I can't remember how or when. I just was supposed to go for the Temasek Seminar today, so I went. Kinda boring at first really... then the MPs came. Our defence minister, and two other ministers.
The best takeaway I think that most who were in that lecture theatre would agree was the open forum. To start off, our defence minister told the press to leave, making the atmosphere less tight, and more open. I'm thankful I decided to go even though I didn't know what to expect at all from this seminar. The questions raised were quite thought provoking and as our defence minister put it, "common issues that are of concern"
I think one discussion that others would like to hear was about the freedom of speech. Should our censorship be totally relaxed and non-existant like America? Why can they do it unlike us? One student pointed out that he had seen online that we can self-moderate to some extent. The example was of inappropriate comments on a blog that attracted alot of replies blasting the author of that comment. In reply, a minister said that firstly, America's been around much longer than Singapore, hence maturity is generally higher. Secondly, that we actually ARE relaxing our hold over speech, but the reason for it being slow is to be on the cautious side. We have painstakenly built up our nation to what it is today, harmonious and all, and it would be a waste to see all this effort go to waste relatively overnight.
The hottest topic of all was on our national identity and sense of belonging. One student even boldly said no when our minister asked if he would come back after studying overseas. Others mentioned that it was our friends and families that make us want to come back, since we are more attached to them than the country itself. When posed with the further question on whether we would stay if all our relatives are all over the world, sort of international, most of us found that there was nothing much that was holding us to Singapore.
Then came the question about the inflow of foreign talent. It's not much of an issue though, since we like other people taking the lower class jobs like hands-on construction, or domestic services. For the other jobs however, it's not so much of the problem that foreign talent is stealing our places, but more that we citizens do not have the right skills or qualifications for the job at hand, he implied.
If there isn't enough skilled workers in Singapore, why is it that we are experiencing outflow and inflow at the same time? It could be due to the "grass is greener" syndrome, he said. However, we should bear in mind one thing, the other minister summed up. Why is it that other countries are willing to employ us, to invite some of us over to work for them. There are just as many qualified workers as us from all over the world. It's true! So what makes us different? "We carry the Singapore brand," he said. They see something in us that is different, which is what they want, and it's all because we are from Singapore. Whether we stay or not, to quote our defence minister, "It's a personal choice". Ultimately, it's an issue of the heart, not so much of the mind. It is also useful to note that, although many points were raised, no one could actually answer the question. Even the ministers. It's true that there's no one who can do anything about it except us ourselves. The answer lies in us. (Btw, all three ministers who spoke today studied in the UK for their degrees.)