From the website, Adam Khoo’s Philosophies And Investing Insights:
I have a prediction. My prediction is that in a couple of years, the expatriates (from China, India, US etc…) will rule Singapore. They will increasing take on more leadership roles of CEOs, directors, heads of organizations, award winners etc… If you observe closely, it is already happening now. This year’s top PSLE (Primary School Leaving Exam) student is a China National. Most of the deans list students and first class honours students in the local universities are foreigners and more and more CEOs, even that of government link corporations are expats. The top players in our National teams are expats.
As a Singaporean, I am not complaining. I think that in a meritocratic society like Singapore, it is only fair that the very best get rewarded, no matter their race, religion or nationality. Like Lee Kwan Yew said, I rather these talented and driven people be on our team contributing to our nation than against us from their home country. The question I have been asking is, ‘why are the expats beating the crap out of Singaporeans?’ What I noticed is that these expats have a very important quality that many Singaporeans (especially the new Y generation lack). It is a quality that our grandfathers and great-grandfathers (who came from distant lands) had that turned Singapore from a fishing village to the third richest country in the world (according to GDP per capita). Unfortunately, I fear this quality is soon disappearing from the new generation of Singaporeans. This quality is the HUNGER FOR SUCCESS and the FIGHTING SPIRIT!!!
The full article can be viewed here.
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I don’t agree with Adam. The whole issue is about Singaporean being replaced by cheaper foreigner not better. As illustrated by his experience, employers like him benefited by Gov Foreigner policy.
FYI, Adam, whenever I saw training school associated with you or your company, I will ignore it cos I don’t trust you at all.
Hello! Does being hungry for success and having fighting spirit mean that we must lower our salary expectation so much that employers like yourself can exploit cheap labour?
How can you say Singaporeans are not hungry enough for success? Some are so hungry that they literally collapsed and died. What fighting spirit can you expect from a dying person? – except the fight for “justice and equality”. (so as to achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for the disadvantaged)
#45- My sentiments EXACTLY!!!
Singaporeans are too busy being robbed blind everywhere by pay&pay to have anything left to fight. Get real. >:P
Adam Khoo’s right. We are not hungry enough. Even though we work the longest hours in the world.
http://www.pressrun.net/weblog/2009/12/singapore-workers-work-longest-hours-ilo-report.html
Thus we have no time to attend his talks.
If you’re hungry, it’s probably ‘cos you’re not hungry enough.
As Adam Koo Koo, I see more and more Gen Y people not interested in signing up for my various motivational, get-rich-quick courses and schemes.
I don’t know why they are not hungry anymore, why don’t they want to improve themselves through my ISO-certified, expert-testified, money-back guaranteed inspirational courses ?? !!!
Eureka! I’ve found the causal link !!!
They prefer hanging out in cafes instead of paying to attend my company’s courses, so this MEANS they are not hungry and lack fighting spirit !
Adam has over simplified and sees partially from only an enclosed angle -when one does not ask much in a class / seminar could probably be that one has a better grasp and understanding of all that have been taught /elaborated and Singaporeans will not be so lame duck as to entirely permit an outright gentrification in the various aspects of jobs, housing etc etc by foreign breed local /PRs – though it seems imminent now.
Singaporeans are fine breed with many talents who are not able to manifest their various capabilities – esp those who are unwilling to align with an intimidating dictatorial regime.
Time will reveal all – but most important will banished those currenttly rotten ones.
He is just another apple polisher. I don’t take him seriously and neither should Singaporeans.
Show complete ignorance on the issues over the ‘foreign talen’ debate.
I have had enough of this ‘blaming Singaporeans for everything.’
Time for Change.
Under relentless oppression, how can I think and move? Give me my share of TH and GIC assets, a dual citizenship rights and then see if I “disappear ” tommorrow to the most remote corner of the world to find fortune for myself and my country.
i think it is time we look at what is the real issue here. why are singaporeans so ‘picky’ and why do they seem to always ‘demand’ to be paid more? i think as singaporeans ourselves, the answer is very clear – the high and ever-increasing costs of living in singapore means that it is simply quite impossible to settle for less. unlike the expats (i’m referring to the chinese, bangladeshi, indians and malaysians amongst us who are perceived as much more ‘willing’ and ‘less picky’), we are not here ALONE in Singapore. when a chinese or indian worker earns a salary of $800 a month (and with some effort to scrimp and save), the money they have left remaining can feed an entire family back where they come from. give a singaporean $800 a month and you expect him to be able to sustain a family right here in singapore? quite impossible i would think.
just like an Indonesian maid who works for a family here in Singapore, after some years she can build and own houses back home – even though in SG she may be the lowest paid foreign worker.
if we start to pay a bus captain or toilet cleaner $1500 a month, i am sure more singaporeans will be WILLING and ABLE to take up these jobs but of course, it is probably impractical to suggest that? (how about, for every singaporean worker hired, the government pays part of their salaries to reduce the cost impact this will have on employers and at the same time, provide ‘equal opportunities’ to singaporeans and foreign workers based purely on their merit instead – the best worker gets the job, not the cheapest?)
what i am saying is that it is unfair to say that singaporeans are picky and choosy and demanding. take the case of foreign professionals working in singapore instead. in most cases, these FT come from advanced countries with costs and standards of living close to or equivalent to that of Singapore and what do they get? housing allowances, premium pay packages etc… all in the name of attracting these FTs to work in Singapore. all because Singapore needs foreign talent to survive. so for a local singaporean and foreigner doing the same work, the latter gets more perks and $$$ than the former. how is this then considered fair?
so as long as we are singaporean, regardless of whether you are a worker or a professional, we lose out? that – is really very sad for us.
Adam Khoo is just trying to suck up to the gahmen and expats so that they will endorse his courses. I wonder if any working class local would ever wanted to attend his seminars again. Maybe he had suck the wrong ball.
Just found out from wiki that he is a director of Health Promotion Board. So that why all the hard sucking.
the pass generation must assume a larger part of the responsibility for today’s youth, individually, as a community & those who were/are entrusted to shape the future, both S’pore’s & that of her people. it’s always easy to point fingers at others shortcomings, but way harder to admit one’s part it has played in shaping the youths.
hunger for success & fighting spirit are qualities that are inbued from young, qualities are not skills that can be trained like how our dear leaders expect PMETs who are retrenched to just enter another totally industry at the drop of a hat & be as productive as seasoned oldtimers.
hmmm, i have yet see our ministers fight for S’poreans’ welfare, jobs worklife balance, 1st world life, etc for altruistic reasons, rather for then seemingly politically motivated 1s. as our nation’s leaders, youths need examples to emulate but what examples are these leaders setting? just look at SP Power, our public transport operators, now Seng Siong…
Singaporeans will certainly have the hunger and fighting spirit if PAP regime stop using kangaroo as a whipping stick to tame us, punish us and stop us from doing what we felt is good for the nation and our well beings. The reason why certain people from other nationalities performed well was because their country is far more democratic than Singapore and their leaders were less iron-handed towards its citizen. If this high performers were to live in Singapore as citizen for a prolonged period under the current LEEgime, I can bet that they will eventually find themselves trapped mentally & emotionally and behaved the way Singaporeans have been doing all these years – trying to break free from tight control. Unfortunately, Adam Khoo book fell short of such understanding why many Singaporeans can never be a multi-millionair – not the people fault but forced under unconducive circumstances.
To All TOC readers,
Those expats who are running our country will eventually become Singapore citizens.So,do not worry lah!.If you could recalled,many of our earlier former MPs and cabinet ministers were also foreigners.Nothing new and unusual here.Do not let this A.Khoo stir up your emotion.
Dear Adam
You have mis-spelt the name of our founding father, Lee Kuan Yew.
Your blog has achieved its objective of getting attention however, as I had not heard of you before today.
Josephine
Hokkaido
Japan