15/01/2020

What is the point of asking PS what his point was?

That Chan Chun Sing question: Quite a number of points, actually
He was just doing his job

 “What is the point behind the question?”. Quite a number of points, actually.

 A debate in Parliament on Monday (Jan 6) on the government’s Industry Transformation Maps saw this rather loaded question arising out of a clash between Pritam Singh and Chan Chun Sing. The Workers’ Party secretary-general had tabled a question asking for the number of new jobs created in each of the 23 sectors covered under the ITMs. He wanted a detailed breakdown – Singaporeans, Permanent Residents and Foreigners. (ITMs are roadmaps to drive industry transformation – each ITM consists of a growth and competitiveness plan, supported by four pillars: productivity, jobs and skills, innovation and trade and internationalisation).

 Minister of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad replied that employment for the sectors grew 19,500 overall, a result of an increase in employment for 39,300 Singaporeans and 8,600 PRs, and a decrease in employment for 28,500 foreigners. Presumably since the ITMs came into existence in 2016. Not satisfied, Singh pressed Zaqy for more data (writer: my nativist interpretation) – such as a broad picture of how many true-blue born and bred Singaporean PMETs have lost or gained jobs in recent times. Having such figures in the open would result in better and healthier public discourse so that, Singh stressed, “you don’t have a corrosive conversation about Singaporeans losing jobs to foreigners, et cetera.”

 Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing then jumped in to deliver a mini rah-rah speech on how important it was for Singaporeans to stop looking for divisions within this society and instead always regard everyone as part of Team Singapore. They should appreciate how foreigners have helped grow the economy and so on – and thank their lucky stars?

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 The first parliamentary fight in 2020

 “But I’m always very cautious about this constant divide, Singaporeans versus PR. The insinuation seems to be somehow that Singaporeans are not benefitting.”

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 Netizens question why breakdown of employment data hasn’t been released; compares it to ‘pulling teeth’

 By now you’d be familiar with the back and forth between Worker’s Party MP and Chief Pritam Singh and Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing in Parliament on Monday (6 Jan) about the breakdown of employment data in Singapore, with Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Chee Hong Tat chiming yesterday (10 Jan) with his own two cents.

 Basically, Mr Singh tabled a parliamentary question asking for the number of jobs created in each of the sectors covered under the Government’s Industry Transformation Maps and broken down according to Singaporean, permanent resident (PR) and foreigner groupings. In response, Mr Chan merely stated that local employment has increased by nearly 60,000 between 2015 and 2018. This back and forth continued with Mr Singh asking multiple times for a breakdown, for example how many Singaporeans accounted for the increase in local employment compared to PRs. And Mr Chan continuing to reply that the government has already provided the data.

 Mr Chan also questioned the point behind Mr Singh’s questions. He said, “We can get you the numbers. But let me say this: What is the point behind the question?

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 Chan Chun Sing asks what’s the point behind employment query, Pritam Singh says info for countering falsehoods

 Workers’ Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh wants more clarity on government employment statistics under the various Industry Transformation Maps (ITMs), to show how many jobs are filled by Singaporeans, Permanent Residents (PRs) and foreigners. He said this would help Singaporeans track government policies to determine whether they are working to boost employment and improve career prospects, as well as counter falsehoods about such statistics.

 Going forward, Pritam said that the WP would continue to file questions in Parliament to obtain such data. In a Facebook post on Jan. 7, Pritam pointed out there was inconsistent information available on the various Industry Transformation Maps (ITMs) with regards to jobs for Singaporeans.

 For example, the Construction ITM “stands out positively”, showing that good jobs for Singaporeans is a target. However, this is different for other ITMs.

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 Combined S’poreans and PRs in employment statistics likely to “confuse the populace” on employment figures, says businessman and politician
The Government’s method of combining Singaporeans and permanent residents (PRs) in local employment statistics is likely a means to “confuse the populace” on actual figures of employment created for “native” Singaporeans, theorised businessman and Reform Party GE2015 candidate Khan Osman Sulaiman

 Mr Khan in a Facebook post on Sat (11 Jan) questioned the notion that lumping together employment figures of Singaporeans and PRs when tabulating statistics for local employment is a way to prevent pitting the two against each other. Instead, he opined that placing Singapore citizens and PRs under a single local employment classification for statistical purposes “is an easy escape route for the ministers”, which purportedly allows said ministers to “insinuate” that anyone who requests a breakdown of figures of the two categories “as trying to drive a wedge in society so as to skirt around the issue”.

 “Why is the minister hesitant in providing the breakdown of each sector? Probably because the figure shows unfavourable results? So it’s natural for the government to be reticent in disclosing the data. “Why did MP Pritam Singh ask for the breakdown in each sector? Probably to know of any big ‘trade off’ between good jobs that went to Singaporeans and PRs. This is also natural given that Pritam is the opposition MP.

 “Both sides of the political divide is doing what they are supposed to do. But the best way forward is to be honest to the populace,” added Mr Khan.

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 Khan Osman Sulaiman 11 January at 11:06

 Why did the government lump Singaporeans and PRs together when tabulating statistics for local employment? So as not to pit Singaporeans agaisnt PR? Obviously not.

 The most probable reason for lumping these two components together is to confuse the populace regarding the actual number of employment created for native Singaporeans. It is an easy escape route for the ministers to insinuate anyone who asked for the breakdown as trying to drive a wedge in society so as to skirt around the issue.

 Singaporeans are entitled to know whether the economy is creating enough good jobs for the people. Creating jobs for Singaporeans is one of the core functions of the government.

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 Pritam Singh asked Chan Chun Sing whether is PAP releasing the amount of jobs between locals and foreigners

 In calibrating the “never-ending balancing act” between locals and foreigners in the workforce, Singapore must reject “extremist positions” on immigration, said Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing in Parliament on Monday (6 January).

 Chan told the House that the balance was based on three factors: the needs of Singapore’s industries and enterprise, the needs of the workers of this generation and the opportunities for children in the next generation. He added that the goal was to strive for a Goldilocks balance, or the principle of ‘just the right amount’.

 In the process, said Chan, the government must not “open the floodgates” and drown Singaporeans, but neither must it close borders and reject foreigners in the workforce. “Above all, in this House, we must firmly reject efforts to stoke anti-foreigner sentiments by spreading falsehoods or creating invidious comparisons out of context.”

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 Pritam Singh Asks For Data Of S’porean & FT Employment, Chan Chun Sing Replies With 30-Min Speech
Pritam Singh & Chan Chun Sing Lock Horns In Parliament Over Job Distribution Among Locals & Foreign Talents

 Turns out Parliament is a lot more entertaining than you would have guessed.

 During Monday’s (6 Jan) debate, Worker’s Party chief Pritam Singh launched an arsenal of questions, repeatedly demanding for a specific breakdown of official employment numbers.

 Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing wasn’t having any of it. He spent a whopping 30 minutes trying to address those questions, as reported in TODAY Online.

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 Just a small group behaving like idiots like that will kill all of us

Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing was being praised for his plainspoken tough talk after he apparently said “disgraceful” Singaporean panic buyers were behaving like “idiots” and threw shade at Hong Kong’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak.

His comments, made in a roughly 20-minute clip that has been spreading online this week, has gotten the attention of Singaporeans who seemed to enjoy his Singlish-steeped straight-talk and agreed with what he said. The clip was recorded in a closed-door meeting with business leaders.

“Just a small group behaving like idiots like that will kill all of us, it will kill our current price negotiation strategy, it will kill our future business strategy … I was very upset on Saturday because it has long-term implications on our international standing. Every country can behave like idiots, Singaporeans must not behave like idiots,” the voice that sounds like Chan says in the ostensibly leaked clip.

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 related:
Singlish-slinging minister praised for calling outbreak panic buyers ‘idiots’
What is the point of asking PS what his point was?
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