By Vernon Lee (938live.sg)
The man who's instrumental in creating Singapore's biomedical sciences and petrochemicals industry now wants to focus his energy on nurturing today's local small and medium enterprises into tomorrow's MNCs.
Making his inaugural address as Chairman of Spring Singapore at a business event, Mr Philip Yeo, says SMEs can expect more initiatives from Spring to help them grow and venture abroad.
Mr Yeo outlines clearly the mission of SPRING: to bring hope and give help to SMEs.
Speaking to an audience of mostly senior executives of local enterprises, Mr Yeo terms Spring as the "enterprise development agency" for SMEs.
The ultimate goal he envisions?
To graduate today's SMEs nurtured by Spring, into tomorrow's MNCs who will be partners of the Economic Development Board.
Towards the goal, Mr Yeo says SMEs can tap into various help schemes in the areas of financing, overseas markets development, management, and capabilities and technology enhancement.
But he says the government can only do so much to help local enterprises.
To speed up the growth of SMEs, Mr Yeo says bosses of these enterprises must embrace a core value of successful MNCs: grooming the young to assume key management positions.
Ultimately, Mr Yeo says Singaporeans and local enterprises must also have a sense of "hunger" for success.
"At the end of the day, if you're not hungry to grow, you'll never grow. And hunger is a very important factor. If people are not hungry; they're comfortable, they're happy, 9 to 5, marry your wife, two kids, a car, an apartment, that's it. I mean it's very comfortable. The greatest fear I have is our people will not be hungry. You go to China, everybody's hungry. You go to India, everybody's hungry. Wherever you go, you're fighting against hungry competitors. So we need to nurture that sense of hunger in our young people."
Meanwhile, Mr Yeo reveals that he's in discussion with the heads of EDB, A*star and IE Singapore to streamline the responsibilities of the various agencies.He adds that Spring needs to mobilise the resources of the other agencies in order to focus on its main role of enterprise development.
My comments:
Dear Friends,
Many bloggers have misgivings about Mr. Philip Yeo.
PY: The Enigma
Like him or loath him, one cannot ignore him. Especially as he continues to amaze us by recently "popping up" in blogosphere and giving as good as he got.
I am sure that even those who are skeptical about A*Star’s strategy will be struck by the passion and tenacity with which PY defends his “baby”.
PY, who had various babies before A*Star ( I am not hinting at sowing of wild oats and I say here that I know NOTHING about his personal life) is well known for his no-holds- barred manner of speaking and had raised many eye-brows and ruffled many feathers en-route to where he is now. Woe to him who chooses to criticize any of these babes without solid supportive data at hand.
PY is undoubtedly self-assured, cocky even. Somehow his cockiness seems more palatable to me now then in the past. Then he was just one of them MIW’s ( men-in-white) . Now he seems more human and actually has a character unlike many of the rest. He believes in what he does and he is not afraid to show it.
PY’s task at Spring Singapore
Enough of praising PY.
PY has an unenviable task of jump-starting the Spring Singapore where he is keen to nurture SME’s into tomorrow’s MNC’s.
This task,already mammoth in proportion , is made gargantuan, by the crowding out of the domestic economy by the Temasek-linked companies (TLC).
With all sincerity, I hope that PY is the man for the job.
Hunger: How to learn it
PY:
"At the end of the day, if you're not hungry to grow, you'll never grow. And hunger is a very important factor. If people are not hungry; they're comfortable, they're happy, 9 to 5, marry your wife, two kids, a car, an apartment, that's it. I mean it's very comfortable. The greatest fear I have is our people will not be hungry. You go to China, everybody's hungry. You go to India, everybody's hungry. Wherever you go, you're fighting against hungry competitors. So we need to nurture that sense of hunger in our young people."
Jokes aside, I feel that my children are less “go-getter” than I. They take things too easy and their only answer to my constant prodding is that I should not be so “kanchiong spider!”
They do not seem to realize that there is no free lunch ( esply from the PAP government).
I try to put my kids in challenging environment and situations, but when they stick out their hands for help, my heart just goes soft and mushy and I become “sugar daddy” once more!
How to make them hungry when they get everything they need? Sigh!
Can entrepreneurship ever be taught? Will our society really give entrepreneurs a chance?
Our whole social fabric is so risk-averse: Throughout the food-chain: Political leadership/education system/cultural and the arts. There is no appetite for failure. One strike and you're out ( worse than baseball!).
Children are taught by teachers and parents that they should study hard, go the well-trodden road to the academic scholarships and land the govt job- better still political office. Then tadada... Golden ( not just iron) rice bowls!
The recent civil servants' pay rise and Ministers' pay bonanza seems to confirm the wisdom of this thinking!
I have no doubt that the active young bloggers (defined as below 35) whose blogs I read daily here have what it takes to survive in the new globalised age. These include Aaron/Wayne/SiewKH/Gerald/Charissa/Cobalt. I dare not mention others as I may get their ages wrong! (people like Mr. Wang etc)
I am not so confident about the rest of the young people as Singapore’s educational and other institutions (National Service) seem to have succeeded only in producing an orderly, obedient but unimaginative population.
With such young people entering the work-force, it seems a tall order to have an enterpreneural class resembling that in HK and Taiwan.
PY, I wish you best of luck in Spring Singapore.
If you succeed, you deserve the money being dished out by our treasury to the other undeserving fellows.
Dr.Huang Shoou Chyuan
131 comments:
I agree with u Dr Huang that society needs to change. However if the government decides to open up, it could spell the end of PAP dominance. It wont necessarily spell the end, but it could. Will the government allow an alternative elite to appear? That is the question.
I cast my vote of no confidence in the "new" SPRING if it intends to help Singaporeans. But I will cast a vote of "outperform" if PY carries out his intended plan to help the hungry foreigners who are willing to come here.
Dunno but I think old habits die hard and Singaporeans are a hopeless lot. It seems like the government has already decided to give up on Singaporeans and focus on foreigners. It might very well be a good move for the country (who cares about the Singaporeans anyway?)
As for Singaporeans who want to do well I suggest you move abroad, fight with everyone realise what the real world is and then after that if you come back, Singapore would recognize you and you would do much better.
Staying in Singapore all your life is not good for our young. I am sure the leaders know this and they have said it "Go abroad but please come back"
Remember?
Hi
ned stark:
I think society is already changing but the rulers are still in the dinosaur ages and think that they should continue to write blank checks like before. The people vote with their feet ( if they don't get to have real poltical choices)
drozbloke:
I think govt's first and foremost job is to look after its own citizens. Even if they think a relaxed immigration policy is necessary for economic growth and to increase domestic market, these Sporeans should not be neglected. Analogy- look after your own shareholders before outsiders. But you and I know, the rulers don't play be anybody's rule except their own!
I am actually at 2 minds about this as I actually like free-market and competition make us stronger and all that. But if that make the poor ah pei and ah ma becoming foodcourt cleaners and sweepers and they still have to work at 75 years old cos the govt don't care about them- sigh?
I am troubled and confused
foreign talent can be allowed here. there are anyway! there is nothing to stop that from happening and they do bring in a certain dimension of creativity and dynamic entrepreneurship.
with A*Star hiring so many eminent foreign scientists and professors to aid Singapore's biomedical hub push, it is still heartening to see A*Star try to push some attention on home-grown talent by making available scholarships or award for more local phDs to be groom-ed, locally or abroad.
but it does suck when i see the local footbal team having so many foreigners, and the swimming team winning a gold medal with a Chinese national.
Hi Dr Huang,
I remember a couple of years back where Tony Tan came out to say that Singaporean workers are too expensive and thus we had to accept CPF cuts etc.
There was a big debate in the forums about this. And how PAP promised Swiss standard of living etc etc
I realise that our government subscribes to the view that the state is of priority over the people. Some may argue but no citizens how to have Singapore? Well no Singapore how to have Singaporeans?
The answer given to this conundrum would be that Singapore is unique and vulnerable (do you know they teach this in schools to our children? My wife who is a teacher tells me so)
So Singapore is always precarious in her position as a city state. The government has to be perpetually worried etc.
The country comes first. Ie the economy, the GDP, the defence forces etc. Everything else is secondary.
Which is why our faith that we would help the poor and needy (who incidentally are just burdens and do nothing to help the country) is misplaced.
Look at it again. It's the truth I dare say.
Singapore is just too small and "vulnerable" if you believe so. Better to go abroad where it is less vulnerable.
Even LKY has said so. In Europe even if the govt is lousy there's still teh European situation so it's ok.
Over here....die liao loh!
Dr Oz bloke,
have you ever why the state of Singapore become such disappointing state. Ask the gov, not the people. We are the product of Society and is exactly the product from gov governance ! Why are you blaming ppl of Singapore ?? Look around you and I see unfulfilled dream and struggle for survival. And the fuc#$3ing thing is that everyone of us work like hell to contribute to wealth of gahmen !!!! This is why state of being.
Stop screwing Singaporean, your very own race.
I agree with you anon. But come GE every 5 years.......
Maybe you should try speaking to more and more people in the streets in the coffeeshop etc.
As a doctor I meet many Singaporeans. I would say the majority out there don't read the papers. They don't watch the news. They know nothing about current affairs. Seriously!
Recently I asked a few people what they thought of the Ministerial pay rise. They said, economy good can give some pay rise?
I said but rise by $1 million?
Their eyes popped out! So much?
And then they revealed they had no idea that our Ministers earned that much.
So when you see the Ministers going on walk abouts shaking hands and people smiling when they greet them, always remember that the majority of these people have no idea how much the Ministers earn, no idea about current affairs. All they see is clean roads, good hygiene, efficient transport, friendly MPs etc etc etc.
And come elections they get some money also (ah that one is told to everyone LOL!)
So of course the PAP gets the vote.
This is the reality.
I am not screwing Singaporeans. I am merely stating the facts.
And unfortunately the facts don't sound very good. I am sure the govt knows the facts too.
Interesting post as usual Dr Huang.
PY: "The greatest fear I have is our people will not be hungry."
I know a lot of people sympathise with this argument. But I find it puzzling. Humans always have "wants" - it is a bottomless pit. So in any society, I find it hard to see a problem with not being "hungry". People always want more.
OTOH, what is the objective of economic growth? Surely it is to lift ourselves above subsistence level and to reach a certain state of contentment with what we have. So economic maturity has to do with a greater demand for leisure, or else the constant search for growth ends up like chasing after your own shadow.
UK as a society & economy matured long ago. It is no longer considered as dynamic as the US or HK. But it is still growing, even if less hectic. I don't sense that people there feel themselves unhappier or poorer than people in the US or HK. So where is the problem with a society having matured & mellowed, hence less "hungry"?
"I am actually at 2 minds about this as I like free-market .. But .. "
Up till today at least, mankind has found no better economic system to produce growth than capitalism. But for capitalism to work effectively, it needs labour market flexibility - that obviously is not so good for the worker who dislikes uncertainty and insecurity.
The compromise is for govts not to protect jobs but to protect people. So you have social security but not job security. The problem we have is the PAP doesn't like to protect people. Perhaps it has something to do with the ideology that people must always feel "hungry"?
Hi BW,
It is interesting that you feel that the notion of “being hungry” is overstated or unnecessary.
From a personal and anecdotal basis, I find that someone who has “hunger” and preferably who has passion for what he does, will probably try harder to get “there” ( wherever “there” is )- all things being equal.
Someone who is contented may become complacent and not try new ways/ideas etc.
I suppose the govt want a “siege” mentality as this make us rely on them more and hence choose them more than an untested political force.
I am a frequent critic of the govt but I personally accept that since we really do not have any natural resources, our human capital is just about what we only have.
If all of us take it easy and no-one fight tooth and nail for his job and place in society,it is only logical that more hungry societies/economies will overtake us in the economic league.
From my own experience, I see scions and children of rich families squandering their parents’ hard-earned wealth and I am almost certain that the children will not be able to replicate their parent’s success in the marketplace.
I know it all sounds very “cliché” but that is my personal opinion and feeling.
I know, if I were in the UK, I would also want to take it easy and perhaps be upset at new migrants who try hard as these migrants may be misconstrued as “trying too hard”.
Thanks for your comments and your opinion is refreshing.
Cheers
I actually quite agreed with PY about our people not having enough "hunger". Most Singaporeans are trained to be "worker ants". We travelled along the same route, aimed for the same material comforts, and share the same Singapore dreams. Passions and dreams had become some forgotten words in the dictionary.
World beaters are not driven by money. They are driven by dreams and passions. Something that most of us has lost along the road to academic excellence.
It is very easy to talk about hunger and ask others to stick their necks out when he himself has never been an entrepreneur and put his own money on the table. He has no moral authority to be preach about hunger when having being booted out of AStar he meekly accepted a low profile posting at SPRING. So much about HIS hunger.
A retiree working on a fixed contract terms like a mercenary.
Middle East chaps offer much higher and tax free.
But 45 degrees C is just too hot.
_______________
If you succeed, you deserve the money being dished out by our treasury to the other undeserving fellows.
A wicked nasty frog. May you stay submerged in your deep well forever.
Created over 30 companies since 1976 and made many chaps rich.
Remained a poor monk as a manner of choice and principle.
Attractive private offer from 1st April 2007.
Asked to help to put some spring into Spring.
Hope I never see the wicked frog as a future entrepreneur.
Hi:
Uncharteredwaters:
Of course we know the impossible is made possible when we realize our dreams and passion. But… how do we make our society more conducive for our kids to have these dreams and passion? Monkey see monkey do. Our kids look at us going the paths that leads to pot of gold and those who go the path of their dreams ( whether arts/social work etc) end up materially deprived. How do we make the alternative paths a sustainable lifestyle that does not depend on govt’s handouts ( you know how unpredictable that can be)?
I applaud changes in our education ( Art school/sports school) but this will not be enough. The parents ( that is us and those who will be parents later) must be willing to take a risk to allow their kids find their talents and then allow these talents to flow and grow.
But the kids time is finite and if the school system cramps them with school work and the parents make it worse by having tuition for all the subjects already taught in school, where is the poor kid gonna have time to explore his talents? Very tough!
We have gone into a free fall now, all the smart kids ( almost all), are in the paper chase and at the A levels they are sitting for the maximum no. of subjects and take max no. of “S” paper. So what kind of life you think they have in the JC’s? Relaxing and fulfilling and finding their passions and looking for their dreams? No- they are being fetched from tuition centre to tuition centre- if you don’t believe, just ask around!
The academically good ones get to be scholars and the whole cycle is repeated again!
I won’t dwell too much here for fear that PY may feel I am making a personal dig on him but I am not.
Life is about finding passions and dreams and doing one’s damnest to fulfil them. From this will come world-beating innovation
Hi PY,
Thanks for visiting.
I hope our friend anon 10.50 will not get personal with you.
Ad hominen attacks won't help us solve our issues.
You speak about "hunger" - how do you think all of us can learn to feel hungry again? I know travelling around the regions and opening our eyes to the dynamism etc will scare us out of our complacency but what else?
Some feel that the govt by writing themselves big fat salaries are not exactly role models for us to follow except to know that Vit M is the most impt thing in the world.
Nothing wake us up like competition eh PY? If only we have that in politics,then the people up there won't be so insensitive to the people below- esply those waaaaaay below (family income less than $1.5K/month)
Taking a hard dig at the immature frog (well view mentality) ribs of Anonymous said...10:50 AM. :-D
I stick to my forte: Economics and Industrial hobbies.
Politics is not my cup of tea. Prefer Japanese green tea.
From 1990 to 2000, been helping hungry neighbours build up industrial estates to create jobs.
http://www.itpbangalore.com/home.html
http://www.sembpark.com.sg/category.cgi?cid=13
http://www.sembpark.com.sg/category.cgi?cid=14
http://www.sembpark.com.sg/category.cgi?cid=18
http://www.sembpark.com.sg/category.cgi?cid=19
Vietnam Singapore Industrial Park now has over 50,000 hungry Viets in our 500 ha facility.
Since Oct 2005, as Adviser to its Binh Duong Province, I visit Saigon every quarter over the weekends to review their progress and provide counsel. (www.business-in-asia.com/becamex_myphuoc_industrial_park.htm)
In Bandar Aceh, early this year to see the real hunger of 600 orphans (age 4 to 16) of the Dec 2004 tsunami.
Singapore has just completed the building the orphanage cum school for them.
Raising funds for books, TV and PCs etc.
Travelling frequently to these neighbours and seeing the hunger in their eyes.
Fear instills Hunger and vice versa.
And paranoia as I worry for Singapore and Singaporeans.
Hi PY,
I will just accept your diplomatic reply about politics/politicians.
Good that you are involved in social work in Aceh too! Good for the soul!
Will be keeping tabs on Spring Sg and make comments/criticism when the occasion requires.
Cheers
Good advice most welcome to help SMEs.
______________________________
Will be keeping tabs on Spring Sg and make comments/criticism when the occasion requires.
I fully agree with this paper chase. Blame the parents.
When I interview 2 applicants for A*STAR BS scholars, I look for their ECAs as the deciding factor. (Sad that there is no more spider catching or long kang fishing which was my forte)
I do not favour nerds.
Rejected a chap with 11 As at O level, 5 As at A level with 3 S papers with Distinctions.
Why? He looked blur like a night book worm. One line answers to questions….
Look for those who can study, play pool and chase girls and still get As. Chew gum and walk straight.
Hi PY,
Glad you look at other attributes other than A's.
1.Another factor to note in order not to miss outstanding talents with passion/dreams is that the net be cast wider so that even those without 3 or 4 A's can at least a chance to apply. If their application is noteworthy, perhaps give them an interview. Some JC students may have fumbled at the last hurdle altho generally well-rounded students.
2.Once selected to be scholars, how to encourage them to have a full varsity life if all they do is cramp to ensure their 3.8.
PY, I am not trying to win arguments, but I have someone close to me who says that Sg scholars do not socialise enough and only care about grades . I know it is sweeping statement but undergrad time is supposed to be the best time of a student's life. I know they are sponsored by govt money blah..blah..blah. Shouldn't we encourage some risk-taking and broadening of horizon for these undergrads so that if they chooses some classes out of interest and suffer in grades, they should not be severely penalised? ( I have read you conversation about this topic elsewhere but I am appealing to the scholarship board good sense to ease up on this.
They are already proven materials, let them explore the intellectual world a little, learn a bit more of the other side of their brain. It will make them better Singaporeans. More creative. Less conforming.
Problem is that there are 4000 chaps with 4 As at A level!
So we have to use at least 2 S papers with Merits to reduce the pack to 400 chaps.
And from that we look for 50 plus chaps.
Once I interviewed a chap who did his BS in UK.
Asked him if he has been to the pub. No!
Have you been to the red light area. Just to visit. No!
Chap looked horrified.
Dropped him like a stone. :-D
Because A*STAR scholars are Singaporean, Malaysian, Chinese, Indians and Vietnamese, they are cosmopolitan.
When I meet them over lunches and dinners in SFO, Boston, London, I ask them to bring their foreign boy or girl friends. One good gene gets two good genes. :-D
The key: smart time management.
No reason why a smart chap (not a book worm) cannot do well (greater than 3.8) and not have a full life. :-D
A*STAR scholars laugh at the third party mantra on 3.8.
One scholar did her BS in Biochem in 2 years with GPA of over 3.9.
Backpack hitchhiking all over Europe on her own.
My Accompanying Officer to Budapest, Hungary.
Cool smart kid. Off to PhD studies this year.
Came to bug me for a piano for lunch time recess for her scholar gang at Biopolis
Asked if she and her gang had Grade 8 piano. No problem. :-D
Bought them a Yamaha stand up piano and a Yamaha electone.
Another with Thai kick boxing, GPA 4.0. PhD studies at Stanford.
Third, diver, GPA 3.997 now PhD studies at Cambridge UK.
All girls too!
Hi PY,
1.looks like you got bunch of crazy kids there.
How to keep them just as crazy and hungry after they graduate and start working? We want crazy kids not mediocre adults!
How to make the system such that they don't relax or become discouraged by inability to change/improve the system?
2.Spring Sg- the MBA looks to be priced a tad higher than the ones in the market ( other than INSEAD and Chicago of course)
Hi PY,
these GOA 4.0 kids, 10 years down the line, will they regret coming back to Sg and wondering if they would have been a Nobel prize winner if they had stayed in HYP (Harvard Yale Princton)?
Singapore needs to produce world-beaters ( I know this is cliched but...)
Will check on this.
_________________
2.Spring Sg- the MBA looks to be priced a tad higher than the ones in the market ( other than INSEAD and Chicago of course)
I always look for kids as "bad" as I am. :-D
10 years (2017) time, I will be at Bintan Beach....:-D
A 1000 PhD. An Infantry battalion size (my Mindef days).
Last male PhD batch home by 2020.
Enough of them to dominate and run the A*STAR.
Can afford casualties and losses. :-D
Course fees for the SPRING initiated eMBA for SMEs offered by NUS/NTU: $30K - $35K (after Spring funding support)
The normal eMBA offered by NUS ($68K) and NTU ($51K).
Insead & Chicago: $130K - $140K.
Hi PY
1.I presume you talking about partime MBA over 18 to 24 months.
The average ones are about 24-28K.
I know cos I am in the midst of doing one and it is great to meet working professionals from all sorts of lines. Incl foreign talents ( Europe/India and locals of course).
eg Hull U/Uni S Australia/UWA/Illinois/SIM-related ones all cost about the range mentioned. I am discounting the really cheap ones which even goes below 20K. ( But we musn't assume cheap=lousy)
I suppose your guys gonna say the Spring Sg-sponsored ones have value-add etc and has reputation etc.
But I suppose if Spring Sg provide part-funding will be more affordable.
Don't think your kids can ever be as "bad" as you ( or your reputation)- haha joking
HI PY,
More accurate details on MBA pricing:
SIM-related U Buffalo-SUNY- $44K
U of S Illinois $approx 25-26K
U of Birmingham/Hull- $24-26K
Australian U's (U SA/Adelaide/UWA- 23-28K)
I think if you want entrepreneurs/bosses to go back to school- should make it affordable.
Make it a price they cannot reject!
Then we will have an entrepreneur class 5-8 years down the road.
Studying the MBA's really spur all my course-mates on and also delay Alzheimer's Disease ( for me)
A young working researcher at the Salk Institute, San Diego doing the UCSD's exec MBA over 2 years at cost of US$35 K (S$53 K) per year which amounts to US$70K (S$106K) for 2 years.
Sticking to NUS and NTU as we can "audit" its quality. :-D
NUS (S$68K) and NTU (S$51K) for two years.
SPRING funding support brings cost down to NUS/NTU: S$30K - S$35K for 2 years.
We can review after the first batch.
SMEs in Singapore
Hello Sir,
I am writing to you to offer my opinion on the state of the startup situation in Singapore. Esp. those started by young recent graduates. A little background, I am one of your scholars from SembCorp Industries. I studied overseas in U of Mich, Ann Arbor from 96-99. Came back in 99, worked all of 9 months with SembCorp Marine, and broke my bond to join the dot com bandwagon. Cannot say I am proud of the bond-breaking but I was fortunate to have found a niche and my dot com business is one of the few local success stories. We are still small and do about 3M a year with 15% margins. But we are fast growing. You can see what we do at http://corp.jobsfactory.com
I actually acted as you before in a skit for one of your birthday celebrations while still in SembCorp! I want to say that I am very impressed with your achievements but more importantly with the sacrifice you make as you could easily have gone private and achieved much more monetary rewards and perhaps a lot less flak from detractors and maybe even more time for family.
My experience in running a new company and growing it in Singapore has actually been very positive from an overall point of view. So really, it is a matter of getting good people to want to start businesses. Scholars will be good as they possess the natural IQ and competitiveness required. But those scholars also need to be very realistic and willing to slug it out and be a salesman. Anyway here are some observations.
1) Regulations and Registration. Actual business registration process was really easy and smooth. Audit requirements, CPF and GST are quite ok. Some work but nothing which is too onerous.
2) Funding, we did not get any external funding but it was not hard to get hold of VCs to at least hear us pitch. We did not get because we were too green and frankly, looking back, I will not have funded myself! I think the current proliferation of co-funding schemes, cheap loans etc are quite sufficient already. No point offering too much cheap money and spoil the need to bootstrap and be actually competitive. I am actually glad we got zero startup funding as it taught us to keep costs low and be really creative in our work.
3) Selling, marketing and competing in Singapore. Actually, I find MNCs, GLCs, Ministries, and SMEs not hard to market to. We are actually quite an open and transparent market. Network matters but not so much that you cannot do a decent business just by knocking on doors. It is more about sincerity, product effectiveness, marketing and sales process. All which a good entrepreneur can control and execute.
4) Mentors. Actually I found mentors hard to come by. I spoke to Mr. Heng Chiang Ngee a couple of times as he was my MD previously; I also spoke to Dr Teo Ho Pin as he is a family friend. Both are very supportive. But I think their experiences are very different from a fresh grad starting a business. So this area perhaps needs some improving. But actually it takes 2 hands to clap. A mentor is only good if the mentee is willing to ask the right questions and listens to what the mentor is trying to say.
5) Growth Stage. I have to tell you that this year’s budget is a godsend. The change from 100K to 300K is very good for SMEs. And for detractors who talk about not all SMEs benefit and only profitable ones, well perhaps that will spur them more to be profitable.
6) Hiring and retaining staff. This is an area which needs some looking into. SMEs hire over 50% of workforce but I think the quality of this 50% is quite low generally. In my business, I do candidate screening for various management trainee programmes for SMEs and GLCs. We always wish these people we hire for others will want to think of working for us. So perhaps a campaign to highlight good SMEs who are good employers may help raise the profile of SMEs as possible employers. After all with good staff, I think half the battle is won already.
7) Monopolies and GLCs. This one a little tough. I operate in the media industry and frankly it is dominated by SPH and Mediacorp. For them, they do leverage on their print/TV strength to enter the online space. Meaning they advertise on print so strongly in a clearly unviable way if the online side really had to pay the print side. A little like Microsoft using windows monopoly to win browser market. But the successful online players are still too small to complain about anti-competition. So what we do is move faster than them and hope their inherent slower processes and start up mistakes keep them behind.
But for other GLCs, I am not in a position to comment. But I think my online experience shows there is a way to carve a niche even with GLCs running around. But perhaps the competition must be fair and cross subsidy should not take place.
I know you a busy man so not expecting a reply. Anyway, all the best with your new role. I think it will be very challenging but if anyone can help the cause of SMEs more, I believe you will be able to make a good impact.
Best wishes for you and your family.
warm regards,
Lim Der Shing
JobsFactory Pte Ltd
9822-0557 (hp)
So P Yeo, what are your thoughts on the ministerial and civil service pay revision? I hope you can share your opinions on other matters and current affairs other than just going on and on about your "achievements" which the Straits Times is doing a good job for you already.
Rude bloggers get no reply.
Hi Philip Yeo,
thank for sharing so much of your knowledge and your experience. This is something that we would like to know because much of it is unknown to us before.
If only most of our gahmen are as frank, not pretentious and is downToEarth like you are and willing to engage in answering comment, I'm sure Singaporean will very much appreciated the effort of the gahmen.
Though I might not always agree on some of your mindset and decision, but having to speak out your thought without backslash is indeed laudable and I respect you for that.
May you continue to engage the blogosphere.
LOL! Typical. Guess P Yeo is just as one-dimensional as I thought he is.
Soka,
at least he willing to engage, that's better than nothing, isn't it ?
I believe he is just terrified to saying too much political stuff.
There are some highly "self inflated" chaps who love to "talk and talk" politics (to hear themselves talk? feel brave, smart???). And can do NOTHING. :-D
Think that by "talking" they can "tackle/solve" the problem or issue.
Go and tell your MPs whom you voted for or against.
Give them your views. Tell them to represent your views.
Or join the political fray. :-D
I believed that I did "sock it" to the "well view" Soka? :-D
<< There are some highly "self inflated" chaps who love to "talk and talk" politics (to hear themselves talk? feel brave, smart???). And can do NOTHING. :-D
Think that by "talking" they can "tackle/solve" the problem or issue.
Go and tell your MPs whom you voted for or against.
Give them your views. Tell them to represent your views.
Or join the political fray. :-D >>
LKY insists that one has to join the political fray if one wants to talk politics. Later on GCT said the same too.
What a relief to hear that P Yeo shares the same thinking, not unexpected of course.
It's a good start, we are getting somewhere.
Hi PY,
I am sure eben you realise that in Sg the normal rules of political engagement do not apply.
In other nations, one is proud to be affiliated with political forces ( eg Republican/Democrat/Labour/Tory etc), but in Sg, the rulers have misappropriated all the powers into their own hands and have denied the common man any semblance of democracy.
The excuse is that we have exchanged our political will for the economic well-being. Now the people are so cowed, so suffocated and helpless that even when the rulers did the most obscene of all acts by writing themselves fat checks on false reasonings, the people are helpless to resist.
You think telling the PAP MP's will do anything to change the status quo.
In any other developed country, the govt would have fallen to mass protests and outrage, but not Sg. The young people who have the means and idealism would vote with their feet. Older people like myself have grown cynical and many have turned to apathy and materialism as a substitute for idealism.
PY, it is very sad. We are just as patriotic as you and we don't like what we see.
Who voted them in?
One man, one vote.
=======================
You think telling the PAP MP's will do anything to change the status quo.
<< Anon 2:26pm:
Soka,
at least he willing to engage, that's better than nothing, isn't it ?
I believe he is just terrified to saying too much political stuff.>>
Ahh why should he be terrified? The tone and manner of his posting hardly seem like those of a terrified civil servant. On the contrary he appears quite the opposite, full of confidence and fractious bravado, quite consistent with the cultivated media image. And besides now that he has revealed his position on talking politics, we shouldn't expect him to start having views or talk politics now, do we? :)
Hi PY,
Theoretically one man one vote but unfair tactics such as:
1. Asset upgrading for PAP wards only with tax payers funds
2.GRC in which multiple candidate list with new MP's hiding below Minister's skirts into parliament
3.gerrymandering ( which is admittedly less under LHL)
has all distorted true representation. The people are not actually voting for the MP/party they want but voting for PAP as the pragmatic way of getting some material returns for their share of paying tax and their economic contribution.
The GRC started initially as a good idea for getting minority candidates into parliament but ends up being used by the incumbent to fix to system to win at all cost.
Single MP wards ( if without port-barrel stunts) will better reflect the people's true choice.
April 17, 2007
Young People and the War in Iraq
By JANET ELDER
The younger generation is opposed to the war in Iraq, right? Wrong. Actually, they're divided on the war, far more so than their grandparents, according to a New York Times/CBS News Poll in March. Seems younger people are more supportive of the war and the president than any other age group.
Forty-eight percent of Americans 18 to 29 years old said the United States did the right thing in taking military action against Iraq, while 45 percent said the United States should have stayed out. That is in sharp contrast to the opinions of those 65 and older, who have lived through many other wars. Twenty eight percent of that age group said the United States did the right thing, while 67 percent said the United States should have stayed out.
This is nothing new, said John Mueller, author of "War, Presidents and Public Opinion," and a professor of political science at Ohio State University. "This is a pattern that is identical to what we saw in Korea and Vietnam, younger people are more likely to support what the president is doing," he said.
A review of the March poll suggests Mr. Mueller has a point. Overall, 34 percent of Americans said they approved of the way the president was handling his job, and 58 percent disapproved. But younger Americans were more approving than older Americans. Forty percent of 18-29 year olds said Mr. Bush was doing a good job, while 56 percent said he was not. While 29 percent of people 65 and older said they approved of the way Mr. Bush was handling his job as president, 62 percent said they did not.
The nationwide telephone poll was conducted March 7-11 with 1,362 adults and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.
A look back at the Vietnam years showed a similar divide between young and old. Older Americans were defined as 50 and older, but the comparison is still apt. In October 1968, when Hubert Humphrey, Richard Nixon and George Wallace were running for president, a Gallup poll found that about half, 52 percent, of people under the age of 30 supported the war in Vietnam. But among those 50 and older, 26 percent supported the war.
Some of the respondents to the March poll were called back to talk about the differences between the young and the not so young. "Experience," "the draft," "other wars," were mentioned by respondents on both sides of the generational divide.
Mildred Jenkins, 68, a retired telephone operator from Somerville Tennessee, said: "We've experienced more than the younger people. Older people are wiser. We've seen war and we know." Ms. Jenkins said she usually votes Republican but "may go Democratic this time."
More than one person who lived through the Vietnam war mentioned the draft and the absence of one for this war. "It's because of life experience," said Jimmie Powell, 73, a bartender and factory worker from El Reno, Oklahoma. "I don't think younger people really know a whole lot about anything. They don't care because there is no draft. If there were a draft, we'd finally have the revolution we need."
Mr. Powell describes himself as a political independent.
Some of the younger respondents said they were more aggressive than their elders by virtue of age.
"I think old people tend to want to solve things more diplomatically than younger, more gung ho types," said Mary Jackson, 28, a homemaker from Brewton, Alabama. "Younger people are more combative."
Younger people are also more optimistic. Forty-nine percent of them said the United States was either very likely or somewhat likely to succeed in Iraq, while only 34 percent of older people said the same thing.
Janet Elder is The Times's editor of news surveys and election analysis.
Hi PY,
Thanks for forwarding Janet Elder's article about the Iraq war to me. But at 1 a.m., it is hard to see what is the pt. you are trying to make.
1.? that young people support Iraq, therefore support PAP?
2. that young people are more optimistic than has-beens like me?
or did you just forward the wrong article to me? haha
But to tell you the truth, my older boy probably supports the PAP more than I will. He has only seen the softer side of PAP ( ie LHL and a bit of GCT) but I have seen the whole face of PAP. I naively thought that PAP has changed and is starting to have a human face, but I am beginning to see that this is all cosmesis and make-up. Below it all, it is "heck"( susbtitute for another 4-letter word) the people and "we tell the people what to believe " PAP which is all too familiar to the older S'poreans.
I do understand why you may feel that the PAP is all good and that we should go their way, but personally I cannot accept this rationally.
Hi PY,
just read from Aaron's blog that some MP you knew from way back then, ( I shall not mention his "scholarly" name except there was some infamous crossing of swords on a philosophical level between him and your goodself), who has allegedly caught the attention of the papers and authorities.
Other commenters please desist from mentioning this name. Thank you
It is now close to 2 am. :-D
The article was sent to me by an American friend who is of my vintage.
He added:
Quite remarkable.
If we brought back the draft, the streets would be filled with protestors.
Hi
OK. Thanks for the article anyway.
According to the New Paper and Chinese Papers, "that some MP" was a bond breaker himself. :-D
No party is made up of all angels.
All make mistakes at some time.
Price is paid by all.
PY,
"No party is made up of all angels.
All make mistakes at some time.
Price is paid by all."
That's the points. It is exactly that the gov party is not perfect that gov should listen to the people and not degrade opp party.
Why should Singaporean paid for the decision of a few elites who only agree to LKY and his son's decision ?
Are these ministers really do best for Singapore or for themselves ?
The recent comment by minister saying get high pay will not stain moral authority is another ridculous claim. It is this type of comment that creep Singaporean afterall our system does not have accountability and transparency at all.
Another comment by the PM saying that it is better to lose $3millions instead of $400millions even sound more creepest. That's means there's more round of increment since it is a peanut.
Our PM is obviously all about number and figure ! How can we submit to such leades who only love digit and put on caring wayangness ?
How can Singaporean really grow ?
How can gov inspire talent in SME and nurture entrepreneurial spirt if those gov perceived those talent nothing more than digits that make good the economic ?
Seems that Dr Dee and Dr Huang have become bootlickers in the process. The sad state of blogosphere. Someone ought to remind them how Mr Yeo has called Singaporeans "slaves" and been unpatriotic to Singaporean national service men by calling them wimps despite there is just a bunch of clowns among his scholars who breaks bond.
You have wickedly taken statements out of context and distorted them.
I did make the worrisome observation that generally many more male scholars than female scholars break bond. Female scholars leave for their studies at 19 years old.
Male scholars are definitely over 22 years old when they go abroad.
They seem to be less mature even after their two and half years of NSF.
No excuse that they were 18 years old only....
I never made any statement that Singaporeans are slaves.
My staff tells that I a slave driver (also a slave) and they and my scholars are slaves
I drive them hard so that they will be the final beneficiaries.
My staff and scholars have a better sense of humour that wicked chaps like you.
See a Xmas 2006 greetings: Dear Chairman, Hope everything is well for you!
We are doing fine here at Stanford, adjusting well to graduate life (and being chained to the lab bench, of course)
We were shocked and saddened by the news some time back that you would no longer be our chairman!
We wouldn't have been able to pursue our passion for science and also the great experience of studying overseas, if not for your bold initiative to start the NSS.
Not to forget being a so called "slave" during the China and Japan trip, I was definitely a happy and satisfied "slave" considering the eye-opening experiences, kindness and help I received from you....
Its hard to imagine A* without you and hopefully, we can meet your expectations and contribute in our own small ways when we finally return home (before 2011 we hope!).
So, a great THANK YOU :) because otherwise we would not be at Stanford today, realising our dreams.
and an early Happy Chinese New Yr!
-------------------------
Someone ought to remind them how Mr Yeo has called Singaporeans "slaves" and been unpatriotic to Singaporean national service men by calling them wimps despite there is just a bunch of clowns among his scholars who breaks bond.
Ooops!
I never made any statement that Singaporeans are slaves.
My staff tells me that I am a slave driver (also a slave) and they and my scholars are slaves
I drive them hard so that they will be the final beneficiaries.
My staff and scholars have a better sense of humour that wicked chaps like you.
Hi anon 12.40:
Ouch!
but I have been called worse names before so it is just one more.
Anyway, I think PY has enough underlings to shine and lick his boots for him!
Anyway you must feel very brave attacking from behind anonymous cover! The wonder of the internet!
"The identity is not important. It is the message that is important,"
- Baey Yam Keng
Actually, the insults are uncalled for. However, what the hell is Mr Philip Yeo, a top civil servant, responding to the blogosphere during office hours (1.33 pm & 1.35 pm)? Shouldn't he be working for the SMEs in Singapore to perform better instead of wasting his time here?
Please don't waste my money paid to income taxes on your salary to waste your time here.
Would you know that I am on the road and working pass 1 am?
Rude bloggers deserve rudeness in return.
Cowards of the internet
________________
Anyway you must feel very brave attacking from behind anonymous cover! The wonder of the internet!
I won't know where you are when you send this message. Is this how a civil servant should behave? Remember that your duty is to serve the country and you have no right to bark back at all to the people you serve.
That is to tell you that you are serving the citizens, and your job. I am respecting the magnitude of your job to make this comment. Don't waste my income tax money.
Like that already so defensive... *lol*
Never reason with the unreasonable.
Singapore deserves far better citizens than cowardly and rude anonymous chaps. :-D
PY: Never reason with the unreasonable.
Pot calling the kettle black.
Are you guilty that u are writing a comment during office hours?
I believe Philip Yeo's generation never do NS. So who is he to call younger generations wimps. TODAY has an article on him and NTUC's Tan Kin Lian, about these two egomaniac's respective exit from their former job. Is Philip Yeo going to sue now?
Concerned Citizen,
Perhaps that you have some grudges against gahmen, which I do have admittedly. But in this case, we should perhaps give Philip Yeo a benefit of doubt and not create personal attack on him. I think he graciously engaging us with his comment is good sign of goodwill and we should at least appreciated his effort and genuine engagement.
From the comment he given, I can sense his sincerity.
It is very rare for people from gov to engage in truthful and frank comment, and really they don't have to do it at all. PY do it although he know he receive unwelcome comment and attack.
So please do at least give PY some respect.
thank Concerned Citizen for your understanding.
I think it will be the good for all bloggers to know PY well since he is helping SME to grow.
By understanding PY well, we can perhaps understand why the gahmen are the way they are, and PY will understand the problems we are facing as a Singaporean.
If we continue to attack him unreasonably, it doesn't do us any good, it only discourage him from engaging. Nevermind what he say in the past, maybe he doesn't understand the mentality of layman Singaporean then. However, since PY want to comment, it show that he is willing to engage view from commoner like us, people who are not scholars, but people who truly care about our future, dream and country.
Seriously hope that PY won't be offended.
In the past,
I too view PY as very arrogant person. Perhaps, it the environment he grow up in that different from ours.
But still, for a person like PY, known to be arrogant, willing to comment and share knowledge and explanation is something majority Singaporean will like to see. Frankly. PY is staking his reputation whenever he reply his comment. Isn't that great ? Afterall, which high-ranking gahmen ever did that ?
I always thought that PY is bootlicker and very self-agenda person until PY comment this site and show us evidence of how much his students appreciated and how much PY help his students. That's really very touching. It is indeed a different kind of PY we read from newspaper and i believe i see a different side of PY.
I don't believe those evidence he give is fake because probably his students will read this blog anyway !!
Anonymous,
Have given PY enough respect for saying that the insults are uncalled for.
I am just asking him a simple question and he has to go and beat around the bush.
PY deserves these beatings even though he comes here to comment. It's easy to answer: it's karmic retribution for the kind of asshole behaviour he did to other people. In the real world, he is protected by a group of yes-men, lawyers and scholars who have no balls to tell him the truth.
There are a lot of young people working hard to make entrepreneurship happen, and putting social entrepreneurship and non-tech entrepreneurship to work.
All I see him doing here is whining about his scholars studying overseas and sending praise emails to him and not even bother about supporting local efforts at all. We don't even know whether those scholars of his in overseas will build Skype or Youtube, and worse, they may break bond.
That's why I am so pissed off by him commenting here. He should spend some time going through those blogs to look for ways to help SMEs and not here debating an anonymous old man like me.
Shame on Dr Huang who don't even write about young people making efforts about entrepreneurship in Singapore and spend time talking about this pro-MNC man (PY) who has been shunning entrepreneurship for the last twenty years, instead talk about the social political bloggers who are not even into entrepreneurship.
Good luck to him with SPRING.
Hi:
concerned citizen- your pseudonym shows that you are interested in what's happening to Sg. So how are you going about it trying to improve Sg. It is easy to take pot-shots from afar. Easiest is behind anonymous cover, next easiest is people like me who identify ourselves but only able to point out our concerns but cannotwill not do much more, then next comes those who try to get things done/changed by either doing it outside or within the govt/party. I think those who try to change from outside are the true heroes.
So now that you are so disappointed with me , are you going to do one step more or just going to gripe about it here where no-one reads.
Start your own blog- it is easy and try to enthuse others to do better than PY and his gang/ or LKY and his gang.
FYI- I am very pro-SME and have been speaking out a lot about how SME's are crowded out by GLC's but do I get support from people like you when I stand alone against them? No. Don't tell me how I should behave, show me!
Anonymous 10:33am: Concerned Citizen,
Perhaps that you have some grudges against gahmen, which I do have admittedly. But in this case, we should perhaps give Philip Yeo a benefit of doubt and not create personal attack on him. I think he graciously engaging us with his comment is good sign of goodwill and we should at least appreciated his effort and genuine engagement.
Gracious?? You got read or not? (or u sarcastic? hehe) He comes right in expecting the blogoshpere to accord him the treatment he gets from his bootlickers in real life. Get real man! Why need to bend backwards for him? It is high time he gets a sense of what man on the street really think of him, not that he cares anyway. And mentioned already all he does is self praise and regurgitate his masters views. I don't see any original thought at all. He exemplifies the worst in the system - conceit, complacency, rude. Eat until so old still don't know how to behave. Sad case man. Want to talk big and fight? Fight to stay on at A*Star lah. Why accept being shipped out to lowly SPRING? Or are they saving his skin so that he does not need to be accountable any more? Either way still don't know how to be humble. And stop throwing Singapore's name around like some personal shield against criticisms. It doesn't help one. I expect a 'robust rebuttal' from him, oh wait "rude people get no reply" leh.
If you are a SME and therefore needs his "help" I can understand why you say the things you say. But the man starts off on the wrong foot still with the same old arrogant mindset. His foray into the blogshpere may just be an orchestrated move in line with his new posting and job scope, not much different from those hip hop P65 MPs. People like them are totally unoriginal so there is a reason why he is posting online.
Hi anon 10.30/10.40/10.45/10.52 ( probably the same person)
I agree with you that it is better that people like PY engage us. It is better that engagement is civilised and in orderly manner. If one side start shouting and throwing mud, why should he bother to respond. This will just turn off any other establishment figures who may want to engage but who will use these negative examples that Sgporeans just know how to complain but not willing/able to come out with logical solutions for Sg's problems.
I am surpised that there are actually interested people reading these comments. If you had not commented, I would not have known that. Thank you for your comments
Concerned Citizen,
well, I guess whatever PY says in the end will be judged by how he deliver the SME to next level. Whether he's up to his task, time will tell. In the meantime, I suggest we shouldn't just shoot him down otherwise we are no different.
PY make a consious effort to reply is indeed out of goodwill. Afterall, he can be like other gahmen who hide behind office, pretending to be busy, do this and that and in the end, come out policy that piss people.
We shouldn't take his time to answer comment as been laziness or irresponsible. I think he far more hardworking and concern than most gahmen that we perhaps see from election.
Give him a chance to listen to different view. Whether he accept or not is another matter. For a person of his status, perhaps he want to answer because he want to understand what going on rather than listen to his Yes-man.
You can see that at least he read every comment before he answer. At least, it get him thinking.
To the good chaps out there, just ignore the "Concerned" Citizen and "rude anon" types.
One can never reason with the unreasonable.
The more they shout and yell without logic or reason, the "better" that we know them. :-D
To the good chaps out there, just ignore the "Concerned" Citizen and "rude anon" types. One can never reason with the unreasonable. The more they shout and yell without logic or reason, the "better" that we know them. :-D - PY
Dr Huang,
See the above quote from PY. Already, I did comment that the insults are uncalled for. I am sure that he can accuse us of shouting and yelling. Similarly, he is also not listening in the process. In fact, he simply ignore the comment and totally did not go and take a look at what the local grassroots are doing.
This post is written to prove a point about PY. He's living in his old glory days from EDB to A-STAR, and now wasting time to write here, instead of helping young entrepreneurs. He's still wasting taxpayers money to comment here.
To the bad chaps out there, just continue to engage this old fool.
One can never convince this "visionary" with his own wrongdoings and lies.
The more he whines about how great his scholars and how fat his whales are eating away our money and pursuing rubbish research, the "better" that we know him as a pimp. :-D
Hah he shout and insult people can, people let him have a taste of his own medicine he cannot take it. You bootlick him he call you 'good chaps'. Today wrote a little something about him. Balji is very diplomatic and actually praises him for being a "good leader" so don't be too sore Mr Yeo.
Dear Ex-Chairman,
It's good to hear that you have started your new life in SPRING.
We are doing fine here at Stanford and working hard to finish our studies. Some guy from the Silicon Valley has asked us to break our bond and join them such that we can create million dollar companies like Google.
After serious thought and since you have left A*STAR, we thought that we should give it a go. We thought about it because we think carefully about our future. Although we have been bootlicking to you for the past few years, these are our real thoughts:
Your ex-management are a bunch of mean people. They are just a group of yes-men and I often see the fear in their face around you. They are all ball-less and we cannot create new innovations when we have constant bunch of assholes looking over our back.
We don't being guppies, because we have backbone. Those whales are just free-loading in Singapore especially they dined in the stupid Bristo Bar, and we think that you have whored us to them. So, being slaves to some "whales" are not what we want for our lives.
We enjoy the passion of studying science here and we just think that it's waste of time to go back to biopolis and be a slave. Singapore is neither building the large hadron collider nor sequencing the monkey genome. We might as well break our bond and have brighter futures.
It's easy to imagine A* without you because we are sick and tired of your antics. Our other Singaporean friends are ashamed of your rude and arrogant behaviour. Sometimes, when I have dinner, I have to tolerate your bullshit. I want to punch you in the face or slap you on the face to wake you up to the real world.
So, THANK YOU for paying us to go overseas and then dump your kindness to the drain. We are sure that your efforts in SPRING will be unappreciated like the old days.
and have a happy Labour day.
With warmest regards,
Air*STAR scholar
Hi all,
I know it is frustrating that there is no meeting of minds here. That both sides hold to their positions that they are right. ie anti-PY forces feel that he is an arrogant pr*g who is wasting govt money and PY/supporters who feel that his work is unappreciated and that he had sacrificed his personal well-being to build up EDB/A-Star to what it is.
I cannot force PY to admit that there could have been some things that he would have done differently if he had a time machine nor can I expect rude anon/concerned citizen to change their opinions of PY.
But as the owner of this silly blog, I can appeal to your good sense to agree to disagree. I personally don't mind being called names. I realise Sgporeans are not as unimaginative as I thought!
It would be extremely useful for some of PY's detractors to challenge him by suggesting some ideas that Spring Sg may want to consider. If he disagrees, we can always force him to explain his objections and positions. For eg, I did mention that the MBA programs co-sponsored by Spring/NUS/NTU are too expensive and probably above market rate. His people have told him that the rate is already lower than the normal NUS-NTU rate, but I am not convinced.
I am sure the start-up’s and entrepreneurs out there may have different views of what Spring Sg can do for them. Why not engage PY? Name calling is so futile and useless.
Dr Huang,
Here are some suggestions:
1. Leave the SMEs alone: The whole problem is that the infrastructure in Singapore is so good that our local entrepreneurs lack hunger. Maybe less assistance will force them to think and survive. Hunger will coerce these entrepreneurs to work harder. The solution for him: stop molly-coddling the locals.
2. Stop using the scholars structure in the SME world: PY's model of creating his army of EDB and ASTAR scholars may work if you want to manufacture workers. He's old school, i.e. MNC mentality. If he build on the foundation of the current structure that the tertiary institutions are going by supporting them, then there is a chance. The train 1000 managers with Harvard/INSEAD/NUS MBA does not work. Think you already pointed that out with the costs.
3. Work with the ground: There are technology bloggers, entrepreneur bloggers and professional bloggers around. Stop posting the achievements of the old days with those bootlicking scholar emails. Please, for heaven sake, move on. If PY even bothers to offer to help those young people, I would say that he's doing the right thing for once.
Nobody gives a damn for PY's achievements in the blogosphere because he does not even know the existence of any entrepreneur blogs in Singapore. All he has been doing here is cut and paste information and calling people "toads".
4. Merge IE Singapore and SPRING: My sources told me that they are in the process of doing this.
Honestly, I don't give a damn about PY, because he's not a real entrepreneur and does not even know one when he sees one. I have heard how he shoved off young locals because they are not scholars during conferences and talks.
If he has done a start-up and take it to IPO, maybe I will have some respect for him.
S$50 bucks for PY to respond rationally to these suggestions. I will rather lose S$50 bucks to you than to see that idiot wasting taxpayers money to respond to those idiots here. :)
Hi concerned citizen:
Thanks for being so constructive. My personal input about your proposals:
1. Eh, can die from hunger you know! If we make them hungry and they don’t know how to look for food, I suppose they deserve to die.
2. I am not sure what you mean by this. You mean less elitism and nurture really hungry famished entrepreneurs rather than the scholar-types who won’t know what to do with a fishing rod in a pond full of fishes ( and die hungry)? I actually think lifelong learning ( eg MBA) is crucial to business people who want to succeed. Of course their training may be formal ( eg classes) or informal ( learn on the school of life – ie bad experiences). I think 40 years of PAP spoon-feeding has taken away all our can-do spirits and now we just know how to grumble and dare not take concrete steps to help ourselves.
3. Can you show us where these young entrepreneurs are so that PY can go look for them ( if he does not already know who/where to look)? I know you or someone else linked some of these sites in some previous comments. Also I may want to highlight some of these young people ( or else I get scolded by you again)
4. Merge IE Sg and Spring- makes sense.
I will split the $50 with PY ( when I get delivery of the said monies from your goodself).
3. Can you show us where these young entrepreneurs are so that PY can go look for them ( if he does not already know who/where to look)? I know you or someone else linked some of these sites in some previous comments. Also I may want to highlight some of these young people ( or else I get scolded by you again)
Justify your salary and look for them yourselves. Want to be spoon fed? You exalt others to be hungry, but where is your own hunger? You expect people to come kowtow? (of course bootlickers will) If you don't discover them on your own you won't feel satisfied anyway.
To everyone who anti-PY,
It really disheartened me that we as Singaporean is quick to anger.
I'm definitely not been sacrastic neither am I a scholar under ASTAR, and no way related to PY. I'm just a commoner like majority of people, working from 9to5, running the rat race, uncertain of my own future to come.
I feel we should give good people a chance to communicate especially someone who has the will and power to change the future of Singapore. If we continue to satisfy our own anger by bashing all the gahmen, we will never do anything fruitful at all, the gap will always be widened and nothing will get done.
It just that at a fit of our own anger, we may lost a opportunity for PY to effectively help the SME.
From what I read so far, the way PY respond is just a matter of his own personal style. The same style he interact with his students. I don't think it is right to judge him by his response.
I definitely don't think PY sneak his way to this blog, afterall isn't we do the same without asking Dr Huang's permission ?
Dr Huang setup this blog so that he may found different view and answer to his question, and having PY as a guest in his blog is definitely welcoming. Afterall, one don't see PY goes to every blog group and offer to answer the comment. I believe Dr Huang appreciate the presense of PY because both are enthusiastic to help the SME.
If all we do is just simply shoot down a person that are influential in changing Singapore, then what are we trying to prove ? Then what are we trying to change ? Then what did we gain to help our children in the future ? Then in the end, what did we really achieve ? We probably could be as guilty since we could not change Singapore, why not let others help to do so ?
I means it is cool to bash a gahmen, especially one that he himself personally invited into the blog, but then we ask ourselves why should a swimmer swim in area of shark-infested area ? There must be a reason why PY want to comment, and from what I read so far, it definitely not to bash Singaporean or cite us as complainers, it is clearly PY is willing to open to his view and our.
Since we willing to comment, we should be willing to accept too.
I believe we will do our nation a great service if we continue to welcome gahmen into blog. We may not agree with him on everything he say but at least if he reasonable, he will understand the problem Singaporean facing.
Hi anon 9.56:
Although I did not specifically invite PY to my blog, he is most welcome. Just as you are!
Yes, I am very concerned that Sg has lost the entrepreneurs that we used to have, the Wee Cho Yaw's of the past. Now we keep talking about the same old role models of Olivia Lum/Sim Wong Hoo whereas other countries are producing new entrepreneurs every few years.
People who see and lead new trends. Risk takers who refuse to give up when faced with failures after failures.
Our education system and our political system need changes.
I don't know if PY can do something solid for the SME's but we can only hope right?
Altho I am a doctor, I am very passionate about learning from business people who have great ideas and who are willing to take risks.
I hate all the nonsense we hear from the MIW that we are doomed unless we behave like sheep and follow them.
We need every single one of our people to be thinkers and doers and tryers of new ways and ideas.
I know it sounds so silly and childish and impractical but if we don't try, we will never know.
When MIW tell us it is not possible to do this and do that, we should ask ourselves and them, "Why Not?" Why so negative?
Concerned Citizen,
it is sad because no gahmen is perfect just as no one is perfect at all. But since we accept the fact that gahmen in power, and since we can't change that, we may as well help to work with them so as to influence their decision somehow.
I'm happy at least that you offer constructive comment, but suppose you brought this up and bash gahmen at same time, those decision will definitely be ignored.
There's definitely need gahmen of higher ranking and influential position to make changes in your suggestion. But who are you going to take the changes to ??
Since PY is here in this blog, why not just suggest these decision to him, and see his view on it ??
Why I saying this ? Because ultimately, whatever ideas you have, only gahmen of power is can implement it and influence it.
Now, no gahmen of power ever come here and listen other than PY. Then why not engage him with that rather than bashing him ??
Dr Huang will have limited authority to influence change compare to PY. But by no means Dr Huang lesser his importance. What Dr Huang bring is the awareness that there are people living in Singapore that really care for the future of Singapore.
Dr Huang will perhaps appreciated the presence of blogger and community that come together to offer suggestion and help because it is more progressive and positive.
We probably could bash all gahmen but I believe not all gahmen are bad and overly-selfish especially not the one who come to Dr Huang's site to offer his insight and comment. Why should a gahmen come here to comment despite the situation now seem adverse to him ?
It takes courage and sincerity to engage the anguish bloggers, and that's why I believe we should give PY a chance.
Hi anon:
Dr.Huang has no authority to influence change and is very unimportant in the scheme of things.
All of us is just one but if each one begin to demand change and that THEY listen to us small people, we then will have the power to change things.
I also get disheartened when I see the MIW behaving similarly for the last 3 PM's ( altho outwardly appears different).
If I as a doctor feel that 1 million/ yr is good money, don't you think that the common people think that demanding 2.4m/yr is pure greed? It is just plain and simple to me. I don't need some statistician or economists to explain why we must pay them so much! If you don't love Sg, then don't serve. No one forces you! Go and make money!
Dr Huang,
The concerned citizen comments as an individual and has not spoken as anonymous. The links are already provided before in an earlier post. I don't want to repeat it. If he's genuinely good at what he does, he should at least take some chance to find those individuals, including one who is right under where he used to work for.
There are people who are out there. In fact, I met some of these young people among the age group of 20-35. They did interesting events which I have attended and have engaged heavyweights like Tim Draper to their events and blogs. I will rather bet on those young entrepreneurs than on his scholars.
As for the bet, if PY did his part to engage my proposals. You can email me here your address and I will send you the S$50 cheque. I may be a retired businessman, but I still know what honour is.
"We probably could bash all gahmen but I believe not all gahmen are bad and overly-selfish especially not the one who come to Dr Huang's site to offer his insight and comment. Why should a gahmen come here to comment despite the situation now seem adverse to him? It takes courage and sincerity to engage the anguish bloggers, and that's why I believe we should give PY a chance."
Are you the same anon who said bashing the gahmen is cool? Have you asked yourself why is the Singapore gahmen being bashed all the time on the internet? You seem to suggest that gahmen bashers are irrational and somewhat anguished without reasons. If so i say you don't understand a thing. Now why am i bashing you?
In the blogshpere there are no sharks, only differing opinions. The most reasoned opinion stands out and the weak ones get shot down. Don't make it like a big deal that a grown man like Mr Yeo is reading blogs and posting in them like that takes courage. Why do you want to patronise him or accord him some special privilege? I am sure Mr Yeo will not want to be mollycoddled.
rude anon,
that's not what I mean.
I mean if bashing the gahmen makes you feel better, then by all means go ahead.
However, by the end of the day, if we continue to bash gahmen like PY who come here to reply, one day PY just get fedup and stop responding, now what will be the consequences ? Singapore will not collapse, but Singapore will be run as usual. Everything will remain the same today, tomorrow and in future. NOthing has really changed. The policy that come out will continue to piss people off.
Do you really want to pit your hope on election ? I better not, at the rate thing going, I won't be surprise the next election will probably be massive walkover. Mine is a walkover at last election.
What we want to be a least engage with good gahmen who come here to respond. Don't everyone understand ? Why should a bad gahmen come here to this blog to agitate the bloggers ? What purpose does he serve ? He only make a fool of himself if he does so. And very soon newspaper will highlight this blog again.
I perceive PY to be a good gahmen. So I suggest we give PY a benefit of doubt that he is at least a good gahmen that try to help Singapore and SME. Bash all other gahmen if you want to, but distinguish the good one from the bad one. The bad one will give speech to justify their existence and pay and make their word speak louder than action, whereas the very good one will make their action speak louder than word.
If such is a bet, I rather place a bet on PY since he make an effort to engage the blogosphere and by his track record.
I think if we treat PY with respect, PY is very willing to answer any question that within his scope.
Give ourselves a chance too to help with change, and the first step is to accept that good gahmen is willing to step forward to engage us.
Never mind what PY do in the past that may piss you off, what we concern should be the future, Ours, Singapore and next generation.
There are young entrepreneurs like SGEntrepreneur , project Senso, etc, true enough, I met those ppl myself. What we did not recognize is that MDA, IDA, EDB is also helping them behind the scene, like funding new startup. Those people will probably leave it to young generation to run the show. At least some good gahmen are willing to help.
Forget about LKY, MM, PM, President, SM, their speech, or anything that piss you off. The gov is larger than them, and I always believe there are a lot good gahmen who work around the system to help Singapore grow, and I'm sure some good gahmen aren't happy with our political situation now either, but still they want to help. Elite or not elite, at the end of day, gahman is just as humane as rest of us.
Air-Star Scholar is a mad fictitious chap.
Definitely a wimp. :-D
Dr Huang,
Looks like you lost the 50 bucks to that concerned citizen, since PY is only obsessed with Air-Star scholar after all these talk. Did not realize that he is that weak.
Yeah, PY is just here to boost his ego, and not interested in making things better. So, we may be better off asking him to f*** off.
Anon 3:54 AM,
There is no point talking to PY. He only wants bootlickers like Dr Dee and Dr Huang, and he is not ready to accept criticism like some old fart. He's here for his own personal ego. The concerned citizen is right, he is wasting our tax monies to come here and make so much hoo-haa but do nothing for the SMEs. Of course, he's also whoring our young talent to those whales. What a pimp.
There are young entrepreneurs like SGEntrepreneur , project Senso, etc, true enough, I met those ppl myself. What we did not recognize is that MDA, IDA, EDB is also helping them behind the scene, like funding new startup. Those people will probably leave it to young generation to run the show. At least some good gahmen are willing to help.
Hmmm, as far I know about SGEntrepreneurs and Senso. These groups started on their own without government money. They have been just doing their own stuff, until MDA went to them. Besides, PY is so obsessed with the people whacking him, I doubt he has the time to engage these real world people.
If such is a bet, I rather place a bet on PY since he make an effort to engage the blogosphere and by his track record.
Please lah, he looks down on other Singaporeans. He's just a civil servant. If he walks past my coffee shop, I will be happy to spit on him.
Passer-by said...
"Hmmm, as far I know about SGEntrepreneurs and Senso. These groups started on their own without government money. They have been just doing their own stuff, until MDA went to them. Besides, PY is so obsessed with the people whacking him, I doubt he has the time to engage these real world people."
At some point in time, the gahmen help will be needed especially using media to help popularize local entrepreneurship and web 2.0, isn't it ?
The strait time recently publish an article on digital movement organization.
I have to admit that we depend on gahmen as much as gahmen depend on us. Nevermind, arrogancy in some gahmen, we should judge them by action than by words.
SGEntrepreneur and other blog site will eventually require greater presence and I believe gov will pay a important role in that. And believe me, those org do appreciated seeking help from gahmen as not all gahmen are selfish and self-promoted.
It is good to startup without gov help or any funding, but once a company reach a certain size to expand, we have to sought help in infrastructure, vc and perhaps spring, in expanding, isn't it ?
Well, from what I see, why not give PY a try, just ask a appropiate question to him, and see how he respond. I believe if your question doesn't contain question direct at him or offensive, he be glad to answer it.
Somebody has to give way, why don't it start from us asking PY question about how he going to boost spring and how does he help for example in area like web 2.0 startup ? or so.
I rather has Dr Huang site to be known as a place where solution, view and ideas are exchanged in a friendly manner than a place where bomb and name be thrown.
Though it is a long way to go, but everything has to start from somewhere, and most importantly it should start from us.
Why not just put our hatre of gahmen aside, and do ourselves a flavour by engaging PY in a friendly manner. It doesn't hurt for us to initiate it since PY is willing to reply ?
We cannot change the past but we definitely can change our future if we just be willing to engage in a positive manner.
To let PY to talk here is to have his foul mouth stenching the purity of the internet. He is a hopeless old fool and I can't wait to see him go in three years time. He can go and migrate with his family since his son and daughter are there, unless he wants to arrange a succession for his son to those whales he hired. No one will give a damn here.
We can change the future by quietly waiting for PY to f*** off. :)
hi guys,
if we dislike PY, i say fine, so why not let others have the chance to interact with PY.
Anon 8:39am - Why not just put our hatre of gahmen aside, and do ourselves a flavour by engaging PY in a friendly manner. It doesn't hurt for us to initiate it since PY is willing to reply ?
Er, don't mind me saying but where is the hatred? Disagreement does not amount to hate. As for PY, another anon has said, don't molly coddle him. You go to PY direct if you want to talk business, no point wasting time here. Same thing PY is here for a reason - either he's too free like some of us, or he just wants to boost his ego and put others down, because so far I don't see any useful comments from him.
Anon 9:06am - hi guys, if we dislike PY, i say fine, so why not let others have the chance to interact with PY.
Er, no one is stopping anyone from interacting.
These are the same chaps who yell and shout about freedom of speech on the Internet!
Sad bunch.
Imagine a Singapore run by these same intolerant Internet fundamentalists!
Dr Huang,
PY could have responded to you and concerned citizen, but chose to engage the trolls. He could have ignored them and moved on. It does tell you two things that he's not ready to be criticized or engaged in serious issues and he does not want to be told how he can make SPRING to help the SMEs better.
I don't think your utopian image of using your blog as a place for serious discussion has succeeded. *sigh*
Frankly speaking, I'm not too sure what you guys are trying to show.
PY come to this site to answer comment, and yet many of blogger just yell at him, and call him names.
I used to believe that many bloggers want a change in Singapore, but when someone that able to make that change, has a history of making changes to Singapore come here, we just shoot him down anyway we can.
So what did you guys really want when you start blogging or making comment. Didn't you want to be heard ?
That's really sad because I really can't help but think that aren't our behaviour really now start to fit the general description of Singaporean been a complainer or whiner or whimp ??? If not, show otherwise that we indeed is able to engage in decent comment.
We bloggers used to complain and whin to make our voice heard, but when someone like PY came and heard, we continue not only to complain but also launch personal attack on him.
So really guys, how do you suggest we can make change ?
Everytime, a gahmen came and we just shoot him down, then what changes are we talking about ? And what voices are we trying to spread ?
If we are not happy with this or that, we will never be happy at all.
The changes start in you and me. We have to change before we want others to change.
Hi all,
I have no great expectations.
Although it is wonderful to know that even in paternalistic ( some say dictatorial) Sg, I am allowed to blog freely without any hindrance or obstruction, I do not expect Sg to change just because I blog.
In a way, this is an experiment in freedom and whether we can cope with knowing what to do with this newly-acquired liberty.
If all we can use this freedom is just to call names and exchange insults, then we are just wasting it.
PY is never going to say that EDB/AStar had been a waste of time. Even if he had reservations about his previous work, you think he will tell you guys that esply if you call him names?
Having said that, it is still crucial that we realize that we are starting to conquer the fear of the gahmen. That even tho there is still a remote possibility that they can set the ISD on us on some trumped-up charges ( eg Marxist conspiracy etc), we are no longer afraid.
We say to the gahmen, we don’t like the way you do things and that we are not convinced about your reasons for your Ministers’ pay ( or about A-Star policy) or whatever and I want to say it to those who want to hear.
Real change comes about when people actively engage in political and social work and get the gahmen to listen. If the gahmen understands our aspiration and change to accommodate that, then it is good. But if the gahmen refuses to change but persists in going against the will of the people, then society will have to decide how we will go about it resolving this impasse.
We need wisdom from within and outside the gahmen/PAP to sort out an equilibrium where the majority of the people can be happy ( Utilitarianism).
Having peaceful dialogue ( even if rowdy) is but the first step.
Let’s learn to accept differences. ( can’t do anything about it anyway)
There are better ways to move forward than to engage him. Don't bother. The younger generation will change the landscape. That's the nature of things. Someday, someone will undo his work.
Dr Huang,
Let's move on. Anyway, I just save myself $50. :)
If you want to do something, move to the real life. The blogosphere don't have power to change anything.
Someday, we will meet up for a drink. :)
Hi cc:
drinks on me!
Philip Yeo has not returned for two days. He has lost the balls to come back and take on the bloggers. He's such a loser because he can't take on the criticisms of Dr Huang and Concerned Citizen. Must be his bosses asking him, "Why are you wasting time on the forum?"
Of course, he is now in the other blog calling himself the Crane. Brothers, we have beaten the shit off him here, and we would take the battle, smoke him out and bring justice to him and him to justice.
Are these men blogging or immature children in a play school ground?
Adios to the wet kids in the sand box. Let them suck their thumbs blissfully. >:-}
_________________
Brothers, we have beaten the shit off him here, and we would take the battle, smoke him out and bring justice to him and him to justice.
Welcome back, Mr Philip Yeo aka the Crane.
I can see how intelligent you are in falling for this bait. :)
Is PY here because he cannot take some insult on his face? We just need to get him here to waste his time here rather than doing the real work. We have been clocking your times on both blogs and make no mistake, we are ready to make you suffer here.
Obviously PY has not read about how the Spanish is thrased by the Apache during the colonization of America.
Definitely chaps in the premature second childhood phase of life. :-D
Leave you to suck your thumbs and toes blissfully. >:-}
Where is that dumb crane that just got out of the Spring Zoo? I am here to hunt it down and shoot it by the head.
The Crane over flies the dumb crane hunter and does a strategic air drop of his poop and flattens his small brain.
It's such a disappointment to see my ex-chairman responding to a bunch of trolls. It is important to focus on the SMEs. I really wonder why you have decided to stoop so low with these infantiles.
Rudeness must be forcefully rebutted with rudeness.
Never let the rude and foul mouthed bully us.
Stop pretending to be an ex-staff. If you are, declare yourself.
And not hide in cowardly anonymity.
Spring has a full time CEO and a Deputy CEO to help SMEs on a daily to daily basis.
So, the SPRING Chairman has nothing to do and loiter around in this blog. Oh man, we are so impressed that this is what you are good at doing.
Let's see how far this is going for the SPRING chairman.
For you, rudeness is enough for the bad things you have done. Don't worry, I will find your grave someday and spit on it.
In case everyone don't know.
The Crane = Philip Yeo
Let's make him continue to rant and shout here.
Oh yeah, you have not gotten away about the NS men comment. You have not served a single day of NS. It's like you are not a war veteran. So, you are just a paper pusher. You don't have the right and honour to say anything to insult the NS men who have done their service and sacrifice for this country. You are the person who called the NS men wimps. So, please look at yourself.
Don't worry, we will continue to remind you for the things you have said before, and will not stop until you are totally shamed here.
No wonder Philip Yeo got so much time to comment here. He realized that he can't run SPRING like the way he run EDB and A-STAR, because he's no entrepreneur. Even better, he spends his free to loiter here and comment to others.
We are now confirmed that PY is wasting his SR9 pay to loiter here. Dr Huang can forget about giving PY the benefit of doubt. So, no changes, and you fail.
Oh we forgot, he mentioned that he regretted that he did not go to SIA. Too late, the Crane.
Haha me thinks that is rather shameless to use the press and go about begging for the SIA job.
Happy thoughts.
If he is not riding on the taxpayers money, do you think that he can go that far as himself? Yeah, I totally agree that the guy is shameless to use the press to get to SIA.
This site has been invaded by frogs and toads! :-D
Let them wallow in their swamp.
Yes, the same toad who wants to eat the gesse meat is impersonating as a crane.
Hi all,
The internet is a new medium of communication for those who want to use it.
We can use it for great effect and for greater understanding of each others' viewpoints or for exchanging unpleasantaries.
That's all I have to say on this.
PY has fled again. Let see if that coward returns again. :)
PY: Singapore deserves far better citizens than cowardly and rude anonymous chaps. :-D
It is the people who make up the nation whether you like it or not. No one and certainly not you gets to decide what kind of citizens S'pore deserves. Stop using the name of S'pore like some cloak to dodge criticism.
PY is a bigot, afraid of criticism. He does not remember that he serves the Singaporeans. He does not realize that people have the right to scold him for what he said. He's unbecoming of a civil servant.
Dear PY,
How has Labour Day been?
Did you get any SME bosses screaming at you for wasting your time on both Aaron and NoFearSingapore blog instead of serving the people? I heard from one of the small bosses that he is disappointed by your behaviour here.
Of course, since you are now gone as the chairman, we don't need to tell you who we are and we just want to criticize you here. First of all, you are a micromanager. You are afraid of criticism and always thinking that you are smart. You are always hiding behind the veil of money. Yes, a bureaucrat, but successful, we doubt so.
Did you know how the scholars are disgraced by your unpatriotic comment about NS Men? How dare you as a civil servant call people who dare to sweat and toil with blood with National Service wimps? Even if there are a few male bond breakers, that does not warrant such comments. You are a total disgrace. Did we remember that you did not serve a day of NS? Yes, we know that you work in MINDEF, but as a paper pusher.
Labour day is to tell you that there are many workers and real people making differences in others lives. As I read one comment here,
It is the people who make up the nation whether you like it or not. No one and certainly not you gets to decide what kind of citizens S'pore deserves. Stop using the name of S'pore like some cloak to dodge criticism.
If you start being humble, you will understand why people here hate you so much. Life will kick you in the balls when you retire from your current job. Everyone hates you except for that bunch of bootlickers that call you "Chairman". Please, if you don't have a doctorate, don't use such titles to dress up your own bloated ego.
Please, get out of my peasant uncaring face.
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