January 5, 2010 by admin
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Written by Our Correspondent
Minister in Prime Minister’s Office and NTUC Secretary-General
Mr Lim Swee Say has exhorted Singapore companies to adopt the
“cheaper, faster and better” strategy to increase productivity in
the face of new challenges brought about by the recovery of the
economy.
Singapore became the first Asian country to enter into recession
in 2008. Its leaders claimed it is “unavoidable” as Singapore is
heavily dependent on external trade, however when Singapore got out
of recession last year, they were quick to claim credit for it.
Mr Lim was speaking during a visit to hi-tech optics company
QIOPTIQ this morning. He had earlier also made a call on Singapore
workers to be “cheaper, faster and better” which brought him much
derision from the public.
This time round, he had his deputy Ms Josephine Teo to clarify
what he had meant exactly.
Speaking to reports from Lianhe Wanbao, Ms Teo explained the
concept of “cheaper, faster and better” involves increasing the
productivity of workers through training to equip them with
manifold skills and not via decreasing their wages or making them
work under unbearable conditions.
Though the ruling party has constantly implored Singapore
workers to lower their wage demands to keep themselves
competitive, the irony is – it is the most expensive government in
the world.
A Minister without portfolio like Mr Lim Swee Say costs
Singapore taxpayers nearly $2 million dollars a year or more
than 4 times the annual salary of U.S. President Barack Obama.
Perhaps Mr Lim should walk his talk first by coming up with a
set of KPIs to assess the performance of his fellow colleagues
according to his “cheaper, faster and better” strategy.