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Saturday, May 17, 2008

SINGAPOREANS - Are you a Foreign Talent, Foreigner or Local?

From the days of Sang Nila Utama (1300s) to Sir Stanford Raffles (1819) to British Malaya to Malaysia (1963) and finally as an independent nation, Singapore (1965) has been home to migrants from all over the world.

Singapore's early days as a trading post attracts people from all walks of life who seek their fortune in faraway land. Some choose to remain while others become the 'transit' population. The former become citizens in their newfoundland and the latter live here as their place of convenience until they discover their ultimate dreamland.

The underlying attraction was economics and commerce.

In the early days when communication was difficult and news about opportunities were scarce, it was the traders and seafarers who, having been to the hugely successful trading port called Singapore, brought news home and informed their fellowmen that opportunities abound in this sounternmost island; henceforth, it was a trip to 'Nanyang' meaning 'Southern Ocean' which refers to Malaysia, Borneo and Singapore, for those who want to seek fame and fortune. The strategic location of Singapore was, and still is, a plus point.

In our globalise world today, the seamless electronic age has made the world a much smaller place as information avails with the press of a button.

Every country is looking at ways and means of not only attracting , but retaining, talents as well. Having said this, you cannot have all leaders and no foot soldiers if the force is to remain latent and relevant. In simple term, we need brains and brawns to be complete.

So, why is there so much detestation and animosity toward foreigners who come to Singapore to work with a view to settle down when time and opportunity permits? Is it purely economics? Or?

Let us take a look at some possible causes and explanations:

It is the work of all governments to attract as many talents as possible to their country to help maintain, improve, valueadd and create a wholesome. productive population capable of producing more with less, that is, to raise the standards of living while managing the costs of living. This is almost perfect except Singaporeans seem unable to fathom why foreign workers are deployed in all levels of employment, including lower and unskilled workers. I guess when you talk about foreign talents, you are refering to more brains than brawns and this equation does not always equal! The fault seems to be the over weightage given to, and overuse of this term "foreign talent".

Yes, we need talents but every society and population is shaped like a pyramid, with more at the base and lesser as you move up the ladder. Similarly, every foreigner who are willing to toil with,and contribute to, us, be it skill or un-skill labour should be welcomed to plug our deficiency in supply.

At a given level of remuneration, if there is work to be done, someone has to do the job otherwise the economy will stall and regress. If jobs abound and Singaporeans feel the position is underpaying then why is it the job is still attractive to foreigners who have to uproot themselves and part with their family to fill in the 'low paying' job? I guess the underlying cause is the managing of expectations. You either have a combative and protective labour movement or a cohesive one that works to achieve harmony and equity in lieu of competition. The choice is clear.

Should any governments bar or restrict any labour with good, useful, willing and relevant skills from working in their country in order to protect their population? For optimal allocation of resources, the answer is no. We are living in a highly competitive world. We should progress and move ahead to grow the economy, then use (some of)the surplus to help those left behind. They are our fellowmen and they must receive a helping hand! More importantly with our migrant co-workers, Singapore will be more competitively priced to take on the challenges ahead.

What can Singapore offer to attract foreigners of all level to come here to work? Plentiful, I guess. But, there are also many competing nations who have deeper pockets and attractive policies to attract and retain them. The edge, I guess is, apart from suitably tuned policies, Singapore is being considered because of a fairly similar culture, language and religion. They are following our ancestors' footsteps; coming here to seek a decent living, and hopefully, fame and fortune.

Our ancestors were once foreign workers and talents in 'their' newfoundland called Singapore. They came, they saw, they toiled and they settled down and started their families. They strove to be wanted and accepted. They faced the same challenges as the migrant workers today.

Looking at history, all the complaints about the foreign workers, be they talented or not, in Singapore, are not going to change or dent the flow of migrant workers; let us live up to the challenges and accept what we cannot change and work towards a bigger pie so that we have more to share.

Our ancestors were Foreign Talents when they arrived in Singapore. Their families and friends came as foreigners to settle down and long after they were gone, we are still here ... and we are the proud, capable and able Singaporeans.

SINGAPOREANS - Are you a Foreign Talent, Foreigner or Local? I am definitely Singaporean and I hope you are one too.

We have a choice; Majullah Singapore!

Friday, May 9, 2008

Hope - here, there, everywhere



There is hope, there is miracles, there is God!
We will always be safe in the hands of God

Positive attracts positive
We will do well to reside on the bright side of life; don't just work hard, work smart.
Make hay while the sun shines

Everything happens for a reason
Long after the event passed, we will know the reasons for the event happening.
By then, the pain is gone and the residue, if any, is nothing but memories

Life is about living; not just being alive
We should do our best to live life to the fullest, happiest and with contentment

There is no one best way to handle life's challenges
Sometimes you KeepInView, sometimes its in, and most times, its out.
When its KIV, someone will take care of it; either you or others
When its In, someone has just pass the buck to you
When its Out, you have just pass the buck to someone

Moments of sadness last longest because we long for the painful hours to pass
Moments of happiness are shortest because we enjoy and indulge without realizing that time has passed us by

Cometh the time; cometh the man
We are made for the seasons we lived in.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Career - Be The Best

Always be the best & be ready.

Whatever you undertake to do, always do your best. Your enthusiasm and passion for the work chosen, pickled with intelligence and indepth knowledge will manifest into the most desirable result.

Don't just work hard; horses and cows work very hard too! Work smart. Don't be lazy; the greatest regret in life is being lazy. Laziness achieves nothing and losses everything!

If you like :

- managing people, human resource management is good.
- immediate results, sales is the job.
- crisis management, medicine & military is excellent.
- helping others, social and legal work is suitable
- to build, engineering is a choice.
- to prove a point, join politics

The list goes on....

Know your strengths and manage your weaknesses.

Only you know yourself and your goal better. What others can do for you is to guide you towards your ideal; reaching your goal is your work.

The best career isn't the one that pays you the highest nor that that gives you the greatest recognition, its the one that gives you the most satisfaction and a peace of mind. Joy to those who knows the limits of achievements and basks in the glory of sweet victories.

Even Napoleon Buonaparte has his Waterloo & Alexander has his babylon! How about you?

Cheers - Think Positive

Cheer up! A cheerful soul is an enlightened person.

"Know tyself"
A good warrior knows his strength and manage, and minimize, his weaknesses. He fights to win. He is prepared and will only pounce when opportunity presents. He don't fight every battles but he chooses when to go to war.

SunZi - "empty city" strategy -
A guarded fascade, charming and disarming, will keep your opponents guessing, unprepared and unaware. Leave enough ropes for your opponent to hang tyself; why dirty your hands to eliminate unworthy opponents?

"Be like a willow tree"
Sway with the wind and still remain stable! Develop an agile personality to mix with people of all walks of life, races and religion. You need not hate them, or like them. Do enough to keep them by, and be on, your side. Why have enemies when you can have them on your side to fight your battles.

"Remain cheerful and positive"
Positives win more positives! Positive attracts and charms all around you. Not tthat you need to clown around, but you need to attract the right people into your camp; those who will march to your tune.

"Rest well and be composed"
Give yourself enough rest. Fight every war only when you come to it as not all battles are war-worthy!

"Management"
When you are angry and disturbed, don't react; simply walk away. Keep your cool and be proactive because any/every immediate reaction is not thoroughly thought through. You are "eating out of your enemy's hands". You should allow enough time to pass. Management decision can be "Yes", "No" or "Wait".

"Care"
Be thoughtful to all around you. Whatever you do affects everybody, especially those closest to you - your parents, siblings, grandparents ... You don't want to drop a nucleur bomb to eliminate your neighbour!

"Time"
Time is my best friend. When I walk away from an unworthy challenge, I have time to think. And most of the time when you return, your unworthy opponent has disappear, been liquidated or simply became 'friend' again.

"Faith"
Have faith in your GOD. HE will always be there for you, and with you.

Author
Wizard

Life's Reality Can't Be Pawned

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