Are We Really That Useless?
Yes, I know that Singaporeans have been accused of being much lesser than our counterparts from China. However, do we really lack so much in value?
The recent Olympic bronze medal won by Feng Tianwei is just an example of our reliance on foreign talent. Granted that she might not have been given the opportunity to represent her own country if she had chosen to stay in China, and that Singapore played a part in that medal by sponsoring her a place and giving her a chance to train and compete, but is that what Singapore is?
If our claim to fame is just to provide an opportunity for anyone to make it on the world stage, then what about those amongst us who are weaker or not as ambitious? Do they get left behind or treated like they are worthless?
It certainly seems like it, as we continually court the rich and famous to set up home here, and yet have not managed to lift the income of the bottom 20% of residents. No wonder Singaporean society tends to treat those needing care as societal rejects, not fit to live amongst the masses. It also goes beyond and extends to the foreign workers who met with ire when their dormitories were slated to be built near housing estates.
In spite of all the protests, the government insists that the continual injection of foreign talent is necessary for our economic survival. So, painful as the injection may be, the bitter medicine has to be taken for our own good. Or so it seems... Yet, are Singaporeans so weak that we cannot survive? Or are we simply not given a chance to succeed?
Take a look at the multinationals that have set up here, and you will find that few of the top rung of executives are Singaporeans. They are usually European, American, Japanese or Korean, often reflecting the origin of the company. Amongst them, are Indians, who seem to have the knack of climbing the corporate ladder much better than Chinese (I have to say that it has little to do with language ability, but it is something cultural). So in a given corporate headquarters that has set up shop having been courted desperately by the EDB, we have a bunch of expatriate executives. So where are the Singaporeans? The point is to create jobs for the locals, right? Take a look at the secretaries and receptionists and you see them. Wait a minute, I hear you say, is that all we are good for? I guess no, but that is the real statistic of the many multinationals that have been given tax-breaks to set up in Singapore.
Then, there is Singapore Inc., which includes the civil service, the GLCs and TLCs. We all know that you need to be a scholar to even have a chance at getting anywhere. Even in the private sector? Well, the GLCs and TLCs do hire a huge chunk of Singaporeans, and we do know of the number of senior armed forces retirees who have been parachuted into management positions, even if all they have ever done was to look after some infantry unit. Even these companies (GLCs and TLCs) also have their scholars, whom they promote in preference to the general rank and file. The others are generally treated as too stupid or unaware to be effective executives. Are we really?
Having to compete for jobs with cheap foreign talent and have wages kept low, and yet never given management responsibility by some strangely-construed pecking order, what is there for Singaporeans to aspire to? No wonder we are such a bunch of whiners, complaining at any given opportunity. Yet, can you really blame us?
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