30-05-2014, 10:22 AM
Warning : Please do not take this as a bashing thread.
Bashing government policies without offering viable alternatives equates to rubbish.
While I generally feel that foreigners are ok, there are some policies that I think, needs addressing.
First, what is talent in the context of bringing in foreigners?
Someone/some knowledge we lack, and cannot produce locally quickly/fast enough?
I admit there will always be a need, given that we need manpower to fuel the economy. The alternative of having slow growth is really not enviable. Looking at some European countries and US cities, where the people have no jobs, no money.... I don't think I want to go there.
We need to understand, while we can probably afford some slow growth, to go on long term is untenable. Others will move and catch up and if we cut ourselves slack and would our position be unrecoverable? No one knows but why take the chance.
However, are all talents that we bring in is something we lack or cannot produce quickly?
Case in point, I accompany my father to the public hospital for checkup. Cannot help but noticed that we have foreign doctors now.
My first thought, really, we lack of local doctors?
Maybe.... Is it due to difficulty getting into local university to study medicine that causes the shortage? As far as I know, there are always people applying to study medicine. But NUS only admits a certain number.
Are we shooting ourselves in the feet by limiting our own ability to produce doctors by our high standards while maybe, just maybe, allowing some doctors from other countries which may not have the exacting standards that NUS have coming in to work as a doc? A backdoor of some kind?
If lack of doctors, why not increase the intake and lengthen the number of years they need to serve in public hospital with no release clause/punitive clauses that really takes a hit at people's pocket like $1 million. After all, they want to be doctors due to "passion". Serving an additional 3-4 years should be able to tell if your "passion" is sustainable.
I get the same feeling about other workers. We have people that qualify for foreign universities but rejected by our own. While it is damn easy for foreigners to get a degree in their own country and come and take jobs here. We also know that people that moves out of Sg do not come back. Are we again shooting ourselves here?
Are we disadvantaging our own people because of our exacting standards?
I got the feeling that the current generation of policy makers do not think as far and thorough as their predecessor.
Bashing government policies without offering viable alternatives equates to rubbish.
While I generally feel that foreigners are ok, there are some policies that I think, needs addressing.
First, what is talent in the context of bringing in foreigners?
Someone/some knowledge we lack, and cannot produce locally quickly/fast enough?
I admit there will always be a need, given that we need manpower to fuel the economy. The alternative of having slow growth is really not enviable. Looking at some European countries and US cities, where the people have no jobs, no money.... I don't think I want to go there.
We need to understand, while we can probably afford some slow growth, to go on long term is untenable. Others will move and catch up and if we cut ourselves slack and would our position be unrecoverable? No one knows but why take the chance.
However, are all talents that we bring in is something we lack or cannot produce quickly?
Case in point, I accompany my father to the public hospital for checkup. Cannot help but noticed that we have foreign doctors now.
My first thought, really, we lack of local doctors?
Maybe.... Is it due to difficulty getting into local university to study medicine that causes the shortage? As far as I know, there are always people applying to study medicine. But NUS only admits a certain number.
Are we shooting ourselves in the feet by limiting our own ability to produce doctors by our high standards while maybe, just maybe, allowing some doctors from other countries which may not have the exacting standards that NUS have coming in to work as a doc? A backdoor of some kind?
If lack of doctors, why not increase the intake and lengthen the number of years they need to serve in public hospital with no release clause/punitive clauses that really takes a hit at people's pocket like $1 million. After all, they want to be doctors due to "passion". Serving an additional 3-4 years should be able to tell if your "passion" is sustainable.
I get the same feeling about other workers. We have people that qualify for foreign universities but rejected by our own. While it is damn easy for foreigners to get a degree in their own country and come and take jobs here. We also know that people that moves out of Sg do not come back. Are we again shooting ourselves here?
Are we disadvantaging our own people because of our exacting standards?
I got the feeling that the current generation of policy makers do not think as far and thorough as their predecessor.