In Singapore, Singaporeans must come first.

1st March 2013

Singaporeans First: 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?


Source:  Chua Chin Leng aka redbean