Top Sacred Cows for our PM to Consider Slaying

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Written by: Gilbert Goh

As our Prime Minister slew one sacred cow after another to hold on to power desperately after the recent watershed General Election, I have listed another few sacred cows for the PM to consider slaying:-

Education

Though we have a world-renowed educational system, it is no open secret that we are only strong in the Maths and Science category. We could not verbalise well and our Singlish is a big handicap when it comes to speaking proper English.

We may be good engineers and even scientists but so far we have not produce any solid entrepreneur or inventor yet as our education stresses very much on using the left brain.

The creative and innovative right brain is hardly tapped since young and we lack behind many developed countries in producing solid entrepreneurs and inventors. Just ask yourself which Singaporeans corporation is represented in the worldwide arena? Creative Technology may be the only one that we can remember but I heard that home-grown company is already on the down trend.

We are know how creativity is directly linked to entrepreneurship. Most entrepreneurs tend to use their right brain more which is known to be intuitive, making lateral connections from information and are mostly visual learners.

Paul D Houston, a well-known educationist from the US, in his article Out-of-the Box Leadership remarked that the world will belong to the creators:-

“Richard Florida, in his Rise of the Creative Class,3 makes essentially the same argument. The future belongs to the creative. They will be the leaders, the learners, and the earners of the new age. It is not the programmers in India who will dominate; it is the people who conceive of the work the programmers should do who will “rule.” Already we know that most of the places where the United States has an economic edge are those where our creative workers have gone before.”

In the future, Singapore will need a lot of home-bred entrepreneurs to bring us forward economically. No longer can we depend on EDB to attract MNCs to our shore in the hope of producing sufficient employment for our people.

We know that the two integrated resorts brought in alot of service jobs last year which do not really benefit our local workforce.

Many MNCs will also flock to cheaper Vietnam or China whereby the services can be duplicated at one-fifth of our cost.

Our stifling educational system also needs a serious revamp as our young kids are crammed with too much assignment and term tests.

Many teachers could not cope with the syllabus and simply go through each lesson hastily in order to finish up. There is no depth in our teaching as too much content is given out on a daily basis without having the time to consider what has been taught the day earlier.

Many of our children end up having to go for tuition and enrichment classes making a mockery of our educational system. If our teachers are that good, no student needs to go for extra coaching outside school.

By providing too much material in a syllabus, we also stressed out our teachers and students. Much of the material created is also not useful when we go out for work.

I estimated that less than 20% of the stuff that I have studied in school is been utilised. I am better off if more time is given to me to play with my friends when I was younger as it would have given me precious life skills in negotiation, friendship bantering and networking.

Our poor kids’ life these days revolve round doing up assignments after school and attending tuition classes. It is no wonder that many of them are unhappy with life right now and dream of studying and settling down abroad where life is easier and there is time for leisure and other pursuits..

Our educational system really needs a thorough tweaking so that we really do study less for more. Or right brain also needs to be better utilized so that we can be creatively trained to be better entrepreneurs and inventors. We do not need too many people who can only ace exams but come out short when it comes to thinking skills.

Singapore needs this unique group of creative people to propel us forward as only entrepreneurs will help to create and retain jobs for the country. Don’t expect profit-orientated MNCs to be loyal to our country when it comes to the crux.

Thus far, we have produce a nation of well educated citizens who could be the best workers in the world but are mediocre at problem solving and creating new businesses. We are also too academic in our syllabus for our own good…there should be room for adequate interaction within the classroom than having to chase daily after the heavy school syllabus.

Sacred cow to slay: Reducing the syllabus content and allowing our youth to daydream abit and utilise more of their right brain so that they can be more creative and entrepreneurial in the work places.

Employment

Much has been mentioned about our poor re-employment record here. The lack of a minimum wage here also does not help as the general population struggles with reducing disposable income.

Many graduates I knew also complained about the low starting wages they received and many dreamed about moving and working abroad for better wages and conditions.

The lack of a proper labour legislation also meant that many workers are being subjected to unfair employment terms.

Mainly, we battle against much odds during the past few years when the government brings in hundreds of thousands of foreigners in our midst to beef up the GDP growth.

Many of these low waged foreign imports were employed in the casinos and one suspected that at least 70% of the 140, 000 new jobs created last year were meant for the service sector – jobs that many Singaporeans shunned due to its’ low wages and tiring work schedule.

The government has to also stop using GDP growth as their main yardstick for economic growth. Much has been written on this topic and I do not want to write another thesis on this matter.

From food court cleaner to the top CEO, foreigners were almost invited in wholeheartedly by a government that is seen to be oblivious to the detriment such action has on the general population. Many Singaporeans thus felt sold out and betrayed.

Though I know that with the current prevailing adverse sentiments, the government will freeze and even reduce foreigner headcount in the future, the damage is already done and many low middle income families are struggling to make ends meet.

Their salaries have been thumbed down by foreigner imports who do not mind working for lesser salaries so much so that employers nowadays prefer hiring foreigners over local workers. The fact that they are younger and fitter also helps a lot.

The government has also always used workfare to gag those who spoke against the low wages of our workers.

Many people may not know that a significant amount of workfare distributed out to our low waged workers is meant for the CPF. Only about 30% of workfare money is dispensed in cash form.

Assuming that the worker manages to draw out the maximum of $2800 for the whole year, he barely receives a thousand dollars in cash form as most of the money will be deposited back into his CPF for retirement purposes.

I feel that a minimum sum scheme initiated for the low waged workers will help them a long way. Though many small service industries may fold up as this will invariably jack up their operating cost as labour cost will definitely be one of the main cost factor for any service-orientated business, in the long run, Singapore will benefit as a result.

We must also depend lesser on foreigner imports to help the thousands of low-valued service industries to make a quick buck here. We have to continue attracting high-valued industries for the future.

The social cost of not having enough disposable income for Singaporeans far outweighs the continual dependence on foreigners to perform menial work at third world wages.

Many families break up as a result of financial reasons and this remains the main reason or the sky high divorce rate here. One in three marriages break up yearly and without a good familial support pillar, our whole country ultimately suffers.

Sacred cow to slay: Bring in a minimum wage scheme for the low waged workers so that they have enough disposable income for putting in a hard day of work. With a minimum sum scheme in place, our locals may now take on certain menial service jobs that they have shun all along due to the low wages.

Sense of Belonging

Many Singaporeans have lamented that they now do not feel a sense of belonging in their own country. Many have also told me that they feel more like a digit than as a person here as the country operates more like a corporation.

Everybody is being rigidly assessed by how well you are educated, how smart you are and the kind of expertise you can bring to the corporation. Woe to you if you fall by the wayside as there is nothing much in store for you by the corporation as you are deemed to be useless and even pronounced a liability.

The current high influx of foreigners in our midst also makes the situation seemed worse as the population felt overwhelmed and disenchanted – most also felt betrayed and sold out by the government.

Just recently last year, a NTU student attended a dialogue hosted by ex-SM Goh Chok Tong and commented during the question-and-answer time, how he felt disconnected with society and that he did not know who he is defending anymore. He also stated that the sea of foreigners living among us has diluted the sense of belonging in many Singaporeans.

Many people I met have also told me that Singapore is a good place to make money but not to stay.

There is nothing to root us to this place except maybe our parents and close friends. We live for ourselves and do not even know who is our immediate next door neighbour.

I also recently read from the Straits Times that each month 6 elderly people died alone in their own homes cementing the belief that we are living very much on our own and for ourselves only.

Thousands sensibly chose to migrate both in the search for better jobs and a better lifestyle. No one wants to live in a place that only cares for themselves as humans need the close social interaction for survival and bonding.

Hundreds of thousands of Singaporeans also prefer to migrate abroad if possible to escape the stifling heat, pressuring work stress and confined environmental space.

Mind you we have one of the world’s best economy and highest GDP and not those third world countries whose population chose to live abroad for a better livelihood.

Patriotism is at its lowest ebb here as many Singaporeans struggle to make a living and many feel sold out by a government that allows in too many foreigners. Their whole sense of survival centres on trying to ekk out a living and nothing else matters…

Due to our very competitive educational system, many children also grew up viewing others as a competitor. Even in varsities, many undergraduates are known not to share notes with others for fear that their peers will score higher marks than them!

Many became very self centred and that perhaps explains why we need all kinds of campaigns to remind us to be gracious and give away our MRT seats to needy passengers.

If we don’t feel belonged as a citizen here, the lack of rootedness will ultimately drive many Singaporeans away to seek for greener pastures abroad without any reservations.

Sacred cow to slay: Don’t treat Singapore as a corporation but more as a country. Treat each person as a social being than as a digit waiting to be shoved aside when he is old and useless.

Conclusion

As the country deliberates on the recent watershed GE result, let us do what we can on our own to stay united as one country.

Do your part to help a fellow Singaporean who is jobless and look out opportunities for him.

Buy him a drink and hear him pour out his problems to you.

It is when we help out one another that we can feel the bond developing within us…we should function more as a country first and not a corporation in the first place. Everything else will then follow after that philosophy…