The Whole Foreign Talent Debacle
Looking back when I blogged about Foreign Talent (FT) two years ago, I feel now I had sounded cold, callous and hardnosed then. And it was true. I tackled life and what it dealt me with in that manner - cold, callous, relentless and pitbullish. After all, this is not a welfare state. There are no handouts. When you are in an abusive marriage, when money becomes an issue, when you have to be steely and think on your feet so that your children have food, when you have to be independent, fight for survival and a better life for yourself and your children - you would probably be what I was like. Which explains why I am so fiercely protective of what I have now. I worked for it.
Fast forward two years later, life is much better. I am independent and I can have what I need and I want, for myself and my children. Strangely, now I am more empathetic towards my fellow people whereas in the past, I was contemptuous of their defeatist attitudes. There are of course others, who in their perceived state of security and wealth, cannot be bothered about the Foreign Talent policy because they think their jobs or industry is such that they will not be affected by FT. And thus they make a big show of generosity and acceptance towards FT. I cannot respect or accept this magnanimosity. In all reality, it is selfish and short sighted thinking.
My view towards Foreign Talent and the policy is still the same though. I object to the lax policy that allows any Tom, Muthu and Xiao Qiang in. I still think that Foreign Talent should be exactly that - talented individuals in aspects of either highly specialized knowledge, industry or experience. These people contribute to the greater good of our economy and be rightfully compensated for their efforts and contribution.
To address the issue of a non existential minimum wage system here, foreign labour serves to fill in the lower tier jobs eg. construction, heavy labour, service and even retail.
I think it is safe to assume that the locals generally do not object to the top tier of foreign talent and the lower tier of foreign labour.
The problem that most of us have to grapple with - is the so called mid-level tier, which should not exist in the first place. After all, tell me, which other countries have a immigration policy as lax as that of Singapore? It’s literally “come, all ye people”.
This mid-level tier consists of too many folks like our people out there - averagely holding a diploma or degree, typically in the IT or customer service industry. One good example would be the famous Amit Nagpal who had the misfortune of having his personal details CSI-ed, after writing a rather vacuous letter to the Straits Times insisting on rights on par with that of citizens.
His qualifications and experience were revealed to be on par, if not inferior to that of one of us. What do you have to offer then? How many Amit Nagpals are there out there, depriving our locals of these jobs they could have had? Are these “FTs” really asking for a significantly lower salary? Many of these qualifications and experience as proclaimed in their applications tend to be largely exaggerated too, as many a recruiters might have found out. Some, I have learnt, were even caught redhanded in brandishing bogus degrees. Why we would tolerate such faux pas in the Immigration screening process is beyond me. *edit: update - After considering the point raised by Cobalt Paladin, I agree that it is on the onus of the employer to ensure that we are getting monkeys and not peanuts. This might be something to explore further.
So, where is the wisdom in a policy that brings in people - not to complement with one’s own, but to clash and conflict with one’s own? We see ourselves as a developed nation and yes, we should welcome immigrants to encourage growth and challenges. But there has to be a criteria, a justification, an economic and social thermostat to gauge the influx. Not an indiscriminate “come all ye Tom, Muthu and Xiao Qiang” laxity for sure.
Some points for consideration would be:-
- same obligations and responsibilities as citizens (eg National Service) I think it is logical to assume that no, these people are not going to sacrifice for the nation and do two years of National Srvice. That’s fine. Just don’t expect the same privileges and rights as the citizens and no one will make a peep.
- Contributions to the nation - as the government loves to reiterate that we are not a charity nation and not a welfare state, the same shrewd pragmaticism should be applied to the selection process in FT. How much value can you bring to this partnership? What can you offer? Admittedly Singapore is a most well run and excellent corporation country for business and work opportunities, so what are you bringing as an offering?
- Remember and honor the pledge, especially this part - “based on justice and equality“. Are we really equal, or some people are more equal than others? For us to really accept FTs into our society, equality is a sensitive issue.
- Ever wondered why people aren’t as vocal or unhappy about Lim Kim San, Khoo Swee Say and Tan Howe Liang? All three were not Singapore born and bred. All three won honors for Singapore which we gladly accepted and were proud of. Why? There is a Cantonese saying - “we don’t need to draw the picture on the wall” for you to get it, do we?
Having said the above, of course I disagree with what Vivian Balakrishnan said when he addressed the students in Republic Polytechnic last year:
The next concern was raised was about foreigners entering the workforce and leaving Singaporeans with fewer places. Dr. Balakrishnan’s response to this concern was that Singapore is an open country. Therefore, foreigners must come. Singapore is a place of opportunity and there are many more good opportunities for locals as well as for foreigners. Yes, there will be competition, but healthy competition.
It’s a parallel argument. How open is “open” and what constitutes as “open”? Who determines that it should be “open” in the first place? On a lateral note, how about some healthy competition for the opposition too? That’s when they will bring in the One People, One Nation, One Singapore spiel. Which should be about unity and equality, but which was twisted into One Country, One Party, One Dream. The nonsense we have to put up with, I tell you.
This of course, is the same guy who sprouted this gem during a review of the PA scheme:
Dr Lily Neo: Sir, I want to check with the Minister again when he said on the strict criteria on the entitlement for PA recipients. May I ask him what is his definition of “subsistence living”? Am I correct to say that, out of $260 per month for PA recipients, $100 goes to rental, power supply and S&C and leaving them with only $5 a day to live on? Am I correct to say that any basic meal in any hawker centre is already $2.50 to $3.00 per meal? Therefore, is it too much to ask for just three meals a day as an entitlement for the PA recipients?
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: How much do you want? Do you want three meals in a hawker centre, food court or restaurant?
The hot brash passionate anger of the past is no longer. In its place, is a cold steely anger that will not cease its silent scream. Where is this “justice and equality” of our pledge, I wonder.
**
Back to the Olympic issue which started this debate on Foreign Talent. Contrary to claims that the Americans are “happy and accepting” about welcoming FTs for the Olympics, this seem to indicate otherwise. Please bear in mind that this is only with a mere offering of a Green Card and no mention of moolah being thrown frivolously to entice those FTs. In any case, even if Americans are really all accepting of this disturbing trend, why should we have to blindly follow suit? I object to a unilateral argument that if America does it, we should do it too. One of the reasons why we are educated - to think and analyse objectively and not follow the herd blindly.
I am also puzzled as to the apparent inability to isolate the point of reference. The spotlight is not on the players. There is no argument that yes, they have trained very hard for many years, suffered for their passion, and deserve every penny of their prize. No one begrudges them that. The point of contention is the way the government engineered the propaganda of how they brought us national glory and how proud we should be that they are Singaporeans (highly debatable, this point, to some of us). They may feel like they are one of us, this, no one else will know but them. They might feel the connection after living here for a few years, yes. But don’t foist the propaganda wholesale on us. It is mildly insulting and extremely inelegant.
I can be happy for them and I am happy for them as individuals that they made good. However in the spirit of the Olympics and on the level of national pride, I have my doubts.
I wonder why we are being so machiavellian about winning a medal. I see people tooting about Singapore having won a medal. That, in itself, is another point for debate but I’d leave it just yet. So what, I ask you? Is winning that important? How you win is equally important, if not more important. I would rather not win than to have won at the expense of pride, dignity and integrity. Is that the message we are sending to our children too? Never mind lah boy, mummy don’t care how you win.. as long as you win.
I hope not.
People seem to totally miss that point. We’ve won, we’ve won!! They jump in joy. What we have, is lots of tax money (GST, ERP, income tax etc) and we have bought a medal, that’s what we have done. They (Li Jiawei, Feng Tianwei and Wang Yuegu) won. We bought a medal.
Will the Olympics ever come to a day where all the rich countries simply buy out the talents for trophies? What would the spirit of the Olpympics be then?
According to Thomas Friedman, in his book “The World is Flat”, he attributes America’s IT industry success to the easy immigration policy of his country. There may be some truths to it as America has the knack of attracting the world’s best talents to her shore. I’m not saying that because America does it, so should Singapore. But if America is successful in importing talents, it makes herself a case study for other countries to emulate. Similarly, in business, we also try to emulate the best practices of successful corporations.
Due to globalisations, the inflow and outflow of talents works both ways. Unfortunately, we’ve been losing local talents to other countries. I’ve many friends who are working overseas now and I’ve read of blogs of Singaporeans working in other countries. Not that they emigrated or they hated Singapore, they simply went because better opportunity beckons.
Singapore has been losing our own local talents, to compensate that, I guess we’ve to accept foreign talents. If we don’t accept these candidates, some other countries would and we may lose our competitive edge.
Personally, I think it is the onus of the companies and employers who should scrutinise their foreign candidates. We can’t depend on the government to screen the employees for us.
When local companies employs the foreign candidates, only then can the foreign candidate be able to start applying for PR or residency in Singapore.
So shouldn’t the onus of accepting foreign talents fall on the employers then?
My thoughts on whether winning an olympics medal important or not. Unfortunately, I think it is. Remember football? When Singapore was playing in the Malaysia Football league, so many more fans were interested in the Singapore soccer scene. Now that Singapore has its own league, the level of interest in the local soccer scene plummeted.
Similarly, if Singapore does not perform well in any International sports, the interests in sports by Singaporeans will also wane. So much so that parents have not allowed the local born sports talents to pursue a sporting career. They want their children to join the paperchase instead. This was revealed by Choo Wee Khiang, the immediate past president of Singapore Table Tennis Association, in the last Sunday Times.
To kick start our sports scene and renew interests and faith of the parents of local talents, we need to bring more attention to the sports. How else to do it but by winning medals?
Before winning any medals, Singaporeans were unfeeling. After winning medals, at least some Singaporeans were tooting about the win. This is at least better than the previous emotion of nonchalance by all Singaporeans. At least now there is interest in sports again.
Look at the local sports talents in the Singapore Sports School, they were happy, excited and enthusiastic about the win. The win is as much for them as it is as much for Singapore. It gives them hope for their sporting future.
Rachel
Your Tom, Muthu and Xiao Qiang is so funny …..kekekeke
However, I agreed with cobaltpaladin. The government need to stir interest in the sports scene. So that the parents of future local bred sport talent know that sports can be promising career.
When I was reading this article, the first word came to mind:
Prostitute.
I don’t know. Not wanting to sound crude, but don’t you think Singapore is a bit tad too desperate at getting FTs?
And worse, throwing money and citizenship at them to entice them?
At least a hooker gets paid. Yet my government gives out money to them.
Again I want to stress: I’m all for FTs and imports. Only when the job/task cannot be filled by locals. I’m very very sure there are local athletes who want to be part of the Olympic team representing Singapore but can’t get in because Xiao Qiang was sponsored by government and brought in.
Is this national pride? Does it come to a stage where the highest salary will draw the best atheletes? Isn’t it like the English Premier League?
But the difference is that IS a football club with stakeholders. It’s all about money and success.
However this IS a country, with common folks and citizens. The country citizenship can’t be bought (or given as in this matter) at the highest price available. Can it?
So where does all this stop at? More athletes from other countries? Isn’t it running like a corporation now?
It feels so cold and clinical. No wonder the atmosphere is driving her own citizens in droves to other countries.
Kaffein
Hello,
May I just say this is a very thought provoking article. Allow me to introduce myself. I am the new Director General of the Free Internet Library Board (FILB) based in Primus. Please visit our site if we you have the time.
http://dotseng.wordpress.com/
My take is simply this. It will be uphill to bridge “the us against them” divide, if we just cling to our preconceived notions of what constitutes a patriot. For one, I don’t really see the point of Mindef spending money, opportunity cost and resources training FT’s to fight. Not when they are over 30 and their loyalty is still very much in question. I do for example believe. Their children should serve. I also believe there should be more ways for FT’s to prove their worth and loyalty to Singapore from civil or community volunteer work – this is one area I feel needs to be looked into by our policy makers a grass root level.
However, I don’t see the value of policy makers sending out cross and mixed messages about FT’s when they deploy statements like “foreigners are not…” and “we know best….” Neither do I see how it is possible for FT’s to migrate mentally to buy into the idea of belonging if all they seem to do is knot in their own communities and refashion a home away from home.
My point is there is a need to strike a balance.
What I believe is sorely lacking is a holistic policy that effectively integrates FT’s into our society. For that to really take off, we may need to seek out and if possible build on similarities, instead of magnifying our differences first. This regrettably is one area your excellent did not explore.
Nonetheless, a most interesting article and thank you very much for sharing.
Reg
Y2K
“At least a hooker gets paid. Yet my government gives out money to them.” Unquote.
From the Above Quote, I get the impression that our government patronises hookers. But I do feel that my leaders are the seducers that pay those they(leaders) managed to get their(hookers) services.
Ah; what the heck! What’s the difference? The Patrons of prostitutes are at least willing to pay for services rendered. What if they rape to satisfy themselves? The Sins would have been greater!
patriot
Maybe it is not so good to keep harping on how different or how much we have lost to them. I know a few FT’s where I work. I think they have it tough, very tough. They way they have to do all the donkey work. They cannot even complain. If they do their EP gets hacked off.
It is easy to cut people off. Harder I think to understand and respect them and give them a fair run. I will do the latter any day only bc I used to be a FT in Oz for nearly 10 years. I know how tough it is. When shit happens to you. You dont even want it to happen to others. Dont even need to know them. That is how we humans are hardwired. Nothing to even do with Singapore or even Nigeria or Mongolia. That is what it means to be a human.
Cutting off people on a whimp and fancy says alot abt who you are and what you stand for as a person. It reflects on you.
“Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: How much do you want? Do you want three meals in a hawker centre, food court or restaurant?”
For those who do not have it, just a decent job offering the much needed three meals a day (perhaps from hawker centre near the work place but not food court or restaurant) plus being able to pay off necessary basic utilities & services already dominated by GLCs having the shield of profit protection while the former do not even have the protection of minimum wage.
Hi!
Great Site. First time. Some great insights. Like Kaffein who asked whether we are corporatizing Singapore Inc. Also like the comment by the DG of the FILB (sounds like a mouthful?) who questioned the economic value of training FT as NS men. Never saw it from that angle. Good point.
Personally, I dont have problems with FTs> generally. I feel Malaysians are fine. Followed by Indo’s. They integrate within months, but those from PRC can be here for 10 years but they are still applying for green cards for the US Embassy.
Just a quikie, but what has happened to the brotherhood? They seem to have just gone of a blink!!!!!!!
My two cents
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