing to ppl to their interest and not to their reason.

ppl will only believe it when they experience it.

it’s like preaching religion to the atheist. the atheist will only wake up when he really “sees it”

cat:

This is just a small example.

There are many other more important examples like pilot training in SIA. IF you are s’porean, you can only apply after 26 yrs old.

if you are pr, you can apply after uni.

why is that?

The whole idea is to control s’poreans accessing the well paying professions, so that they cannot have access to to sufficient power and material well being to challenge pap rules early.

Cheese:

the boat is already sinking yet the people on board are still afraid to rock the sinking boat. For those who had the chance to vote but voted for the self-serving fat cats in the past elections, I say you ask for it if you cursing the PAP now.

If we continue to think the those self-serving fat cats will stop the boat from sinking and save us, think again. They are the only ones with life jackets on. We will be the only one getting drown.

Flustered:

You articulate our pain so well, i just have to thank you.

90% of my organisation is now made up of foreign “talents”. They take up simple jobs – administrators, telemarketers – and thinking jobs too – like executives and marketing managers – at a pay rate so measly, that it would seem idiotic not to hire them.

At the peak of the recession this year (mid-2009), almost all of those that were retrenched from various organisations are Singaporeans – replaced by these breed of “new-citizens” and PRs who just set foot in Singapore not more than a year ago. With Singapore dollar standing strong against their own currency back home, who’s to complain? They have all to gain and nothing to lose.

What then is going to happen to us? What about us who paid our way through everything since the day we were born, finance the economy through the taxes we pay and still end up with nothing?

WHAT ABOUT SINGAPORE-BORN CITIZENS? DON’T WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO LIVE AND SUPPORT OURSELVES? IF WE CAN’T FIND A DECENT LIVING IN OUR OWN HOME, WHERE ELSE CAN WE TURN TO?

Not many of us are as privileged as some who can travel out and find a decent job in a foreign land. A small percentage can do that – but the majority will have to face the cold hard reality at home. Yet even then, so many other countries are taking measures to protect the rights of its own people, especially more so during an economic meltdown. Many Singaporeans are turned away everywhere. Where else can we go?

Its just too F*****G frustrating. Sometimes, many times, you just feel like giving up