In November 2009, NTUC Secretary General Lim Swee Say was invited to give a talk on Singapore’s tripartism at INSEAD in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the business school. He not only elaborated the concept of “Cheaper, Better, Faster”, but also provided an overview of the government’s strategy to mitigate the impact of the global financial crisis.
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He said our country’s reserves quite a lot. haha.
Please shut up, LSS..
Is there really no one who can replace this non-mediocre?
employers would all support them.
employees, foreign talents, would revere them.
employees, non lobanged, would kpkb.
employees, high income, non affected by cost of living, would still support them even if they may not agree with some of their policies. can ignore, they ignore. close eye.
and that leaves us with 1 option : Wait.
based on #4,
only at most 1/4 of the groups of people of the population may not be song with them.
after listened to him, i hear of his achievements. As the year ending, i wonder how much bonus he would be getting? I not sure if people can be told about this?
How much more hardworking is expected of citizens based on CBF ?
Good luck.
Work for life.
Always someone cheaper waiting to take your job.
injoy.
INSEAD produce a lot of business people right?
So, i am sure all of them like the idea of Cheaper Better Faster.
The cheaper the employee, the more profit they will have for the next lambo.
The Swiss gentlemen asked Mr. Lim about national identity, and all we hear is about the economy followed by how we have one policy to ensure racial integration through control of HDB flat allotment.
NTUC is so capable to cover all types of workers — “all can”. But why are social services (“welfare”) still “many helping hands”?
Singapore’s success comes with a price on culture and compassion. This is what’s left for the next generation.
.. it is already becoming very difficult for these MIWs to mask over their LAME policies no matter how they twist & turn their words garnished with fancy terms…
see, its very simple and clear – there is but only 1 way out lady and gentlemen, many many.
I ditto this for all blog articles past, present, future.
Lss is simply bombastic :
“…the president who is non-partisan, elected by the people of singapore…”
Is Reverse osmosis and ultraviolet technology not a gift from other countries?
I mean these were invented long ago by foreigners.
These have been applied in numerous applications for many many years already.
Thanks TOC for spreading his words of wisdom to the readers to explain to us the FT policy that employers appreciate.
“try something new”?
Is it relate to pharma industry?
recently, i went to poly clinic. I had to take a compulsory weight, height, blood pressure check and these data were recorded by the assistant. I said can i not take it. she said it wonder are they trying something new?
listening to the vid, my aircon room suddenly turned into a sauna.
if only this vid can reach the eyes and ears of all citizens, especially the fresh grads.
so that they will know what the crystal ball holds for them.
I can do nothing but wait for the final retirement.
I only hear….”Once Upon a time….”
“and they lived happily ever after…” Walt disney would be proud.
Insead is bankrupt.
I cannot imagine they invite a loser like lss to talk to the graduates of Insead.
How can Lss be inspiring?
Insead is going downhill.
This bullshit about being “innovative and creative” has been going on for more than thirty years without any tangible results. It’s just a lot of hot air to hoodwink mainly a foreign audience.
How can there be innovation and creativity in a country whose “paramount leader” is fixated with feudal mindset?
It’s Lee Kuan Yew who decides who our neighbours are, the language we speak, the way we spit and so on. Minions like LSS are errand boys of LKY. For their total obedience, they are paid millions of dollars while our workers have to compete with cheap labour from Third World countries to feed these PAP parasites.
Singapore is probably the only country in the world where foreign MNC representatives sit on the National Wages Council to determine the annual wage level of our workers.
LSS can deceive uninformed listeners that NTUC is Singapore’s labour movement for all collars and colours. But not Singaporeans.
my taiwanese friend sent me this link, containing six parts commeting my city state early politics, economics etcs.
interestingly part 4-6 mentioning that our Economics model, FT ideas, IR copying from taiwan.
what interest me from my taiwan friend that our singapore FT policy different from them – that is taiwan foreign talent policy is to invite their own talented peoples from different parts of the world to return to their proud country to contribute to its present economics relevancy and politic vibrancy ie. economics drive politic not politic drives economics.
really kudos to my taiwanese friend knowing their personal democratic rights.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEYjcn_HMc4&feature=related
LSS: “S’pore must be pro-business… if we’re not por-business, then we cannot be one of the most attractive place on earth to do business. then there’ll be no investment, then there’ll be no job, then workers can’t have a good employment…”
as a nation S’pore needs to have a large reserve to weather any downturn, but LSS how does individuals or families build a reserve to weather them? can the most jobs in the emerging sectors (retail & service) do that?
despite the brickbats, i must say Mr Lim SS is as direct & honest (at times its humourous though :P ) as S’poreans can hope for.
Faster and better?thats good. But cheaper?How do we achieve that? As employers, we need to considert the CPF element, GST and even worker levies (If foreigner). I hope the minister do more homework before sprouting nonsense.
its a shame for singaporeans.
A big thank you to TOC TV.
Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.
The foreign business audience as we can see was carried away by Minister Lim’s succinct responses.
Even the host. At the close he invariably drew the co-relation bt Singapore’s unique growth to the high calibre of its leaders.
Singapore will with its special breed of carefully selected high potential leaders continue to be the dynamo in ASEAN.
I cannot understand how someone of LSS’s calibre can be a Minister…..CBF@#$#%^!%%……explains why things are going downhill for all.
If we imagine there is a knob for this government money making machine, cheaper -better – faster, will fall in the red zone, the most dangerous zone. It is next to the stage of explosion.
Cheaper – Singapore workforce will have to work non stop and underpaid.
Better – The Minister will be better off with a better pay.
Faster – Singaporean will die faster.
Can we ever be cheaper than China or India? Wishful thinking. Even if we work ourself to death, we can never become cheaper than them. They have more people and a bigger land area. That is the ingredient and fuel of becoming cheaper.
The only person I can think of being better off, is the minister. Their pay always will get better when we are cheaper. Their house get bigger while ours get smaller. Their own children is the one that are better off while ours are worst off.
If we go any faster than our present rate, we will surely die of exhaustion.
Singaporean is human being and not a machine, where this government fail to see. Treat all of us as your money machine this way over a period of time, the machine will explode in your face.
I think LSS aimed for 100% employment in 2010, that would be amazing. If he can do that, I would forgive him for his silly comments.
But then again, 5M people in Singapore…with so few jobs, i think even 3% is impossible.
i couldnt sit through this. his english sounds horriffic. ugh
What it means to you, the salary earner
Cheaper — lower pay
Better — more effort
Faster — more work less time
In other words, work a lot harder for less money. With rising prices, how to cope?
LSS: Singapore is an urban city.
You mean there’s a rural city?
I would suggest that you all browsed through that “PAP 50th ANniversay Book” available at Bishan Library (3 copies of it).
In 1980, NTUC and PAP joins in a symbosis with NTUC Secretary-General being given a Cabinet post to “influence labour issues within PAP Government”.
Plus NTUC members are MP, again to speak up on behalf of labour.
Tripatitism is based on the German model, but never have that political dynamism of Germans Social Democratic Party.
The workers’ political assertiveness aspect of Tripatitism had been effectively emasculated from NTUC.
With the present result of Tripatitism from my personal perspective of a Dog with 2 strong legs, wagging a weak tail.
In a sense that PAP knew its hisitory and learning the bitter lesson fo battling the Chinese-educated Left and the ENglish-dominated labout unions that politicla dominance lies in having an armed lock on labour unions..but best of all is a head-lock that PAP is having on NTUC called “symbosis” with “incentives such as Cabinet minister post and MP posts as a chance to influence Government on labour issues”.
No political party can form an alternative government without the support of labour unions…or even to win 25% of Parliament seats to prevent PAP from amending the Constitutions.
But with a well-educated citizenry, widely exposed to Western liberalism, widely-travelled, discontentment with PAP from silver-haired brigades to young punks, really, there is a small window of oportunity as the catalyst is a charismatic leader to motivate, to cajole and to persuade the working class that it si worth their while to elect an oppostion MP.
If it can be done in 1954, 1955 and 1959, then it can be done by 2014, 2015 and 2024.
What opposition had been operation presently is based on tactical plans, reacting to PAP and led by the nose by PAP to the path where PAP wanted them to tread.
What opposition lacks is a strategy to form an alternative government, a charismatic leader.
Other that that, CHiam See Tong, Low Thai Khiang and Dr Chee are merely “opposing for teh sake fo oppositing” and does not make an iota a difference to PAP monolith.
Worst there are tokenism to lend a facade to the fatc that political opposition si alive and well, thriving in SIngapore.
Exactly like what Henry Ford’s said:
“You can choose any color you want, as long as it is black”.
That speaks volumes of the choice we have as opposition leader (or union leader) isn’t it?
///Other that that, CHiam See Tong, Low Thai Khiang and Dr Chee are merely “opposing for teh sake fo oppositing” and does not make an iota a difference to PAP monolith.
Worst there are tokenism to lend a facade to the fatc that political opposition si alive and well, thriving in SIngapore.///
You have to start somewhere as you do not have much choice. This iota of difference lies in how the well-educated citizenry and those others who are politically discerning are is willing to play the counter-intuitive tactical game. It may mean defying the very logic that we are so trapped in our circular argument.
Do we really have any other choice ?
Opposition does have a choice by doing the unexpected by not participating in GE2011.
1 – It will defy logic and break the cycle of “opposing for teh sake of opposing”.
2 – It will leave PAP Government with a headache of how to fil up that 6 no. NCMP posts – by invitaiton or by selection?
3 – And it helps Opposition to harness their precious resources and finance, to accummulate with 5 more years lead-time to further develop their credibility, to reinforce their presence in CYperspace in wooing netizens and to work the gorunds at HDB Heartlands.
4 – As long as it is a token of 2 or 3 opposition MP, it makes no different whetehr you are MP or NCMP. Worst, PAP is slowly building up a case of “:failure of Opposiiton for 25 years” by justing pointing one finger with this question: ‘How does it benefit SIngaporeans at Hougang and Potong Pasir after 25 years of Opposition MP there”?
There is also an alternative strategy if Opposition wanted their selected representatives in Parliament.
From GRC TEam and participates in “Death Ground” GRC like:
- Tanjong Pagar GRC
- AMK GRC
- Toa Payoh GRC
- MArine PARADE GRC
- Thomson/Bishan GRC
- Sembawang GRC
- JUrong GRC
The 6 no. highest losers will get to be NCMP.
And it will send a shockwave thru’ PAP if Opposition manages to garner 45% or more votes, overall from these 6 no. GRC.
It wil prove the popularity or unpopularity of PAP.
In hidnsight, CHiam See Tong is not so daft after all as he is using the same odl tactic of “Two for the Price of One” in contesting at Toa Payoh GRC – going to PArliament as one of th 6 “highest” losers – and at the same time a 50 : 50 gamble that his successor will retain hsi Potong Pasir GRC seat.
Now, has Low Thia Khiang got the guts to take-up this CHiam See Tong’s gamble?
That is, lead a Ajunied GRC team to challenge George Yeo.
And let SLyvia Lim takes over Hougang GRC.
Dr. Chee Soon Juan?
Field a SDP candidate at Macpherson SWC to gauge the popularity of his appeal to SIngaporeans.
***************************************************************************
Now, there is a fertiel gorunds for Opposition to0 cultivate:
SIlver-Hair Brigade like me, disgruntled PAP supporters whose loyalty is towards Lee Kuan Yew and Old Guards, betrayed by Goh CHok Tong 2003 shttering of the “Iron Ricebowl and SIngpaore Dream”, starting to looak askewed at Lee Hsein Loong as just a drone, a superb technocract, an excellent bureacrat best working behind the scene, but deviod of charismatic appeal and perceived lack of leladership due to hsi conformance as a filial Confucian Son.
From ageing baby-boomers, ekeing out a living in 1-room HDB rental flats to educated and upper/middle/lower middle-class ageing baby-boomers – the success of Opposition from Ge2011 to Ge2024 depends really on how to swing 50% of them to support Opposition.
Put it this way, even though I completely disagreed with JBJ and had written of SDP, WP, SPP and SDA; yet I will give the beenfit of doubt to Reform Party as “the new kid on the blocK” as to the direction they are ehading:
1 – Morph into a “my lind of opposition”, certified and endorsed by Lee Kuan Yew?
2 – A stalking horse for Western Liberals determined to impsoe Western Liberal Democracy during post-Lee Kuan Yew SIngapore?
3 – Or the embroynic development that wil encourage more and more Post-65ers to become more political assertive and active participation in politics?
Sadly, I see the future of opposition to PAP is really the “Left” which was virtually decimated as a serious challenge to PPA Monolith.
And if PM Lee Hsien Loong iss erious of “governing by consensus”, the first step is to restore that SOcialist Club at NUS, NTU, SMU and polytechnics.
Whetehr we like it or not, my perception is that the future of SIngpaore Politics is back to the “bad” old days of “Right” vs “Left”.
As socailist liek PAP knew: “The way to political power lies in Democracy”.
I not sure did LSS answered directly the questions asked by the attendees?
Maybe too cheem for me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEYjcn_HMc4&feature=related
Nice clip. Unfortunately it is not much of a forum, if it is only one person talking in favor of LKY and his policies without mentioning his failures especially in implementation. Informative though. I didnt know Jiang Jing Kuo had such a good relationship with LKY.
It is very ironic a Taiwanese who reveres LKY keep mentioning the past (more than 20 years ago) when we were using pen and paper when now in 1990+ we have had the internet and pcs produced by his very creative and intelligent countrymen, in comparison Chartered Semi was sold off to the Arabs after years of red ink.
It is even more ironic that LKY would not be able to understand the discussion in its totality, it is a well known fact LKY and son have never taken the time to master their own mother tongue.
Sorry didn see the end of the clip. It was a few people.
But very interesting nonetheless. I smiled when one of the panelist (presumably a professor of some kind) said LKY took Taiwan’s good ideas, examined their profitability and SUCCESSFULLY implemented them.
@ 8) Lawrence on December 27th, 2009 3.55 pm :
So what would a youth of today come to understand then about a cultural identity amidst all the never ending economic cycles .. from what the Minister said, I’m not too sure except I should try to be cheaper, better (sometimes betterer) and faster, period.
@ 30) Lai CF on January 1st, 2010 11.46 am :
The incumbent imo has cleverly protected their position in power by ‘lawfully’ having direct/indirect/questionable control over the MSM, unions, judiciary, army, police, presidency etc.etc.etc.etc.
Not bad.
Hearing LSS explain his CBF in this overseas forum, i now find it less offensive than the face-value of the statement itself.
I am left with the feeling that Singapore would never really have an identity of her own and be forever a slave to the global economy. That that is the real world’s realistic view. That we can’t have our own MNC or our own purpose in life.
It really sounds like we have to resign to the fact that Singapore’s small size causes her to be a fast-moving pro-business nation with little room for it have (or be) a place of rest for the weary. Singapore is not a place for dreamers. Maybe that is why the Swedish man asked about the cultural prospects for future generations in Singapore. Because culture (other than the business culture) wont survive in the onslaught of dollars-and-cents.
what a unique sexy accent.
i am singaporean myself and i have to really strain my ears to understand him. and even so, i cant understand some of what he said!!!
SORRY MR LIM
YOU WILL BE THE NEXT MINISTER TARGETED BY OPPOSITION AND I DO NOT THINK WE NEED A LABOUR MINISTER ADMINISTER TRIPARTITE SYSTEM.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE MEANING OF TRIPARTITE SYSTEM, GOVERNMENT, TRADE UNION, AND EMPLOYERS. IT IS ONLY IN SINGAPORE THE LABOUR MINISTER IS RUNNING THE TRADE UNION. THIS IS JOKE……. WE GOT TO LET THE PAP KNOW THIS MUST CHANGE AND TRADE UNION MUST BE GIVEN FREEDOM TO EXERCISE WORKERS RIGHT’S RATHER THAN MAKING IT PAP CONTROLLED UNION.
MR LIM…….. FUTHERMORE…. HE REQUESTED FOR RETIREMENT BEFORE THE ELECTION…….. HE INTEND TO STEP DOWN AT AGE 62 (NEXT ELECTION)….. BG LEE RESPONDED BY SAYING HE WILL DECIDE WHEN ONE WILL STAY OR GO…… I MUST SAY THE PEOPLE WILL DECIDE WHO WILL BE GIVEN THE POWER TO STAY OR LEAVE.
AS PER MR LIM REQUEST… I HAVE STARTED MY CAMPAIGN AGAINST MR LIM AND HE WILL BE VOTED OUT AS MINISTER IN 5 YEARS TIME, MY REASON FOR HIM TO LEAVE IS ” DO NOT NEED A LABOUR MINISTER TO RUN THE TRADE UNION MOVEMENT”
I CALLING ALL MY FRIENDS WHO SHARE MY VIEWS AND PLEASE MAKE THE MESSAGE KNOWN TO THE POPULATION AT LARGE AND THE TRADE UNION MOVEMENT NEEDS IS FREEDOM AND WORKERS ARE THE BACKBONE OF OUR NATION, I ACCUSE THE PAP HAVE CRIPPLED THE MOVEMENT AND MAKE IT AS PAP MOUTH PIECE AND MY FRIENDS, CHANGE THE SYSTEM….. IF PAP SINCERELY SUPPORT TRANSFORMATION… THIS IS WHAT THEY SHOULD DO FIRST……. IF NOT IT IS JUST WATCHING A TRANSFORMERS MOVIE ….. NO MEANING…..
PLEASE FORWARD MY MESSAGE TO AS MANY FRIENDS, MAKE KNOWN THEM, WE DO NOT NEED A LABOUR CHIEF FROM GOVERNMENT TO RUN THE LABOUR MOVEMENT…. LABOUR MOVEMENT IS ABLE TO LEAD ON ITS ON RIGHT…. WITHOUT THE ASSISTANCE FROM GOVERNMENT….
LASTLY…. I CALLING FOR MR LIM SWEE SAY TO VOTED OUT IN 5 YEARS TIME, THE COUNT DOWN STARTS NOW…. CHEERS