Friday, February 26, 2010
Go to this link and take a look at the vid, as well as the comments are listed by some of our fellow singaporeans.
http://sg.video.yahoo.com/watch/7046459/18331562
1st impression on the video and the interviewees: "Oh, the budget is bound to help us tide over this financial crisis and improve our standards of living as a whole for people from all walks of life."
I, missing out from the budget rally, tried to understand what it's all about.
And thanks to someone who summarised in his comment, it's all about productivity.
Cool, productivity = efficiency = maximising productive capacity = trying to shift the PPC out = improving our QQT.
True enough, by granting incentives to Singaporeans to engage in life-long training and upgrading will indeed enhance the Quality of our human resource and thus economically, productive capacity increases, attaining potential or otherwise, economic growth.
Then again, with a good side comes a devil.
the comments are really omg-ly funny and ironic.
Whilst the people in the video are all-praises, the ones commenting are reflecting their rants through the virtual world.
Training is good economically. But our singaporeans raves about extensive working hours or otherwise "working until we die". A better adjective would be "work, work, work and die" as cited from our internetian. We may be given incentives to work harder and retrain, but who would singaporeans react to this incentive given that people are already dying from all the office stresses and politics?
5-day work week already spanning across the entire week, and while our SOLs improve, how would our quality of life fare? That's the problem about using GDP per capita as an indicator on development levels coz with rising affluence doesnt mean that our society is gracious and happy.
in other words, our standards of living are rising but everyone is unhappy with this increase in affluence. Talking GP-wise, money doesnt equate to happiness.
Moving on, 'veronica' commented: "I applied to Hong Kong for an attractive job before. Then the company there told me that despite my good credentials, they rather keep the job for the locals. I think our country makes foreigners so easy to come here. I have a number of china chinese friends. They told me straight in the face here that they find the place so small and are just using this place as a stepping stone to boost their resume and then they can go somewhere else like USA or back to china for a more senior position. To them, this place is a land of opportunities. best still, if they find a partner, they take the partner together with them to china or other place after a few years here. "
I was in awe, lol. Singaporeans want to move out to other countries = braindrain problem.
then, other countries shun FT, and singapore embraces it. Economically, foreign talent bring along their expertise, technology and probably their familes. This enhances all aspects of our QQT, quality, quantity and technology.
Wahseh, productivity rise like siao. GDP also increases and unemployment rate decreases.
More FT the better, come come come.
now, singaporeans are asking for protectionistic measures to shield them from their china talents. We are asking for protection not because we are not productive, but because our labour is soooooo expensive we cant compete with them price-wise. Moreover, they are training fast(and we are helping them train to become as smart as us), and are taking over our tertiary industries as well. With equivalent capabilities, price wins. lol.
Hongkong dont want us coz they want to protect their people, and chinese are finding our majestic homeland a mere stepping pebble for them to grow and return to their omfg-ly huge homeland or other affleunt DCs. I gotta disagree with the last part though, singaporeans are not even marrying singaporeans, less say to settle abroad.
Then, another comment says that housing and living costs are so high, they cant imagine the additional costs of bearing and nurturing a child. AD rises faster than AS, inflation sets in, wala.
true, singaporeans cant even provide for themselves and how the hell are they going to provide for another head? Moreover, with constant retraining and long woking hours, parents cant even spend time educating their children. Maids? wah, a child comes in a package. Bear a child = get a maid NOT-free. maid levies are increasing as well. a child is becoming a more and more expensive luxury.
Aiyo, housing rates are rising fast. When i grow up and dont die before age 30, how can i afford a flat? 80million leh, siao siao ah. Even if i rent a chalet for 10years, i dont even know if it will amount to 80million anot lor. Live with your parents? wah, overcrowding and no privacy leh.
30 yo, and still cannot lead your own life? must depend on others? SAD.
The video so nice, but the comments suck. This is what i call the freedom of speech across a virtual media where you are anonymous. Why are so many people losing faith in the government? they are just applying economic concepts to make our lives richer, not?
sighs.