ARE FOREIGN TALENTS COMMITTED TO SINGAPORE OR JUST MERCENARIES?

Dear ASS,

I am sure you have seen all the excitement over Indian PM Modi visiting Singapore. He is treated like rock star every where he goes. When he was eating at Little India with PM Lee, he was nearly mobbed by Indians when he left Komala Villas. I don't think they were there for the Singaporean guy.

Yesterday, he spoke to 18,000 Indians residing in Singapore at the Expo. These are not your construction workers or cleaners. Many of them hold good jobs in Singapore, most probably introduced by their friends already working here. I think many of them are Permanent Residents or even Singapore citizens.

So I spoke to my India Indian supervisor who is also a PR and ask him why he went to listen PM Modi yesterday. He say India has potential to be a great and rich country under Modi because he is a very capable leader. If India start developing quickly under Modi, he would pack up and go back to India to start a business.

This same Indian colleague had just last year moved his whole family, wife, and two kids to Singapore. Asked him why he did that, he say Singapore is a much better place for the kids to grow up, it's safe and better education. When they grow up, they can decide if they want to remain here.

I understand that Singapore needs to attract foreign talent but you can't deny many of these are just mercenaries and will leave once they feel some where else is better.

Ravindran
ASS Contributor