Breeding a new generation of quitters

last SG · 2007-04-14T18:14:27+00:00

The recent forum between LKY and YPAP have also highlighted the "brain drain" issue. I think the fact that people will be moving around different countries...

lighthand SG

I have been out of the SG for a month for business in Korea;

I noticed alot of Singaporeans working for MNCs as well as overseas startups, when I ask one of them (just as a joke) "So are you going to quit the country too?" the answer I got really got be thinking... "The first chance I get. Why do you think I am here now?"

The worst part of it is the lady seems no more than 26 - 30 years of age, at this age you are at your peak. I fear if we do not address this trend soon, the new generation will leave. I know there's also new citizens coming into SG, however will they be able to completely replace the ones we loss?

I asked a very senior engineer (Korean) what he thinks of SG, his reply was that "SG is wonderful, you have a great gov". I follow up with the next question would he like to come work and stay in SG? "Sorry but no, your country don't give me as much freedom as my country does".

Makes one wonder......

wisefool83 SG

I think this is to be expected in a globalising world. I saw in another thread where a East European country's population is dropping because most of its youth are going elsewhere to look for work. In return, it starts to absorb China chinese to top up its labour force. Singaporeans are moving out, but people are also moving in. There are lots of issues to be solve, but the fact remains that we are unlikely to stop the trend of moving around.

SingaporeTyrannosaur SG

The problem is that there is something seriously wrong with us given we are unable to retain our top talent, and are forced to import.

This means that while Singapore is a good place to work and make money, it obviously isn't a good place to live in... and due to what reasons I'll leave you to speculate... but I wonder where so many of our policies come from... these are the PUSH factors that lead us to losing our top local talents.

Anyway, instead of taking steps to reduce the brain drain, it seems that the current solution is simply to top up whatever is leaving with talents from outside which are attracted to the nation because they are currently not subject to any of the PUSH factors that true blue locals have to face.

But then, this means that the PUSH factors are made to work more and more on the local population that is still around, as they have to tank the damage and disadvantages of many of the policies that apply only to the locals, the very policies that drive our local top talents away in the first place.

But it seems that some are happy with the way things are, as long as the policies that have the dark side of having the PUSH factors benefit them, so much so to the point that our measure of importing FTs has been regarded as the solution, and not the stopgap, makeshift solution that it is.

If we can't retain our top talent, then something is seriously wrong with the way we train, teach and treat them, as well as with the with the concept of Singaporean citizenship as well, which seems to become more and more of no one owes you a living, but you owe the nation everything somehow.

Is it any surprise that some decide to leave altogether?

robertteh SG

Very good question - are we breeding quitters? If there is no Lee Hsien Loong, we would have some other. It is circumstances that make the hero according to a old Chinese Saying - "sze zhi chau ing xiong'.

Under a policy called depolitization, co-option and machination, we have been totally deprived of potential political leaders.

Potential leaders were either coerced into submission or be absorbed into the system to serve selfish needs of keeping political power and jobs at the expense of national good.

The few political talents left were crushed by defamation law suits or exiled into extinction. Thousands of young and capable have migrated jumping at the slightest opportunity to accept overseas posting just to get out of such a oppressive place. No amount of money will buy these groups of real talents who have now left for good. In desperation, government now has to induce young people with lots of monies in order to make them interested to join politics.

Now we then hear our leaders lamenting a lack of political interests or apathy among the young. Whose fault? With the highest salaries will they be able to retain our few talents ?

Have our leaders done the right thing in the first place in their governance to keep and retain talents?

Fingolfin_Noldor SG

Let's distill it into simpler terms.

Would any human being with a shred of decency wish to associate himself with a Govt that persecutes opposition members, even going as far as using ISA sometimes, and also resorts to the most blatant lies possible to cover up their asses?

As to why people don't want to work here, the answer is just as simple as it is in economics: Why the heck would one work in an environment where companies pay people at the bottom end of the salary scale, and you have high costs of living when there are much better alternatives elsewhere?

popmynutsy SG

soon, sg will be run by fts, and the sgreans will go to other country and fa zhan.

allentyb SG

there is no place like a 'fine' country run by a bunch of politicians just want to increase and in the 'name' of combat corruption, increase by their salary without any public consent at all, and forgotten who vote them into power and fails to remember who is the one, is keeping them in power

OH WOW,

what a 'GREAT' country, all FT, please come here, we will give you all the things that you want, at the expense of the citizen who has to suffer because of their welfare

jondizzle foshizzle SG

It’s true…singapore lacks freedom

ShutterBug SG

All these feedbacks, and our gov chooses to ignore but can acknowledge that there's a Brain Drain.... Rolling Eyes

Wake up PAP, one day you will find that 70% of population are PR holders, New Citizens, and Foreign Workers and Foreign "Talents"... all your locals will have moved out permanently....

And then when a major down turn in economy ever happens, you can potentially find yourselves, rowing your own dragon boat...

FireAndHell SG

I always wonder.....when ppl talk about "freedom"......"a free country"....what does it really mean? Can anyone enlighten on the word "freedom"? Is it something like......"i can kill someone i dislike.....but as i have my "rights" and lots of money.... i can hire a very good lawyer to prove that i am innocent and can get away with murder?"

I am totally lost on the meaning of "freedom". Enlighten me please?? Confused

AndrewPKYap SG

This fact condemns the P*P ministers and shows why they are not worthy of their salaries, much less the increase in their salaries.

If Singapore is so great why are so many people quiting and why are even more people "wanting" to quit?

Singapore is great for the "RICH"
P*P is government "for the rich by the rich"

The majority of Singaporeans are not rich, even if they are not poor.

This is a government for the minority and should be a minority government.

Government control of the mass media press is the reason why this sad situation is allowed to continue.

"They and their cronies" have the money - so their "take away the people's money policies" do not affect them and is good for them

"They and their cronies" have the freedom to stand for elections - so their policies do not affect them and is good for them

"They and their cronies" have the freedom to speak their propaganda in the mass media - so their policies do not affect them and is good for them.

The only way is to vote in more opposition whether the opposition is "good" or "bad" - not for the sake of the opposition - for our own sakes... so that the opposition parties can recruit better candidates next time.

vito_corleone SG

Serve And Fark off Laughing

dragg SG

soon we will see eastern europe full of chinese and singapore full of europeans.

Laughing

I-like-flings(m) SG

Dear Boss,

If you happened to read this, please don't fired me, i promised to work hard hor let me get my PR first ok. Thanks.

Yours guai employee,
I-like-Flings(m)

Laughing

FireAndHell SG

Originally posted by AndrewPKYap:
[b]The only way is to vote in more opposition whether the opposition is "good" or "bad" - not for the sake of the opposition - for our own sakes... so that the opposition parties can recruit better candidates next time.[/b]

Shocked Shocked Shocked what? vote in opposition whether opposition is "good" or "bad"?? You gila or wat?

If what you say about the current gov. is bad, why do u want to vote in an opposition that is "bad" too? It's like telling ppl the food here is bad, but u still wanna eat it [will u?] and worse, telling ppl to eat it too? I find it disgusting!!

If u find Sg here sucks, y dun u go migrate and live in another country. Why still b in Sg? Or are u worried that the country that u may want to migrate to will give u bigger problems...like kena targeted by racist groupies, treated like 2nd class citizens [u are non-white Sg i presume?] This racist thingy in white countries will onli get worse as the years go by.

On the other hand, if you are currently living in white man's land [having migrated there due to your dislike for Sg gov.], you should work your butts off living there in peace with your fellow whities etc, and hope no racist groupies find your yellow backs to bang with. Do not entice or goad us who have made Sg our home, come rain or shine!

As there are quitters in any country, there are also stayers, who bear it and grind through.

As for u, my guess is if u are still in Sg, u are one of them "middle of the fence" type...neither here nor there....always complaining....suck whatever good that comes your way........but never contributing back to society. Shame on U!! Evil or Very Mad

Dr Who SG

Singaporeans are not a happy lot in spite of all the material benefits........

Life is too competitive and takes away the joys of life.

Everything is based upon the $$$ bottomline

There is no job security

There is no hope for our children unless they excell and go to top schools.......meanwhile, they can wait in the dark bus-stop at 6 am in the morning like children from 3rd world nations.

In short, the govt has failed to keep up with our psychological needs.....their policies had bred a new generation of paranoid citizens whose aim is to leave for a less stressful true first world country......

kilua SG

Originally posted by FireAndHell:

what? vote in opposition whether opposition is "good" or "[b]bad"?? You gila or wat?

If what you say about the current gov. is bad, why do u want to vote in an opposition that is "bad" too? It's like telling ppl the food here is bad, but u still wanna eat it [will u?] and worse, telling ppl to eat it too? I find it disgusting!!

If u find Sg here sucks, y dun u go migrate and live in another country. Why still b in Sg? Or are u worried that the country that u may want to migrate to will give u bigger problems...like kena targeted by racist groupies, treated like 2nd class citizens [u are non-white Sg i presume?] This racist thingy in white countries will onli get worse as the years go by.

On the other hand, if you are currently living in white man's land [having migrated there due to your dislike for Sg gov.], you should work your butts off living there in peace with your fellow whities etc, and hope no racist groupies find your yellow backs to bang with. Do not entice or goad us who have made Sg our home, come rain or shine!

As there are quitters in any country, there are also stayers, who bear it and grind through.

As for u, my guess is if u are still in Sg, u are one of them "middle of the fence" type...neither here nor there....always complaining....suck whatever good that comes your way........but never contributing back to society. Shame on U!! Evil or Very Mad [/b]

actually i agree you have a good point.... Voting someone worse than PAP is not a very good idea...and most general public still would not buy voting for a taxi driver

In my opinion, the best solution is to go straight for the dragon head. Vote AMK GRC out and let PAP eat humble pie. Considering LHL didnt get such high vote against newbies, we should go straight for the dragon head.

ndmmxiaomayi SG

Most Singaporeans, like the government, loves to pay lip service. The first chance they get to, says the lady, will probably never come. One will never earn enough to migrate elsewhere.

The younger Singaporeans are no longer loyal to Singapore. The reason is very obvious. There is always distinction between the different groups of people. Simply put, it's the elite vs average vs below average.

There's no way you can make them stay when the distinction is very clear-cut.

carrotsoup SG

Just read in the papers, Vivian Bala says that Ministers' pay and aid for poor are 'separate issues', meaning the money from the people can go to elites pay and not to the poor people in need of aid? The man reallys wants his raise.

If LHL withdrew the raise, probably we can see who are the ones serving the public and who are the ones in it for their pocket.

YI SG

haha.. no wonder pr and citizenship are getting easier to obtain these days.. Laughing