By Dr Wong Wee Nam, guest contributor
At a Post-Budget 2010 Feedback Session held at Marine Parade Community Club recently, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong revealed what it takes to be a productive worker. He used two cases to make his point.
First he used the example of a popiah skin maker who could only make 50 skins per hour. When his skill improves the next year he might make 100 skins per hour. This, as he explained, means the productivity has increased by 100 percent.
In another illustration he showed the difference between the typist who could only type with 1 finger and needing 20 minutes to type a page and one who could type with 10 fingers and could finish a page in half a minute.
In other words, if we could make a 70 year old toilet cleaner work twice as fast, our elderly hawker centre helper clean more tables in a given time and our taxi drivers double their speed, all of them would be very productive.
If working faster is basically what productivity means, then we are doomed for another period of the same economic malaise that has struck us. Though I am not an economist and have never studied economics in school, I do know that productivity does not simply mean doing a task faster. It would be, in the old industrial age prior to the advent of computers and the internet. It would be, if we still kept competing with third world countries using third world technologies to produce similar kinds of goods. But aren’t we in the First World now?
Though the government keeps talking about productivity, creativity and innovation, it looks as if our mentality is still stuck in the industrialized age.
The Meaning of Productivity
What then is productivity? French political economist, futurist and philosopher, Bertrand de Jouvenel, believed a man must be willing to change his way of working if he wants to increase wealth.
He said, “If he were always to proceed in the same way, he would always produce the same amount in the same time and thus fail to do his share to increase the flow of commodities.”
Furthermore he added, “An increase in the total flow of commodities is not, and cannot be, achieved by simply multiplying by a certain constant each of the specific currents of which the total flow is composed at a given moment.”
Finally he said, “Increasing production demands continual changes in the way the labour force is divided.”
Thus, to be productive, our workers must be mobile and adaptable. They must also have some independent thinking skills so that they will be able to identify and solve problems. However this does not mean just getting them better educated. This is because however educated a person may be, if he is conditioned to be passive and submissive he will always have this unconscious habit of waiting for instructions and cues from above in order to move.
Therefore, to produce creative and innovative workers, we need a nurturing climate. There must be the freedom to express without fear and the room to initiate action without psychological inhibitions. This is because a controlled environment will destroy peoples’ initiative, motivation, instinct and sense of purpose. It can only breed workers who can only be slotted into the various niches in society and just do the work required of them. This is the problem with Singapore. There is no culture of inquiry, debate and research that can make us become a nation of innovative and creative people.
A Better Example of Innovation and Productivity
The story of Ida Rosenthal should be an inspiration to the small person running a humble business. Ida Rosenthal was a dressmaker in a small shop in New York in the early 1920s. At that time women wore corsets and chemises as undergarments. To improve the fit for her customers, Mrs Rosenthal started to experiment with undergarments and finally came out with the first brassiere. Soon the brassiere became a permanent accessory to her dresses. It became so popular that she decided to devote herself to manufacturing brassieres. She later found a company called Maiden Form, the first bra-making company, and very soon all the women in the world were “dreaming in a Maidenform Bra” as an advertisement then went. This is real productivity.
It is not that Singapore does not have productive people. The very fact that our forefathers were prepared to uproot themselves and move to Singapore to start a new life from scratch shows we do have the productivity “genes” in us. It is just that these “genes” have been suppressed by the stifling climate and have not been allowed spontaneous expression.
This is one reason why our film industry has lagged behind the Korean film industry. All along I had thought that Korean serials only attract young girls until I had dinner with a university professor and a specialist doctor. During dinner, both of them were animatedly exchanging stories of the Korean videos they had watched. The university professor told me the Korean videos are watched all over the world including US, Europe, Japan and the whole of South-East Asia. The spin-off from the popularity of the serials is the increasing attraction of Korea as a tourist destination.
The university professor also told me that when she went to Korea for a visit, she insisted the guide brought her to all the Bay Yong-joon concerts and to the condo where he stays where she delighted herself taking photographs of his mailbox and all the fan mails in there (as the mailbox was not locked).
She also told me about another retired professor who not only owned all of Bay’s videos but who would also wait patiently at a hotel to catch a glimpse of him when he was in Singapore. Talk about the fanatic Filipinas and Japanese fans of Bay.
The love for Korean dramas is not confined to the lay person. I once asked an ex-TV actress why she preferred to watch Korean dramas. She said the Koreans are very good storytellers. When I commented that the local dramas are not as good because the acting is not on par, she said that we cannot blame the actors because sometimes the scripts do not allow them to act. I asked if that was because the scripts needed to be politically correct and she answered the question with a laugh which said it all.
No wonder the baddies and gangsters in our local productions do not look or behave like crooks and all the characters look and behave like one another.
Goebbels, the Reichsminister of Propaganda who adored the film Gone With The Wind, had these words for his filmmakers. He said, “If I saw a film made with conviction, then I’ll reward its maker. What I do not want to see are films that begin and end with National Socialist Parades.” To him, if you want to make films, make them entertaining.
What Needs To Be Done?
We are living in an era of vast information and knowledge where rapid changes can make demands on the individual’s ability to change and adapt. The need for the personal development of our students, therefore, becomes even greater. Where difficult decisions need to be made between unclear alternatives, the need for personal integrity and moral courage becomes even more important. This must be the basis of educating our young. Not only will such a person adapt well, he will also likely to have better work ethics.
We are now facing the problems of a developed country and the high costs will affect our competitiveness in many ways. What we really need to continue growing is to have people who can create new goods and services. Only innovating economies can expand and develop. We can no longer keep on churning out economic digits fit for an industrialized society.
However, we can only create new goods and services if we have creative and innovative people. We cannot have creative and innovative people if the climate continues to stifle us. We cannot have creative and innovative people if a lot of our people are just waiting for the government to dispense wealth in the form of upgrading and pre-election shares and rebates.
Our economy can no longer just depend on the few large corporations. In a city economy, it is vital that we have plenty of small and medium size businesses with a possibility of coming out with new ideas to create innovative work and services.
There may be other views on how to turn Singapore into a home of creative and innovative people. However it is hard to imagine that an innovative and creative population can be created by just making all the motherhood statements of higher skills, higher productivity and higher wages without giving people more mental space to dream and allowing more alternative voices to be heard.
For the policy makers and the people who run this country, it would be good for them to watch this video featuring an excellent talk by Sir Ken Robinson, who is an internationally recognized leader in the development of innovation and human resources, to get an idea of what we are facing and what needs to be done.
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Exactly how productive these appointments have been in Istana & PMO
1 MM, 2 SMs ,3 Min w/o Portfolios and of course our wonderful President.
If they are in there voluntarily or paid just token sums, I cheer to that.
But they are getting out of these world salaries compare to Chinese leaders
governing 1.2 mil people or Prez Obama running a nation of 300 mil.
So Goh should stop telling people to be more productive when his own
govt is run with so much fat
” In many countires there are 3 or 4 levels. There’s the district, the state and at the national, 2 levels (example, House of Reps + Senate, Commons + Lords).”
How many exactly?
here we go again, everytime a criticism comes up, the defence is to put at somewhere worst and then say, see there are others worse off than we are…
This is how PAP argues and this is how Taneug argues..
Other examples are just reference points. while we can use them to benchmark, they can never be used to justifies status quo or acceptance of the present…
if that were the case, then there will never be any improvements. I could use the same to argue that there are same countries without GST, without COE, free health care, etc. and say hey why can’t singapore be like them..
so please Taneug, be more intelligent in your analyses of situations
No need to benchmark against Indonesia or Thai govt…..we compare apples to apples…..HK govt beat ours anytime in terms of froggy’s CBF.
“not to mention the ‘non-salary payments’ that many government officers receive in many other countries” ….. Ah Siao
Exactly, the non-salary payments to Singapore Mini$ter$ not included for fair calculation against others.
Be warn, don’t be sway by bad or good reports wholesale!
even compare to Australia, Norway or Swiss, our goverment still score badly on productivity
regards
vincent
Taneug: My view, having lived in 3 countries for extended periods and having dealt with governments in at least 10 countries is: just be glad and count your good fortune you have people of ability and integrity run this place.
Tanueg you lived in zambia, zimbabwe and angola?
Tanueg,
If your kid came in 35th in a 40 person class, tell him that it is OK, there are 5 other students worse than him
“Also it is silly to divide pay into population, not to mention the ‘non-salary payments’ that many government officers receive in many other countries”
quote Mr.Taneug
it is silly to conclude that non-salary payments only happened in other places.
can you be so sure NO extra$$$ payment paid into our gahmen officers?
Exactly for fair computation these non-salary excluded in calculation.
compare us to Australia, Norway or Swiss, we still score badly on goverment productivity!
regards
vincent , my humble opinion
Taneug
Note that we have only one level of government.
you’re wrong. imo, we have two(2) levels. One level makes the decisions, and the other level that just says ‘yes’.
… actually the second level also ‘debates’.. but still ultimately say ‘yes’.
If you’re in Hell, does it matter how many levels there are?
no guys, Taneug is right, we have only one level of government. All wear white and all say yes.. that and their lack of accountability is sadly the frightening reality that we should change ….
One people, One nation and One and only One FamiLEE …eeeeeeeee
…. shoo-bi-du-ba……..shoo-bi-du-ba……………wah!!!!!!!!!……….woah!!!…………….!….
…that’s the way we’ll always be, under one famiLEE……………..
“….At the end of the day it is the quality of the government we have that counts. Does Vincent Tan want Indonesian or Thai quality governement?…”
Good line of argument. Like that, I want American quality government — top guy gets only one-fifth pay of our current PM’s, can bag Nobel Prize less than a year in office, maximum 2 terms in office (not negotiable), open-arm policy for FT yet foreign-born population at only 12.6%, everyone has a garage to invent something, min. wages to employees, etc… etc…etc..
If You Complain, It Must Be Your Own Fault.
If the economy is in a slump, you are at fault for being unproductive. You had better clean 10 tables instead of 5. What? Too tough? You are not creative. You should come up with a creative solution to this. See? We’re encouraging creativity; we tell you to be creative.
If you are homeless, it is your fault. Nobody owes you a living and if you do not already have a home you do not deserve one. What? You are divorced? That is your own fault. You say the government has deprived you of a home because you are divorced? Because the effect of their laws is to do that? I don’t care, it is your own fault anyway. We set the rules, and if you don’t listen, it’s your fault. What? You say the rules are wrong? How dare you!
One day, if senior civil servants ever accept corrupt payments, it will also become our fault because we don’t pay them enough.
Everything is the fault of the common man. With no power comes great responsibility. With great power, a man can take away his responsibilities and dump them on those without power.
$1800 not cpf for FW, just pay flat, even with levy, still peanuts.
$1800 with cpf and annual increment (if manager willing), multiply numbers of working years, any laymen will know where he stand between him and FW.
What do they mean tripartrite employment, all hot air….
Hahahah… Do you all know why he equated Faster = More Productive?
Because he can’t use the real definition taught in business schools: “Less Input Yet Resulting In Higher Output”, a.k.a Ministers that costs less and yet are able to do more.
Hi Cpl (Mar 11, 2010 14:59)
Brilliant post. What is amazing is we have ‘educated’, ‘experienced’ and ‘well travelled’ people like ”Taneug” and “My Views” who say it is the QUALITY of our Govt that leads Spore & Singaporeans to what it is today.
@ hoddioo
HAHAHA! what a load of f-ing bull.
do forgive me for laughing at you, but it seems to me that you have the SAF’s mentality of comparing itself to poor nations to look good. i’ve always said this, “if you compare yourself to a beggar, with nothing to his/her name, you will always be rich”.
you also have to know that the SG ministers are paid much better than the most powerful man on Earth; the President of the United States. therefore, it is not wrong to expect MORE than hot air and bull by these supposedly talented and smart aristocrat-like people, who i will add, keep themselves in power by making up new positions as time passes.
@ hoddioo
…
i sincerely apologise for not reading a few more posts up to see that you were quoting somebody else; that was not apparent in your post.
mice is nice
Mar 10, 2010 17:24
how will our govt ensure that they make good their word when productivity goes up, wages will go up too?
————————————————————————————————————–
Please get this right first : your wages are paid by your company, not the government! Got it, before I move on?
Now, if your productivity goes up and yet your company does not give you a higher wages, it must mean something is very wrong with you. Or else, why would your company risk losing you to its competitors?
Dear Shake Head
In n1965 when Singapore was booted out of Malaysia it was a low ranking country behind countries like Phillippines, Burma, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Kenya, etc, etc. Today it is a top 10 in terms of per capita income, a major financial centre, with probably the planet’s best public education system and an infant mortality rate lower than the US and major western economies. Pray, how does this come about? Did Singaporeans magically organize themselves, establish polyclinics, bring in the MNCs, build oil refineries, set up JCs and NTUs?
So tread carefully. Having grievances against the government is one thing and we all have our pet grievances but I say, count your lucky stars you got these guys in charge. I tell you, a large % of the earth’s popualtion would willingly trade their government for ours.
Taneug
yes, let us all always compare ourselves to poor countries. they are the highest paid in the world, but we should always compare SG to some poor country because SG was poor in the past. we can’t expect anything from the ministers.
I tell you, a large % of the earth’s popualtion would willingly trade their government for ours.
you meant the british for example? or the africana heck maybe evwen the racistsocalled newzealanders as well
Yes, let’s compare ourselves with the more advanced countries. In the midst of the worst recession in more than half a century, a country without resiources and heavily dependent on exports, managed a 2% negative growth and is set for a 5% growth this year. Unemployment is at less than 3% and inflation about 1%. Which advanced country has done as well?
Some one mentioned that we should compare our government with that of the advanced coutnries. Sure we shoud do that. I submit that the Singaporer government can stand up to the best in the world. In fact, in view of many academics, this is the best governemnt in the world. And having the best people is not a recent invention. Malcolm Fraser, one of the most successful Australian PMs c0mmented that Lee’s Cabinet was so talented that it would grace that of a majot country.
Hi Taneug
I consider it an honour to get a response from you esp with your comments which I’d like very much to discuss. I will try to be as brief as possible.
If you say it was the quality of the govt that lead the STATUS of Spore (not the country and much less Singaporeans) to what it was 20 years ago, it would be a more accurate statement.
With the infrastructure and petty crime control (not sure about law & order), it was ideal for foreign corporations to use our land and our people. It was a step we needed to take from nowhere, agreed. But after the years of bending over backwards for foreign investors, we are bending even more today. I used to hate the fact that my expat colleague who had less responsibility than me was paid ten times my salary plus accommodation, annual month long home leave, flight paid for, etc. It is our land and like you say, we have built Spore to be one of the richest or best country in the world (with best Govt), why o why do we still have to depend so heavily on foreigners doing businesses here to the extent of offering our local workers on the cheap?
Quote: “Today it is a top 10 in terms of per capita income, a major financial centre, with probably the planet’s best public education system and an infant mortality rate lower than the US and major western economies.”
Do these translate to a better quality of life for Singaporeans? If I had not been exposed to overseas education, I would have taken in wholesale that Spore’s education is the planet’s best.
Quote: “So tread carefully. Having grievances against the government is one thing and we all have our pet grievances but I say, count your lucky stars you got these guys in charge. I tell you, a large % of the earth’s popualtion would willingly trade their government for ours.”
Is this a threat? You see, this is what I detest. You can have the world’s best this and that, once you start suppressing people esp their minds, whatever impressive achievements is but shortlived (insecure) and hollow. I do not have grievances personally. Can’t I be one who want to improve things? Are you saying everything is perfect for Singaporeans, period. We already got the best so nothing else can be done or need doing really.
On your second post:
- With regards economic growth, we can bring in a couple more million cheap foreign workers to grow even more than 5%. Sure, the status of Spore will be even better in the world map with the impressive growth but does this benefit Singaporeans? Do you still not understand the gist of the problem? Amazingly, it is probably in Spore that economic growth makes citizens lives harder. BTW, are the growth figures you quote per capita?
- With regards unemployment, we have no idea how the Govt measures this. Do we include jobless 18 yr olds like in advanced countries whose 18 yr olds are eligible for job seekers allowance which makes tracing their numbers possible. Does the Spore Govt track this number from the reduced income tax submission unlike advanced countries which get figures from unemployment claims? How does the Spore Govt produce its unemployment figure?
- With regards inflation of 1%, do you mean from last year to this year? What about from 5 yrs ago to now? It may be a whopping 50%! Who or how are the figures generated? It is not just myself but from many Sporeans, the experience on the ground does not tally with the numbers churned out. Are they churned out to ‘meet the objectives’ (LSL, 2010)?
CPL@ 11.3.10 14:59
Shake head@15.3.10 19:25
Sir’s?
Brilliant piece of post by the both of you. Opps.parties should take note.
My Views
March 13, 2010 05:00
wages are paid by the company, but where employment is concerned, it has always favoured the employers. govt sets policies on manpower needs to the advantage of most employers, maybe except SMEs. got it?
if my productivity go up & my employer does not increase my wage, it does not mean there is something wrong with me.
possible reasons include:
- less than fair/transparent work appraisal
- bias middle or upper management
- office politics at work (wanna see how Jack Neo does it? others eat pack meals, 1 young starlet eats restaurant meal. lol)
- easily available replacement FWs/FTs on the cheap
- less payout (wages) = more money for company/boss
if employers refuse to pay any increase to employees for putting in more effort to deliver an increase in productivity, what can govt do? put up print ads at public places & have a short advertisement on TV to persuade? if it does not work, how?
lmao…
My Views
March 13, 2010 05:00
wages are paid by the company, but where employment is concerned, it has always favoured the employers. govt sets policies on manpower needs to the advantage of most employers, maybe except SMEs. got it?
if my productivity go up & my employer does not increase my wage, it does not mean there is something wrong with me.
possible reasons include:
- less than fair/transparent work appraisal
- bias middle or upper management
- office politics at work (wanna see how Jack Neo does it? others eat pack meals, 1 young starlet eats restaurant meal. lol)
- easily available replacement FWs/FTs on the cheap
- less payout (wages) = more money for company/boss
if employers refuse to pay any increase to employees for putting in more effort to deliver an increase in productivity, what can govt do? put up print ads at public places & have a short advertisement on TV to persuade? if it does not work…?
lmao…
Taneug,
Answer one simple question. If Singapore is THAT GOOD as what you have painted it to be, then, why on earth so much of our own blue, highly educated Singaporeans are migrating to other countries??
Never mind that, those who are coming into Singapore, what the papies called them as foreign talents are but 3rd grade citizens, mostly from 2nd or 3rd world countries!!
Another simple question, how come our govt. have to open the floodgate wide wide inorder for the foreigners to get in so easily, without any invitation??
I am waiting for Taneug to ‘educate’ us more on why Spore Govt is the best. Making claims and throwing out figures for people to take in wholesale & regurgitate like Taneug, without understanding, scrutinising & questioning the claims & methods may be Spore’s way of education (‘planet’s best’ according to Taneug) but definitely not in the advanced parts of the world.
In Science, we first understand the theory, then we scrutinse the methods of research and ask questions if we spot anything that may lead to biased results. Discoveries are made by questioning and searching and is still ongoing. Without a challenging, inqusitive & creative mind, it is not only dead end, it is better to be dead ( a robot). I wonder what Taneug think of this and am dying to hear from her/him.
Taneug, where are our ‘Ensteins”, “Newtons”, & ”Bill Gates” if SG education system is the best on the planet?
Sorry for my different nick, I am the same poster who wrote as ‘Shake head’.
I am waiting for Taneug to ‘educate’ us more on why Spore Govt is the best. Making claims and throwing out figures for people to take in wholesale & regurgitate like Taneug, without understanding, scrutinising & questioning the claims & methods may be Spore’s way of education (‘planet’s best’ according to Taneug) but definitely not in the advanced parts of the world.
i also waitin ley..somemore i am his shadow..see our nicks? so familiar..
taneug must hav gone to france to resume his ratulli cookin class lioa…
Mr SM Goh, Sir, without meaning to make fun of you, Your example is laughable!!!
Sorry, work pressure delays my repsonse and will continue to do so.
Just a short reply: Shake head writes very relevant comments which I will respond to later. In fact, I sympathize and agree with quite of lot of what he says.
But this discussion has veered away from the original intent of the article. I still think that the author starts from the wrong premise. Goh used an example of productivity and this has been taken as the sum total of what Goh understands productivity to be. Goh ia an economist by training (NUS, first class honours, topped his masters class at Williams), a successful Finance Minsiter, head of MAS, PM and served as a member of a small select group in the Spence Commission on economic growth (sponspred by the World Bank, among others). Michael Spence is a economics Nobel Prize winner and you don’t get to serve on his commission if you don’t know economics. So let’s not argue about his credentials or whether he understands productivity.
As for the best governemnt in the world, this is not my claim although having lived in the west, I do not disagree. A Harvard Kennedy School of Governement prof has called it the most effective governement in the world in his book and another World Bank official who used to work in Singapore made the similar point. Sorry, I cannot recall their names. On education, what I said was Singapore has the best public education system in the world, the qualifier “public” is important. Again, this is not my claim. Again, I cannot recall the title of the book in which this comment appears. Sorry. But note: The Econmist (no friend of the Singapore government), in an evaulation of the education systems about 2 years put Singapore’s system among the best 5 in the world. This, readers can check.
I apologize for not replying at length. I hope to do so when my pressure period is over.
With all this accolades and justification of GCT’s qualification,premiership, etc.etc debated in this forum does not help the less privileged,poor sick and the homeless.
What is the point of being the best,richest,fastest etc.etc.etc,when the elderly still has to rummage through bins for cans and collecting cardboards and paper for a living.
Wake up man!!! this is not a 1st world,its only a mirage and illusion conjured by a master illusionist with the help of his team and people.
The truth lies in the poor,sick,elderly who need the help which is not forthcoming after help building this mirage and illusion.
The supposedly ok middle class are all living in HOCK, pretending that they are doing well but owing banks,credit cards, finance co. and possible Ah Long to keep up the illusion.
The only reality is the TOP tier with their millions and inviting more with millions to keep up this illusion which was built by blood sweat and tears of the poor and middle class citizens of Singapore the past fifty years. Lastly, not forgetting the modern slave trade of the cheap FW/maids that complete this wonderful MIRAGE &ILLUSION for the world to see.
When the master illusion passes on and the ILLUSION goes POP and the truth is revealed,we will be poorer than our neighbors.
The TOP tier will be gone leaving the reality to the ordinary FOLKS and that my fellow citizens is US the voiceless majority and the scums that were let in to help built this MIRAGE.
Hi Taneug
Its good to hear from you again and I appreciate your time to respond.
Back to this article. The author based his comment on what the SM has spoken which was the whole point. Are you trying to say that if you have a brilliant credential, you should be allowed to get away with saying anything? Try telling the judge that you said something misleading not from what you knew and actually meant and you won’t because you have won a nobel prize. What kind of reasoning is this?
With regards to the best govt, although you did not give quotes or references, I do believe what you stated. Unfortunately you are still doing what the Spore education system has done to you. Do you even look into when or how the prof draw his conclusion? Did the prof work, live and raise a family in SG? What do you think will be his criteria? If he is not a local, then his conclusion would be drawn from data supplied and who churned out these figures?
Similarly please tell us what the Economist take into consideration to rate education system. Is it exam scores or number of hours in classes or enhancement classes….? If only the Economist measures the number of Sceintifci breakthroughs or number of no.1 books published or top of chart music or sports achievement, to reflect public education, SG might rank no. 1 from the bottom.
Tell me what is the concept or purpose of education? To score in exams? What a laugh! Why does the Govt keep saying that Sporeans have to compete hard with foreigners? If they have the world’s best education, doesn’t it worth something, like put a premium on their wages? Don’t Sporeans have an edge if their education is so solid?
Michael Spence is a economics Nobel Prize winner and you don’t get to serve on his commission if you don’t know economics. So let’s not argue about his credentials or whether he understands productivity.
what to argue? the above is a nobel prize winner..heck he is not even a prime or senoir minister..gohchoktongue is a trained minister from backdoor to senoir front door..who promised us a swiss gold or chocolate bar..butt endup in us livin in the morgue de rue alley of france…
productivity as in what? peanuts countins perhaps? or wearin a big green hat?
Taneug
If you are a Minister, your charge is with the masses. Do you mean the SM’s productivity knowledge cannot be conveyed easily to the pohpiah man in meaningful, understandable term? What about this: Using a bit of machinery, the maker can produce more poh piahs in shorter time. We are high tech Sg, ‘best for public education’, most efficieint, how come the SM still talks about labour intensive productivity? I tell you why – because this filthy rich Govt only knows how to collect money, never know how to give back. If the SM talks about machinery, he might need to help fund not just the equipment but the brains to innovate them. This is a glaring eg to you of the ground not matching the figures & claims but instead of being amused, you ironically throw out more credentials and figures to make your argument. Yes, Sg will continue to collect trophies from the world but is that all you want the Govt to do?
And Taneug, other countries are not interested in this silly game. Their Govts work for their people, period.
//my views
//Please get this right first : your wages are paid by your company, not the government!
//Got it, before I move on?
//Now, if your productivity goes up and yet your company does not give you a higher
//wages, it must mean something is very wrong with you. Or else, why would your
//company risk losing you to its competitors?
The reasons for the occurrence of the above are:
1. the management thinks that is possible to replace the productive worker with FTs at a lower price. Maybe 3 FT on the book cost less than the productive worker. The availability of the Foreign workers is an undesired outcome of govt liberal labor policy.
2. the management wants to kill one productive worker to make the other productive workers scare. This is a common PAP strategy. Just look no further than the 2006 election.
3. the management thinks the competitors are doing the same.
4. point 3 is irrelevant when the industry only has one company. i.e. monopoly.
5. the management is short-termist. They are not acting in the interest of the workers and neither are they working in the interest of the shareholders. They don’t want people to talk back to them or at least they think talk back to them.
6. point number 5 is well documented in corporate governance literature. Just check out any reputable journals.
I don’t think you get it but I will just continue.
//Please get this right first : your wages are paid by your company, not the government!
Please please get this one right first: the government is paid by the people. They are elected by the people (supposedly). They are supposed therefore to act in the interests of the people.
In the pigs @ parliament case, they have not been doing that for a long time.
For evidence, look up articles in this website. There are many.
The worker might be paid by the company but he doesn’t need to sell his soul to the company.
Of course, you won’t know the above. We all know that.
But in case you have some sense, I am explaining it to you.
Understood?
//my views
oh I forgot to add, my points are especially relevant if it doesn’t just happen to one worker but across industries and ranks.
I don’t expect you to understand but I added in for completeness sake.
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I have been asked to provide the basis of several ratings whether on education, quality of government, etc. This is not an unfair question. Some we can, for example, infant mortality rate, GDP growth. Some are less exact. As a practical matter how many of us have the time or the expertise to read a report in detail like a research scientist. We rely on experts. If one says a certain thing, we may disregard it but if several said the same, we have at least a level of confidence. That’s life…or else we will never come to a conclusion on anything. Hey, if you spend your whole life weighing the arguments for and against the existence of God, you may still not come to conclusion. But as a practical matter, you make a stand and live.
Some things we judge by their fruits, or results. Why do Singapore students find it so easy to enter into top foreign universities when they can’t get a place in the local U? A poly grad with a moderate result can gain admittance into a top 8 Australian U (Group of Eight). Why do Singapore students perform so well in top foreign Us. Imagine – a population of 4m can top in 3 disciplines in Oxford (law, physics and economics) in one year. Why do top US universities like Harvard Medical, NY Law, MIT, Georgia Tech, Duke Medical partner Singapore Us and even award joint degrees? Why does the dean of Engineering in MIT decide to become the first president of SUDT? Why do Insead and Chicago set up here? They put their reputation on the line. A reader mentioned that we have not won any Nobel prizes (yet); someone once estimated that a true genius is found in every 20 million. I am doubtful if having a genius is more important than having a very high batting average. Egypt has won both the Nobel Prize in literature and the Fields Medal in maths. I have been to Egypt and I tell you, you don’t want to attend university there unless you are doing Islamic law at Al Azhar. St Lucia is fascinating: a small Caribbean island of about 300,000 and has won 2 Nobel Prizes (literature and economics, the latter (Arthur Lewis) had earlier advised the Singapore government on economics but our government knew better). Up to the 70’s it had no university and I think there’s only one now. When it comes to Nobel Prizes, it’s also very much the luck of the draw. Better to have in-depth strength rather than trophies.
Let me be clear. Saying that we have an excellent government does not mean that achievements (productivity, etc) have been entirely due to the government effort. Some have imputed this; I have worked long enough to know the quality of our workforce. Singapore workforce didn’t get rated as the world’s best for many years by leaving it all to the government.
On a related point, someone asked why do so many want to emigrate in spite of the ”best government”. The answer surely is, we stay or leave for many other reasons other than the quality of the government. Whatever the government does, Singapore is still a small dot, a hot, humid place, an urban jungle, and always having to keep a step ahead of its neighbors. The greater wonder must why does any highly skilled professional might want to stay or even immigrate here. So the pertinent point is what the government has made out of this place with all its constraints.
PeterC said its pointless that with Goh’s credentials, we still have the poor, the aged poor. This is the not the point of the discussion which is, as the title of the article implies, Goh does not understand productivity. I think we can agree that he does but maybe he lacks effective communication skills. But I agree that with all the credentials, if at the end of the day, we still have the diligent poor and the aged poor among us, it is a failure of our society as a whole. None of us like to see the aged cleaning tables at hawker centers unless these folks do it to keep themselves occupied. However, let me make an observation. I have worked with the poor for many years. On a few occasions, the poor were not aware of the entitlements to government schemes, for example, Public Assistance (PA). Not that the $340 per month is a great amount but at least they should get it if they are entitled to it. The other occasions are when the government requires them to put in $50 into their CPF account to obtain the government dividend. I think this is an unnecessary step but that’s not the point. I remember writing to the CC about the case of an old lady collecting cardboard boxes who was not on PA and quick as a flash I received inquiries on unit, block number etc. The CC officer was going on leave but actually gave me her phone number so that I could contact her on the progress. Then, she emailed me on the same subject (maybe while still on leave) asking if I knew of more cases. So we do have dedicated staff with a genuine desire to help. But these cases need to be highlighted to the responsible parties. My suggestion is that we who reside occasionally in the web world should know the poor in our neighborhood and check if they are receiving their dues. If not, help them in their ignorance or highlight their case to the CC. And if they need a $50 contribution to their CPF to get their government dividend (taxpayer’s money anyway), surely we can organize a small donation drive in our community. Mother Teresa said: we can’t all do great things but we can all do small things with great love. While we debate in the web about the quality of our government, I think let’s also make ourselves quality citizens and extend our hands to the poor to make Singapore a better place.
Shakehead implied that up to perhaps 20 years ago, it would have been true to say that the government played a prominent role. This is currently not the case or not needed. I think otherwise. The Reagan revolution set in motion the idea of small government. Well, with the ‘hands off’ approach, we came near the edge of a financial precipice. And in spite of the Republican ideologues, we all know that without Obama’s extraordinary government intervention, we would be in dire straits now. Still to answer Shakehead, let us recount some major events in the last 20 years that would not ‘require’ our government intervention. At the top of my head, Resilience package, the Asian financial crisis, the recession following the dot.com crash, 911, the JI terrorist threat, the SARS crisis, Jurong chemical complex, biomedical hub, SMU, Renaissance City, MediFund, Indian ‘fever’, now Middle East ‘fever’, FTA with US, IR anti social measures, sports hub, Youth Olympics, HDB upgrade, street F1. Would these have happened or solved by themselves without strong, wise and courageous government? I think it’s safe to say that we need even more government than in the previously simpler world.
If I said that the government has played a major role in our lives in the last 20 years that implies that the low productivity is also largely the government’s fault. And I think that accusation is fair. Whether we could have done better in productivity or would have been better off avoiding growth is a different matter. But I think we should be glad that growth has provided us the ballast that protected us in the more difficult times in the last 20 years.
Note on productivity: this is a darn difficult measurement and is not without controversy. The usual method is TFP (Total Factor Productivity) but this measurement does not measure productivity per se. It is actually a balancing number after other factors contributing to growth have been computed. So it is an assumption that the balance is accounted for by productivity. However, even the other factors (labor, machinery, etc) are difficult to compute.
Taneug@
I tip toe into the subject knowing it concerns productivity.My raising the point of the poor and elderly is to hammer home whenever the opportunity arises.
With their latest Hi Tech ways of tracing practically every movement of vehicles and people, I don’t see why they are not able to trace the aged poor and the less fortunate.
These are the pioneers and self sacrificing Singaporeans without much education and family ties who rose to the occasion forty to fifty years ago or more.Breaking their backs at construction sites with chankols and punkee.Digging holes and laying cables,oh how they suffer to make things work for Singapore.
Today they are but a memory for some channel eight series.Poor old and broken they may be but with the last onz of their spirit and pride they don’t beg nor seek help.Its with dignity that they work even at this age.
My point is,where are all the promises of the good years and never to leave the less privilege behind.Should they keel over and die because of their sickness its not because they don’t need medical care.They cannot afford the bus fare or fees at the polyclinic to see a doctor they huddle and hope to die to ease their sufferings.
If this is a caring govt. they should seek them out with all the information they can derived from the National Register or whatever.
There are not much of these people from that generation left.With all our progress and NUMBER ONE IN EVERYTHING,why can’t we be number one in taking care of this group of 1959-65 generation. Make life for them much easier and show them the care and gratitude for the sacrifices they made for the following generation who are more well equipped with education and ability.
The answer is simple.THIS IS A NON PRODUCTIVE ISSUE AND THEY NO LONGER CAN CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS ANY PRODUCTIVITY.
A heartless MP even sack them to be replace with more productive FW. “GET THE MESSAGE”
Back to PA. At $360 monthly that is equal to $1.00 a day,what in GOD’s almighty name can you do with $1.00 a day.
What PRODUCTIVITY are you talking about,slavery would be a better subject, pardon the pun.
“But I think we should be glad that growth has provided us the ballast that protected us in the more difficult times in the last 20 years.”
As if Singapore is the ONLY country in the world that has grown in the last 20 years
Taneug
My head is shaking more now if not spinning. I pick out couple of main points:
You don’t need to vet the whole research to know that certain things don’t add up. You should at least question the validity of claims & figures. For eg how can mortality rate be compared when there are so many other influencing variables like severe weather condition, natural disasters, unhealthy lifesytle (smoking & drinking) etc. So how exactly does the Govt play a part in the case of these other countries? Perhaps I am mistaken so pls enlighten.
Why Spore students do well in ovs Univs:-
1. Spore students are way better in scoring exams thats true. Let me give you one eg. I don’t know if you are one of them, I am not but I do know of those in top Unis (like Imperial, UK) grouping together to compile past year exams and no doubt drilling, sussing out questions and preparing and practicising that way. I know that most Western foreign students do not these.
2. Industrial experience or maturity helps. Most of our students are older or mature students by the time they go abroad to pursue a graduate course.
3. Sporean students work much harder, trading off time for lesure & sports, a big part of Western students lives (they are encouraged to do so to find balance).
4. If Sporean students have to compete in non-English Univs, I am not sure if they will fair as well. Many international students are educated in their own language before going to the West. They have to pick up the language as well as do the course.
What I am advocating is to think a bit and not simply accept whatever accolades dangled. What Singaporeans also need to know is nowhere in the world is a Govt this interested in scoring ranking points or collecting trophies. You see the Western developed countries media exist not for this purpose but quite the opposite. I sometimes think if they were also interested in this silly game, perhaps Spore will dissapear into obscurity. Afterall these are countries that produce Bill Gates, Einsteins, Rolls Royce engines, etc etc almost all the big names, world famous sportspersons, artists, etc etc.
BTW I wonder how much money has been spent paying those commercial survey companies to do ranking after ranking. The only way that things can improve is to have independent bodies monitoring the impt data, independent media to function as Govt watchdogs, and opposition to counter check ideas so that it is not beneficial only to the ruling party.
I am also clueless about Govt welfare assistance, I did not even know it exists! Someone once wrote that the Govt is right not to publicise it for fear of more people depending on it. Perhaps this is it. They think that Sporeans are happy to live on the bare minimum. Does the average masses of Sporeans really have scum mentality? There is absolutely no excuse of not making the services known because if the Govt wants money from us, every single one of us or household will receive a letter, plus using all means of the media.
If anything, huge credit has to be given to the submissive citizens. Perhaps it is the education system that make us so and perhaps this is why it is the World’s best. The SG media makes it ten times worse.
ShakeHead>>>>
Should you find the time check on the single room @ Redhill,Brickworks,Holland YES HOLLAND and commonwealth,quite a number had passed on relieved of their suffering amongst the Hip and merrymakers.They are the unsung heros not the smarter than thou and holier than thou who assumed that they have arrived.
Many thanks to the charitable foundations and individuals which I believe includes Taneug for their help and charity.But is it truly enough or like what Vivien said “hawker,restaurant or fine dining?” SHIT!!! they will be happy with one good home cook meal a day and pray they don’t get sick.
To give is one thing like the yearly Angpows with all the cameras and media hype yearly by the Ministers with their daily +-$3,ooo-5,000 pay.What about the rest of the 360 days for these poor,elderly and less privilege and those not selected for these gifts?
SINGAPORE IS JUST A LITTLE RED DOT AND YOU CAN’T SEEK THESE PEOPLE OUT???. USA & CANADA CAN BURY US 10,000 TIMES OVER IN SIZE AND THEY CAN HELP THEIR POOR LESS PRIVILEGE WITHOUT HAVING THEM COME A BEGGING.
To give sincerely from the heart with no fanfare is what this subject is all about and I don’t see the govt.doing this at all.Their attitude? well put by ShakeHead,give them the bare minimum and leave the rest to charities and fate.Well,these unsung Heroes pick fate to go along with them to their GRAVES and a common one with no markings.
As the common saying goes among the poor and less privilege”Its cheaper and better to die than to be Sick”.
This is not politicking but a fact of life and I do not belong or am affiliated to any political parties.
i think TOC is a great de-stressing blog.
effectively, the opposition mps cannot change much of any thing.
lamenting is prolly the best we can do.
until the tick tock went up the car.