Excellent piece from the gentlemen in the first post of this page-
Why Did So Many Singaporeans Invest in Hyflux - The Positive Image Illusion
https://sgdividends.blogspot.com/2019/02/why-did-so-many-singaporeans-invest-in.html
- Olivia nominated as member of the Corporate Governance Council of Singapore - playing an advisory role to MAS, ACRA and SGX
- Arguably Singapore's most celebrated female businesswoman
- A poster child for Enterprise Singapore, which is a combination of two government agencies - International Enterprise Singapore and Spring Singapore
- Hyflux featured in EDB ( Economic Development Board of Singapore) whose growth mirrors Singapore's water story
- Participating in many National Day Parades
- NEWater & Believing in the Singapore Water Story
It is a fact that many Merdeka and Pioneer Generations invested into Hyflux. These generations are the ones who saw through most of the ups and downs of Singapore development, from a swampy, forested area into the modern city we have now. They are the ones who faced the Konfrontasi with Malaysia and Indonesia, the ones who experienced first hand the separation of Singapore from Malaysia, the ones who experienced the racial riots and the ones who lived through the period where Singapore was threatened with water.
It is a fact that many of them can't read english and many are chinese educated. They didn't have much schooling like what the current generation is enjoying now. They grew up, believing in the Singapore story, believing in the vital importance of water to the very survival of Singapore.
Without Water, there will be no Singapore.
It is utterly inconceivable to me that some people choose to label them as "greedy" investors and they deserve it for taking that risk. Many of them didn't buy shares. They bought the preference shares and the perpetual securities which came with a step-up date which many of them thought it refered to the redemption date, like the bond. They invested not so much on intellect but more on the emotional connection they have with the Singapore Story which they grew up with, and the trust in what they saw with their eyes. They believed in Olivia Lum, the one who was protrayed as one of the Heros of the Singapore Water Story, the one who built a Singapore company that we can be so proud of, the one who appeared so many times alongside the progress of the nation.