The in-thing these days, seems to be the bashing of foreign talents. From Amit Nagpal’s letter to the forum on getting a flat direct from the HDB to Li Jiawei dragging the Singapore flag on the ground in the Olympics Opening Ceremony. Are you ‘in’?
Frankly, I might have an opinion about foreign talents in this nation, and I have probably blogged a few times about them too – mostly on whether some of them are really talented or my disbelief that those jobs cannot be filled by Singaporeans. Otherwise, my unhappiness is with foreigners whose CVs look impressive but can’t work for nuts, or those who thinks they should be treated like kings as if we owed them a living. I am quite sure some of you would agree with me here as you have run into them at work, or read about foreign athletes quitting on us after we spent a lot of money nurturing them. And these are the black sheep – the fallen talents – which have given them all a bad name.
Over time, I have tried to look this objectively. Foreigners take up many jobs in our economy. For e.g. the hard labor workforce, i.e. the people who are doing jobs that most Singaporeans wouldn’t do (or possibly can’t do at all) even if that means they have to beg on the streets. These are the people who have the lowest chance of even getting a PR. Consider the ‘environmental engineers’ (road sweepers and cleaners by another name), the China or Bangladeshi worker you see digging the holes at road works and building our new flats / condominiums, the China person at your local coffee shops taking your order or making yor fishball noodles etc. When some of these people go, just which of us – except maybe some of our old folks who are above retirement age – would even consider filling some of these jobs?
Some wouldn’t consider these people as real talents, but from a different perspective, their hard skills is actually a talent. Some of us probably don’t know how to mix cement for nuts, or dig a hole better than some of them. Simply put, I would say we should at least appreciate their contribution to the comfort we enjoy, though we might not like their presence because we dislike their behavior and manners. But remember, it is not entirely their fault for not being better mannered or more educated. They didn’t really have a choice when it comes to their land of birth.
As to Li Jiawei’s ‘dragging of the flag’ during the ceremony, I have looked at the video on Youtube. Yes, a part of the flag was on the ground and a lot of us think of the fact that the flag should not touch the ground because of our National Service background. But does she know these things? Was she even told of it when we screamed about how she dragged our flag on the ground of China – the land of her birth?
Now, consider this: in a few more years, Jiawei would have been lived in Singapore longer than she has been in China. Now, some of us may have ancestors who has lived in China longer than they are in Singapore. I am a 2nd or 3rd Generation Singaporean, depending on maternal or paternal lineage.My maternal grandfather came from Guangzhou to Singapore before the Japanese invasion. My paternal great-grandfather came from Hong Kong probably in the early 1900s. What difference are they from Li Jiawei? Li Jiawei, as a child, left her home to come here. She has persevered unlike some of those who gave up and really went home. So give her a break already!
I admit I am no lover of Foreign Talents. However, I disliked some of them because some of them did not live up to what they claimed they are. Some of us have definitely worked with those who clearly have no clue what they are doing in spite of what they claimed they know. I am also unhappy with the Foreign Sports Talent Scheme or whatever because I felt the money rewarded to them for their performance can be better used for other social needs. I might not be right about some of these things, but at least I don’t just dislike all of them for no better reasons.
Anyway, I also disliked some of them because they think Singapore owed them as if they are doing us a favor while our country gave them the opportunity which maybe available in their home country, but probably with fewer perks. Granted they can take their skills elsewhere with a better offer, but that’s nothing to boast about since even the ‘environmental engineer’ cleaning my rubbish bin everyday would probably work for another contractor or in another country if he is capable of leaving here to go there. Just like I would say to Singaporeans who always complain about Singapore – leave! I would say the same to these FTs unless you really have an exceptional talent that no one else could replace. In other words, if Stephen Hawkins comes to Singapore and lecture at NUS or NTU, and then he chose to leave, then this country has indeed lose a rare talent. But if you are just say… a currency trader, then come on… where you came from there’s probably someone else who is even better for a lesser price tag.
Simply put, my fellow Singaporeans, let us be clear what we are unhappy with, and not just go all out and whack FTs with even the lamest excuses we can think of. It brings shame upon all of us and make us no better than xenophobic skinheads we read about in other countries.
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“If everyone were like you, where would the Mandelas, the Aung San Suu Kyis (among others) be? Do not make a mockery of their patriotism just because you can easily go, or are so apathetic. Yes, if Singapore openly declared itself non-democratic, I will leave, by hook or crook.”
So, let’s see, if Singapore were non-democratic, like, say, Myanmar or apartheid-era South Africa, you’d leave. In the meantime, you’d compare yourself to Mandela and Aung San Suu Kyi.
And it seems pretty obvious that no one here is apathetic, we care passionately in how you are wrong.
nocturne‘s last blog post: Beijing 2008 Olympics – Silver Linings
Re: Your ‘objective’ look/rant:
1) No disagreement that we need foreign labour to fill the jobs no one wants to do.
2) Your ancestors were economic emigrants, like LJW. While I can see that you obviously have a liking for her, and feel she deserves a break, there is a difference. Your ancestors made SG their home while we still have to see if LJW does. So do not lump everybody into the same category. The jury is still out.
3) Agree that the money for sports FTs can be put to better use.
4) Why should the citizens who are not happy leave? That is the choice of the coward. This is where we were born, schooled, served NS – and we have the right to be treated as 1st class citizens, not relegated as the ruling party would have us be, in order to correct policy mistakes made earlier. The rich coward who can leave will go, comforting himself that a democratically elected government’s actions reflect the majority’s (of Singaporeans). But are these policies legitimate? (I will not engage in this discussion as it is complex, but I think you yourself know the answer). The person who wants to go but cannot will stay and suffer quietly. Or he CAN fight for his rights which he deserves as a son of the land. The person who can go but STAYS and fights is the true hero. If everyone were like you, where would the Mandelas, the Aung San Suu Kyis (among others) be? Do not make a mockery of their patriotism just because you can easily go, or are so apathetic. Yes, if Singapore openly declared itself non-democratic, I will leave, by hook or crook. But until that day, I have the right to stay and demand my rights, and not have some lazy brainwashed coward or sycophant tell me to get lost.
Note: I state again – these cowards are usually those feeding off the regime, those who have received some benefit from the regime, those who are apathetic, those who are rich enough to go anywhere, those who are not affected by these policies or those who are brainwashed. They do not want to admit that a country’s first responsibility is to its true original citizens. I cannot actually think of a country that
will hand out scholarships and jobs to foreigners, while there is an equally able and deserving citizen there. If you are a Christian, this is from Matthew’s Gospel: It is not fair to take food meant for children and feed the housedogs with it. The housedogs may only have the scraps.
5) You seem pretty out of touch with the ground. We welcome the road digger, we welcome the nuclear physicist – we do not welcome the engineer, the technician, the PC analyst etc. who would accept a lower salary than us simply because a day’s wages for them will be enough for one month for the folks back home, while a day’s wages for a local might not even cover a day’s costs.
Come over to Sammyboy’s various forums for a better discussion 🙂
Excellent objective dissectation. 🙂
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But…FT bashing is the national sport! hehe, agress with you, lots of ppl forget dat Sg is the immigrant story and gots lots of xeno dulan-sters ard.
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well..with all the money, and upcoming ad endorsements..etc i will not blink both my eyes when they paddle away! They are talented indeed..otherwise you wont have a typical case of a illegal chinese worker who earned S$80K in spore over 8 yrs (read the new paper dated 18 aug 2008)! So much for a small country and a world class security system !
If anybody is unhappy with our China born Olympic paddlers, take a look at the French football team. Most of their players are of African descent. Most of then are born in France but some are not. They are immigrants or even refugees. Ditto the Holland team. Is it an issue with the French or the Dutch?
The important thing is that the players were trained and nurtured in France. In the case of Li Jiawei, she’s been here since 14. She has been here for 13 years, longer than all Primary school kids have existed in Singapore. So , give her a bloody break. She has settled her, never mentioned that she wants to go anywhere else, and has sweated blood and tears for Singapore in major competitions. She should be given the key to the city!
So, Singaporeans,stop your pettiness and embrace the world.
Ha ha ha! I just might.
Sorry to flood. 😛
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I think the term ‘Foreign Talent’ has been grossly abused in recent times.
Foreign Talent used to refer only to skilled labor who are hired from foreign countries for jobs that Singaporeans cannot do, e.g. in the area of, say, seawater desalination, we do not have skilled manpower to operate and oversee such endeavors. Foreign skilled labor is therefore required to come in and fill the gaps (so to speak) and at the same time there’s technology transfer to the local workforce in due time.
The phrase ‘foreign talent’ is now, unfortunately, used to refer to all sectors of the industry — from the Chinese national who serves one coffee at a coffeeshop to the, example, Irish CEO of a bank. I think that’s where the problem lies. Moreover, we are seeing cases of employers hiring foreigners in place of locals for positions that locals have been competent at for eons, and while there are no official figures available, it seems to be much of the case in the IT sector, an area Singapore prides herself on being a leader of.
The misuse of the word simply points to one thing — an erosion in the original intention of the Foreign Talent policy which I have stated in the second paragraph. Sure, there are jobs that no Singaporeans are keen on doing and for which we will have to rely on foreign labor, but this is an issue which has always existed. It is just magnified in the past few years with the availability of more foreign labor since the Government has relaxed rules on the employment of such resources.
Ultimately, we have to recognize that an import of foreign labor is necessary, but not to the extent that locals will lose jobs if there aren’t enough foreign talent on our shores. We also have to recognize the differences between foreign labor and talent per se. Some might say it’s just semantics, but I beg to differ. The nature of their jobs for which they are given an employment pass denotes that such a distinction might be necessary and even a good thing in the long run.
Perhaps its also time to request that the Government define the Foreign Talent scheme with a more rigid framework so that the scheme is not abused to the detriment of locals.
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