First, Singaporeans are asked to get themselves treated at
Malaysian hospitals if they cannot afford the healthcare here. Now
they are told to find work overseas.
The audacious statement was made by Minister-in-charge of Muslim
Affairs Dr Yaacob Ibrahim during an interview with Malay radio
station Warna 94.2FM.
When asked about the difficulties faceed by Malay graduates to
get jobs in Singapore, Dr Yaacob said “it is important for
students to not give up their job search, and they should also be
open to explore opportunities overseas.”
It is strange that Dr Yaacob is not aware of the fact that
Singapore graduates from all races have difficulties finding
permanent jobs which pay well in Singapore due to the easy
availability of cheap foreign workers.
If a Singaporean wants to apply to work overseas in any country,
he or she must obtain a work visa or permit to even set foot there
in the first place.
Singapore has a unique scheme not heard anywhere else in the
world where foreigners are given a year to stay in Singapore to
look for jobs here:
The Employment Pass Eligibility Certificate (EPEC) allows
foreigners who are i) holders of selected university
qualifications, or ii) current or former holders of selected
skilled migrant visas to stay in Singapore for up to one year to
facilitate their job search in Singapore. The EPEC is issued on a
one-time basis and is non-renewable.
Contrary to what PAP leaders have been saying, foreigners are
allowed to compete directly with Singaporeans for jobs which can be
otherwise be taken up by them.
The relentless influx of engineers and technicians from China
and India has depressed the wages of Singapore engineers which has
remained stagnant for the last few years.
Though there is a dependency quota to restrict the hiring of
foreigners, it is easily circumvented by taking earlier arrivals to
take up Singapore PRs.
The Home Affairs Ministry admitted that two out of three PR
applicants are successful, an astonishingly high success rate for a
developed country.
The state media reported last year of a China National working
as a language teacher here who obtained a PR within two months of
application.
Perhaps Dr Yaacob doesn’t know that other countries do not have
such lax immigration and labor policies like Singapore and it is
not easy for Singaporeans to find work overseas.
For example, Australia only admits skilled migrants in sectors
where there is a chronic shortage of Australians and foreigners
need to reside there for at least two out of the last five years to
even qualify to apply for Australian PR.
It is a shame that Singapore graduates are struggling to survive
in Singapore due to the PAP’s discriminatory policies against
them.
What will our country become if our native Singaporeans are
forced to seek livelihoods elsewhere and their places filled by
foreigners from other countries instead?
The day when Singapore women are forced to work in other
countries as maids may not be too far away at the rate the PAP is
mass-importing foreigners to supplant Singaporeans in their own
nation.
http://www.temasekreview.com/2010/04/14/dr-yaacob-ibrahim-asks-malay-graduates-to-seek-job-opportunities-overseas-if-they-cant-find-a-job-here/
