Of foreign talents and imports

I have been reading and following these articles for a long time. I have also submitted my comments in the articles.

• The Whole Foreign Talent Debacle by Xtralicious
• Hate the policy, love the paddler by TheOnlineCitizen
• Have we won an Olympics medal? Really? by TheOnlineCitizen

While reading the article by Xtralicious, I felt a need to pen down my thoughts.

The first word came to mind:

Prostitute.

I don't know. Not wanting to sound crude but don't you think Singapore is a bit tad too desperate and 'opening her legs too easily' to get FTs?

And worse, throwing money and citizenships to entice them? At least a hooker gets paid. Yet my government gives money out to them.

Again I want to stress: I'm all for FTs and imports. But only when the job/task cannot be filled in by locals or maybe we have a major shortfall. So I'm all for hiring system administrators from India, developers and architects from China, etc to support the growing economy.

But table-tennis? Football? Aww, c'mon!

I'm very, very sure there are local athletes who want to be part of the Olympic team to represent Singapore but they can't get in because some 'Xiao Qiang' or 'Xiao Li' had been sponsored by our dear government and brought in instead.

Is this national pride, I ask you? Will it come to a stage where the highest salaries and perks will draw the best atheletes in? Isn't it like the English Premier League (or Geylang)?

BUT the difference is: a football club has stakeholders. It's all about money and success and delivering the results to be top of the table.

However this IS a country. My country. With common folks and citizens, our fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, ah-peks and ah-mas.

My country citizenship can't be so easily bought (or given out so easily for the matter) at the highest price (or sponsorship) available.

Can it? Does it even matter to the government how my citizenship is so valuable to me because I had served National Service for 2.5 years?!!

Anyway, where do all these stop at? More athletes from other countries? Isn't it running like a corporation now? Maybe the rot has set in already!

Now it feels so cold and clinical. No wonder the atmosphere is driving her own citizens in droves to other countries.

Yes congratulations to the paddlers! They did very well on an individual capacity at an international level. I applaud their skills in representing the Singapore team and getting a silver medal at the highest accolade - the Olympics.

But my heart does not share in their victory. My heartbeat does not sync with their achievements somehow. There seems to be a chasm and it's hard to explain.

I do find it difficult to celebrate their success at a national level.