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- Oct 30, 2014
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LIKE the Singapore Democratic Party yesterday, the PAP candidates tried to tailor their speeches to the concerns of the working crowd who gathered at UOB Plaza at lunchtime today. We pick four points for PMEs.
1. Like getting passed over for a promotion
Mr Ong Ye Kung, who is standing in Sembawang GRC, used that big bugbear of the working drone, office politics, to refer to the Opposition argument for more of them in Parliament.
“One argument that has emerged during this campaign period is that the Opposition argues that there should be 20-30 Opposition MPs in Parliament because that way, the incumbent PAP will work harder for you. There is an alternate logic. If we lose so many seats, any ruling party will be undermined and weakened. It can be compelled to become populist…we may end up spending more effort politicking. Reminds me of what we sometimes see in our offices. You may have been a hardworking worker, delivered all the projects, but [your boss] may bypass you for a promotion, giving it to the other guy who worked less hard, to motivate you to work harder. I feel that politics should not work this way. Singapore politics must have the ability to balance continuity and change.”
2. You sure you want MNCs to go away?
Mr Chee Hong Tat, who is standing in Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC said the Opposition’s suggestion to simply focus on “growing local enterprises” and “ignore MNCs and large enterprises” did not make economic sense. These multinationals provided many jobs for Singaporean PMEs, and contracts for SMEs. He said he was sure that among the crowd were those who are working in MNCs. “If we do what the Opposition proposes, the Singapore economy will decline, our people will lose their jobs, is this what you want?” He took issue with WP’s call for a foreign worker freeze, saying that this would further “squeeze” SMEs, which are already suffering from a labour crunch.
3. I feel your pain….
Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say, an incumbent for East Coast GRC, talked about, what else, job security for PMEs. Young PMEs are feeling the competition from foreign PMEs and getting turned down for jobs because of lack of experience. “I feel their frustration and stress,” he said. Fewer people are now entering Singapore on employment and S passes, but there are still some “local concentrations” of foreigners in departments, companies or industries which should be broken up. While the Singapore core will hold steady at two Singaporeans to every one foreigner, he saw the need to strengthen the core at the senior or top levels.
4. I was in pain…
Mr Victor Lye, who is standing in Aljunied GRC, actually had his own experience to relate. He quit his job in the financial sector in 2012 to set up and see to the grassroots network in Opposition-held Aljunied GRC. When he tried to join the financial sector two years or so later, he found that he had been pipped by younger people and foreigners. “I have experienced this sense of vulnerability,” he said. It seems he finally landed something. He is now chief executive of a healthcare insurance company.
http://themiddleground.sg/2015/09/08/speaking-the-language-of-the-working-crowd/
1. Like getting passed over for a promotion
Mr Ong Ye Kung, who is standing in Sembawang GRC, used that big bugbear of the working drone, office politics, to refer to the Opposition argument for more of them in Parliament.
“One argument that has emerged during this campaign period is that the Opposition argues that there should be 20-30 Opposition MPs in Parliament because that way, the incumbent PAP will work harder for you. There is an alternate logic. If we lose so many seats, any ruling party will be undermined and weakened. It can be compelled to become populist…we may end up spending more effort politicking. Reminds me of what we sometimes see in our offices. You may have been a hardworking worker, delivered all the projects, but [your boss] may bypass you for a promotion, giving it to the other guy who worked less hard, to motivate you to work harder. I feel that politics should not work this way. Singapore politics must have the ability to balance continuity and change.”
2. You sure you want MNCs to go away?
Mr Chee Hong Tat, who is standing in Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC said the Opposition’s suggestion to simply focus on “growing local enterprises” and “ignore MNCs and large enterprises” did not make economic sense. These multinationals provided many jobs for Singaporean PMEs, and contracts for SMEs. He said he was sure that among the crowd were those who are working in MNCs. “If we do what the Opposition proposes, the Singapore economy will decline, our people will lose their jobs, is this what you want?” He took issue with WP’s call for a foreign worker freeze, saying that this would further “squeeze” SMEs, which are already suffering from a labour crunch.
3. I feel your pain….
Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say, an incumbent for East Coast GRC, talked about, what else, job security for PMEs. Young PMEs are feeling the competition from foreign PMEs and getting turned down for jobs because of lack of experience. “I feel their frustration and stress,” he said. Fewer people are now entering Singapore on employment and S passes, but there are still some “local concentrations” of foreigners in departments, companies or industries which should be broken up. While the Singapore core will hold steady at two Singaporeans to every one foreigner, he saw the need to strengthen the core at the senior or top levels.
4. I was in pain…
Mr Victor Lye, who is standing in Aljunied GRC, actually had his own experience to relate. He quit his job in the financial sector in 2012 to set up and see to the grassroots network in Opposition-held Aljunied GRC. When he tried to join the financial sector two years or so later, he found that he had been pipped by younger people and foreigners. “I have experienced this sense of vulnerability,” he said. It seems he finally landed something. He is now chief executive of a healthcare insurance company.
http://themiddleground.sg/2015/09/08/speaking-the-language-of-the-working-crowd/
