National Defense Duty for PR and Foreigners

[Sergei82]

im getting feed up with these anti foreigner news and idiotic suggestions

Me too, but sadly I think this is just the beginning and I don't think the collateral damage should be underestimated either. Recently I hired an additional person (a Singaporean) for the local team here and for the first time ever I had 'HQ' seriously questioning why we should be adding staff here. The country's reputation abroad is being affected by all this.

I've never felt so unwelcome (living) in a country as I do here right now.

S'poreans best be careful what they wish for, as pretty soon they may not have any jobs to complain about foreigners taking. I appreciate the reasons for their angst but they are so shockingly naive.

Me, I'm working on an exit plan. May take a while, but I think it's time to get out of dodge. All of us should have one.

Me too, strongly determined already. I see no future here for myself. But it may take a while yes (maybe, 6-12 months).

[nakatago]

im getting feed up with these anti foreigner news and idiotic suggestions

Me too, but sadly I think this is just the beginning and I don't think the collateral damage should be underestimated either. Recently I hired an additional person (a Singaporean) for the local team here and for the first time ever I had 'HQ' seriously questioning why we should be adding staff here. The country's reputation abroad is being affected by all this.

I've never felt so unwelcome (living) in a country as I do here right now.

S'poreans best be careful what they wish for, as pretty soon they may not have any jobs to complain about foreigners taking. I appreciate the reasons for their angst but they are so shockingly naive.

Me, I'm working on an exit plan. May take a while, but I think it's time to get out of dodge. All of us should have one.

Yes; y'all should. We ain't the captain of the ship so we don't need to go down with it when it sinks.

Company-sponsored expats can always ask to be reassigned. It's the migrant workers working for peanuts, though that have a problem with the lack of resources.

[ecureilx]

Company-sponsored expats can always ask to be reassigned. It's the migrant workers working for peanuts, though that have a problem with the lack of resources.

Quote what i head from a taxi driver - highly paid expats will get all the additional taxes etc (like the one being proposed by the MP) to be footed by the company .. et al ..

It is those who are in the bottom rung who will get chopped !!!

Then again, there is a different school of thought that the lower level guys are not needed here .. only those highly paid dudes welcome .. !!!!

[Mi Amigo]

Company-sponsored expats can always ask to be reassigned. It's the migrant workers working for peanuts, though that have a problem with the lack of resources.

Quote what i head from a taxi driver - highly paid expats will get all the additional taxes etc (like the one being proposed by the MP) to be footed by the company .. et al ..

Well it's that (greedy) attitude - that it's OK to rip off expats with excessive rents, service charges, inflated taxi fares (and apparently now special taxes), because 'the company will pay' - that has led to Singapore being labelled by an increasing number of companies as an overly high-cost location. There was always a 'Singapore premium', justified by factors such as infrastructure, stability, ease of opening a business, etc. However it seems that this has now risen to the point where many MNCs are seriously questioning whether it makes sense to have large operations here.

[therat]

When I came here in mid 2009, it wasn't like this. I am still trying remember how did all this start. I think it was from the lead up to GE 2011 and then the worst performance of the ruling party until then, that kind of started this trigger. Until then the sentiments might have been there, but nobody had the guts to discuss it so openly and they never made it to the national level of discussion. We true believed that this place is a paradise and everything is working as a charm. But now its far from that.

Lots of thing may have culminated to this, especially, the sky rocketing property prices and increasing cost of living and over crowding and constantly failing MRTs. The high profile scandals.The property prices were fine as late as 2010. So I guess 2010 was the last year when everything was rosy in Singapore. Right now, everything that can go wrong is going wrong.

It’s accumulating for many years until GE2011 but main contributions are these three.
1. 27 Feb 2008, Mas Selamat escapes. DPM Wong, MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS only said I’m sorry it happened
2. Mah Bow Tan keep on said HDB is affordable.
3. Overcrowded Public Transportation.
Then during GE2011, PAP new candidate, Tin Pei Ling, due to her video (I’m don’t know what to say) and photo (Kate Spade). It bring very bad image on PAP. While the opposition party, Nicole Seah presented herself so well.
The candidate who resign from the GE11 1 day before the election and PAP parachute a new candidate , Dr Chia Shi-Lu who become MP overnight. Best part, that GRC walkover. This Doctor become MP and the resident at that area don't even know who is he.

When things went wrong, they only said 'It's a honest mistake. Let's move on", it always move on , move on. There are no accountability.

When they give themselves 25% salary increment. Their explanation is - "it is only $2.50 a meal per citizen. It is cheap and affordable. Don't tell me, you can't affordable $2.50 a meal."

BUT when we ask for minimal wage, they said NO.
We need to keep our worker cheap and affordable.

more and more...

The unhappiness has accumulate for years. GE2011 hit the limit.

[Mad Scientist]

@therat

If you have lived long enough in Singapore like me, it all began in 1965 when the late President Yusof Ishak was appointed as the President of Singapore. Go down that history lane and learned what were promised.Presidents rotation was supposed to be from 4 different ethnic but as time goes by it gets muddied.
If this High Office can be muddied to a point of no return, GE 2011 is only the beginning of the end

If the Arabs has the Arab Spring,
Singapore has its own version : Singapore Spring
Hong Lim protest proof that the Gahmen cannot find a scapegoat and use it as a scare tactic. There was no leader nor motivator to come to this protest.
Words from the underground reveals astounding information as there was no organisers. it was the discontent that has been raging for sometime and it is about to explode or implode.
My greatest concern will be the heavy handed after this gathering

[therat]

@therat

If you have lived long enough in Singapore like me, it all began in 1965 when the late President Yusof Ishak was appointed as the President of Singapore. Go down that history lane and learned what were promised.Presidents rotation was supposed to be from 4 different ethnic but as time goes by it gets muddied.
If this High Office can be muddied to a point of no return, GE 2011 is only the beginning of the end

SMS, I'm Singaporean, born here, educate here. My whole family are here.
Not just the President. Alot of things get muddled

If the Arabs has the Arab Spring,
Singapore has its own version : Singapore Spring
Hong Lim protest proof that the Gahmen cannot find a scapegoat and use it as a scare tactic. There was no leader nor motivator to come to this protest.
Words from the underground reveals astounding information as there was no organisers. it was the discontent that has been raging for sometime and it is about to explode or implode.
My greatest concern will be the heavy handed after this gathering

I'm not surprise.

They had neglected the ground too long.

[Strong Eagle]

The Gahmen has made a very bad error that will be very hard to unwind, and that is permitting property prices to rise as much as they have. This, combined with the ridiculous taxes and COE fees on transportation, have driven the cost of living to a point where the average Singaporean salary is little more than living at the poverty level.

Thus, it is understandable that the people rail against the government and its plans. It's just too bad that they are misinformed and choose to blame "foreign talent" (at all economic levels) as the source of their ills, when in reality it is a failure of the Gahmen to curtail foreign investment in residential properties, and a failure to build low to middle income housing.

The Gahmen could quickly cure the COE and cost of transportation issues by a simple lottery system to control the number of vehicles. Property prices are much more difficult because of the mortgages held by the banks.

If the Gahmen doesn't do something to address the real concerns of the poorer segments of Singapore's population, then the populist backlash against foreign talent will very quickly damage Singapore's ability to attract and keep MNC's (it already has started).

PAP is not handling the situation well at all. Why exclude transportation and housing from the actual cost of living index? Their excuses are weak. PAP needs more transparency in dealing with costs of living, and a much better marketing campaign to show why foreign talent is a net asset not a liability.

[JR8]

PAP don't give a sh** about little people, because the little people will never vote PAP.

The PAP are a geri-kleptocracy. An essay/thesis examining a 'compare and contrast' vs the North Korean regime, would make interesting reading.


p.s. And yes, I am intimidated expressing these opinions - right now. Scary, isn't it?

[Mad Scientist]

The Gahmen has made a very bad error that will be very hard to unwind, and that is permitting property prices to rise as much as they have. This, combined with the ridiculous taxes and COE fees on transportation, have driven the cost of living to a point where the average Singaporean salary is little more than living at the poverty level.
The Gahmen could quickly cure the COE and cost of transportation issues by a simple lottery system to control the number of vehicles. Property prices are much more difficult because of the mortgages held by the banks.

PAP is not handling the situation well at all. Why exclude transportation and housing from the actual cost of living index? Their excuses are weak. PAP needs more transparency in dealing with costs of living, and a much better marketing campaign to show why foreign talent is a net asset not a liability.

@SE, Who is the minister in charge of Housing albeit and Tranposrt
Answer > Mah Bow Tan
He was the one that kicked start ERP, COE and when he left to take over housing, he was the one that introduce a lot of initiatives for the Gahmen to skin the life out ordinary people of their life saving, he was the one that stop HDB loan programme etc....

The only reason why he stayed so long was because LKY liked him very much as he was yes, man, Sir. I see him made more damaged to the system than anyone else
LHL wanted to keep him out but LKY said no.
He was more of a Damager than a Manager

At this point of time, the biggest issue on hand is land. If Suharto did take the deal to sell Batam then this population increase is not an issue but 1997 riot brought down Suharto and many things turn to custard
I see this a karma. You do bad on others it will bite on your bum one day

[therat]

well said MS

We call him.. PAP money generator.

[Mad Scientist]

The last GE was the final straw. Leave with his dignity intact or get the boot.
HDB program was stuffed up by his arm chair managers and he signed it off.
In some ways he is more closer to LKY than his own children.
If you do the number plus if you were to add the cost of inflation etc and going by the rate HDB built the flats with the expertise and knowledge , how can the HDB price increase far greater than the CPI.
Most property that gahmen owns was gazzetted by Land ACT 1972 literally forced to sell.
I hope this wind of change will continue and blow stronger in many month to come.