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<TABLE class=msgtable cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="96%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=msg vAlign=top><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgbfr1 width="1%"> </TD><TD><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR class=msghead vAlign=top><TD class=msgF width="1%" noWrap align=right>From: </TD><TD class=msgFname width="68%" noWrap>kojakbt_89 <NOBR></NOBR> </TD><TD class=msgDate width="30%" noWrap align=right>2:21 am </TD></TR><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgT height=20 width="1%" noWrap align=right>To: </TD><TD class=msgTname width="68%" noWrap>ALL <NOBR></NOBR></TD><TD class=msgNum noWrap align=right> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgleft rowSpan=4 width="1%"> </TD><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>31262.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgtxt>How the PAP allows foreigners into Singapore to compete directly with citizens for limited jobs
April 7, 2010 by admin
Filed under Opinion
Leave a comment
OPINION
There are three myths propagated by PAP leaders and perpetuated by the Singapore media about foreign workers which need to be corrected here:
1. Foreign workers are employed only in sectors shunned by Singaporeans.
2. Singaporeans are “fussy” and employers have a hard time recruiting them.
3. The government cannot shield Singaporeans from global competition.
By now, we should already know that foreigners are employed across all industries in Singapore and they are allowed to compete directly with Singapore citizens for jobs which can otherwise be taken up by them.
The influx and easy availability of foreign workers depress the wages of Singaporeans who need a minimal wage to enjoy a decent standard of living in Singapore.
For example, the inflow of large number of foreign engineers and technicians from China and India has kept the starting pay of Singapore engineers stagnant for the last few years while the cost of living has ballooned.
PAP leaders have always insisted that the search for talent is a “global phenomenon” and Singaporeans have no choice but to compete directly with them.
PAP strongman Lee Kuan Yew told National Geographic magazine in a recent interview that it is a “good” thing that Singapore has welcomed so many Chinese immigrants (from China) as they are more “hard-driving” and “hard-striving” than Singaporeans.
It is the duty of the elected government of the day to take care of its citizens first and NOT foreigners. In other countries like Australia, New Zealand and Canada, measures are put in place to safeguard the interests of locals. Not only did the PAP government not do so, it is introducing lop-sided labor policies to make life difficult for Singaporeans instead.
If a Singaporean wants to apply to work overseas in any country, he or she must obtain a work visa or permit to even set foot there in the first place.
Singapore has a unique scheme not heard anywhere else in the world where foreigners are given a year to stay in Singapore to look for jobs here:
[Source: Manpower Ministry]
The Employment Pass Eligibility Certificate (EPEC) allows foreigners who are i) holders of selected university qualifications, or ii) current or former holders of selected skilled migrant visas to stay in Singapore for up to one year to facilitate their job search in Singapore. The EPEC is issued on a one-time basis and is non-renewable.
Now, let us look at some universities which are accepted by MOM from China and India, the two largest source of foreigners to Singapore:
China:
BeiHang University
Beijing Institute of Technology
Beijing Normal University
Central South University
Central University For Nationalities
China Agricultural University
India:
Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh
Dr BR Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar
Anna University, Madras
Asian College of Journalism, Chennai
Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi
Bangalore University, Bangalore
Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani
Graduates from these unknown universities are allowed to stay in Singapore for a year to compete directly with Singaporeans for job in an already saturated job market.
Is the PAP helping Singaporeans or foreigners find jobs? Or are these universities better than NUS, NTU or SMU?
Obviously if a China or India graduate comes to Singapore and is willing to accept lower than market-rate wages which will translate to a bounty back home, it is impossible to expect cost-conscious employers to recruit more expensive Singapore graduates.
How can the PAP expect Singaporeans to compete with the foreigners when the odds are stacked against them? The playing field is tilted in favor of the foreign workers.
The most amazing thing is that these foreign graduates are able to step foot onto Singapore to find a job without having to pass a mandatory English proficiency test like the internationally accepted IELTS which explained why there are so many foreigners in the service industry who cannot utter a single word of English at all.
Are we still a cosmopolitan city with English as its lingua franca or have we been turned into some third-tier city in inner China unwittingly by the PAP?
With discriminatory manpower schemes like EPEC, E and S-passes still operating under the auspices of the Manpower Ministry, can Singaporeans trust the PAP leaders’ promise to reduce the inflow of foreigners into Singapore?
Singaporeans are getting a very bad deal from the PAP government. They are elected and paid by taxpayers to take care of Singapore citizens and not foreigners.
Foreign workers should only be employed strictly in sectors shunned by locals such as the construction and marine engineering industries. They have absolutely no business in positions which can be easily filled up by locals.
Singapore workers are highly sought after in the world because of our bilingual capability, work ethic and productivity which explains why New Zealand launched a campaign lately specifically to target Singaporeans to work, live and study there and NOT China, India or Philipines.
Instead of showing that it appreciates and treasures the local workforce, the PAP seeks to replace them by cheap foreign workers overtly and covertly. This is completely unacceptable coming from a government which claims that it has the “mandate” of the people.
Did Singaporeans give it the “mandate” to bring in so many foreigners into our country within such a period of time thereby causing so many problems as a result?
Why are we constantly being asked to make sacrifices for the gross mistakes made by the PAP which nobody, including the crippled opposition and the compliant media dare to point out?
It is time that Singaporeans realize that they can never enjoy the economic rights they deserved as citizens of Singapore without first reclaiming their political rights from the PAP.
There is nothing wrong in having this “entitlement mentality” because Singapore males waste two years of their precious lives in service of the nation. We are entitled no less than a level playing field for us to compete with the foreigners on an equal footing.
If the PAP or rather FAP (Foreigners Action Party) is not keen or able to protect the interests of Singaporeans, then perhaps we should consider switching allegiance to another political party which is more amenable to our requests in the next general election.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
April 7, 2010 by admin
Filed under Opinion
Leave a comment
OPINION
There are three myths propagated by PAP leaders and perpetuated by the Singapore media about foreign workers which need to be corrected here:
1. Foreign workers are employed only in sectors shunned by Singaporeans.
2. Singaporeans are “fussy” and employers have a hard time recruiting them.
3. The government cannot shield Singaporeans from global competition.
By now, we should already know that foreigners are employed across all industries in Singapore and they are allowed to compete directly with Singapore citizens for jobs which can otherwise be taken up by them.
The influx and easy availability of foreign workers depress the wages of Singaporeans who need a minimal wage to enjoy a decent standard of living in Singapore.
For example, the inflow of large number of foreign engineers and technicians from China and India has kept the starting pay of Singapore engineers stagnant for the last few years while the cost of living has ballooned.
PAP leaders have always insisted that the search for talent is a “global phenomenon” and Singaporeans have no choice but to compete directly with them.
PAP strongman Lee Kuan Yew told National Geographic magazine in a recent interview that it is a “good” thing that Singapore has welcomed so many Chinese immigrants (from China) as they are more “hard-driving” and “hard-striving” than Singaporeans.
It is the duty of the elected government of the day to take care of its citizens first and NOT foreigners. In other countries like Australia, New Zealand and Canada, measures are put in place to safeguard the interests of locals. Not only did the PAP government not do so, it is introducing lop-sided labor policies to make life difficult for Singaporeans instead.
If a Singaporean wants to apply to work overseas in any country, he or she must obtain a work visa or permit to even set foot there in the first place.
Singapore has a unique scheme not heard anywhere else in the world where foreigners are given a year to stay in Singapore to look for jobs here:
[Source: Manpower Ministry]
The Employment Pass Eligibility Certificate (EPEC) allows foreigners who are i) holders of selected university qualifications, or ii) current or former holders of selected skilled migrant visas to stay in Singapore for up to one year to facilitate their job search in Singapore. The EPEC is issued on a one-time basis and is non-renewable.
Now, let us look at some universities which are accepted by MOM from China and India, the two largest source of foreigners to Singapore:
China:
BeiHang University
Beijing Institute of Technology
Beijing Normal University
Central South University
Central University For Nationalities
China Agricultural University
India:
Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh
Dr BR Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar
Anna University, Madras
Asian College of Journalism, Chennai
Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi
Bangalore University, Bangalore
Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani
Graduates from these unknown universities are allowed to stay in Singapore for a year to compete directly with Singaporeans for job in an already saturated job market.
Is the PAP helping Singaporeans or foreigners find jobs? Or are these universities better than NUS, NTU or SMU?
Obviously if a China or India graduate comes to Singapore and is willing to accept lower than market-rate wages which will translate to a bounty back home, it is impossible to expect cost-conscious employers to recruit more expensive Singapore graduates.
How can the PAP expect Singaporeans to compete with the foreigners when the odds are stacked against them? The playing field is tilted in favor of the foreign workers.
The most amazing thing is that these foreign graduates are able to step foot onto Singapore to find a job without having to pass a mandatory English proficiency test like the internationally accepted IELTS which explained why there are so many foreigners in the service industry who cannot utter a single word of English at all.
Are we still a cosmopolitan city with English as its lingua franca or have we been turned into some third-tier city in inner China unwittingly by the PAP?
With discriminatory manpower schemes like EPEC, E and S-passes still operating under the auspices of the Manpower Ministry, can Singaporeans trust the PAP leaders’ promise to reduce the inflow of foreigners into Singapore?
Singaporeans are getting a very bad deal from the PAP government. They are elected and paid by taxpayers to take care of Singapore citizens and not foreigners.
Foreign workers should only be employed strictly in sectors shunned by locals such as the construction and marine engineering industries. They have absolutely no business in positions which can be easily filled up by locals.
Singapore workers are highly sought after in the world because of our bilingual capability, work ethic and productivity which explains why New Zealand launched a campaign lately specifically to target Singaporeans to work, live and study there and NOT China, India or Philipines.
Instead of showing that it appreciates and treasures the local workforce, the PAP seeks to replace them by cheap foreign workers overtly and covertly. This is completely unacceptable coming from a government which claims that it has the “mandate” of the people.
Did Singaporeans give it the “mandate” to bring in so many foreigners into our country within such a period of time thereby causing so many problems as a result?
Why are we constantly being asked to make sacrifices for the gross mistakes made by the PAP which nobody, including the crippled opposition and the compliant media dare to point out?
It is time that Singaporeans realize that they can never enjoy the economic rights they deserved as citizens of Singapore without first reclaiming their political rights from the PAP.
There is nothing wrong in having this “entitlement mentality” because Singapore males waste two years of their precious lives in service of the nation. We are entitled no less than a level playing field for us to compete with the foreigners on an equal footing.
If the PAP or rather FAP (Foreigners Action Party) is not keen or able to protect the interests of Singaporeans, then perhaps we should consider switching allegiance to another political party which is more amenable to our requests in the next general election.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
