Comments on: “We deserve prosperity and emancipation” – Kenneth Jeyaretnam

By: i.not.migrating

i.not.migrating — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 08:46:43 +0000

Once upon a time, several years ago, the farmer dramatically killed a few chickens which really scared the other farm aminals. But till today, stories of poor chickens who were killed to set an example and to send a message to other aminals (like conducting public hangings), still circulate round and round. The stories are being kept very much alive and have served their purpose so well that the fear and paralysis remains imprinted and implanted in the psyche of subsequent generations.

Psychological fear is an interesting phenomenon.

It becames sad and tragic when it makes men into mice.

By: angry_one

angry_one — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 04:10:56 +0000

There is still a long and dangerous road to go. Once upon a time people felt that JBJ, Tang Liang Hong and the like would save and change singapore, and LKY ruined them all, easily and systematically.

By: creducator

creducator — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 11:09:09 +0000

“He noted that this is a result of indoctrination by the government, which has repeatedly emphasized the authoritarian framework as beneficial to the economic progress of the country.” – Tng Ying Hui with contribution by Khairulanwar Zaini

In “Hard times for a talent hub” at http://knowledge.insead.edu/Hardtimesforatalenthub090319.cfm?vid=190 , Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry, S Iswaran, spoke to INSEAD Knowledge following a closed-door meeting with MBA students at the school’s Asia campus. This may be an example of the “indoctrination by the government”. See excerpts below and tell me if S Iswaran knows what he is talking about.

Knowledge:
Singapore has got this long-term ambition to be a centre for talent but there is a certain amount of resentment here that you see every so often surface in the newspapers — resentment that people are coming in for jobs from overseas. How can you effectively overcome that?

S Iswaran:
Well I think this is an ongoing effort. The concerns of Singaporeans I think are legitimate in the sense that they don’t want to feel that they’re being excluded from opportunities that are being created here. By the same token, many of those opportunities may well not materialise in Singapore if we do not allow a certain flow of talent from abroad into Singapore. So that is the message that we communicate and continue to communicate to the broad mass of Singaporeans.

For them to understand and accept the fact that, by allowing greater porosity if you will for talent to flow into Singapore, we are able to create a larger whole from which Singaporeans and the resident population will also benefit significantly. And that is the key message we are getting across. And I think most Singaporeans accept the logic, although of course from time to time there may be particular experiences that may — at a personal level — that might cause them to rethink that.

Knowledge:
The Prime Minister (Lee Hsien Loong) said in a recent speech to the Foreign Correspondents Association that the government’s protecting Singaporeans first when it comes to jobs. So, in effect, isn’t it like a tap, in that you can basically switch on and off the flow of foreign talent as and when required? And when jobs dry up, the foreigners are sent (home)?

S Iswaran:
Well I think you have to look at the economics of it. In the first instance, why are there members of the workforce in Singapore who have come in from overseas? And usually there are one or two key reasons. One is because we are unable to find a sufficient number of Singaporeans and permanent residents in Singapore who have the particular skillset that is required.

Now if that continues to be the case, whether it’s an upturn or a downturn, then the reality is you need to continue to have that. However, if in a downturn they are able to find more people from the local community who have the talent, then clearly businesses will make their own decisions on how to rebalance, as it were, their workforce composition.

There is another group of foreign workers who are here in Singapore and they are here primarily because there are certain types of jobs which Singaporeans perhaps hitherto have been unwilling to get into them for a variety of reasons. Now in a cycle like this — in a down cycle like this — what might well occur is people recalibrate their expectations and they may be prepared to do things that were previously not prepared to and for different types of compensation packages.

So again it will be the businesses that will have to make the judgment call. Which is why, (as) our Prime Minister has said, we will go out to give as much help as we can to Singaporeans, whether that is in terms of financial assistance, training opportunities and obviously creating as many job opportunities as we can which they can then take advantage of.

But what we are not trying to do is be dirigistic and saying to businesses this is the way it goes in terms of compensation and so on. Clearly we have to maintain a balance and that balance is a dynamic balance. But the businesses will also do their own computations and we are quite confident that they will come to their own conclusions which are in the interests of Singaporeans and Singapore.

By: Mike2cts

Mike2cts — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 16:04:40 +0000

“Domestic consumption has been driven down to a level that is on a par with China and countries at a much earlier stage of development”

KJ did not elaborate on how domestic consumption had been driven down, tho his mentioning that the savings rate was 47% in 2008 suggests he is referring to the CPF savings plus personal savings.

Leaving CPF aside for the moment, my feel is that personal savings may be slowing. The older generation used to save cos they had seen bad times and there were less developed credit card schemes in their time. The young on the other hand are being lured to spend by peer pressure and easy credit.

Which brings us back to tweaking CPF to improve consumption. For the older workers, they have saved enough in CPF and personal savings so any reductions will not affect them seriously. For the younger workers in the early stages of their careers, it is a dicier proposition. Lowered CPF contributions would mean they have less on retirement. With rising minimum sums, there’s little to withdraw. Which means that they have to save more earlier in their career. Thus we have a catch 22 here. If CPF rate is lowered and the young spends more, they would face a bleak situation when they reach retirement age. They may have to work longer. In fact this is the situation in the more developed countries hit by the recent financial crisis.

By: KopitiamApek

KopitiamApek — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 10:37:59 +0000

41) A Tan

but you have to understand, some only can do that

By: A Tan

A Tan — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 05:59:09 +0000

Do we deserve prosperity and a liberal soc?

Depends on ourselves. Whinging alone won’t do it.

By: Mike2cts

Mike2cts — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 15:03:36 +0000

Hey, is this the same KJ who critiqued Mabubhani’s speech on Singapore being a safe place?

I like this version much better. Well done KJ.

By: creducator

creducator — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 14:24:56 +0000

(38) KopitiamApek,

….and also know PAP “very well”

By: KopitiamApek

KopitiamApek — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 13:25:26 +0000

Looks like a lot of posters in TOC knows KJ very well

By: Super GRC

Super GRC — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 03:17:07 +0000

i believe KJ is less confrontative and more articulate, but he is not battles seasoned yet, might be a uphill tasks against teh big machinery

By: creducator

creducator — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:22:37 +0000

Hi (26) preston loon

“I do not vote or support a politician base only on how well his speech is or just
because he is in opposition.Please Kenneth,let us know more about your Reform party’s platforms and its social engineerings policies.”

Why don’t you direct your question to PAP instead?

I always respect the late JB Jeyaretnam for his fearless fighting spirit. The more PAP tried to suppress him, the more he fought, the more he gained my respect. Glad that his successor did not disappoint us.

We need more people like K Jeyaretnam.

By: tiredsingaporean

tiredsingaporean — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 03:43:10 +0000

34) bootlip on July 14th, 2009 8.24 am
bring a GRC down please!
not good enough, just have to bring down 2 GRC, 1 at Tanjong Pagar and the other 1 at AMK, the rest will just die a natural death.

By: bootlip

bootlip — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 00:24:05 +0000

bring a GRC down please!

By: a singaporean in foreign land

a singaporean in foreign land — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 09:57:56 +0000

well said KJ! a vote for you if you run in the GE or by-election.

By: GABRIEL

GABRIEL — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 09:14:21 +0000

It would be good to get KJ and TKL into Parliament. I hope more stalwarts of such calibre will come forward in the next few months. There is not much we can expect from the new NMPs — especially those who have started singing the praises of LKY without too much encouragement. These NMPs should have had the political awareness and acumen to know that saka-ing the old man (with public utterances at that) will not earn them credibility with the general populace. Even LKY will have told them that! But of course, ST had to go down that same old tired route. Perhaps, some clever disgruntled ST editor is giving these NMPs the kiss of death.
Whatever, it’s good to have a serious mind like KJ joining the political fray. The development is good for Singapore’s future.

By: KopitiamApek

KopitiamApek — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 14:25:05 +0000

“Large demands on oneself and little demands on others keep resentment at bay” – Chinese Saying

Mariah Carey – Hero [
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVhrIfaPKxw

There’s a hero if you look inside your heart.
You don’t have to be afraid of what you are.
There’s an answer if you reach into your soul
and the sorrow that you know will melt away.
And then a hero comes along
with the strength to carry on
and you cast your fears aside
and you know you can survive.
So, when you feel like hope is gone
look inside you and be strong
and you’ll finally see the truth
that a hero lies in you.
It’s a long road when you face the world alone.
No one reaches out a hand for you to hold.
You can find love if you search within yourself
and the emptiness you felt will disappear.
And then a hero comes along
with the strength to carry on
and you cast your fears aside
and you know you can survive.
So, when you feel like hope is gone
look inside you and be strong
and you’ll finally see the truth
that a hero lies in you.
Lord knows dreams are hard to follow,
But don’t let anyone tear them away.
Hold on, there will be tommorow.
In time you’ll find the way.
And then a hero comes along
with the strength to carry on
and you cast your fears aside
and you know you can survive.
So, when you feel like hope is gone
look inside you and be strong
and you’ll finally see the truth
that a hero lies in you.
That a hero lies in you,
that a hero lies in you.

By: Spirit-centred

Spirit-centred — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 06:50:29 +0000

Yes at least some fresh ideas from this man.

By: B.Kuppupokusamy

B.Kuppupokusamy — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 04:20:36 +0000

Having seen the “tsunami” next door,the ruling party is losing sleep over a possible”earthquake” here.
Hence, the NMP issue in the media.
This issue is an electioneering strategy of the PAP,meant to lock opposition out of parliament in the coming GE.It’s telling the electorate that Singapore does not need political opposition, and that the PAP can self-police with its political invention of NMPs.
It’s akin to an SGX-listed firm telling SGX that the company requires no external audit,and that the regulatory authority can be assured that its internal audit suffices to ensure that the firm will always keep to the straight and narrow.
Will SGX buy this?
Dare the NMPs question the salaries of ministers in parliement,for example?
Will Singaporeans buy this?
We not stupid.

By: jim007jimmyboy

jim007jimmyboy — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 02:41:44 +0000

Just worried what the old man might plan to destroy RP. He is one dirty and sneaky b@stard!

By: Koochi Poochie Koo

Koochi Poochie Koo — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 01:46:29 +0000

26) preston loon on July 11th, 2009 11.32 pm

why you so anxious?
With a calibre like KJ, you know singapore can get more than just an administrator.
To me, he is a no-nonsense politician who can debate using his own script, even on the fly he can come up with strong rebuttal. He has his own brain to think.