you are absolutely right! Like one other forumite said, "it is
culture, not development." singaporean have to develop our own
culture of service. Service starts with each individual, it begins
with a smile, a word of welcome, a word of thank....i don know what
has it got to do with the government.
If you are underpaid, overworked, tell your boss, don't show it to
the customers!!
If i run my own business, work as a shop keeper for my uncle, it is
no use if govenment acknowledge my effort, it is more important
what my customers say and what my boss says.
If my competitors employ chinese girl (FT), I don't go complaining
to the governement, I employ a thai, cheaper, can small, more
polite!! FT problem, not if i were the boss!!
Service culture is not about entrepreneurial or creativity, it is
about attitude in dealing with people!! it is certainly not a
political issue.
I guess the question to ask is why is it difficult for our people
to smile, say welcome, thank you.....is it because we consider jobs
in service industry low class job, to be done only by the
philippinos, thais and other foreigners?
or we grow up in families where we were too well taken care of and
we don't know how to serve?
do addressing our customers "sir, mam" remind us of our colonial
past and therefore we avoid it? then how do we address our
customers??
Has it to do with our education or our upbringing?
One thing is for sure, do not expect anymore milk from the nanny
(she is very old oredi 
, it is
never to late to grow up.
