MM Lee: Singapore Only Accepts The Best
I was reading the Straits Times online just awhile ago, and there’s an article that made started my mind thinking. Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew says that Singapore does not differentiate between old or new citizens, rather anyone who excels will be rewarded.
Here’s a quote by MM Lee
“There is no difference between races, religions, new or old citizens.
Our policy is: whatever your background or race, we use the best people. So, I think, those who choose to emigrate to Singapore, you do so because you understand Singapore does not require guanxi (connections)…They know Singapore’s governance is open, transparent and fair.”
So to my understanding, Singapore is trying to entice more foreign imports? Is MM Lee indirectly hinting that Singaporeans are not “good enough” and our country’s future depends on external talents?
Which then brings up another question. Are we buying people into Singapore to become the next generation? With many PRCs immigrating to Singapore (e.g. “talented” sportsmen / sportswomen), how will you then define what is a true blue Singaporean?
With our forefathers from all over the world coming here during the British era, and Singapore gaining independence, I think it is only now that we’ve finally branded ourselves in the international market. Singaporeans being friendly, our country a garden city, and our “notoriously” strict government, is how we are known to the rest of the world.
Don’t you think we are going back to the 1900s, with all the immigrants coming in from all over the world trying to make a living here?
Having said that, how true is it that Singapore does not require guanxi? I shan’t list down detailed information here, but you may want to check where the ministers’ spouses and children are working in. For example, where was Lee Hsien Yang working at before he left? How about our current PM’s wife Ho Ching?
Connections not important in Singapore? Highly questionable.
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April 28th, 2009 at 8:57 am
Since you are on this topic, why don’t you think about why do people actually want to leave SG for other countries? Many ‘talents’ actually left SG and there’s no doubt that MM Lee or SM Goh wants them back. Many people had told me that if I manage to get a foothold overseas, don’t come back. Why?
Its simply because its almost impossible to survive in SG if you have no ‘guanxi’. Honestly, I would love to come back eventually but starting all over again in SG is not as easy as one would think. Many of us left SG simply because SG was becoming too ‘elitist’. I had been reading news articles online by other overseas Singaporeans and all came down to the same point. As much as we want to come back, we couldn’t. Why would we come back when we were not appreciated in the first place? It just makes no sense.
Going back to your topic, if companies were able to afford to pay for an expat for a high level post, imagine how many jobs they can save if they were to employ an equally able local except they don’t have to cover living expenses, housing, transport allowance for the expat.
April 28th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
hi Ben,
your comments really gave me some thoughts. Hope its ok with you, that I use your comments on a new post topic.
April 28th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
Sure.
No problem.
You can actually look at the health/medical side. How many qualified pharmacists do NOT want to return upon getting a proper job outside? How many qualified medical personnel do NOT want to come back simply because the government is not doing enough to help?
Singapore never has any lack of talents. Singapore only has the problem of retaining their own talents.
May 1st, 2009 at 1:21 am
[...] full comments can be read here. I’ve also had an earlier post about MM Lee saying that Singapore attracts business and [...]