I have been following with interest your blog on and off especially during the period of "minibonds". I respect your sense of social justice and your courage and willingness to fight for the underdogs.
I myself have always been neutral to politics. I only write today because on the spur of the moment, I want to pass a few observations about the passing away of the Singapore I grew up in.
I am in my 30s. When I am young, I felt that the government was willing to develop us Singaporeans. Life was simple, relations with people were sincere.
That Singapore is no more. In almost any job I have worked, foreigners equal Singaporeans in number, sometimes they exceed. Even when you interact with people, the locals don't care for and about the locals. Money is all everyone thinks about. Perhaps it is because we are all forced to struggle with the influx of so many FTs.
When we need employers to give us a chance, we find that the job has gone to some more experienced FT. But they were given chances, even sponsored to take courses, back in their own countries to hone the skills that they have today.
All familial ties are no more; we have became disposable entities to our companies and our bosses. It is a very lope-sided system where the employer is king. Even some bosses, used to maids, treat employees in the same disposable manner. Forget about receiving any training, you are paid to serve them. Retrenchment and dismissal is sometimes the excuse of poor senior management. The same goes for the present government.
I am neither bitter nor resigned. I am just sad that I cannot identify this country with the one I knew and grew up in. You might tell me I am being sentimental, we must all adapt to the world, there is no free lunch. Yes I have heard that many times. And home-grown Singaporeans are largely a docile bunch willing to bend over backwards with the govt. But why does it seem that the govt makes our problems worse instead of better?
You are very capable man. By writing to you, I don't dare to aspire for anything. I have signed your petitions and I have written encouraging messages on your blog. I just want to share with you, Singaporean to Singaporean, the loss of the soul and essence of my country.
I am neither bitter nor resigned. I am just sad that I cannot identify this country with the one I knew and grew up in. You might tell me I am being sentimental, we must all adapt to the world, there is no free lunch. Yes I have heard that many times. And home-grown Singaporeans are largely a docile bunch willing to bend over backwards with the govt. But why does it seem that the govt makes our problems worse instead of better?
You are very capable man. By writing to you, I don't dare to aspire for anything. I have signed your petitions and I have written encouraging messages on your blog. I just want to share with you, Singaporean to Singaporean, the loss of the soul and essence of my country.
3 comments:
Singapore government ministers' or civil service officers' positions have no competition from FT. So they cannot understand what is the big hoo-haa of FT taking over local's jobs. They don't face the heat. They just take their inflated salary or X months bonus, for tens of k of cooking lesson.
there is no "struggle with the influx of so many FTs" but the mere fact that globalization is a natural step forward in human evolution, would you have looked at your forefathers as an influx of FTs
or...
you want a time machine to transport you back to a time where you need to ride an oxen cart to town?
You want employers to turn away hardworking FT and finance a lazy local to his house, raise his children?
why is it you cannot use your energies to acquire a skill, to demonstrate the value you bring to an employer rather than trying to put the FT down?
why do you feel it's a government duty to "develop us Singaporeans", you lost the ability to develop yourself?
IMHO employers in this new economy can no longer survive if they have to take in "leech employees" as was possible in the past decades (even the government as an employer will someday need to confront this)
You have to prove your worth and not pass off your pink NRIC as value.
Throw your IC into the garbage bin and collect your cpf(while u still can), and live happily ever after in Canada, Australia, NZ, or wherever. You will die with no regret.
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