<TABLE id=msgUN border=0 cellSpacing=3 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD id=msgUNsubj vAlign=top>
Coffeeshop Chit Chat - WP Low: Sinkie r asking why be a SG?</TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right>
Subscribe </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><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><TD class=msgF width="1%" noWrap align=right>From: </TD><TD class=msgFname width="68%" noWrap>kojakbt22 <NOBR>
</NOBR> </TD><TD class=msgDate width="30%" noWrap align=right>May-25 9:09 pm </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> (1 of 15) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgleft rowSpan=4 width="1%"> </TD><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>13984.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgtxt><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD>Save some skilled jobs for locals
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- headline one : end --></TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- show image if available --></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->OPPOSITION leader Low Thia Khiang (Hougang) wants the Government to reserve for Singaporeans some skilled jobs, such as those of safety managers, crane operators and tractor drivers.
He also urged the Government to state clearly that it will guard the interests of Singaporean workers first.
Mr Low was one of five MPs who spoke on Singapore's reliance on foreign labour during yesterday's debate on the President's Address.
He said in Mandarin: 'Singaporeans are asking what is the point of being Singaporean.'
Those who have contributed to nation-building resent the fact that as they grow older, they are seen as less tough and more choosy about jobs than foreigners. The Government also gives the impression that it favours foreign talent, he added.
Mr Yeo Guat Kwang (Aljunied GRC) urged bosses in the service sector to hire more Singaporeans, especially retrenched workers who have been retrained for such jobs.
Labour MP Halimah Yacob (Jurong GRC) was typically wary of the foreign worker quota, asking that it be reviewed.
'There are so many foreign workers even in the services sector that Singaporeans are beginning to feel squeezed out.'
She warned that if foreign workers crowded out Singaporeans in a sector, Singaporeans may lose the skills to work in that sector.
Nominated MP Gautam Banerjee, however, urged MPs and bosses to resist the 'nationalistic mindset' of saving jobs for Singaporeans or laying off foreigners first, regardless of merit.
'Getting rid of foreign talent may be an immediate way to improve your bottom line. But it will be disastrous in the long run, especially if it is done indiscriminately,' he warned.
Foreign talent creates growth for Singapore and more jobs for Singaporeans, he said.
'In times of crisis, if we continue to take care of them, they will notice the difference. Some may even decide to take up permanent residence and citizenship in Singapore,' said the India-born 54-year-old, who became a citizen here in 1990.
Mr Michael Palmer (Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC) welcomed the national efforts at integrating foreigners by getting them to abide by such local norms as cleanliness and rules against cycling on pathways.
Madam Halimah also urged bosses not to ferry foreign workers in open-top lorries, which expose them to the weather and the risk of being flung out in an accident. 'We should treat foreign workers humanely. The same standards meant for Singaporean workers should be extended to them,' she said.
[email protected]
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- headline one : end --></TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- show image if available --></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->OPPOSITION leader Low Thia Khiang (Hougang) wants the Government to reserve for Singaporeans some skilled jobs, such as those of safety managers, crane operators and tractor drivers.
He also urged the Government to state clearly that it will guard the interests of Singaporean workers first.
Mr Low was one of five MPs who spoke on Singapore's reliance on foreign labour during yesterday's debate on the President's Address.
He said in Mandarin: 'Singaporeans are asking what is the point of being Singaporean.'
Those who have contributed to nation-building resent the fact that as they grow older, they are seen as less tough and more choosy about jobs than foreigners. The Government also gives the impression that it favours foreign talent, he added.
Mr Yeo Guat Kwang (Aljunied GRC) urged bosses in the service sector to hire more Singaporeans, especially retrenched workers who have been retrained for such jobs.
Labour MP Halimah Yacob (Jurong GRC) was typically wary of the foreign worker quota, asking that it be reviewed.
'There are so many foreign workers even in the services sector that Singaporeans are beginning to feel squeezed out.'
She warned that if foreign workers crowded out Singaporeans in a sector, Singaporeans may lose the skills to work in that sector.
Nominated MP Gautam Banerjee, however, urged MPs and bosses to resist the 'nationalistic mindset' of saving jobs for Singaporeans or laying off foreigners first, regardless of merit.
'Getting rid of foreign talent may be an immediate way to improve your bottom line. But it will be disastrous in the long run, especially if it is done indiscriminately,' he warned.
Foreign talent creates growth for Singapore and more jobs for Singaporeans, he said.
'In times of crisis, if we continue to take care of them, they will notice the difference. Some may even decide to take up permanent residence and citizenship in Singapore,' said the India-born 54-year-old, who became a citizen here in 1990.
Mr Michael Palmer (Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC) welcomed the national efforts at integrating foreigners by getting them to abide by such local norms as cleanliness and rules against cycling on pathways.
Madam Halimah also urged bosses not to ferry foreign workers in open-top lorries, which expose them to the weather and the risk of being flung out in an accident. 'We should treat foreign workers humanely. The same standards meant for Singaporean workers should be extended to them,' she said.
[email protected]
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
