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04-10-2014, 11:00 PM
An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:
PM: Dangerous to blame everything bad on FTs (http://www.tremeritus.com/2014/10/04/pm-dangerous-to-blame-everything-bad-on-fts/)
http://www.tremeritus.org/simages/dmca_protected_sml_120n.png?7ca03f http://www.tremeritus.org/wp-content/themes/WP_010/images/PostDateIcon.png?7ca03f October 4th, 2014 | http://www.tremeritus.org/wp-content/themes/WP_010/images/PostAuthorIcon.png?7ca03f Author: Editorial (http://www.tremeritus.com/author/editorial/)
http://www.tremeritus.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/lhl3.jpg?7ca03f
Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
At a public lecture organized by the National University of Singapore Society
yesterday (3 Oct), PM Lee said to make Singapore valuable to the world requires
an approach that is both good-hearted and hard-headed.
An important area where both heart and head are needed is the nation’s
population policy. It requires both heart and head to be balanced, he said.
Mr Lee assured Singaporeans that the government is paying attention to both
the emotional and practical aspects of this, giving weight to how comfortable
people are with the pace of immigration while at the same time encouraging the
newly-arrived to adapt to Singapore society.
“Last year, when we debated the population White Paper in Parliament, the
Government proposed moderating the foreign worker inflows. The opposition
rejected this. They argued for zero foreign worker growth. They said no inflows
– shut it off. It was an populist and irresponsible pose. It was not a serious
policy, because such a freeze would have harmed our economy, and in particular
would have hurt many of the SMEs which desperately need workers, and would have
caused Singaporeans to suffer and lose jobs,” he said.
“So we didn’t do that, and instead we decided to moderate the foreign worker
inflow, not to stop it. Even this is painful, we know that. The policies are
biting – many SMEs are finding it tough, despite all our schemes to help them.
So nowadays, you don’t hear any more demands from the opposition for zero
foreign worker growth. But what we are doing, what we said we would do, is
necessary and is working. The latest manpower numbers do show that foreign
worker growth has slowed to a more sustainable level, and is about where we want
it to be.”
Foreign worker growth may have slowed but the foreign population was growing
twice as fast as the Singaporean population from June 2013 to June 2014 (‘SG
population hits 5.5M with 40% foreigners in 2014 (http://www.tremeritus.com/2014/09/25/sg-population-hits-5-5m-with-40-foreigners-in-2014/)‘).
Singapore’s total population hit 5.47 million in June 2014 with foreigners
(PRs and FTs) hitting 2.13 million or 38.9% of the total population, according
to the latest figures from the National Population and Talent Division (NPTD)
under the Prime Minister’s Office.
The total population grew 1.3% but the foreign population continues to
increase. It increased by 41,400 (2.0%) to hit 2,126,700.
NPTD said that the government plans to continue taking in between 15,000 and
25,000 new citizens each year to keep the citizen population from shrinking. To
keep the PR population stable, it will grant about 30,000 PRs each year, it
said.
No more measures to tighten foreign worker numbers
further
Mr Lee continued, “I do not expect any further measures to tighten foreign
worker numbers further. Meanwhile our economic restructuring is progressing,
productivity is improving, at least in some sectors. We are steadily catching up
in terms of our infrastructure – our housing, public transport and so on. So you
must put together your heart and your head, and think carefully, feel how people
feel, and choose a solution which addresses to the extent possible, both heart
and head, and to convince people to accept it, and support it.”
Indeed, it is difficult to convince, say, a person with a full stomach after
a hearty buffet meal, to eat some more.
Mr Lee said that the issue of population is also a sensitive topic in other
countries, with many nations seeing anti-immigrant backlash, which must be
avoided in Singapore.
“We have to manage our numbers, we have to stay open and welcome those who
are ready to contribute to Singapore, and ready to make their home here. We must
maintain our reputation for being a good place to live and work, because we lose
that at our peril. If people think that we are not interested in attracting
investments, that talent is not welcome, that we’ve turned inwards, I think
that’s the end of us,” he said.
He did not mention “talents” like PRC tour guide Yang Yin who has been
dominating the news in Singapore recently.
Dangerous to blame foreigners for everything bad, especially on the
Internet
The Prime Minister also mentioned the danger of blaming foreigners for
everything bad in Singapore.
He said, “Because we see a tendencies, especially on the Internet, to blame
everything bad that happens in Singapore on foreigners, and blame all foreigners
for anything bad that any one non-Singaporean does. All bad things are done by
foreigners, and all foreigners do bad things. And they even get blamed for some
things which have nothing to do with them.”
=> And completely OK to blame all bad things on SGs and letting off FTrash insulting, shitting on and physically whacking SGs with super light sentences?
Perhaps Mr Lee thinks that foreigners like Yang Yin have done good things in
Singapore and for Singapore?
In any case, he cited swimmer Joseph Schooling as an example. The Eurasian
athlete “is born here, his father is born here, he happens to be Eurasian, he
won a gold medal, in fact he won three medals, and he was called an Ang Moh
foreign talent”, said Mr Lee. “I think it’s a compliment to the ang moh foreign
talent. So I am ashamed and dismayed when I read such virulent and nasty
attitudes, and I am sure so are many other Singaporeans. And we have to stand up
and have the courage to say so, and not be cowed into being silent. There are
problems of integration, or numbers congestion, we deal with them. But bad
behaviour, rude behaviour, behaviour that is really a disgrace to a Singaporean,
a human being, we should have the courage to call it such.”
He did not mention Li Jiawei, however, our PRC table tennis foreign talent
who won some medals for Singapore then said bye-bye to Singapore after retiring
from the sport.
Mr Lee also reassured youth concerned about their future, given that it is a
time of rapid change and intense competition. While their anxiety is warranted,
he said, if they understand the opportunities that are opening up, they should
be eager and ready to go. He said Singapore has the resources and talent to make
the country truly exceptional.
“Anxiety is understandable, anxiety is even constructive, up to a point. Even
some paranoia is helpful because, as Andy Grove says, only the paranoid survive.
And it can keep you on your toes. It’s like the anxiety you feel before you go
on stage to perform,” he said. “But it should not lead to paralysis, or
despondency. We need to be both paranoid but at the same time paradoxically
confident. Then we can make this a special nation for Singaporeans.”
It is going to be hard for Mr Lee to convince Singaporean youth about their
future when they see their parents’ generation being retrenched and replaced by
foreigners.
What do you think?
=> 60%: Hooray! We sibeh song ah!
Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com (http://www.singsupplies.com/showthread.php?191342-Except-for-Kicking-Out-Ass-Loon-Nothing-Will-Stop-Replacement-of-SGs-with-FTrash&goto=newpost).
PM: Dangerous to blame everything bad on FTs (http://www.tremeritus.com/2014/10/04/pm-dangerous-to-blame-everything-bad-on-fts/)
http://www.tremeritus.org/simages/dmca_protected_sml_120n.png?7ca03f http://www.tremeritus.org/wp-content/themes/WP_010/images/PostDateIcon.png?7ca03f October 4th, 2014 | http://www.tremeritus.org/wp-content/themes/WP_010/images/PostAuthorIcon.png?7ca03f Author: Editorial (http://www.tremeritus.com/author/editorial/)
http://www.tremeritus.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/lhl3.jpg?7ca03f
Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
At a public lecture organized by the National University of Singapore Society
yesterday (3 Oct), PM Lee said to make Singapore valuable to the world requires
an approach that is both good-hearted and hard-headed.
An important area where both heart and head are needed is the nation’s
population policy. It requires both heart and head to be balanced, he said.
Mr Lee assured Singaporeans that the government is paying attention to both
the emotional and practical aspects of this, giving weight to how comfortable
people are with the pace of immigration while at the same time encouraging the
newly-arrived to adapt to Singapore society.
“Last year, when we debated the population White Paper in Parliament, the
Government proposed moderating the foreign worker inflows. The opposition
rejected this. They argued for zero foreign worker growth. They said no inflows
– shut it off. It was an populist and irresponsible pose. It was not a serious
policy, because such a freeze would have harmed our economy, and in particular
would have hurt many of the SMEs which desperately need workers, and would have
caused Singaporeans to suffer and lose jobs,” he said.
“So we didn’t do that, and instead we decided to moderate the foreign worker
inflow, not to stop it. Even this is painful, we know that. The policies are
biting – many SMEs are finding it tough, despite all our schemes to help them.
So nowadays, you don’t hear any more demands from the opposition for zero
foreign worker growth. But what we are doing, what we said we would do, is
necessary and is working. The latest manpower numbers do show that foreign
worker growth has slowed to a more sustainable level, and is about where we want
it to be.”
Foreign worker growth may have slowed but the foreign population was growing
twice as fast as the Singaporean population from June 2013 to June 2014 (‘SG
population hits 5.5M with 40% foreigners in 2014 (http://www.tremeritus.com/2014/09/25/sg-population-hits-5-5m-with-40-foreigners-in-2014/)‘).
Singapore’s total population hit 5.47 million in June 2014 with foreigners
(PRs and FTs) hitting 2.13 million or 38.9% of the total population, according
to the latest figures from the National Population and Talent Division (NPTD)
under the Prime Minister’s Office.
The total population grew 1.3% but the foreign population continues to
increase. It increased by 41,400 (2.0%) to hit 2,126,700.
NPTD said that the government plans to continue taking in between 15,000 and
25,000 new citizens each year to keep the citizen population from shrinking. To
keep the PR population stable, it will grant about 30,000 PRs each year, it
said.
No more measures to tighten foreign worker numbers
further
Mr Lee continued, “I do not expect any further measures to tighten foreign
worker numbers further. Meanwhile our economic restructuring is progressing,
productivity is improving, at least in some sectors. We are steadily catching up
in terms of our infrastructure – our housing, public transport and so on. So you
must put together your heart and your head, and think carefully, feel how people
feel, and choose a solution which addresses to the extent possible, both heart
and head, and to convince people to accept it, and support it.”
Indeed, it is difficult to convince, say, a person with a full stomach after
a hearty buffet meal, to eat some more.
Mr Lee said that the issue of population is also a sensitive topic in other
countries, with many nations seeing anti-immigrant backlash, which must be
avoided in Singapore.
“We have to manage our numbers, we have to stay open and welcome those who
are ready to contribute to Singapore, and ready to make their home here. We must
maintain our reputation for being a good place to live and work, because we lose
that at our peril. If people think that we are not interested in attracting
investments, that talent is not welcome, that we’ve turned inwards, I think
that’s the end of us,” he said.
He did not mention “talents” like PRC tour guide Yang Yin who has been
dominating the news in Singapore recently.
Dangerous to blame foreigners for everything bad, especially on the
Internet
The Prime Minister also mentioned the danger of blaming foreigners for
everything bad in Singapore.
He said, “Because we see a tendencies, especially on the Internet, to blame
everything bad that happens in Singapore on foreigners, and blame all foreigners
for anything bad that any one non-Singaporean does. All bad things are done by
foreigners, and all foreigners do bad things. And they even get blamed for some
things which have nothing to do with them.”
=> And completely OK to blame all bad things on SGs and letting off FTrash insulting, shitting on and physically whacking SGs with super light sentences?
Perhaps Mr Lee thinks that foreigners like Yang Yin have done good things in
Singapore and for Singapore?
In any case, he cited swimmer Joseph Schooling as an example. The Eurasian
athlete “is born here, his father is born here, he happens to be Eurasian, he
won a gold medal, in fact he won three medals, and he was called an Ang Moh
foreign talent”, said Mr Lee. “I think it’s a compliment to the ang moh foreign
talent. So I am ashamed and dismayed when I read such virulent and nasty
attitudes, and I am sure so are many other Singaporeans. And we have to stand up
and have the courage to say so, and not be cowed into being silent. There are
problems of integration, or numbers congestion, we deal with them. But bad
behaviour, rude behaviour, behaviour that is really a disgrace to a Singaporean,
a human being, we should have the courage to call it such.”
He did not mention Li Jiawei, however, our PRC table tennis foreign talent
who won some medals for Singapore then said bye-bye to Singapore after retiring
from the sport.
Mr Lee also reassured youth concerned about their future, given that it is a
time of rapid change and intense competition. While their anxiety is warranted,
he said, if they understand the opportunities that are opening up, they should
be eager and ready to go. He said Singapore has the resources and talent to make
the country truly exceptional.
“Anxiety is understandable, anxiety is even constructive, up to a point. Even
some paranoia is helpful because, as Andy Grove says, only the paranoid survive.
And it can keep you on your toes. It’s like the anxiety you feel before you go
on stage to perform,” he said. “But it should not lead to paralysis, or
despondency. We need to be both paranoid but at the same time paradoxically
confident. Then we can make this a special nation for Singaporeans.”
It is going to be hard for Mr Lee to convince Singaporean youth about their
future when they see their parents’ generation being retrenched and replaced by
foreigners.
What do you think?
=> 60%: Hooray! We sibeh song ah!
Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com (http://www.singsupplies.com/showthread.php?191342-Except-for-Kicking-Out-Ass-Loon-Nothing-Will-Stop-Replacement-of-SGs-with-FTrash&goto=newpost).