Singapore Inc : Pioneering The Migration Bandwagon
I suggest we better all stop squealing about the 6.9 mio because America and UK are wising up to Singapore’s game, both launching into immigration campaigns to, potentially, give Singapore a good fight for global talent.
With the US revamping their migration laws, UK is already openly proclaiming,
| Britain must relax visa rules to attract more ‘rich immigrants’, warns Vince Cable |
Singapore has competition and its coming fast.
| Silicon Valley, eyeing talent from India and China, urging overhaul of US immigration laws. |
| Obama emphasizes economic benefits of immigration overhaul |
Operating in competition with young, up and coming countries, there is every need to get the best brains in to make ensure continued success, just like this article in NY Times suggests.
| Economic View: How Economics Has Benefited From Immigration |
That is why selective migration is all that Singapore has done. It is indeed not a refugee camp as I have been told only less than a dozen political asylum seekers have been granted stay on shore.
If we operate the country with the mindset of a CEO, there is a need to renew and re-invigorate and may the best man succeed.
Do not ask my view if this is how a country should be run but some reports suggest that migration rocks !
| 40% of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children |
| Spain’s Chinese Immigrants Thrive in Tough Economy |
There are dark sides to the equation, mostly for the existing population on issues such as social integration.
| ‘I feel like a stranger where I live’ – One woman’s view of the London neighbourhood she has lived in for 17 years |
| About 15% of all new U.S. marriages in 2010 were between spouses of different races or ethnicities. |
| The town that’s had enough: We visit the town with the country’s biggest influx of East Europeans. |
| A group of young men are attempting to create ‘Muslim zones’ in East London |
Some Australian reports suggest that the impact of skilled migration has been economically detrimental as the migrants’ dependents are a net drain on the community.
Besides, being ultra rich really brings you anywhere on an investor visa.
| The ins and outs of investor visas: U can live anywhere in the world if you have enough money, |
I am not worried for Singapore.
She is listed globally as one of the top immigration destinations. People want to live here and manage their investments in the rest of developing Asia.
I don’t know if we are preparing for a French influx or is it the EUR weakness, but I am seeing shelves of Casino products in Cold Storage and like I mentioned in a previous post, we have Thornton’s in the heartlands.
Again, I am not sure if we should run a country like a corporation and I feel safe enough, even if I am getting bullied on the roads, while I am still useful. I cannot bear to wonder what will happen when I outlive my use to the nation.
Not to worry, I suppose, because someone just told me today you can use your Medisave in the new JB hospice/hospital venture that Singaporean billionaire, Peter Lim, is spearheading.
And if all else fails, since Singapore pioneered ERP and COE and COV and what nots, perhaps a white paper on euthanasia in the coming years ?
Because I would really be embarassed of headlines like these.
| Tokyo police bust brothel for employing 70 year old women |
Disclaimer : By this article, the author is not purporting to take any sides in the current migration debate in Singapore. The opinions expressed are the author’s own and do not represent the views of any other person or entity that the author is aware of.
Like everything else, either reinvent or fade into obsolesce. I had this discussion over CNY weekend with some friends and they feel that Singapore has changed too much, for the worse – too crowded, too expensive etc. They rather it stays a fishing village where life is “simpler”.
The irony is, everyone that complains at brunch is a fan of Apple products, designer bags and all things nice. So much for a fishing village’s lifestyle.
What to do ?
Its a populist world. So we just go with the majority. Its uncool not to complain wherever you are. And even if you keep your mouth shut, they will find something to say about you.
Pingback: Peter Lim Biography | Singapore Billionaire buying Liverpool FC