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singalion

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2 hours ago, mith said:

these rich families are really the lowest class of people, cheap, blame, lie, cheat about small things in life! the pettiest of type!. 

 

could each siblings hire a maid on their own, and separately hire cleaner for offices and workplace... but instead deploy ONE maid to serve different households, and offices and stores! low class cheapskate.

 

can easily discard expensive luxurious branded items like bags, and watches, yet when people pick up and recycle use, they accuse of stealing their properties!

 

doing all these ugly things behind close doors, yet when their ugly faces were threaten to be expose for the public to see, quickly go about lying and destroying actual victim life with their money and power!

 

really the lowest of the lowest scum! i would boycott all their businesses!

 

It is actually one of the interesting parts for human mankind, most people who are or who became (filthy) rich start getting extremely petty and stingy and very money minded about small things. They start counting the cents and are looking to take advantages from others. 

 

You look around yourself. If you have contact to those people you will note many things which appear already quite obsessive to you. Just three examples: 

 

I had a Chairman of a US stock listed company in town, he founded to company many years back, he invited me to the Robuchon Restaurant on Sentosa (3 Michelin stars). But you would not guess, do you think he made any attempt to settle the bill? He invited me, but created an awkward situation at the restaurant. Did not make any move to pay for an "invitation". Afterwards we took a cab to some night spot, made no attempt to pay the taxi fee. He paid one single Gin tonic at the bar for me but directed the waiters to ask for settlement of the bill with me for all other orders. Sure there are entertainment rules, but you don't "invite" people out and then "resist" to settle the bills. 

 

I had a British banker as a client, who was shortly posted into Texas for some "oil deal merger", his bank was the financial advisers to our client. He received some personal documents at Singapore to his hotel. The parts ended up at our office because the hotel somehow had our contact, as our  office arranged the hotel booking for him while he was in Singapore. 

He said the documents were urgent, I advised my staff to send by Fedex to US. He then gave me a call some days later and scolded me for taking an express courier service for his documents. He claimed to have found out the sending of the documents with SingPost had only cost somewhere around 12 S$, instead with the courier service it cost him 60 S$. We should look on this when we would request a refund from him or his company, he said he would need to refund his company as it were private documents (if he ever did). But, when in Singapore, he stayed at St. Regis hotel in a suite and dining was always at best spots in town, threw bottles of champagne and other things at bars (Company paid). 

 

Was out in a poorer country with a currency that goes by plenty of 0 before the point. 1 million is like 100 Dollars. Was at a bar eating some pizza and sipping pina colada with this Managing Director of a Media company. They tried to do a Joint Venture with one media publisher at that country. The Managing Director owns a huge villa in Nice at the Cote d'azur in France, has a huge property in California and even owns a beach property in the Caribbean, has apartments in Paris, New York and London, has a yacht, his wife has plenty of diamonds and fancy designer made dresses from these brands. In Singapore rented a house at near to the Swiss Club. Would you believe that he insisted at the bar, where we had some snack and drinks to receive the coins for the change from the waiter? (Value less than 0.01 cents converted into Singapore Dollars)...

 

Some of these guys start to become so money minded, it can end up like a disease. 

Situations with such people can start becoming awkward. You even tend to avoid private meetings because you return home angry and frustrated. 

 

Would be interesting to read from an expert why these rich people start behaving like mentioned. 

 

 

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4 hours ago, singalion said:

 

It is actually one of the interesting parts for human mankind, most people who are or who became (filthy) rich start getting extremely petty and stingy and very money minded about small things. They start counting the cents and are looking to take advantages from others. 

 

You look around yourself. If you have contact to those people you will note many things which appear already quite obsessive to you. Just three examples: 

 

I had a Chairman of a US stock listed company in town, he founded to company many years back, he invited me to the Robuchon Restaurant on Sentosa (3 Michelin stars). But you would not guess, do you think he made any attempt to settle the bill? He invited me, but created an awkward situation at the restaurant. Did not make any move to pay for an "invitation". Afterwards we took a cab to some night spot, made no attempt to pay the taxi fee. He paid one single Gin tonic at the bar for me but directed the waiters to ask for settlement of the bill with me for all other orders. Sure there are entertainment rules, but you don't "invite" people out and then "resist" to settle the bills. 

 

I had a British banker as a client, who was shortly posted into Texas for some "oil deal merger", his bank was the financial advisers to our client. He received some personal documents at Singapore to his hotel. The parts ended up at our office because the hotel somehow had our contact, as our  office arranged the hotel booking for him while he was in Singapore. 

He said the documents were urgent, I advised my staff to send by Fedex to US. He then gave me a call some days later and scolded me for taking an express courier service for his documents. He claimed to have found out the sending of the documents with SingPost had only cost somewhere around 12 S$, instead with the courier service it cost him 60 S$. We should look on this when we would request a refund from him or his company, he said he would need to refund his company as it were private documents (if he ever did). But, when in Singapore, he stayed at St. Regis hotel in a suite and dining was always at best spots in town, threw bottles of champagne and other things at bars (Company paid). 

 

Was out in a poorer country with a currency that goes by plenty of 0 before the point. 1 million is like 100 Dollars. Was at a bar eating some pizza and sipping pina colada with this Managing Director of a Media company. They tried to do a Joint Venture with one media publisher at that country. The Managing Director owns a huge villa in Nice at the Cote d'azur in France, has a huge property in California and even owns a beach property in the Caribbean, has apartments in Paris, New York and London, has a yacht, his wife has plenty of diamonds and fancy designer made dresses from these brands. In Singapore rented a house at near to the Swiss Club. Would you believe that he insisted at the bar, where we had some snack and drinks to receive the coins for the change from the waiter? (Value less than 0.01 cents converted into Singapore Dollars)...

 

Some of these guys start to become so money minded, it can end up like a disease. 

Situations with such people can start becoming awkward. You even tend to avoid private meetings because you return home angry and frustrated. 

 

Would be interesting to read from an expert why these rich people start behaving like mentioned. 

 

 

 

But ... but .... but ..... these are EXACTLY the type of foreigners that we want to attract into this country here!!!! They bring "goooooood"  jobs to attract more foreign trash like YOU to service them!!! So why are YOU complaining?? 

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On 9/5/2020 at 5:11 PM, Guest Guest said:

 

But ... but .... but ..... these are EXACTLY the type of foreigners that we want to attract into this country here!!!! They bring "goooooood"  jobs to attract more foreign trash like YOU to service them!!! So why are YOU complaining?? 

 

The following  article offers insights on the foreigners hiring issue.  In gist, more regulations on foreigners hiring need to introduce and implement carefully,  more transparency on such data, more discussions on the issue and most IMPORTANTLY, Singaporeans must also step up our game with our skillsets  and altitudes so that we remain attractive to employers.

 

While the government should always safeguard Singaporeans' interests in the workforce, Singaporeans must also upgrade our  skillsets  and adjust our expectations and altitudes so that we remain competitive in the job market.  Job opportunities should never be presented as a handout out given by the government lest we fall into the trap of handout giving as seen in the failure of next door  neighbour's bumiputra policies. 

 

 

Fears over foreign professionals: How best to put Singaporeans first?

 

The Government stressed that the aim of allowing companies to hire foreigners was to create more opportunities for Singaporeans.ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

PUBLISHED: 

10 HOURS AGO

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Tham Yuen-C

Senior Political Correspondent

 

Choo Yun Ting

 

Amid the economic crisis brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, white-collar workers used to job security are facing growing uncertainty, reigniting once again the issue of foreigners competing for jobs. In Singapore, the issue was dissected in Parliament last week during the debate on the President's Address. MPs told stories of residents who found themselves outnumbered at their workplaces by foreigners, and some who have lost their jobs to foreigners that they felt were no better qualified than themselves. Insight looks at four questions on the issue of foreign and Singaporean professionals in the workforce.

 

1 WHY HAS THIS ISSUE SURFACED NOW?

The debate in Parliament was spirited, with MPs standing up one after the other to speak about foreign professionals in the workforce. They urged the Government to ensure companies did not see the foreign manpower policy as a licence to hire foreigners over Singaporean professionals, managers, engineers and technicians (PMETs), and that companies should bring in foreigners only to plug a skills gap.

Some suggested boosting training programmes for Singaporeans, and that there should be a transfer of skills from foreigners to locals.

Others spoke of Singaporeans feeling "cheesed off" and "concerned" over the perceived favourable treatment of non-citizens. Why should they be allowed to compete for jobs when companies were retrenching?

The Government, for its part, stressed that the aim of allowing companies to hire foreigners was to create more opportunities for Singaporeans, who would always be the foundation of the country's workforce.

This was in March 1998, during the debate on ministries' budgets.

But it could easily have taken place last week during the debate on the President's Address, dominated by the theme of the Singaporean core in the workforce.

Then, as it is now, Singapore was entering a recession. In 1998, it was the Asian financial crisis. Now it is the coronavirus crisis.

 

'FOREIGN TALENT'

 

The Government first announced plans to bring in "foreign talent" to supplement Singapore's workforce in 1988.

The Eminent Entreprenuers/Professionals Scheme was open only to the most highly skilled professionals from Hong Kong, including doctors, lawyers and computer scientists, and in 1988 it admitted fewer than 100 people, who were offered permanent residency.

Foreigners were seen as helping to grow the economic pie by plugging the skills gap and offsetting population constraints caused by low birth rates then, and also an ageing population now.

Over the years, as Singapore looked to higher-value industries like IT and finance to grow its economy, the policy was broadened to allow a larger variety of foreigners to work.

From the beginning, MPs raised concerns that the newcomers would increase competition for jobs.

In 1988, MP for Toa Payoh Eric Cheong asked in Parliament if "the influx (of foreign professionals) will adversely affect the career prospects of Singaporeans with similar or equivalent professional qualifications".

As the economy expanded and the global competition for talent intensified, the Government started to encourage companies to recruit high-flying professionals overseas. In the 1990s, companies were given tax incentives to defray the costs of bringing in more foreigners, and Jurong Town Corporation flats were rented to them at below market rates.

In 1998, with Asian economies reeling from the Asian financial crisis, the Government saw it as an opportune time to attract displaced talent. Changes were introduced to the Employment Pass system for companies to bring in foreign workers based on their qualifications.

However, sentiment against foreign talent hardened, and in the 1998 debate, with some MPs pointing out that some citizens felt that the Government was rolling out a "red carpet" for foreigners.

People also began to question the use of the term "talent" for foreigners holding similar jobs and qualifications as themselves. They questioned whether these newcomers were committed to Singapore and said they were using the country only as a stepping stone until they gained enough experience to move to more coveted destinations.

 

RESULTING BACKLASH

 

The rising discontent peaked in 2008, along with the influx of new migrants at more than 200,000, in part due to measures to attract professionals from countries affected by the global financial crisis, said an Institute of Policy Studies report from 2016 titled Sentiments On Immigration, Integration & The Role Of Migrant Associations.

Amid the economic downturn and job cuts, this eventually resulted in the backlash against immigration and the foreign worker policies that contributed to the ruling People's Action Party's weakest showing in a post-independence general election, in 2011.

Rules have since been progressively tightened to limit the number of foreign professionals entering Singapore, with the minimum salary requirements for getting an Employment Pass raised from $3,900 to $4,500. For the financial services sector, where the concentration of foreign professionals has become a sore point, Employment Pass holders will need to be paid at least $5,000 from Dec 1.
 

Parliament: NCMP Leong Mun Wai calls for a cap on foreigner-to-citizen ratio in firms

 

At the debate on the President's Address last week, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong acknowledged the issue, saying that when a company has an over-concentration of a single foreign nationality, especially compared with other companies in the same sector, it suggests that it has not really taken root in Singapore.

"This concentration, if it is unchecked, can cause social resentment and workplace problems. It makes it harder for the company to blend into and be accepted by our multiracial society," he said.

"It can cause problems within the company too, because employees of other nationalities - Singaporean or others - may find it harder to fit in, take pride in their work and see a future for themselves in the firm."

Many MPs, calling for more protection for the Singaporean core in the workforce, shared stories from residents of feeling like the minority at their workplaces.

For a nation-state that needs to be a global city to remain relevant, and also a home for Singaporeans, the balance between foreign professionals and the Singaporean core will perhaps always be tough to strike.

Govt on locals' side on jobs, but can't give wrong impression of closing up: PM Lee | THE BIG STORY

 

2 WHAT DO WORKERS, BUSINESSES SAY?

 

Local job seekers lament that job opportunities are lost to foreign competitors, but hiring is rarely made solely on the basis of nationality, firms and trade chambers say.

In Parliament last week, several MPs raised concerns about a high concentration of foreigners in some sectors, such as financial services and infocommunications and technology, and the anxieties of workers who feel that they are losing out to foreign professionals.

Tanjong Pagar GRC MP Joan Pereira shared the story of a PMET (professional, manager, executive or technician) employee who was retrenched, but later found out that her job was given to a foreigner who performed all the same tasks that she used to do in her company.

Labour MP Patrick Tay said at least 20 PMEs have written to him in the past month, about their loss of opportunities in taking on jobs and at workplaces, to the extent of feeling discriminated against.

"I cannot help but wonder if, as a result of unchecked conscious and unconscious bias, there may still be instances of nationality bias in hiring and promotion and in today's context, retrenchments?" he said.

"The reality is, left unchecked, this would exacerbate the glass-ceiling effect and job opportunity issues for our Singaporean PMEs."

 

Parliament: Singapore must remain open to global tech talent to create jobs and opportunities for citizens: Iswaran

 

Workers' anxieties over job security are intensified by the global economic uncertainty and pandemic situation, and some local job seekers have expressed concerns that they are not given a fair opportunity at precious openings.

Policies have been put in place and tightened in recent times to ensure that Singaporeans are given a level playing field to compete on: the Fair Consideration Framework (FCF), which mandates that employers consider Singaporeans fairly for job opportunities before hiring Employment Pass holders, was tightened in January.

But while discrimination is an issue - some 400 firms are currently on the FCF watch list for reasons related to foreign hiring practices - it is skill sets, rather than nationality, that is the main consideration in hiring, according to several small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and trade chambers The Sunday Times spoke to.

Singaporean-German Chamber of Industry and Commerce president Jens Rubbert notes: "When I talk to our member companies, they always try to fill vacancies with Singaporeans first, and only if this is not possible, they do look for experts and managers from other countries, such as Germany."

For artificial intelligence solutions firm ViSenze, a local SME, the focus is on skill sets and expertise, and its preference is always for "in-country talent".

This does not necessarily mean just hiring Singaporeans or permanent residents (PRs), but talents that are already working or studying in Singapore, says chief executive Oliver Tan.

This preference is because they are already culturally acclimatised to Singapore, and it is also in the country's interests to retain promising tech talent here, he adds.

 

COMPETING FOR TALENT

 

But as much as he wants to hire talents that are already here, including locals, this is not always a possibility, Mr Tan says, highlighting that top local graduates in related fields like computer science and engineering would often plump for jobs in large local firms like DBS Bank and Singapore Airlines, or multinational corporations.

"How do SMEs like us compete for the same talent?" he asks, citing the large employment packages and more comprehensive benefits these larger players can offer.

But Mr Tan acknowledges that it is hard to generalise hiring practices for different industries and their specific needs.

The finance sector - a rare bright spot where growth continues to be recorded this year despite an overall tumble in Singapore's economy - is another sector, besides tech, about which Singaporeans have expressed concern over a perceived over-population of foreign manpower.

Addressing the issue last week, Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung, a board member of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), pointed to the stability of the proportion of foreigners in the sector in recent years.

About 70 per cent of the 171,000 workers in the sector are Singaporeans, 14 per cent are PRs, and 16 per cent are work pass holders.

The proportion of Singaporeans in senior roles is lower, at 44 per cent. About a fifth of senior positions are held by PRs, and the remaining 36 per cent going to work pass holders.

"The higher share of foreigners in senior roles is mainly due to the large international component of the activities that we now have in our financial centre," Mr Ong said.

And Singaporeans are benefiting from this, even if they may not be sitting in the majority of top roles at financial institutions, as they "gain precious global and regional expertise", he added.

While Singaporeans acknowledge that there are roles which they may not have the requisite skills to fill, much of the anger arises when they lose out in the competition for jobs they believe are within their capabilities.

Mr Joshua Yim, chief executive of recruiting firm Achieve Group, points out how there are some MNCs where less specialised roles like human resources, administrative services and finance continue to be filled by foreigners.

"It could be due to the preference of senior executives, or familiarity with certain individuals they have worked with in the past," he says, noting the subjectivity of such decisions taken.

But there is scope to protect the interests of Singaporean workers here, says Mr Yim, suggesting a regulatory framework which is more targeted and under which local workers could be preferred for supporting roles.

Mr Dainial Sani Lim, group director of immigration consultancy Cayman Group Holdings, suggests that local job seekers are passed over because their demands are too high.

"If you ask SMEs, business owners... they have been trying to find people, (but they) can't get good locals to take on the jobs," he says.

Compared with some foreigners, local job seekers expect "certain degree of allowances and pay", and may be less willing to accept offers with lower levels of benefits, Mr Lim adds.

 

3 WHAT'S THE MISMATCH?

 

While discriminatory hiring may be the cause of some workers missing out on job opportunities, there are instances where the hiring decision boils down to the mismatch in skills and expectations.

"Companies will always try to bring in the right talent, at the right time, at the right cost, to meet their long-term and short-term needs," says Ms Low Peck Kem, president of the Singapore Human Resources Institute.

The right talent means one with the level of skills, competencies, attitudes and attributes that can meet the requirements of the job, she notes.

 

Mr Jens Rubbert, president of the Singaporean-German Chamber of Industry and Commerce, says: "The question regarding the workforce is not about whether they are foreigners or Singaporeans, the question is about the right qualifications and skills, international exposure and knowledge of company culture, technical skills, soft skills."

So why are Singaporeans missing out on some job opportunities that end up being filled by foreigners?

It boils down to attitude and the lack of core life skills, says Singapore International Chamber of Commerce chief executive Victor Mills, citing his own experience and feedback from the chamber's member companies.

"Technical knowledge, product knowledge can all be easily acquired on the job. What local and foreign, large and small companies tell me all the time is that the quality of too many Singaporean job candidates is poor.

"They have a sub-par attitude, they cannot communicate clearly and concisely, they do not know how to ask questions, they do not exhibit the ability to work in cross-border teams," he says, noting that the lack of these core life skills is holding people back.

A survey conducted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore (AmCham) between November 2018 and March last year found that three attributes that were most difficult to find among local professionals, and which resulted in hiring of foreigners for professional roles, were the willingness to take risks, creative or critical thinking, and leadership.

This applied to both multinational companies and small and medium-sized enterprises.

It is a longstanding problem, and these attributes were the top three that companies identified as being the most difficult to find among local workers, according to previous surveys conducted by AmCham in 2015 to 2018.

Recruitment firm Achieve Group's chief executive Joshua Yim believes that these attribute weaknesses may be due to the nature of Singapore's education system, which tends towards a top-down approach that may stifle the development of these qualities.

"This will level out over time, with our education system (changing) and exposure, but it is not immediate," he says.

Sharing the sentiments of chamber leaders that Singaporeans are not lacking in technical ability, in areas such as science, banking and information technology, Mr Jeffrey Seah, partner at venture capital firm Quest Ventures, highlights that the reason for Singaporeans not landing these jobs is the mismatch in cultural fit and mindset.

"Singaporeans are not good at being comfortable in uncomfortable situations," says Mr Seah.

 

A MATTER OF PREFERENCE

 

But the inability to fit into the culture of certain firms may be an issue that is out of the hands of local job seekers, he suggests.

He cites a hypothetical example where a small tech company starts with hiring three foreigners with skill sets not available among local job seekers in Singapore.

During the company's growth stage, they will hire non-tech staff in areas like finance and sales, which is also when the company's culture and mindset take root.

"This is also when the balancing of hires (between locals and foreigners) should be actively encouraged," Mr Seah says.

If by the time the company has 20 employees, and the super-majority are from one ethnicity or a foreign country, it would be difficult for the company to hire others, like Singaporeans, who need to adapt to the existing work culture. But importantly, it would also be difficult for policy intervention to enforce a hiring ratio without affecting the company's operating culture, he adds.

In cases of tech start-ups that tend to involve a lot of teamwork, that cultural fit is integral, Mr Seah emphasises.

Commenting about the possible mismatch in technical skills, Singapore University of Social Sciences Associate Professor Walter Theseira, a former Nominated MP, highlights the challenges that Singapore faces as a city-state.

It is not that Singapore deliberately sets out to disadvantage locals, he stresses. But for it to thrive and compete with other global cities, it has to draw from the larger talent pool.

Fundamentally, because of the distribution of talent, only a small proportion of any population will have the capabilities to rise to the top in skilled professions.

Skills training also requires a certain level of underlying ability and takes time.

"We have a small population base, so relying on that alone is inadequate to fill jobs that require both specialised skills and high talent. Just training alone, say, in computer science, can only do so much if your underlying talent pool is small," he says.

Expanding the number of computer science places, in this case, does not ensure that all who graduate will be suited for the job, Prof Theseira adds.

Skills training and improving quality can help to close some gaps in the labour market, but there are structural difficulties in relying on domestic skills training to fulfil all of the country's labour needs, he says.

 

4 WHAT'S THE WAY FORWARD?

 

Given the limited size of the local workforce and the perpetually tight labour market, the reality is that Singaporeans will have to accept foreigners in their midst, MPs acknowledged in Parliament last week. But they urged the Government to do more to help Singaporeans level up and to protect the Singaporean core.

Some MPs suggested that more data needed to be collected and released for both the authorities and the people to get a better handle on the issue, and for discussions to generate more light than heat.

Despite a tightening of the rules on employment passes over the years, there continues to be discontent over the hot-button issue.

Employers from small and medium-sized enterprises to large multinational corporations also lament the difficulty of hiring suitably skilled staff with the right attitude, while job seekers say that they are passed over for cheaper foreigners who are willing to do more for less. It suggests a disconnect between the statistics, and what businesses and Singaporeans are experiencing on the ground.

Leader of the Opposition and Workers' Party chief Pritam Singh suggested setting up a select committee to "investigate the limitations of the workforce and the needs of the economy on the one hand, and the reality of the Singaporean worker in the face of competition and the constraints faced by employers on the other".

The Aljunied GRC MP welcomed the recent clarifications by Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing on the issue of inter-corporate transfers, a policy which allows some companies to transfer staff from their overseas to Singapore offices and has sparked concerns of companies gaming the system. "To this end, more information, and not less, is certainly most helpful," he said.

On the other side of the aisle, Kebun Baru MP Henry Kwek and West Coast GRC MP Ang Wei Neng suggested collecting yet more data and making it public.

Mr Kwek said companies with at least 200 employees of which 25 per cent are EP holders should be required to declare where their foreign professionals come from along several wage bands. This will show if there is an unhealthy concentration of such professionals, he said. Mr Ang, meanwhile, said a National Human Resources Committee should be set up to gather and publish data about professionals, managers, executives and technicians at workplaces, so any problems can be detected early.

 

 

FINDING ANSWERS

 

Associate professor of economics Walter Theseira from the Singapore University of Social Sciences said the best way to find answers on actual discrimination is to look at manpower records at different companies and single out those where distribution is statistically unusual.

"If foreign workers and locals are randomly distributed across firms, it will be unusual and potentially suspicious for any one firm to have a proportion of workers greatly different from that of the general labour force. But you cannot tell without looking deeper to see if that's because of discrimination or lack of local skill sets," he said.

He suggested that the Government collect data on the distribution of foreign professionals and Singaporeans by industry and make it publicly available so researchers can also contribute to examining the issue.

In the meantime, MPs asked the Government to boost professional training schemes for Singaporeans to plug the skills gap so they can take on the jobs in the financial services and info-communications technology sectors now held by foreigners.

Some suggested that training schemes tied to the industry transformation maps which are being rolled out to help various sectors transform for the future economy can also better prepare Singaporeans for the professional jobs in the pipeline.

Prof Theseira reckoned that this would help to solve part of the problem, but suggested that there should be a differentiation between jobs that are easier to train for and jobs that would require a strong combination of training as well as underlying talent.

Some, like West Coast GRC MP Foo Mee Har, wondered if it was perhaps time for Singapore to introduce a Singaporean-first employment policy, where Singaporeans are given priority and not merely fair consideration by employers. As a banker, she had seen countries like Canada deploy such measures, she said.

But there were others who warned that this could result in jobs being filled by people who were not the most suitable.

Another development may also change the way this issue is viewed going forward, said Radin Mas MP Melvin Yong, noting that the Covid-19 crisis, which has forced billions around the world to work from home, has upended the belief that people have to work from a particular location or office. Singaporeans who were based overseas had returned home around March when outbreaks in other countries started to pick up speed, and many have continued working in their jobs from their homes in Singapore.

With the advancement of 5G technology expanding remote working possibilities even more, competition for jobs will truly become globalised, blurring the divide between the local and foreign workforce, said Mr Yong. "Will our Work Pass and Employment Pass system continue to be relevant when companies no longer need employees to be physically based in one location to perform the work?" he asked.

Another assumption that could perhaps be examined is the one about foreign employment expanding the economic pie. From an economic point of view, the assumption is sensible, said Prof Theseira, but more research is needed to see if it applies to all industries. He added that the public may not always see a bigger pie as being good enough in itself, even if their absolute share increases. "What we are really arguing about is how big of an economic pie do we have versus how do we distribute that pie," he said.

During the debate last week, MPs and ministers who spoke agreed that Singapore should not turn inwards the way many countries have done amid domestic pressure to protect workers.

As Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong noted, Singapore as an open port and immigrant nation has always been open to the world and welcoming to others who add value to its society.

He said: "We may be under stress now, but we cannot afford to turn inwards. We will adjust our policies to safeguard Singaporean jobs, but let us show confidence that Singaporeans can hold our own in the world."

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On 9/5/2020 at 1:04 PM, singalion said:

 

It is actually one of the interesting parts for human mankind, most people who are or who became (filthy) rich start getting extremely petty and stingy and very money minded about small things. They start counting the cents and are looking to take advantages from others. 

 

You look around yourself. If you have contact to those people you will note many things which appear already quite obsessive to you. Just three examples: 

 

I had a Chairman of a US stock listed company in town, he founded to company many years back, he invited me to the Robuchon Restaurant on Sentosa (3 Michelin stars). But you would not guess, do you think he made any attempt to settle the bill? He invited me, but created an awkward situation at the restaurant. Did not make any move to pay for an "invitation". Afterwards we took a cab to some night spot, made no attempt to pay the taxi fee. He paid one single Gin tonic at the bar for me but directed the waiters to ask for settlement of the bill with me for all other orders. Sure there are entertainment rules, but you don't "invite" people out and then "resist" to settle the bills. 

 

I had a British banker as a client, who was shortly posted into Texas for some "oil deal merger", his bank was the financial advisers to our client. He received some personal documents at Singapore to his hotel. The parts ended up at our office because the hotel somehow had our contact, as our  office arranged the hotel booking for him while he was in Singapore. 

He said the documents were urgent, I advised my staff to send by Fedex to US. He then gave me a call some days later and scolded me for taking an express courier service for his documents. He claimed to have found out the sending of the documents with SingPost had only cost somewhere around 12 S$, instead with the courier service it cost him 60 S$. We should look on this when we would request a refund from him or his company, he said he would need to refund his company as it were private documents (if he ever did). But, when in Singapore, he stayed at St. Regis hotel in a suite and dining was always at best spots in town, threw bottles of champagne and other things at bars (Company paid). 

 

Was out in a poorer country with a currency that goes by plenty of 0 before the point. 1 million is like 100 Dollars. Was at a bar eating some pizza and sipping pina colada with this Managing Director of a Media company. They tried to do a Joint Venture with one media publisher at that country. The Managing Director owns a huge villa in Nice at the Cote d'azur in France, has a huge property in California and even owns a beach property in the Caribbean, has apartments in Paris, New York and London, has a yacht, his wife has plenty of diamonds and fancy designer made dresses from these brands. In Singapore rented a house at near to the Swiss Club. Would you believe that he insisted at the bar, where we had some snack and drinks to receive the coins for the change from the waiter? (Value less than 0.01 cents converted into Singapore Dollars)...

 

Some of these guys start to become so money minded, it can end up like a disease. 

Situations with such people can start becoming awkward. You even tend to avoid private meetings because you return home angry and frustrated. 

 

Would be interesting to read from an expert why these rich people start behaving like mentioned.

 

if a Singaporean is to say such things, they get labeled as whining and complaining; If an angmoh like you is to say such things, they are speaking the god-given truth.

 

10 hours ago, singalion said:

 

Is that what "meritocracy" stands for?

 

 

Oh, believe me! I've been asking myself where and what the hell is meritocracy all this time. But of course, as a Singaporean, I shalt not speakth thy Truth ...

And a "meritocracy" question coming from an angmoh like you? Seriously, the irony ..... WTF.

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On 9/5/2020 at 5:11 PM, Guest Guest said:

 

But ... but .... but ..... these are EXACTLY the type of foreigners that we want to attract into this country here!!!! They bring "goooooood"  jobs to attract more foreign trash like YOU to service them!!! So why are YOU complaining?? 

 

Xenophobia, is the fear or hatred of that which is perceived to be foreign or strange. 

Don't mind these small minded people, they are not worth your time to even rebut them. 

 

Singapore activists warn of surging xenophobia as foreigners take the blame for social ills

Campaigners warn of rising racism and fear of outsiders following a string of incidents targeting some of the city state’s foreign population of 1.55 million

 

Guest workers and expatriates are increasingly the target of “xenophobic” attacks on social media, Singapore’s leading activists groups warned on Wednesday.

There is evidence of the “widespread use of racist, aggressive and militarised rhetoric” against foreigners on social networks, said a press release issued by 12 independent groups including Maruah, Singapore’s main human rights group.

It warned of a worrying trend “blaming foreigners for social ills” such as overcrowding and local unemployment, often posted anonymously online.

“We, the undersigned, are alarmed by the recent surge of racism and xenophobia in Singapore,” the statement said.

 
 

It added that the key to addressing frustrations felt by many Singaporeans was for the government to change the policies which caused marginalisation and inequality.

 

“These inequitable policies were not instituted by migrants and will not automatically disappear if the migrant population decreases,” the press release said.

 

Among the other signatories were organisations advocating women’s and migrant workers’ welfare, and gay rights.

 

The statement came a day after a Philippine independence day celebration scheduled for June 8 in downtown Singapore was cancelled following a virulent campaign by online commentators.

 

Migrant workers from South Asia have also been attacked and ridiculed online following a riot last December triggered by the death of an Indian worker in a road accident.

 

Western expatriates seen to have behaved arrogantly have also been denounced by Singaporeans.

 

One wealthy British man was forced to leave the country along with his Singaporean wife and their son, after a backlash over comments he made mocking poorer citizens.

 

A survey by Singapore’s government-linked Institute of Policy Studies released this year showed that over 30 per cent of citizens and permanent residents felt that nationality-based prejudice had risen over the past five years.

 

This is despite a per capita income of US$55,183, one of the highest in the world, and an unemployment rate of just over 2 per cent.

 

Singapore’s low birth rate prompted the government to grant an average of 18,500 new citizenships every year between 2008 to 2012 – helping the population surge by 30 per cent since 2004 to 5.4 million last year.

 

Out of a foreign population of 1.55 million, about 700,000 are mainly Asian work-permit holders employed in construction and other sectors shunned by Singaporeans. Some 200,000 others work as domestic helpers.

 

Singapore’s long-ruling People’s Action Party has tightened migrant inflows since suffering its worst showing in a 2011 general election where the large foreign presence was a big issue.

 

In the statement, the Singapore activists said the government was partly to blame for the marginalisation of guest workers, “for instance by not giving domestic workers full and equal employment protections”.

 

They warned that discrimination not only oppressed the migrant community, but also reinforced discrimination against Singapore’s own minorities.

 

Singapore’s citizen and permanent resident population of 3.84 million is 74 per cent ethnic Chinese, 13 per cent Malay and 9 per cent Indian, with the rest made up of other immigrant groups.

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Surely, I know you are simply trying to provoke me. Interesting to note all other people in your eyes are "whining". How about you?

 

I m certain only God (if any) knows the "god-given truth".

 

Maybe you did not note I had the manners to talk about experiences from people from certain cultures, which I gained and simply drawing an example of behaviour of rich people and them resulting in being money minded.

 

I had the courtesy not to talk about rich locals in general.

In particular to the engagement of maids it could get very interesting and critical.

But I can give you an example:

I am living in an area with those villa houses on the next street. Some of the owners employ more than one maid. There are the newest luxury cars in the carparks of the houses or on the street.

One day having a walk around the area, I noted the maid from one of the houses running back and forth with some plastic bags, then walking back up to the street and walking into a house, then going out to the street and the same happening again. I started getting curious what is going on and saw how the maid was collecting the black fertiliser the National Parks Board always places around the trees, the first days this fertiliser always has a strong smell. The maid was placing it into plastic bags and then carrying the bags to one of the luxury villa properties in my street.

I went to the property and rang the bell: A local lady came to the gate. I told her to immediately instruct her maid to stop taking the fertiliser. I will wait for the maid to return all fertiliser back to the public green. I asked the owner/ owner wife "whether she needs to resort in stealing public property and can't afford to buy fertiliser from a gardening shop?" "Her property would not look as they had money issues and looking at the two Daimler cars, but I could be wrong". I told her: "The worst is to instruct your maid to do any such thing!"

The face from the lady turned quite red. Best was that smile to me from her maid, when she was looking to me behind her boss. Angrily the owner/ owner's wife instructed the maid to return the fertiliser.

Isn't that a good example of what I described in the earlier post on rich people's attitudes and them starting to get money minded?

I later went to the maid and said, I hope she won't have any problems about this with her boss.

 

 

Meritocracy in my view has the same standing as the slogan of "Asian values".

It is merely an excuse not to apply common rules or find a justification to deviate what most other nations do or the way they practise certain things.

Strangely, these buzz words are always brought forward when something is criticised in a certain country.  The name of that country currently just doesn't bump into my head...

Monday blues I guess.

 

 

Edited by singalion
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20 minutes ago, singalion said:

 

I had the courtesy not to talk about rich locals in general.

In particular to the engagement of maids it could get very interesting and critical.

But I can give you an example..... 

 

Yeah, riiiiiight...so much for your "courtesy" not to talk about rich locals, with such a grand example following immediately after your false claim, furthermore in this very thread talking about a rich local ... But not to worry, even with the obvious lack of your supposed "courtesy", you sure have a lot of "irony" flying out from you pretty quickly, one by one. 

 

24 minutes ago, singalion said:

Meritocracy in my view has the same standing as the slogan of "Asian values".

It is merely an excuse not to apply common rules or find a justification to deviate what most other nations do or the way they practise certain things.

 

Well, if anything, at least we both agree that meritocracy is indeed dead over here in Singapore . And with that said, it makes me wonder what scarce talent is it that you possess to even get here? Lying? Faking data? Omitting factual information? Or are you the new Irony Man, now that Robert Downey has stepped down? 

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  • G_M changed the title to Xenophobic Flame

Aren't Singaporeans beyond stupid? Donating $28,000 to a thief who had stolen even more than that? Reminded me of the PRC HuangNa girl who was murdered by the Malaysian WORKER a decade ago, and her mother kept returning to Singapore to seek "donations" till she was finally called out. But by that time, she was already a millionaire running a few businesses in China. 

 

https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/acquitted-indonesian-domestic-worker-receives-donations-s28000-less-day

 

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