A Singapore without Singaporeans

goh meng seng SG

A Singapore without Singaporeans, A Nation without Nationhood. That's where we are heading to.

There are people who commented that Singapore is just a "Merchant City and a Hotel" to them. They are in their twenties but they are already planning their exits, migrating to somewhere more comfortable to live in.

They are not entirely "wrong" to think this way. Look at it this way, when you start to see those in the forties, losing jobs and not able to get employed with a decent wage, would you worry for yourself? Worst of all, the govt is seeking to raise the retirement age when it is obvious that those in their forties find it hard to get a job!

It is apparent that for those who have been caught by the "Asset Enhancement Scheme", they will not have enough money for retirement! And all PAP thinks about is whether this group of people would burden their coffers! That's how medisave come about.

Those in their forties and planning for retirement will have no choice but to cash out and retire somewhere. They must face the reality that they have come to the end of their productive life and the state is not going to take care of them. For all the myths they have believed so dearly, democratic socialism or asset enhancement, they have been disillusioned and there isn't going to be enough money for them to retire in Singapore. There will be no farewell party for them when they leave. It would be "good" if they no longer pose a "financial burden" to the govt anymore!

For the twenties they saw what happen to the forties. They will also plan their exit and realize that they would only be "useful" when they are at their peak of productive life cycle. It is no wonder the PAP is beginning to woo at them nowadays. But there are still many migrated out. So the FT policy is in place to fill up the holes left behind. But these FTs may just remain forever Foreign.

When a nation is filled with people, both young and middle aged, thinking about migrating out of the country all the time, there isn't an existence of a Nation in essence anymore. Singapore is just a temporary refuge to their being. And there is no doubt what will happen to these people if there is to be an eminent threat to Singapore as Nation.

Nationhood has not been firmly forged for the past 39 years of nation building. Those national day parades that we have had for the past have lost its appeals when the reality of PAP govt policies set in.

Goh Meng Seng

sgsentinel SG

A Singapore will be without Singaporeans if the women do not get married and have children. Sylvia Lim can lead by example by getting married and have children.

ShutterBug SG

Goh Meng Seng, your every word is a gem. I share the same sentiments with you.

ShutterBug SG

Jan 18, 2005
Strong economy but jobless still struggling

MPs afraid the unemployed will grow disgruntled and cause rift in society
By Li Xueying

EVEN as the economy grew by a healthy 8.1 per cent last year, there are still many 'heart-breaking' stories of Singaporeans struggling to find jobs, two Members of Parliament said yesterday.

Both urged the Government to redouble its efforts to keep its focus on 'jobs, jobs, jobs' lest the problem of the unemployed, especially the long-term or chronically jobless, leads to further divisions within society.

One of those who made this call was Dr Amy Khor (Hong Kah GRC), who said that jobs remained the persistent worry of the average worker.

The other who raised the issue at yesterday's parliamentary debate of the President's Address was fellow Hong Kah GRC MP John Chen.

Opposition MP Low Thia Khiang (Hougang) also spoke about the plight of the poor.

Dr Khor, who is mayor of the Southwest Community Development Council, reported seeing an increase in the number of elderly job applicants with little family support and savings.

'Some have been unable to find a job even after repeated job matching attempts, although the economy has picked up and more jobs are available,' said Dr Khor. 'These are the chronic umemployable. Some of their circumstances are quite heart-breaking.'

Dr Chen said the improving economy, which grew on the back of an expansion of the high-tech sectors, had left some groups of Singaporeans, especially the older and lower-educated workers, out in the cold.

'The feel-good factor is still absent among many, especially those who could not keep up with the progress of the knowledge economy,' he said. 'The lack of this feel-good factor, despite our good growth, is a real concern.'

With many lower-skilled jobs permanently lost to low-wage countries, the spectre of structural unemployment and under-employment will haunt them for a long time, he added.

'Even those who currently hold a job but are less skilled constantly fear losing their jobs,' he said.

If they are not helped to remain employed and employable, there would be growing disaffection between them and those who can cope with the demands of the changing economy, warned Dr Chen.

'If we manage this divide poorly, the resulting disaffection will cause our society potential problems in the future,' he said. 'National unity is at stake.'

The two PAP MPs suggested a slew of solutions.

First, redesign and upgrade low-skilled jobs. Employers in sectors such as construction, hotel and shipyard should follow the lead of the cleaning industry, where automation has helped increase cleaners' productivity and salaries.

Second, help workers start small businesses such as hawker stalls, or 'work-at-home' trades such as baby-sitting or telephone services.

Third, provide the unemployed with social assistance till they find a job.

And to give the efforts a time frame, the Government should set a target to bring the current unemployment rate of 3.5 per cent 'down to, say, below 3 per cent within a year', Dr Chen said.

Also tackling the subject of the poor, Mr Low, speaking in Mandarin, criticised the Government for not providing what he said was a 'proper or systematic social safety net to protect the poor people, the workers'.

Likening the New Singapore Shares and the Economic Restructuring Shares to 'a cup of water to douse a large fire', he said the Government should review its social welfare system to decrease the overall burden of living costs for the people.

He said the President's Address dwelled on 'utopian visions' but glossed over the livelihood problems of the 'new poor' - Singaporeans living from hand to mouth.

'If the Government neglects this problem and talks about the so-called promised land, what is the meaning of all this?' he asked.

However, Mr Seng Han Thong (Ang Mo Kio GRC), who also spoke in Mandarin, said Mr Low had been 'critical, but has not provided any specific solutions himself'.

He reminded Mr Low that the Government had indeed addressed Singaporeans' concerns, including by working with employers to redesign jobs in sectors such as horticulture, health care and precision engineering to encourage the unemployed to take them up.

The NTUC also had a range of schemes to help place and train Singaporeans and over the past few years, 'thousands of unemployed have been helped this way', he added.

LazerLordz SG

IMHO, Singaporeans will fight for their families and each other, but not any government or party.They will fight as part of their basic human instinct to protect what is dear.

fudgester SG

x2.....

As I said in another thread (in SAF forum I believe) I will not fight for the Three Tuatows, aka Ah Long, Ah Tong, and Ah Yew.

I will not fight for a government which does not know how to trust me fully. I will not fight for a government which suppresses civil liberties in the name of progress. I will not fight for a government which naively thinks that allowing bar-top dancing and a censored version of Sex & The City are signs of real liberalisation, and introducing reverse bungee jumping will stimulate creativity.

I will fight for my friends, my family, and everyone and everything which I hold dear. I will not stand by and watch them being killed, maimed and raped by our enemies. I will fight for my HDB flat, I will fight for my beautiful housing estate, and I will fight for the fantastic sambal chicken rice at Bedok Corner Food Centre..... but not for the government.

av98m SG

I have to admit the giving up citizenship and liquidating all assets plan is looking more and more attractive each day. Sell my house plus cpf money and savings will add up to a very substantial retirement fund. Mr. Green But left one problem, where to retire to? And can get citizenship there or not? Must do more homework.

LazerLordz SG

If you wan to migrate, do so when you are in your 20-30s, the world is welcoming you.You’re more mobile and are more likely to have more liquid assets.Find you place under the sun, spread your roots.In the end, for every man that says the nation is the only block os society, he fails to realise that the individual is the cornerstone of that society, and if this individual is suppressed, then the nation is just a sham.

LazerLordz SG

We must always tell ourselves that the nation and the government must never be put together like some rojak.The government exists to serve the nation, and any lie or statement contrary to the people’s wishes is a betrayal of that trust.Co-opting the people and putting words into their mouth is the same.There are no two ways about it.

sgdiehard SG

I applaud MPs Amy Khor and John Chen for highlighting an issue which is being covered up with the 8.1% growth, but I think we need more MPs like Tan Soo Khoon and Low Thia Khiang.

MP Tan looked beyond the remark by Dr. Balakrishnan in the casino debate and questioned if Government truely believe in letting its citizens make their own decisions.

MP Low brought the focus of the citizens's concern back to the high costs of living and question government's efforts in making lives easier for the average citizen. He quoted an article from Lianhe Zhaobao (13/1) entitled "the poor in the paradize" telling how Singapore is quickly becoming a mansion in the air, you can see but cannot reach. Statistically many Singaporean are drawing middle income but actually they barely make ends meets.

In Shanghai, commuters are charged a maximum of 2 RMB or 0.60 S$ for taking a trip on MRT. In Singapore, we pay more for NE lines because they needed to keep the company profitable. They even took out some bus services to force citizens to take the trains. Finally, they couldn't make it and had it merged with SMRT. Shanghai set a price for the MRT to ensure that all citizens can afford to travel by MRT, that is the safety net MP Low is talking about.

In France, the price of french loaf is not allowed to be increased because this is the essential food for all french.

In Shanghai and France, the governments provide essentials goods and services that average citizen can afford. In Singapore, government's preoccupation is profitability for the organisations. the ministers thought their job was to provide training for singaporean to earn higher salaries to afford the high costs, and they hope that a few singapore shares and other handouts will solve the problem.

This is what MP Seng Han Thong did not see, and it is this kind of MPs we do not need.

mistyblue SG

the 20-30s are disillusioned by the events and things said by our 'leaders'

that we should make coroperates profitable at the people's expense and to stem that bleeding, increasing charges and all measures is encouraged

that we should take it that government subsidied hospital medicines cost more cause we are not communist countries

increase so call compeition between transportation for the sake of "competition" but in advertently created a monopoly of bus and train services

of being told we have to voice out and yet later told that we complain too much

And later thought that we are not creative enough and so to inject creativity, FT policies that make locals second class

to find that we are paying for licenses to own cars, extremely high tax on cigs, alcohol and other so call freedom of choice in the name of protecting the local people so that we do not abuse it. Yet in the same breath wanting to open a casino with such liberal rules.

Banning chewing gum and not banning other vices

Of asking the people to bear with the restructuring and lower wages and yet the number of MP. grass root leaders and other public positions did not have to suffer such thing and in fact is increasing in head counts

when the crunch of the economic down turn came and the people asked for help. the government tell us the funds cannot be touched and we should never think we can rely of govt to save us when we are in need. Yet, in god times, our tax dollars line their pockets. And the government so swiftly can lend out so much $ to m'sia, indonesia and others.

When it comes election, there is no a single year since I have the chance to exercise the right to vote, because the GRC is readjusted to make sure it is a a walk over for 99% of the country. That opposition party had suffered losses when enticements was offered. I remember the promises during election and yet none were ever fullfilled but twisted later that whatever promised cannot be done and we have to take it cause we foolishly vote them back

Voting against the current power will result in backlash, although you will never read about it in the controlled propagadic press

We live in a rat race where people are stressed from the high costs of living and are suffereing in physical and mental health. Yet there are studies from the govt that says our std of living is the same as the 90s and there is no increase. Then there was that statistic huha about the number of jobs taken by FT. I wonder who can I trust now.

We know all the problems are rotting underneath, like the blind pursue of arts by building that ugly costly monstor, mad pursue of biomed when we are hardly ready, setting up a so called "world class" university when we are ill adapt and narrowminded, calling ourselves financial hub when we do not have the smarts and minds behind the finance sector. All that gold plating, might be able to sustain a little while but over long term, will soil the reputation and it already has starting with the education sector.

Knowing in my old age, I will be treated lik trash. Knowing unless I can become a millionaire or MM. There is no place in Singapore for me expect to pick drink can, sweep floors, wash toilets, sell papers to live in a broken rented unit and hope for left overs from the food stalls. Even if I have a degree and an MBA and a wealth of experience, I will be seen as a burden and maybe given a label like the people who left are called quitters. What's a nice label for us, leechers?

I didn't think the people didn't want to be singaporeans but rather singapore didn't want us.

mistyblue SG

the 20-30s are disillusioned by the events and things said by our 'leaders'

that we should make coroperates profitable at the people's expense and to stem that bleeding, increasing charges and all measures is encouraged

that we should take it that government subsidied hospital medicines cost more than private hospitals cause we are not communist countries

increase so call compeition between transportation for the sake of "competition" but in advertently created a monopoly of bus and train services

of being told we have to voice out and yet later told that we complain too much

And later thought that we are not creative enough and so to inject creativity, FT policies that make locals second class

to find that we are paying for licenses to own cars, extremely high tax on cigs, alcohol and other so call freedom of choice in the name of protecting the local people so that we do not abuse it. Yet in the same breath wanting to open a casino with such liberal rules.

Banning chewing gum and not banning other vices

Of asking the people to bear with the restructuring and lower wages and yet the number of MP. grass root leaders and other public positions did not have to suffer such thing and in fact is increasing in head counts

when the crunch of the economic down turn came and the people asked for help. the government tell us the funds cannot be touched and we should never think we can rely of govt to save us when we are in need. Yet, in god times, our tax dollars line their pockets. And the government so swiftly can lend out so much $ to m'sia, indonesia and others.

When it comes election, there is no a single year since I have the chance to exercise the right to vote, because the GRC is readjusted to make sure it is a a walk over for 99% of the country. That opposition party had suffered losses when enticements was offered. I remember the promises during election and yet none were ever fullfilled but twisted later that whatever promised cannot be done and we have to take it cause we foolishly vote them back

Voting against the current power will result in backlash, although you will never read about it in the controlled propagadic press

We live in a rat race where people are stressed from the high costs of living and are suffereing in physical and mental health. Yet there are studies from the govt that says our std of living is the same as the 90s and there is no increase. Then there was that statistic huha about the number of jobs taken by FT. I wonder who can I trust now.

We know all the problems are rotting underneath, like the blind pursue of arts by building that ugly costly monstor, mad pursue of biomed when we are hardly ready, setting up a so called "world class" university when we are ill adapt and narrowminded, calling ourselves financial hub when we do not have the smarts and minds behind the finance sector. All that gold plating, might be able to sustain a little while but over long term, will soil the reputation and it already has starting with the education sector.

Knowing in my old age, I will be treated lik trash. Knowing unless I can become a millionaire or MM. There is no place in Singapore for me expect to pick drink can, sweep floors, wash toilets, sell papers to live in a broken rented unit and hope for left overs from the food stalls. Even if I have a degree and an MBA and a wealth of experience, I will be seen as a burden and maybe given a label like the people who left are called quitters. What's a nice label for us, leechers?

I didn't think the people didn't want to be singaporeans but rather singapore didn't want us.

ShutterBug SG

Mistyblue, what a searingly well written article!!

LazerLordz SG

There are lies told to one's face and there are lies wrapped in slick packaging.Over the years, there have been times the populae has been made to feel that they are mere digits on the monthly MAS macroeconomic reports and not as whole individuals.

At the age of 18 or 19,we are told to serve National Service, die for the country, sweat our lives out, spill blood in the name of success, yet at the end of the day, after looking at life through the barrel of a gun, we see so-called FT's filling our occupations because we have not moved beyond manufacturing, thus shooting ourselves in the feet, hoping to survive beside 2nd-wave nations who have only stepped into medium-order manufacturing.What constitutes a foreign talent when they do jobs we are more than able to fill, be it in the realm of skills or market knowledge.The lowest common denominator, wages, has taken precedence over social interest and every hallmark of a advanced society which we were supposedly on the way to acheiving it.

Until today, the amount of real FTs who actually take up citizenship in SG can be counted in less than 10 minutes.Those who have travelled the world will see and know SG for its pros and cons, and they will be able to make a more informed decision whether this place is suitable for them to settle and have a family.We need FTs who can provide us with skills and talent which we lack, not cheap carbon copies.

My heart aches when I see old men and women folding cardboard boxes while they look as if they are about to faint from the oppressive sun.We have local graduates who become hawkers and taxi-drivers for want of a job commensurate with their level of education.To talk of cheaper wages is bulls*it, now how much longer does the government want to depress our wages?We don't even have a minimum wage, and they hoodwink the general man-in-the-street with skimpy reasons that a minimum wage is a factor for a drop in FDI.All G7 nations have a minimum wage, to protect the working clas from the vagaries of international trade and financial collateral damage.Why?Because a nation is supposed to provide for her own citizens.

I supposed somewhere down the line, the powers that be have forgotten that their main aim is to be a refuge and haven for true Singaporeans from all around the world, not a MNC.We are not a corporation, we are a nation.I have said the pledge since I was in Primary One, saying the words," to build a democratic society, based on justice and equalilty..." Where have we gone wrong?Is this notion too high-up in the clouds for the common man?

I do not give a damn about the labels "stayer" or "quitter".These are labels thought up to try to sustain some form of desperate mental persuasion and to shame those that do not tread the fine official line on policies and ideas.We make our own destiny, and for someone born in Singapore, and having served my time, I feel like I've been shortchanged for the entirety of my adult life in some ways.Not to say that things have not been good, but one must realise that materialism and tangible things are not the be all and end all of all things.

Our generation cannot let the truth die on our watch, for we owe our children a better place under the sun.Always keep your eyes open and have a critical mind, so that you can analyse things presented to you and avoid being conned by slick presentations and words.The truth is there , only if you are willing to see it.

Otingocni SG

A brother without brotherhood. A man without his manhood. That's where his is heading to.

Laughing

robertteh SG

You hit the right note on foreign talent. I don't think we need to admit all the so-called foreign talents now admitted. We only need to attract a few specialists in manufacturing sector and some inventors. The rest of foreigners employed now can be easily filled by locals.

I came across a robotic scientist who once posted to feedback unit to lament that he could not get a job here because the government department contacted could not quite match him to a job somewhat. Such a citizen I am sure is a talent but do we have one among so many ministers who will be proactive enough to lift a finger to help him matched to a job needed to do away with one foreign worker.

Many citizen job seekers are highly qualified than the foreign talents being admitted but there is a lack of proactive help to give opportunity to the local unemployed.

Government only tries to keep giving excuses that Singaporeans are too choosy. Have the MOM tried to contact some cleaners or taxi drivers or even the rag and bone men and women in the estates some of whom are even more educated than the foreign workers.

If ministers are not proactive in helping locals but will open up all the opportunities to foreigners, what chance will our own citizens to get employments. Just leave it to the foreign employers, there will be one hundred and one ways not to employ a local but rather they would think of ways and means of help their own citizens in foreign lands to come over to get a job. Laughing

LazerLordz SG

It's very heart-wrenching to see the situation where people have suffered to bring up their kids, working and self-improving themselves, only to find out one day, they are superfluous to the firm, because they have hired a supposed graduate from some backwater college in Bangalore(no offence towards Indians here) who can't even speak conversational English, has less knowledge of the ground, but supposedly has a degree compared to the former's diploma and 30 years of worksite experience and networks within the construction industry.There a lot of examples like these.

Robotic scientist denied a job here eh? Last I heard, the government wnated to branch out into higher-level robotics and nanotechnology, whatever happened to putting one's shoe where one's mouth is?

Otingocni SG

So many words.

Need some smileys for paragraphing.

Laughing

av98m SG

Very nicely put, mistyblue. I find it depressing that 99 percent of the time, the people serving me at fastfood joints and clearing plates at foodcourts are elderly. I remember there was actually a campaign years ago in NUS encouraging people to clear their own plates and utensils so the poor aunties no need to suffer so much. The ones cleaning my office toilets are also elderly aunties or uncles. For all the lip service paid to respect for our elders, its almost like the system in Singapore is indirectly, or directly inculcating disrespect for the elderly, seeing that most of them regardless of qualifications and experience can only find menial work. Needless to say, this also affects the younger generations in their outlook. Things are going to look ugly in the years to come.

LazerLordz SG

Pay attention to the Wal-Mart greeters..Almost like our aunties and uncles working their backs off at Macs.
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Feelin' Fat and Sassy in the Wallet
by Luke Stacks
University of Virginia

My uncle, well-meaning but detached from my life, never knows what to get us kids for the holidays. Luckily, some thoughtful soul, doubtless possessing a thorough understanding of bad-gift torment, invented the gift card. They summon us to these meccas of commerce, huge stores where almost anything may be purchased. In a typical year, clueless relatives supply me with cards to bookstores and, every once in a while, one to a Best Buy. I love the gift card concept. While some might argue that it removes the personal touch a present should possess, the intention expressed in a gift card is apparent: this person obviously wants you to be very happy and is willing to empower your happiness by giving you the choice. When you get a gift card on Christmas morning, all you have at that moment is love. That doesn't mean the damn things can't bite you in the ass. Currently my wallet is stuffed with several cards containing about a dollar each left to be spent in these stores.

This year my uncle gave me a card for Wal-Mart, based on the admittedly bulletproof argument that I would have no trouble finding one. My hometown of Manassas, Virginia has two. In fact, the new one, located a mile from my house, is even listed as being in "East Manassas," which I had no idea even existed! Now my hometown's geography is split and defined by the Wal-Marts it contains. So getting to one would obviously pose no significant problems.

The store, however, scares me beyond tangible reason. Wal-Mart elicits complicated feelings from me, ones I never even knew existed. While there are certainly a number of reasons to be against the company on principle, namely their diabolical global strategies and notoriously awful treatment of workers, there is another element to my fear, one that doesn't arise from its peers like Target. The source of my worries had never been properly divined; it was something that was simply out there, a phantom I did not want to touch. But there was no way I wasn't going to get my free stuff.

My new Wal-Mart had dramatically affected the surrounding roads. We had several confusing lights and turn lanes. It rose ahead of my sister and me like a colossus on the horizon. Approaching it in the parking lot, it just loomed ever larger, consuming my field of vision. My mission, however, shone like a beacon against the deep dull blue: I would make my uncle proud. Somewhere in this house of pain, I would find my happiness. The doors slid open and I jumped into the breach.

Any large store in the holiday season is an ungodly mess. Fortunately we have greeters to lift our spirits! I have major objections to the greeter system in general. When I walk into Best Buy I try to elude them as best I can, doing my part to fit in with Georg Simmel's modern society of the alienated. How dare they try to establish personal contact with me! They utterly fail to put me in a sunny mood, ready to spend. They mask their basic security function in pleasantries, and this is an insult to any shopper. They are judging you as they welcome. Wal-Mart complicates the problem, because their greeters seem to be almost entirely comprised of the aged. This should inspire remarkable pity and sadness. Imagine suffering life's slings and arrows, only to arrive here, wishing thousands a good day and a happy shopping experience. If I were ever to become a Wal-Mart greeter, I would know that my life has been for naught. I've sapped the world of valuable natural resources. Instead of a summit, this is the pits.

Why are the elderly here? I can think of two possible reasons. First, some may be unable to retire for financial reasons. Second, others may see a job as a welcome time-filler. I would hope for better solutions to either dilemma. Being a greeter requires less than a person. In that lies the truth about Wal-Mart. The company doesn't even try. I have seen customers herded in like cattle, and they bray accordingly. The aforementioned blueness of the store does not flatter it. They peddle in banality. At Target, you receive the sensation that the store might be trying to pull a fast one, stunning customers through its bright, flashy design. Wal-Mart exposes everything, including the pipes on the ceiling. Smoke and mirrors keep the customers from seeing what they really are, but at Wal-Mart this becomes all too clear. It's like seeing the Matrix code: numbers everywhere being shifted around. As long as there is movement, everything is fine. Wal-Mart has risen above the need to cater to the customer. The blandness of color, the smiley face logo, are merely signs that their customers need no convincing; they are resigned to an ordinary life, filled with unstylish, ordinary things and five-dollar Hulk Hogan movies in the bargain bin. The company does not aim for a false exclusivity or hipness. It just exists and forces you to accept it.

My happiness did lie inside: a copy of Pulp Fiction. A work of flash and brilliance trapped in a box, buying this felt like a prison breakout. I waited in one line, which decided to close. Then I moved to another. At that moment, less patient customers than I revolted, addressing the employees and calling them names. Wal-Mart sat back and laughed. It realized we had no choice.

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