If you are a professional, you can contribute to Singapore, if you earn above the average median income of Singaporeans, become a PR and maybe later a citizen.
Goh Chok Tong
(“Any talent welcome”, Straits Times, 12 Nov 08)
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see! they already lose the faith of its own citizens and now they are now trying to buy votes from FT into politics to replace us. Any difference in trying to do us all in this time? tell me singaporeans.
Is this what the people wants?
The question is
does anyone really know for sure based on fact
how many new citizens are there now
and
how many PRs can be offered citizenship within a year?
this addition to the population may have effect on the election.
Take it or leave it, they have no choice as they knew too many singaporeans are already coming up and going against them this time, so they have to play dirty again.
Something is seriously Amiss. FT are dumb if they buy into these words. May be those FT here are leaving the paradise as well.
aah..no wonder Gong Li come to Singapore. maybe it will lead to more successful mainlanders coming to Singapore, and restarting a new history of Singapore, just like the days of Raffles…
But seriously, is Singapore struggling that bad that SM Goh has to make such a public statement, that’s so sensitive? or does he not really care anymore how any of us feel to statements like this? or is he out to de-sensitise us?
Is the govt seeing something we dont see? or not telling us?
Hard to say, they are now using our taxpayers monies to buy FT and expand their boundaries to cast votes. The question now is: can the citizens of singapore allows that or should we remain silent and let them do what they like and torture us for another 5 more years?
Well, if FT are given good privileges and incentives to be citizens, than why not? After all they will only be here for the next 30 years – 40 years the most. Whereas we are here for whole life – 70 years to 90 years. So we build the nation they enjoy the prosperity.
Since they can leave their home country to come here, there is good chance that they will leave Singapore too when times are bad. They have talent and is able to move to any part of the world and survive.
These FT unlike Singaporean has excellent survival skill. This is because they have been brought up in a country that they have to be self sustainable. But in Singapore we are given a set of rules to live by and follow strictly. This kills initiative. Hence we just can’t survive without the PAP holding our hands.
That is why many Singaporean businessmen who think that they did well in Singapore can also do well in other country. But they failed miserably overseas.
They are invited just for one reason to the ruling party: casting votes!
isa my dear friend. Come look at the kind of inspirational message your beloved leaders had installed for the citizenry at large. So reflecting isn’t it? Really need your overseas experience to enlighten us all. Please don’t tell me that this is an intended encouraging move to spice up the fighting spirit of the Singaporeans. You know the chinese expression? “:激将法”. Or is there a long term hidden agenda like 2011?
While Singaporeans go about answering the call by the govt to upgrade themselves in this difficult time, this same govt is allowing foreigners in by the back door?
A crook by any other name is still a crook.
MSM CNA keeps singing about their viewership.
singapore only has 1 CNA and 1 Mediacor
“There’s still hope for retrenched workers – NTUC Chief
If he or she is prepared to go for retraining, prepared to adapt to a new working environment, there’s still hope for our retrenched workers to go back to the job market again… Any talk about CPF cuts at this moment is way too premature because there are 1,001 things we can do to prepare ourselves, to strengthen ourselves to ride through this crisis.
Lim Swee Say, NTUC Chief”
In a bad economic situation, most levels of the value chain will get affected. Loss of jobs will likely lead to more people than jobs available. Assuming you retrain upwards, it won’t help much because still more people than jobs at any point of the higher value chain.
Resume wise, recently retrained person may not clock sufficient experience to compete with the existing pool of available (retrenched) workers at a particular higher level of the value chain.
Now with the current & wonderful addition from the above advice and with the gate open “If you are a professional, you can contribute to Singapore, if you earn above the average median income of Singaporeans, become a PR and maybe later a citizen”, we will get to enjoy more body rub (squeeze) and more bodily warm.
Don’t forget that FT draws lower pay than locals. So the more FT, the operating cost of company is lower. Better for the economy. So if economy improves, this shows that our ministers are capable people who can bring Singapore out of the recession. So they deserve to be paid better. Don’t you all see the result?
Of course, not forgetting that now the government is preparing for GE. So within the next two years, they should be enough FT to boost the ruling party votes.
Buying votes frok Foreign Talents will be their gradual undoing.
Do you all think., FTs who becomes citizens will be as docile as true Singaporeans? ..THINK!
Those who take to the streets in protests in future will not be Singaporeans, they will be offsprings of the so called Foreign PROFESSIONALS .
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not all against Foreigners coming to contribute, but the government is regarding them as a Universal Cure for all their problems – which is they, themselves & their administrations and policies.
God has blessed America with a Obama. God will some day, bless Singapore with one of our own.
CHANGE, is what we NEED.
Touched BUT Unmoved
when I heard Goh Chok Tong peddled the philosophies of accountability and transparency in a straight, serious and solemn manner at the Asia Society Hongkong Centre in the CNA News, I was touched.
But, Goh Chok Tong as an ex Prime Minister and a current Senior Minister and his Cabinet Members, had been called and reminded by his fellow countrymen to be transparent and accountable over all these years, AND THE CALLS ARE ALL THE MORE VEHEMENT AND FREQUENT NOW.
WHY ARE SINGAPOREANS(CITIZENRY) CALLING ON THEIR SENIOR MINISTER(gct) TO PRACTICE ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY whereas THE SM WENT TO OTHER NATION TO PREACH HOW IMPORTANT, CONSEQUENTIAL AND VITAL ACCOUTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY ARE TO NATIONHOOD? Something is seriously amissed, the Speaker seemed to preach values not practiced in his leadership and I am perplexed as to why it is so.
I am one Singaporean that never buy into the ‘wise words’ of our leaders as I have not found anything profound in them yet. ANOTHER reason is that I believe more in human weaknesses, we all know too well that a rascal father will never want his offspring(s) to go ‘bad’, hence the Saying ‘do what I say, don’t do what I do(implying that he(father) is unlikely to behave proper perpetually).
Ironically, we all want our elders and leaders to practice what they preached and if they don’t, we brand them hypocrites. However, if a small fry like me becomes a hypocrite, I affect myself more than I do to others. BUT AN INFLUENTIAL OR BIG TIMER GOES PUBLIC TO PREACH, HE BETTER ENSURE THAT HE IS WORTHY OF HIS WORDS.
I am guilty of deviating from the Topic, but the Man here is the focus, so I hope readers will pardon me for the digression. I always admire Goh Chok Tong for his words BUT never his actions(and follow-ups to his words).
patriot
Why specifically say welcome foreigners who earn above the average median income of sporeans?
Higher pay can mean less grumbling about 1st world Cost of Living? true or false?
i no no lah. u know meh?
17) Tear it down
Have you forgotten? Higher pay then can stand side by side mah.
Every month look at CPF statements then can feel rich together mah.
The population of foreigners in sg is already 50/50 and still they keep on bringing more into the country, in time to come, it would be 70/30 with the papees still in control cos every new PR applying for citizenship here needs only to fulfil ONE creteria (i.e. you must always vote for PAP. cos if not, they will refuse their applications) any possibility? YES, it is possible here in sg unless the citizens decide to make sure they stay below that 49% and the rest goes to other alternative parties.
very soon, foreigners can also vote. PAP sure win for the next 100 years.
isn’t it amazing…home ground is facing one of the toughest moments in years..and yet our dear SM “jia pa siew eng”…on a international recruitment drive!
Imagine if Walkovers can be prevented- would that not mean more citizens get to vote? this means new citizens as well ;)
Can singaporeans come up the solution to avoid walkovers? Is it beyond the capabilities of singaporeans?
There could be 3 possibilities why they still continue and go ahead with all the price hikes even when so many citizens protested.
1. they need alot of $$$ to cover up the huge losses on practically all their $$$billions foreign investments thus, depleting into the country reserve which is the people’s monies,
2. intentionally pressurizing the older folks to leave the country so they can just do away with all this heavy burden upon their shoulder, and they can and will continue to bring in more FT welcoming them with ready citizenships to replace those who are leaving or already left the country for good,
3. continuing to implement more or increase taxes to the extent that there would be huge amount of $$$ surplus in the shortest span of time, so they can just go ahead and highly reward themselves again and those who are willing to be their coffers and those who can cast more votes for the coming GE.
so to all you singaporeans, either you continue to vote for us or we will do you all in by replacing you people with FT with ready citizenships!
and so the government advertises citizenship again like its a commodity that can be sold. these people that he has described are most likely coming here for some sort of material gain- to be competitive in the global economy it seems we should sell our patriotism and national values to the highest bidder. as a born and bred singaporean i have a right to know what is the criteria for determining eligibility of citizens. they should release a whole range of documents underlining these criteria for the public’s scrutiny in my view. furthermore, it seems to me that the result of such a policy is a new era of elitism where people justify their belonging to singapore as a mere asset economically. this will inevitably subvert our national values and sentiments. our nation is so much more than merely formula 1 street races and big casinos and big money. it is the dreams of a young schoolboy or national serviceman who have gone through the system in place and knows how hard it is to succeed when proffessionals from abroad may limit his chances in making it in his country where he has lived and fought for to protect with his life.
Weird. I seem to remember that it was reported in Today that the number of foreigners would either drop or remain constant.
Dear chorus,
it is not weird la my friend. You check the year la. May be that number you remember was last year Today. Some illusion trick right? here Today, gone tomorrow. How target moves so precariously. Just puling your legs.
#26
Hahaha. I was reading today’s Today while taking a dump and I remember seeing that headline. Oh well. I guess this over writes it.
To be fair citizenship ‘as a commodity’ happens in many developed countries…
This really remind me when Golapan Nair says about judge prositituting in kangaroo court. Is Singaporean citizenship so cheapen like a prosititute? Look like I need to make myself high class by applying for Australian citizenship which is much harder to get even with higher qualification.
.
Please gov, have some standard and digity if not for yourself, but for others.
Marina Bay Sands is on its way to become a GLC. The government needs more citizens to visit Marina Bay Sands. Think about it. The government just raised the number of casino tables from 600 to 1000 at Marina Bay Sands. If Singapore doesn’t have enough citizens, how to support Marina Bay Sands?
money gets you places?
u ask me i ask who? Ask the genious loh!
Of course the Singaporean Gahmen is selling itself at a low, low price of the citizens’ trust and respect…but well, since we WERE an immigrant country and the Gahmen hasn’t seen fit to change it, i guess it means we can be immigrants too and leave…it’s a free market, that’s what you get!
oic, according to this yardstick, 50% of the population must be “talented”, and the other 50% waiting to be replaced.
Every decision made by the PAP is in the best interests of the people. Although we may not see it in the short-run, the long-term effects, as history has proven, will benefit us all.
Physician (#33)
History only proved that PAP made decisions in the best interest of the people. Whether PAP still makes decision in the best interest of the People remains debatable.