24-05-2011, 01:56 PM
(23-05-2011, 10:41 PM)Zelphon Wrote: [ -> ]My proposal:
Introduce Open Bidding COE (Certificate of Employment):
As a citizen with a PR as a wife, I wanted to add my own 2 cents to this. I sincerely and whole-heartedly agree that, if PAP hasn't already lost my vote with what they have done in the last 10 years, implementing such a policy will guarantee them a permanent loss of the vote with no cause of resolution or reprieve.
Why do I feel this strongly? For starters, my wife is better educated than me. She makes a POSITIVE contribution to our society (because she is a teacher). Now, those of you who have teachers as friends will hear of one common story, where many would-be teachers join, but few remain. It is a fairly high-paying job, with rather good returns (in the form of students/parents gratitude, etc) yet MANY citizens choose to shun it! Why so? Because a teacher's life is harsh! They work from mornings to afternoons, teaching and educating. In the afternoons and evenings and sometimes late into the night, they have markings, CCAs, PTAs, and all sorts of other miscellaneous work accorded to teaching staff. Many of her citizen-status cohort have left the teaching profession because they realise that teaching isn't such a cushy job after all. Not the high-paying short-hours jobs they were expecting. What does this say about our citizens then?
Making policies with a hammer in one hand and a rock in the other will drive away many classes of foreign workers, be it in menial or professional jobs. Who then will educate our children? The citizen-teacher who's heart is not in the job, but in the monthly pay check on the 12th of every month? Who, after completing his bond and collecting his first gratuity payment, leaves for "greener" pastures?
Pardon my emotional outburst. I can take a hit to my wallet, but not one to my heart. I know some of my statements can be unfair to the minority of citizen-teachers who actually put their heart and soul into educating our children, but that's the problem isn't it? That they are just the minority!
Oh, and in case any are wondering why my wife hasn't chosen to take up a citizenship, it is because of her lifelong reliance on medication for her illness which, as everyone knows, costs an arm and a leg here, whilst her native country gives it for free.