3/01/2013

Buy Singapore goods, employ Singaporeans



‘Humble: February 28( A blogger in TRE)

Local SMEs, Singaporeans are like your families. They are like your parents, brothers and sisters. If your brothers are in difficulties, definitely you will try your best to help them. It’s the same also to the Singaporean Talents who work for you. You must advise, help, train them because they are your families. Why are you not patriotic? To help your countrymen? Why you think Singaporeans are lazy and useless? As far as I know Singaporeans are the most hardworking people, if you pay them right….’

If my memory is right, I think there were campaigns like buy local or buy Singaporean goods or something equivalent. This call was to give business to our local enterprises. Would it be out of tune to call on Singapore companies and businesses to employ Singaporeans first? Would it be too much to expect the Civil Service, Statutory Boards and GLCs to employ Singaporeans first and to only employ foreigners when the skills are not found in Singaporeans. Can these Govt agencies take the lead and set a good example?

I am in Singapore because I have better skills than any local here -Victor Vassiltsov, a Russian FT. This comment by an FT speaks of a policy that if a foreigner is better than the local, it is ok to employ the foreigner. Compares this to Australian immigration policy that will only take in skilled foreigners in vocations and trades when there is a shortage or when the skills are not found in Australians. The Australians only employed foreigners when they could not find Aussies to fill positions, not that the Aussies were less able. When the Aussies can fill a position, no matter how talented or better is the foreigner, sorry, we will call you.

If the Singaporean policy or practice is to employ anyone that can prove to be better than a Singaporean, then Singaporeans will have to step aside. And when we open the door to the world, to countries that have hundreds of millions of people or billions of people, it is only natural that many will be better than Singaporeans. Shall we replace all the Singaporeans with foreigners that are better than Singaporeans? We can also replace the ministers and MPs too using the same logic and reasoning.

So what is left of Singaporeans? Is this the reason why some people refuse to accept the slogan Singapore for Singaporeans? Anyone that is better can take over the place of Singaporeans?

If this should not be the case, or should not be allowed to happen, perhaps it is timely to call on the Govt and local businesses to employ Singaporeans first. We need to save the Singaporean specie. Many are unemployed or underemployed because the Govt and businesses can find alternatives, sometimes cheaper, in hiring foreigners. Some are qualified, some may be better, and some are under qualified or even fraudsters with fake qualifications and experience.

Employ Singaporeans first must be a national policy and supported by private businesses as well. Or is this just another empty call, irrelevant and impractical and will chase all the businesses away? Before the influx of foreigners, we were doing just this, depending mainly on our limited manpower resources. Now we have many highly qualified and experienced PMETs, no one should be left redundant unless of his own choosing. Employers must also note that the cost of living for Singaporeans is very high and they need to be paid adequately to get by.

This is also the call in Hong Lim. Should this call be ignored as voices from the lunatic fringe?

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree.
I've been boycotting a certain chain of sushi restaurants because I believe the owner may be a Pro Alien Traitor.

Anonymous said...

Would you boycott the only hawker center near your place if all their cooks are not locals?

Anonymous said...

I have boycotted the newspapers also, most magazines and some restaurants and food courts that are known to be Pro Alien Traitors. So now my only news comes from the new media and blogs which I can get for free.

Anonymous said...

I cancelled my subscription to the Shit Times about 1.5 years ago.

Anonymous said...

/// Would you boycott the only hawker center near your place if all their cooks are not locals? ///

Yes I would.
But I'm also practical.
So my boycott is likely to be maybe 60-70% of the time only.
But I will boycott whenever I can.

agongkia said...

My towkay said the same things to me that he only want to employ locals even he has the quota to get FTs and FWs.He got no FT in his payroll.Very good hor?
Not surprisingly,less than few years at a young age,he now got 3 high,any time can die of heart attack.Many dun realise that many Sinkies only know how to complain low pay and exploitation but does not know their worth.The always die die think towkay every night go ktv to hug mei mei and keep their BM in the garage.
By the way uncle,why are you using a Japanese Nikon or canon camera when there are many better quality make in China or Taiwan one.

Anonymous said...

For me, I am prepared to pay $2 for my kopi shop kopi instead of $1and $6 chicken rice instead of $2.5if they are prepared by True Blue Born Bred Singaporeans. I mean, they also want to improve their living, so I m prepares to pay more. Also when I take Taxi, if also tip them more.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

agongkia, today Nikon and many Japanese cameras are Made In China lah.

There are many high end Hifi equipment from UK and Europe also made in China. For none military equipment, there is a free transfer of technology lah. In one more generation or less the Chinese would improve on them like the Japanese did before and come out with their own high end stuff. It is a matter of time when Made In China will be recognised as good stuff. For now China is still doing many low value add and lower quality stuff. This will change.

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

I buy Old Chang Kee. I also buy Polar cafe, and I am a sucker for tech made by Creative Technologies. Occasionally at the airport, I buy RISIS orchid for whomever I have plans to bang...all of these damn fine Singapore enterprises with great products.

...but I hear they have little choice but to employ some foreign labour -- Pinoys, sub continental Indians and Chinese PRCs.

But whatever you buy -- local or foreign the government gets its cut, like a thug extorting "protection money".

We know it as 7% GST. Everyone pays -- rich or poor, whether you are employed and doing OK, or on the dung heap of society.

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

redbean:

China hifi/ audio is banging man. They are going to be awesome -- catching up very, very fast.

I frequently visit some stores in Peoples Park/ Pearl/ Hong Lim complexes and occasionally get some gear to bring back to Oz.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

i know. Friends have used some of them, high end stuff.

Anonymous said...

Just need to boycott those shops that employed foreign staff not goods. Certain jobs should be for singaporeans only.

Anonymous said...

Singaporeans make the best PMETs globally especially in accounting, administration, risk management, secretarial, HR, operational support, IT, etc.

I hire & train young, hardworking Singaporeans PMETs and they hardly ever failed me. They are very good in their jobs and I pay them well.

My firm competes successfully in the global markets for many years, and we do well. All my staff are Singaporeans except for 1 or 2 Malaysians.

Are we NUTS hiring so many fake foreign PMETs talents especially in IT; which is pervasive in the banking industry?

Sometimes I wonder how can the obvious weakness of fake foreign PMET talents not detected and addressed?

Tan & Tharman, hello? hello?

Anonymous said...

Because everyone is busy counting his own money. No one cares.

Anonymous said...

Matilar always talk about banging Assuie woman. I am not even sure his two tiny balls still there or not.

Anonymous said...

There are few local made products and even fewer done by local seriously. It is always value for money first.

Nevertheless I think what we can do is support those companies that employed local service technicial staffs, and patronize more on retail stalls that have more Singaporean staffs.

This is the least we can do for our Singapore.