As a Singaporean student, what you have to say about our social & economic situation is a fairly accurate representation of what's going on. When quantity and quality of work is the #1 thing in society & your life, people will inevitably forsake other pursuits like having a family. The overworking is certainly a major cause for concern, my mother used to work for a Bank of China branch, working hours lasted until 10 - 11pm from 8am. I remember my teachers in primary school telling the class how they stayed up till 3am in the morning marking our work, barely getting any sleep for lessons the next day. The country doesn't have a lot of land either, so housing is difficult especially with a growing population due to massive immigration. There's bits of discrimination against immigrants, especially those who come from China and India since they are the most prominent, but I don't discriminate when they come in because my ancestors came from China, and I know Indian friends whose families have been here since Independence, we're all stuck in a stressful situation together and bigotry will only result in unnecessary strife. Lee Kuan Yew's vision was fruitful and the people did receive the benefits, but when you progress so fast, you'll lose the older generations. The good thing is that nowadays, active efforts are made to teach the elderly how to use technology, learn new skills, & so on.
From my own observation… My own nieces (30+ & 40+) are all stressed out about their kids. I was an ex SGrean student too… till A levels (Uni abroad). I know all too well what stress SGrean students go through. Hence I swear to myself, my kids will never be in SG studying. Same with dogs, after my SGrean dog passed… I will not have another dog until it’s paws can run free in the meadows or fields. If I was stressful as a student back then pre 1990s… I cannot imagine the stress the kids are having now.
As a Singaporean, I agree with you on the issue on overwork leading to less creativity. I have worked for over 10 years at my job .I was very busy as i was focused on my job . When the pandemic hit, the industry i was in (aviation) was hit very very badly. I did not lose my job but my work hours were cut greatly. I found myself with alot of free time as a result and I decided to write a fantasy novel. I completed it and found a great sense of satisfaction that i never felt in all my years of work. If the pandemic had not hit, i would never have written a novel as the thought of it would never have crossed my mind because i was so busy with work.
Because we are busy chasing something outside, we often forget our inner selves, which possess a superpower from the universe. This power can guide us towards what we should do and help us realize what is truly enough. Life is not about earning money; it is also about enjoying and sharing beautiful moments, just like when you write a book. It is a simple, and that's all.
As a Singaporean adult that failed badly in their “streaming” system. I say this video is accurate. Once you fall on the wrong side of the road, you have little to no resources for you to pursue your dreams. It took me years before I found my footing but alas am faced with housing problems. Only in Singapore where you’ll have someone that makes 4-5 grand a month and is still staying with his parents.
Your first sentence is very strange. If you are a Singaporean, you should use the word "our". If you use the word their, it means you are probably not Singaporean.
@@ang1852 That’s a nice attempt at discrediting my comments. Unfortunately my IC is pink. “Their” and “ours” works. But if you read between the lines, you’d know why “their” is picked over “ours”. Ours would seem more agreeable like one United Singapore. Theirs seem to fit better when I’m trying to criticise the people that “created” this system that we have. (Credit given when it’s due, I see them removing things like EM1,2,3, NT, NA express which is a good step. ) You’re also an example of the many xenophobes residing in Singapore. Your first impression of me is “confirm not local” despite the fact that I literally said I’m a Singaporean adult… 🙄 You then very strange ah. Knn internet Sherlock Holmes. How? Tio kan shiok anot? Anyhow come here say people not Singaporean. Siao peh.
I know of a Singaporean guy who lived and worked in South Africa for a few years as an engineer. While in South Africa, he owned a house, a car and he wasn't so busy as he only worked 40-hours per week (8-hours per day, Monday to Friday) hence he had more personal time on the weekends and after work. However, ever since he returned to Singapore, he's been miserable as even though he earned more money back in Singapore than in South Africa, he still couldn't afford an apartment of his own (let alone buy a house), hence he had to move back into a tiny apartment with his parents, he couldn't get a car as he'd have nowhere to park it or drive it to and he was overworked. Unlike in South Africa, he had no work-life balance in Singapore.
I'm from South Africa. And yes, we DO separate our work from our rest times. I'm from Cape Town, and were known as the "lazy city" as Cape Tonians take everything in their stride. Life's not hurried here😊
It's not just in Singapore, more people are beginning to realize that maybe hard-work isn't all there is to life anymore. In the end, what is success if you're not fulfilled and happy? In this kind of system we're expected to work for the majority of our waking hours, with a lack of time to do things like spending time with your loved ones, self reflection and the things we enjoy, and even before that we've spent 20 or so years of our lives grinding to score well in exams. This is a more arduous task if we have scholarships to maintain since not all of us are well off enough to pay the exorbitant fees institutions charge. Families can't spend much time with each other because of hectic work culture and it has a domino effect on the whole of society. When a child doesn't get the attention they deserve because mommy and daddy are too busy providing for the family and otherwise, how will this affect society in the long run? If we only have one life, is this how we're gonna use it? It's so obvious why there is a global resentment for the current status quo. You may defend it all you want, but many of us have had enough of it.
Exactly, hardworking is no longer useful, foreign employers just discriminates against Singaporeans and just import immigrants from their own country to replace Singaporeans.
@Waka Waka that's the sad thing about it, you need a group of people to be unemployed for the whole system to keep running, so that workers will always be afraid of being replaced... I feel so bad for being born in a middle class family while watching the less fortunate live their lives in hardship everyday, but giving 5 bucks or something is like putting a band aid on a wound, it's not going to solve their underlying problems... it's up to the wealthy upper class to decide what to do with their immense amount of wealth and it's clear what their priorities are. And then there are the so called 'third-world' countries that were promised an escape from poverty but ended up in modern imperialism like Nigeria, they're basically owned by Shell at this point... I wish people would stop taking advantage of one another, but alas, it's only a wish.
This is brilliantly made at many levels. As an expat, the Kiasu mindset starts off as being funny, until it soon becomes stifling. I remember enrolling my daughter in an after school ballet class. What is a little fun and recreation for us, is a matter of serious personal “enrichment” for them. They even threatened to throw my 4 year old out of class because she preferred to wear the outfit gifted by her aunt rather than the one prescribed at the class! As you rightly say this is the flip side of the country’s success
@@marvin19966 Didn't mean to offend anyone, there is good and bad in everything. What I meant was you guys are too good at following rules, which is a good thing. But too much good leads to other side effects. And of course, it doesn't apply to all, but the majority does. And I never pointed out that I had any bad experiences in SG, it's a safe, peaceful small city country.
@@marvin19966 Please don’t my friend! The standard book of life will teach us much more and make us more globally robust and worldly wise than a handholding, shepherding, overprotective society
As a Singaporean, I can confirm that a number of people in this country are obsessed over grades and work, as if those were the only things that mattered in life. This sort of mindset causes unnecessary stress and other physical, mental and emotional health problems. Well, I guess that's how some Asian societies function, because the situation is worse in China and Japan. I once read a story about a boy in Singapore who committed suicide because his parents were not too happy with his grades, even though his grades were actually quite good. But his grades weren't good enough for his parents, who set a very high expectation on him. The govt has taken some measures to reduce school-related stress, such as abolishing exams for primary 1 and primary 2 students and abolishing secondary school streaming, but still, some students feel the stress of having to meet their parents' high expectations. This sort of culture is one reason why I am going to move to another country if I have the money for it. I'm not gonna stay in a country with a culture that doesn't really care about the people's welfare.
I visited Singapore twice in 2006 and 2015. I have observed that in 2006 Singaporeans are really proud of their success story but in 2015 I can see some unhappiness. This may be because of gaps in wealth distribution which is common in any free economy.
Sebagai rakyat Malaysia, saya sangat kagum dengan pendidikan dan pembangunan yang diterapkan di Singapura. Tempat saya bekerja saya boleh melihat Seletar Air Port dan Serangon Island setiap hari sejak 2006. Sehingga sekarang, terdapat banyak bangunan yang telah dibina di atas tanah yang dahulunya laut. Pembangunan yang dilakukan Singapura adalah bersifat aggressive, sangat pantas. Saya sering bertemu dan berurusan dengan Chief Officer Singapura, Taiwan, Philippines, China dan lain-lain. Saya memang akui pendidikan saya ditahap rendah namun ini bukanlah satu halangan untuk kita beramah mesra. Warga Singapura yang berumur sekitar 50 keatas adalah lebih mesra berbanding 30 dan kebawah. Saya berharap dimasa hadapan, kita boleh bertegur sapa tanpa memandang tahap pendidikan.
“Regardless of race, language or religion” should add education level as well 😂 Ramai rakyat Singapura (termasuk diri sendiri) akan memandang tahap pendidikan orang lain untuk membuat anggaran tentang mereka. Saya harap minda ini boleh dikerjakan dan pada masa yang sama, bahawa tahap pendidikan pemuda Melayu saya boleh dipertingkatkan. Saya cukup sedih melihat pemuda Melayu saya ditinggal dalam sistem kami.
I had a colleague which is also an expat from India. Now, he is working in Malaysia and turns out life is better there even though earn less over there. He told us that the concept of clock has no meaning in Singapore. Sleep irregular, eat irregular, lifestyle irregular and social is slim to none. I fully agree with him, I went vacation in Malaysia, you can appreciate the true meaning of leisure, layback and cheap. Yes, we can laugh our neighbor less than success but I want them stays as they are because it bring tears to my eyes whenever I tasted the colorful life.
Actually if you really think about it, is success more important than quality of life. Malaysia gdp is not as high as Singapore or a first world country like Singapore, but its costs of living is significantly lower than Singapore(even if you a Malaysian and earn Malaysian wages) and the people looks much happier. So what is the point of being in a first world country in the first place when the citizens of a developing nation like Malaysia have better quality of life. I also saw a few Singaporeans who migrated to Malaysia and say they prefer their life in Malaysia, they have UA-cam channels.
@@AzizDoufikar2280 I saw a few, 1 of it is this guy, you can also read the comments section from Singaporeans and Malaysians who migrated/retire in Malaysia and the costs of living is lower and life is less stressful and more fun ua-cam.com/video/zFihlRYCP8M/v-deo.html
@@TeleeFONE Yes, I agree with you that success does matter to improve way of life but overall, sometime, we can appreciate our neighbors unique culture and their way of life. This is why I want them stays as they are. My next trips will be Philippine, Indonesia, Thailand and etc. 😁
Dunno what place you guys went. Went to visit my in laws in Penang. Really dead place. No colour no life. Its supposed to be a better part of Malaysia but it feels like a dead place with a sense of danger. Not sure if your experiences are recent but my in laws are always saying Malaysia is horribly expensive to live for the wages.
I’ve been speaking to family and friends about this vicious cycle and I’m glad you made this video. I’m from Gen Z, and I feel like my generation will not be able to afford housing, pay more taxes, pay more of everything while wages stay the same. I’ve already seen my peers ‘take it easy’ with the hustle of life and pursue work-life balance, seeking opportunities elsewhere, etc. I’ve read some books (Read: From Miracle to Complacency, Nicholas Walton) and articles that claim we’ve gone soft or complacent. But I wonder are we really? Or have we seen how unsustainable the current system is.
Gen Z, you are in the 3rd generation of prosperity after WWII. A natural cycle of economic. From bad to good and back to bad in three generations. Growth can't sustain forever, there are many pauses after generations. Some generation are more lucky. When money and jobs are plentiful, price get bid up due to growth, things got expensive. Its all supply and demand in capitalism. At least Gen Z born in a nice facility, many in WWII generation in the world, were born poor and got bombs drop on them.
To me, there's no doubt that the younger generations are "softer" than the older ones. One simple reason is that this generation doesn't really know what it's like to be poor, and that affects their tenacity and drive. "Poor" amongst the GenZ means not being able to afford meals above $10 often, not being able to buy the latest phones and gadgets. If you're GenZ and worried about housing, i'm worried about your finance management. A couple can afford a 3 room flat (2 bedrooms) with combined income of $2.7k a month (2022). And income levels has risen SO FAST in the past 10 years, it's really worrying to see people who claim they can't afford a house in SG. "Poor" in my grandparent's era was only being to afford to eat meat on special occasions like birthdays or CNY. CNY was special because it was the only time of the year they bought a new set of clothes. I dont think they ever imagined going on vacations or buying fashionable items. I can only imagine how driven they were to work hard, long hours, suffer scoldings and unfairness, and really commit to their jobs, because if they lost their job, the families would starve. Their tenacity laid the foundation of the jobs and economy that we feast upon today. If they didnt work so hard, and for so little money, MNCs wouldnt have set up bases here and we wouldnt have the jobs today. It may seem extreme, comparing 4 generations apart. But i'm a millennial and having been in the workforce for almost a decade, I can honestly tell you that my generation (including me), are not as tough as my parent's or their parent's generation. I am honest and open minded enough to accept that. I have also seen GenZs coming in as my interns and junior staff, and whether they're softer, whether they can take as many long hours, scoldings, unfairness without complaint... I can see clearly.
@@Anon-tq9gm it goes both ways to be honest. It really depends on what someone wants from their career.. If they just want to be comfortable and cruise along in their work, sure, not a bad thing to be soft and sensitive. But if the person wants to be successful, to be a cut above the rest, they want to be a commando, a C-suite in a large company, a top level athlete etc. Being tough is almost always going to be better than being soft. Challenges, failures, unfairness etc are inevitable in life. And the higher up you go, the more intense they will be.
Honestly as a Singaporean I feel the people in China, Japan and Korea have it much worse than us. Much worse working conditions, a lack of social welfare and trust in public institutions for the Chinese, and the extremely long working hours and all the restrictive social pressures to conform and stuff for the Japanese and Koreans.
@@pinetworkminer8377 According to what I've heard, it's close to 50% or more. Including income tax and other taxes. This is just what I've heard and can't be confirm throughly. So do take with a pinch of salt.
As a Singaporean, I'm very impressed by the accuracy of this video! The issues that you've raised hit the nail on the head, it's almost as if you're a local here (are you? haha). Growth is a logarithmic curve - and it seems like as a country we're reaching a plateau where it's harder to push for more. I think you rightly stated that the strategy that worked in the past will not work for the future. Now that we've reached "economic success" as a country, our goal and therefore strategy for the future has to change. But as a country, I don't think that goal and strategy is clear to us yet.
spot on...there isn't a need for mega financial cities anymore ... new technologies Remote working / Metaverse / AI / Fintech / Crypto will reduce need for financial centres (NY/London/HongKong) etc .. trying to cram millions onto a small islands runs counter to world trends of decentralization
Insightful to accept a view, critically reflect on your experience and then look for a solution. Asking the questions to shape a better future. Many of us in the Developing World see Singapore as the ultimate yardstick. We can even learn more.
when i visited singapore this year, i noticed that everyone i walked past by does not look happy and they look very tired. everyone pretty much has this 12 hour work face on and just wants to go home and rest.
The going will get tough for every country and even tougher for resource poor Singapore. I lived in many countries, and realised that Singapore is one of the few country who recognises her problems and make tactical decisions to address them. And this is important, a strategy is only good if there is constant monitoring of changing circumstances and adaptions to those changes. In general, smaller societies have high agility and adaptability; I am confident, for now, Singapore has the attributes to succeed.
There are persistent problems like low birth rate, high costs, high maintenance, and global competition. Lets hope the leadership are as agile and adaptable as you say.
As 3rd Gen Singaporean, with both my parents and grandparents having seen it’s rise, I can assure all audience members this video is very true. I like in the North, the people stuffing area you could say which no foreigners really know. My grandparents worked in the Naval base and later Shipyard there, seeing its transformation from a Kampung to a Town Centre. Life is very stressful, and it’s not a happy one. Everything is competitive, and the ones who can’t keep up will fall.
This is the price of getting into 1st world country. Unless ur grandparents wants to remain as wad singapore used to be 50 iver years ago where everyday u have to worry if there's enough food to feed ur family or not, earning only like 10, 20 per month. Cause wad I know is my grandma ( she went through ww2 )used to be very poor and she is happy that singapore develop into such a rich and beautiful country with more opportunities.
I’m proud about Singapore as an Asian although it must have been difficult for many. I wish my country, Sri Lanka has sone the right things from the beginning. It’s miserable to be a citizen in a bankrupt country. Sri Lankans now live in hunger and have very limited opportunities to succeed.
Lee Kuan Yew always believed Sri Lanka had the right ingredients to be the next Asian economic miracle and it did but its leaders starting with the Bandaranaikes took that country deep into the ground and for years he expressed disappointment at what Sri Lanka (or Ceylon as it was known) had become. Dividing a multiracial society based on race will always bring problems and all of Sri Lanka's problems trace back to its reluctance to accept its multiracial heritage. Singapore learned from its past and created a meritocratic society where its Chinese, Malay, Indian/Tamil and Eurasian populations were all equal. Sri Lanka should have done the same, creating a society where its Sinhalese, Tamil, Moor, Malay and Burgher/Eurasian populations were all equal. What a waste.
@@user-jt3dw6vv4x LKY was a Han supremacist and helped install a chemical castration program for the Tamils and Malays cause he thought the poor minorities would out-breed the middle-class chinese lmao But besides that he had the right idea in terms of integrating all groups into the housing units so ethnic enclaves wouldn't happen as well as outlawing even religious discrimination.
Agreed with most of the content, especially the Kiasu mentality. Though that said, every country has their own problems, no country is perfect. It comes down to how that country adapts to their problems, and whether the trade-off is worth it.
Agreed, America has a lot of problems too. Keeping up with the Jones is what we said here. Without a standard of a good citizen, America is falling behind. The wealth of the past generation is getting less in each age. Homeless and dysfunctional government with 24 hours political fights is worse than this video problem of Singapore. People lose hope, worry about China, and the family split with different political views. We wish we have the Singapore problem.
As a Singaporean studying in secondary school, I agree with being burnt out. Recently, our end of years exams have ended. I will be moving on to secondary 3 next year, so I am pressured to chose what subjects I want to take. It’s not easy to just pick whatever you want. They will always put the people who are better in the subject first before yourself no matter how much you like that subject. As a very average student interested in art and not too worried about things like biology and additional maths, I am shunned by many people and they say that I should be taking pure subjects instead of wasting my time on art. They keep telling me that anyone who chooses to take art in secondary 3 is out of their mind or are stupid. Yes I am burnt out. There is always that thought at the back of my mind that I have to be good in at least one subject, I have to get an A in this subject, I need to be best at this subject. Not only to please teachers or parents, but also to please myself. The education system is truly tiring and competitive, it’s always about how well you do that determines your strength as a leader sometimes as well. I lost count of how many nights of sleep I lost preparing for exams and to know that I won’t be one of those prioritised for that specific subject after working so hard because my score is average, it just hurts to be honest. I see so many of my friend succumbing to depression and anxiety for the pressure to get A’s just so their parents won’t take away their devices which is their only escape from reality. I really hope this mentality of working hard will just be dropped soon.
Screw the people asking you to take pure science, trust me once it hits sec 3 if you don't like the subjects you take, it won't end well. Personally, I got pressured into taking A math but it was the worst mistake of my life. Countless sleepless nights spent practicing something I just couldn't understand. I finally dropped it but not after wasting my sec 3 and a half of my sec 4 year. Take art if you have an interest in it, it'll be the only thing keeping you going when the subject gets tough.
Heyy, first off thanks for sharing. I’m a 22 yr old in the working field now, I might be able to understand how you feel as I took F&N (food and nutrition) for Os when I was your age :) it’s also commonly not regarded as a subject for “smart ppl”, but I agree w this previous comment, of how you should definitely take subjects closer to your heart. Because when it gets tough, that interest is what will keep you going. I know it might be hard to pursue something you like at the age, especially with social pressure from people who have more social/ financial power, but try your best to take what u like/ do what you love in your own capacity. That being said, here’s a reminder that you’re trying the best that you can. And regardless of results, you are W O R T H Y okay? You’re worthy of love and kindness and gentleness on yourself :) at the end of the day, your relationship with yourself is what will propel your forward, regardless of some national exam results. All the best in life kiddo :)
Ended up getting F9 for Principles of Accounts (PoA) because my mother told me it would be "better for my future" and her colleague's daughter got A1 "no problem". She seemed to conveniently forget I was horrific at Maths and only scored well for English, Pure Literature and Humanities. I should have taken Food & Nutrition because there was crossover with Biology which I was already taking, and I have a massive love for food and cooking that I retain to this day. Guess what? Accounts did nothing much for me because now I'm a writer and studied theatre at university because I could do/loved nothing else. Move towards your interests, and have faith in your own skills. I agree that O Levels are crappy overall, but don't let your experience in secondary school negatively shape your life! Singapore/society may not see the benefit of art but it doesn't mean you don't have to. Find the small joys in life and try not to let the stress that everyone seems to expect (or you aren't "working hard") take over your life, cause that only leads to trauma and unhappiness. All the best and jiayou with exams but also your life beyond Os! There's so much more than what Singapore tells you there is!
im a student in the middle of my o’s, and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE just take subjs that you like and confident that you will put effort so you will do continuously well. dont take subjs only bc ur parents pressure, you might not use your full potential then you burn out, and thats not good. jiayous
@@andreasng3182 hi sorry for late reply but ya thanks! I heard a lot of my seniors struggling with A math and failed to do well, I will keep that in mind :)
As a former Singaporean, I had planned to move overseas. I moved to Canada in 2004, and although it had not been easy initially, I finally settled down. The pasture is not always greener on the other side but overall I felt more at peace in Canada. Singapore however is always a nice place to visit, and eat, when I see my relatives.
Singapore is Little North Korea May the Singaporean Justice be exposed for unlawful deletion of case FC/OSG 139.2015, and the coverup of my son's kidnap.
Opposite for me here, lived in Ontario the past 8 years. Moving to Singapore has been one of the worst changes of scenery in my entire lifetime (of which I’ve had an abundance of). Taxes are very low here yes, but I don’t believe it’s worth the amounts of overall social depression and stress experienced here, I thought freedom was going extinct in Canada but living in Singapore has made me develop a newfound appreciation for western freedoms more than ever.
I disagree with the generalisation that grades = everything. As a Singaporean who did poorly academically in my earlier years, I only started getting decent grades in Poly, when I was 18/19 years old (high school equivalent). Even so, I still managed to enter a local university, graduating with a second upper honours degree, and a scholarship from a statutory board. I do also have a number of peers who did not do well in primary/secondary school and even during university, but still ended up working in government entities, IB, large corporations etc. As mentioned in the video, Singapore's society is based on meritocracy, and for the most, they look at an individual holistically. If you're the best in the room (grades, non academic achievements, eloquent, relevant experience), you'll get the scholarship/ university admission/ job.
I heard from my Singaporean friends who work for the civil service that high level gov officials are actually scouted and groomed from a rather young age. The ones who do well and all that. I personally know one who is now a minister, and one who has been climbing the ranks pretty fast in the service too. I don’t blame them for being this way. If anything, Singapore is very efficient. I personally find it very military like, but it works nevertheless
To clarify, the Singapore civil service has two tracks. There's the normal track for most people (of course if you perform well you'll be promoted, but not as fast as the other track). Then there's the scholar track, where people who have been offered prestigous scholarships like the Public Service Commission Scholarships or the Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Scholarship. These scholarships are awarded to 18 year olds who have just completed their A levels, and they look at your extracurriculars, leadership potential and character etc and subject you to rounds of intense scrutiny and interviews. Basically these scholars go overseas to study, and once they've completed their tertiary education they come back and work in the civil service. They get promoted faster and get offered better opportunities first, so naturally they rise through the ranks extraordinarily fast until they get to the top in the civil service or military, and if they are willing to enter politics, become ministers and future leaders of their country. To illustrate, the Commanding Officer of my artillery battalion during my NS was some super young scholar in his early 30s who had already made full colonel. Then he got posted out and replaced by a regular guy in his 40s who had just made lieutenant colonel (1 rank and two paygrades below colonel). That's how fast the scholars rise. No doubt the scholars are capable people, but I feel the danger is that this practice breeds leaders who all think the same way and engenders groupthink and an inability to think outside the box.
@@silverchairsg very true. There’s also that risk. I’m wondering, I know someone who was also a very very excellent student. Ivy League. He didn’t join the civil service, but a big international company. He was soaring high, then became a minister. My friends told me he was “scouted”, what does that mean? Are these people also kept an eye on for higher gov positions?
@@bettyhello Ok. To clarify a bit, my previous comment describes how the government scouts talented people for the civil service. They are groomed for top leadership positions in the civil service or the army, but are civil servants, not politicans (though they can choose to run for politics later on). For your friend's case, he was "scouted" by the People's Action Party (the political party in Singapore) to join politics, not the civil service. The PAP has a habit of tracking up and coming "high flyers" in the private or public sector and inviting them for "coffee" to invite them to join them and run for politics. This is a different thing from joining the civil service as I described above. So to become minister, your friend had to join the PAP and run for elections and be elected a Member of Parliment to represent one of the housing districts in Singapore, and then named Minister by Lee Hsien Loong in his Cabinet. The ministers are politically elected appointees from the winning political party, but their staff who advise and carry out their instructions are civil servants, including the top staff/civil servants who tend to be these scholars.
@@bettyhello Yes, sometimes they get people who are successful managers in companies to take up government service because, well, proven track record outside. Much better/cheaper than having to groom them yourself.
@Waka Waka Yes and when you compare the SAF high flyers with their US counterparts it's almost comical. High flyer becomes a major in their late 20s while some US captains are old AF and already greying at the temples.
The problems highlighted in the second part of the video can apply to many Asian countries and is not unique to Singapore. I'm not Singaporean but my wife is and I decided to have my kids born as Singaporean. We don't own a car, live in an HDB flat, and sent our kids to a neighborhood school. Tuition only for Chinese as we speak English at home and Cantonese is not mother tongue. We are also not Kiasu parents and don't pressure out kids. We live within our means and my wife works part-time so she's not bored. We are not financially stressed and are able to spend alot of time with our kids. My son passed the GEP exams without any tuition and he stayed in the neighborhood school in Clementi. PSLE was not stressful either as he got accepted to NUS High via DSA. My daughter attends a good secondary school in the neighborhood. I believe that we have achieved such balance through understanding and practicing many aspects of family and consumer science with as much engagement with out children as possible. We find that some of those who are stressed bring in upon themselves because of being kiasu. And most of the stress is financial being caused by spending close to the maximum of their means. Cars, condo, eating out often, and wanting branded goods are prime examples of decisions that cause unnesseary financial pressures. The costs of being kiasu is missing out on the blissful experiences of life but having all the material trappings of comparative societal success.
Similar mindset as you. Chose personally to live within my means so as to reduce stress in the family and spend more quality time with one another. I’m educated in the so-called elite SG schools, finished a bachelor at NUS and has a master from NTU. Ultimately decided not to stay in the corporate rat race, and it’s not that difficult since we chose to live in a 3 room HDB and don’t own a car. We can even afford nice annual holidays and set aside money for retirement. That said I’m actively looking to get my son educated overseas eventually and also planning to retire overseas as Singapore is getting increasingly to costly to live in.
Very well said 👏👏👏 it's the kiasu mentality and to be better than your neighbours that make one's life so stressful. Try living within your means and believe as the saying goes "Contentment in life is great gain"
I spend morethan 6 years in SG working as a health care profesional and this video is 100% true. It's a sad reallity, the work- related stress (physical, mental, emotional), the vecious competition and greed to get even better/ be the best is really unimaginable. I get sicked of it and moved to the UK, but kinda regret it. Because inspite of it's dark side (there are few more issues not mentioned in this video), Sg is the defenition of convenience and efficiency. Work wise, they know how to compensate/aprreciate you for your hard work. In terms of services or just paying your tax, you will definately see with your own eyes and experienced what you paid for.
@@CW91 I'm just telling my experience. I know it's getting out of the main topic but, I myself learned to be efficient with my job because of the work culture there (although their work culture is sometimes toxic but, there are are also good things came out from it). And if you are not aware, compared to other countries Singapore provides/ prioritise good customer service coz Sigaporeans are good in complaining.
@@maryannconstantino4507 what you said is true. It's only the term "efficient" which I am questioning (not to you) because working hard is usually a sign of inefficiency.
@@CW91 i respect what you believe...but not everytime working hard and inefficiency coincides. We works hard to get a better result, to aim to provide quality and efficient service. That's how we're trained in my previous job and how I view it. Meanwhile, slacking and not working hard results in inefficiency. Well I guess it will be more fitting to use the term "struggling to work" (for the sake of the context of that video) instead of "working hard" - it can be misleading.
I’m a Singaporean student, although we don’t say we are stressed. We actually are saying that behind a fake face pretending to be happy so we don’t stress out our already hard-working parents.
Wow. What I’m hearing is that Singapore has exactly the same problems that most East Asian countries have…Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, China, you name it - they all share this story of Singapore’s. People are depressed, societies are highly competitive, high conformity and low creativity, etc. I guess what makes Singapore unique is that the Singaporean government is a very smart authoritarian regime. Authoritarian, but smart. It governs with brains, and in turn gains good control over the society, making it even easier for it to govern.
Singapore covers up every negative aspect of its society. Which is why few people know the truth about this, one of the most dangerous and shittiest countries.
If you think Singapore’s Kiasu mentality is bad, please do a deep dive into Hong Kong. It’s on a whole other level. On Fertility rate, its not just the stresses of life and high cost of living. The fact that Singaporean men have to serve national service and graduate later than international peers, we feel the need to ‘catch up’ in our careers before having a family. By the time a Singaporean male graduates from university at the age of 25 - 27, our international peers have been working for 3-5 years and we a holding perhaps managerial positions.
HK is NOT Kiasu, Kiasu is not the same competitive, kiasu is definitely a very Sg mindset, most SGporean don't even really understand what kiasu is or don't know how to explain it. Kiasu a scared lose with a petty mindset, "small air", don't confuse it with competitive spirit. HK is definitely not Kiasu.
As a Singaporean, I'm glad you are telling the true story of Singapore. We see too many foreigners singing praises about how this is one of the best places to be yet not even venturing our past the exorbitantly expensive city district. And by the way, this "relatively cheaper" public housing you speak of cost about half a million dollars for a small apartment and housing only goes up from there. And so I echo words said by many Singaporeans during our dark days of WW2 "We have no right, we have no say, we long to be free one day."
As someone who finished another round of national exams (streaming) not too long ago, I too realised the sheer amount of pressure my classmates were under. Due to the new AL system which is mathematically unrewarding and rewards all-rounders, DSA has also been highly competitive with only ~5% of applicants getting a space. (Yes lots of statistical analysis between T-score (where marks of 4 core subjects are summed and multiplied by 0.73) and AL (where your score for a subject is translated to a number from 1-8 and called your AL and then the ALs for the 4 subjects are summed for the total AL. The system is unrewarding as the AL mark bands are marginal close to the top. AL1:90% and higher AL2: 85%-89% AL3: 80%-84% AL4: 75%-79% AL5: 65%-75% AL6: 45%-65% AL7: 20%-44% AL8:
I have visited Singapore 3times, last in 2017. No doubt a beautiful city state, great food, great places like Sentosa, Marina bay area, orchard rd. I did observe that taxi drivers, hotel staff not friendly to tourists probably due to stress or other reasons. Even restaurants are rushed. MTR was packed. Singapore is an icon city 👍
This is the first time I have seen your video and I like it very much. You are basically like Economics Explained, but more chilled out and I like that.
From the very first time I first set foot into Spore in 2008, I had this feeling that Singaporeans, although not rude or impolite are always on the run, always busy, always focused on work or making money. It's a city where I HAVE to leave after 2-3 days or I'm feeling too depressed. I couldn't imagine to live there long-term and I'm always surprised that many expats want to. I even heard that some artists say the audiences in Singapore are some of the most "boring". Again, this is nothing against the country or the people, but I could imagine that such impressions might be true because of the society.
For sure, can't have the best of both worlds. Singapore's success is due to the hard work, without creativity. To sustain this, more hard work would be required, but some creativity in today's modern world would help too,
@@mxsthxted not true that we have not enough creativity. Creativity can be applied in problem solving in any jobs. Solving Singapore issues also require our leaders to think out of box.
Studied in a uni for 5 yrs and found out that things are pretty wrong in this island 🇸🇬 of Singapore every step of your educational journey is "Highly" regulated by The interference of govt. It's almost as if you put yourself for 5yrs of constant struggles and hardships like Army training School it's damn hard .
Just vote pap out before is too late. The government will make many promises, but has your life get better? Pap only interested in their own pockets. They will never return your parents CPF and your once u start work. They will increase the 😢minimum amount so high when is time for u to take your CPF, two- third of it will be stuck, u see those old uncle and aunty at food court, work till drop dead. That might be u or me in this situation in the future. In the pass the pap has done good for most Singaporean, now it has become proud and greedy. Time to rise and wake up! 😊
@@et4344 So... which "other party" you want to control the government? Easy to say jump but when you don't check if the swimming pool got water or not..... No PAP then who? WP? SDP? One of these others is definitely going to take over, so who do you think is good as the next government?
I am an India. This is very similar to India. extremely competitive education. Not enough seats in college. There are college in Delhi where cut off to join the graduation 3 year degree is 99%. Imagine. 99% is the cut off for application. we have some top institutes to study MBA. To get admission, they check school exam marks, high school marks, entrance test marks, Group discussion, personal interview, work experience etc. the cut off is usually 99.70% or more. some students get rejected even at 99.80%. here situation is worse than singapore. because for 1 seat there are 10,000 application. for 1 vacancy there are 50,000 application. Every months, students commit suicide in hostels bcz of depression, study load n stress. there are no official data released. but suicide rate is very high.
@@RiseAgainst369 our population is young and rapidly getting skilled & educated just like china did in 1990s, our population is our asset. when all country population is declining, we are having young population who can become doctor, scientist, coder, military personnel. the size of indian middle class is 1000 million.
@@RiseAgainst369or perhaps our govt isn't spending much in education . It's not even 1% of nation's spending budget . Political parties are focused on welfare schemes targeting different sections of society to fill their vote banks .
Btw kiasu also exists not just in Singapore - it pervades lots of industries internationally as well, like in banking and consulting in the UK and US etc.
@@Orion-mi4eu FOMO is a relatively recent term. That competitive streak exists in every society since humans existed. The only difference is how pervasive it is.
How the author describes Kiasu describes most experiences of people in Asian cities. Strong strong competition from a young age to get the best schools the best universities the best jobs because the supply of good jobs is limited and there are always stark reminders of what happens if not successful.
@@matthewmatthew638 however, that competitiveness exists in other societies too obviously. Western societies a century ago were just as competitive, while Asians were the ones still in the fields. Just about every society which got a taste of the better life will acquire a desire to get more. And like Western societies, East Asians will eventually take stock of what we are doing to ourselves and "lie flat"....for better or worse.
I lived 5 years in Singapore and always loved everything Singaporean. But got tired of exactly the points you made. Although missing many aspects of Singapore, eventually happy to be back in the EU, with frequent visits to my numerous friends in Singapore.
This is made so well.Most of it is true so it kind of makes me sad.Whenever I tell foreigners that I’m Singaporean they are always like ‘Wow your so lucky!’ but we kind of sacrifice a lot of things to be successful.Steven He said ‘no dating till college’, but for most Singaporeans they date after they finish college as they have to focus on studying and getting good grades.By the time they get a stable job with a stable income, they still have to worry about bills and student debts.By the time that starting a family even comes to our minds, we would think that we are simply ‘too old’ to start dating and get married and whatnot.Plus, when we have already sacrificed so much to grind good grades and get this job, it would be just one more sacrifice to give up on starting a family.It’s rather sad, really. 😅 And that’s not even getting to parent-child relationships.Most parents(Luckily not mine) just hire maids and barely see their children as they are working all the time.They expect their child to study and get good grades regardless.However, how is a child supposed to self-study when no one has taught them to?Parents just send them to a lot of tuition from a young age, so children would natrually think that they do not need to learn how to self-study as they have tuition.However, once they get to secondary school, they cannot possibly have tuition for every single subject.Hence, they do badly, and get scolded for doing so, putting more stress on the now teenager.
ok, I really didn't know anyone seriously studying in college in Singapore. Everywhere I look, everyone is talking about dating so I will really want to ask where are you coming from.
Great video. My wife and I just moved to Singapore from Toronto, and we can tell you that the problems discussed in this video are worldwide, including in places like Canada. The only reason they seem more huge in Singapore is because of the small land size. The rents here are crazy, we knew that before we moved. We were ready for everything that Singapore was going to throw at us, and we acknowledged it, because the opportunities we have here are 10 times better than in Toronto. We were attracted by the modernity of the country, the people, the cuisine, the focus on law and order and a civil society, kids being taught actual education, instead of Woke propaganda and nonsense, etc. The biggest fear we have is how we'll be viewed as expats who moved in. So far, everyone's been extremely nice and courteous, but we know not everyone feels that way. Therefore, our focus after moving here was to integrate well, go with the flow, and contribute to the society of Singapore. My wife is a very talented and experienced anesthesiologist, and she was hired to bring her vast knowledge to the country. Her personal objective is to train the locals here on proper techniques and standards so that Singaporeans can pass on the knowledge to the next generation. If you're going to move here, make it clear as best you can that your objective is to contribute, rather than take away.
Welcome to Singapore. Go help out at the grassroots such as community centres n non profit organisations that match your values, that will help u to integrate well. We r thankful with talented and helpful people joining us in this little Red Dot.
stress is everywhere, not only in sg, we are lucky enough to be stressful because everyone have a job, that's more important. Many countries don't even have enough jobs opportunities for their own people. Gov is doing a good job to attract foreign investment and talent to build up the economy. Most sg are more farsighted although some still like to complain. Overall we are doing well and heading towards the right direction
Agree. Avoiding stress is not a solution. Learn to manage it and know your own limits. For example, if you cannot get to top 20% to top schools, do your best in your school. At least, our Singapore schools have the best support from govt. Our kids still have different paths to make it in life. Not everyone is a scholar. Our society also needs different forms of workforce.
People get tired and feel useless by this mentality. I remember my younger days where I get to enjoy Being a kid Without this high expectations. It’s ok not to be ok. Let them enjoy life not to the extent of burning yourself out. Life is too short
I'm a Singaporean teenager, and I can safely say that my own childhood was destroyed by the education system and the need to be first in everything. I had to go to enrichment classes starting at 5 years old. My whole week, Sunday to Saturday had enrichment or kindergarden. I barely had time to relax, and the "breaks" were periods where I had to study for tests in my enrichment classes. And I needed to get 100% because of you know what. I was a social outcast because of this and still am a sort of introvert. I couldn't converse with my classmates because I spent more time developing new hobbies and interests in my enrichment classes than my social skills. And I couldn't discuss anything because the classmates (keep in mind this was kindergarden) discussed about TV shows, UA-camrs, nursery rhymes etc. and I couldn't say anything because I never got the chance to watch UA-cam or TV on a regular basis. I never even talked to my sister much because of my schedule and now we don't have a strong bond. I was rushed to study P3 and 4 and 5 topics at P1. I was 6 and studying topics for 10 year olds. I was 8 and studying secondary school topics like Pythagoras theorem and Trigonometry. I was overstressed and the tuitions came and went. I had to quit many of my older enrichment classes to make way for English Chinese sciences tuitions even though I wasn't failing. I developed su1c1dal thoughts at 9 and tried to ki11 myself twice. My classmates knew yet couldn't care because I was a socially awkward freak. I swear, when I have kids I'm letting them have an actual tuition free childhood.
@@jay0787 SG Education sucks. It not that efficient at it job , NUS and NTU students are getting more and more retarded with each batch and most of them are jobless. ( the stats lie)
Singapore has been home for over 20 years - I love Singapore. Plenty of challenges ahead (as with every country) BUT i have more confidence in Singaporeans being able to solve them than in most other countries. Zero tolerance to corruption is the key metric to continue moving forward. And the Singapore Govt has demonstrated that they are more and more willing to listen to the needs of the people than in the past. Some cool technologies will really help Singapore out (esp about land space) with the development of vertical farming / stem cell lab meat production / solar developments etc). And everyone living within 500metres of greenspace etc is a important element for wellness.
@@sweetsweet3753 10,000 per month is minister, if they are member of Parliament it's probably 20,000 or 15,000 per month. Even 10,000 per month is not a low amount dude, the average Singaporean only earns 3k flat per month. Plus 10,000 per month was a few years back. The ministers don't understand what it is like to be poor in Singapore.
The government has no choice but to be more open to listen to people because of the invention of social media. The other reason is because they lost Group Representation Constituency to opposition party in the last 3 elections, it was unprecedented before that.
After having lived for 4 years in Singapore I learned among other things: Singaporeans are very good at executing processes, but mostly unable to deal with deviation from those established processes. It means they are not good at problem solving. That is the result of lack of creativity and why the country needs the foreign knowledge workers from Europe and the US, places that emphasize individual and critical thinking rather than rote learning.
This is the fault of an education system which assumes everything can be solved by applying learnt processes, without any need for the analytical and critical thinking skills required to solve real world problems. Not unique to Singapore unfortunately.
Excellent video. Singaporeans are becoming well aware of how precarious our success is. As mentioned by the author, Singapore's economic growth relies totally on rapid population growth. This is more commonly known as Ponzi Demography. But Singapore is just an island a little bigger than 700 square kilometers. Reclaim as much land as you want but it's not going to make much of a difference. Once we reach the limit and we can't import more foreign talents, the economy will start to decline. The surprising thing is that people from the region are still eager to take up citizenship completely clueless as to what is happening. You would think that paying close to a million dollars for a small public housing unit would deter people from applying for citizenship but that doesn't seem to be the case.
@@danielc2701 1 million dollars for a resale HDB unit. Think about it. Government's latest cooling measures target condo "downgraders" because they are the ones who drove the prices up. It didn't help when the demand for new house far outstrip the supplies and in addition to covid delays drove prices even further. I have a 5 month old daughter, we ballot multiple times and each time it's always a failure. HDB BTO are over subscribed. Want to see how much a BTO cost now? BTO prices are pegged to surrounding properties, which has gone up to ridiculous levels. Keep going like this even subsidized housing will become unaffordable. And it already is. 380k for 5 room BTO at Tampines in 2018. It's 508k mnimum for a new project. Sun Plaza Spring. Go find out how much a newly MOP unit is going for now.
To be fair, the Singapore government did try very hard to address all these "darker issues". However, as Einstein rightfully pointed out, "insanity is doing the same thing over and expecting a different result", neither the Singapore government nor its people are willing to move out of the comfort zone to embrace much needed change in how we define "meritocracy"; creating more room for passionate individuals who are less academically inclined to succeed in life ; providing opportunities for experimentation of new or unconventional ideas; creating a system for more work life balance; amongst others.
As a westerner who is know 39 years old and has been travelling the world for 20 years full time both in Asia and Europe all i can say is freedom, the countries that give the people the most freedom are the countries that win. The feeling of freedom is what all humans desire and you can plot on a graph the countries that have high levels of freedom and you can see clearly the correlation of freedom and success. Its the only thing that is universal in success. YOU MUST HAVE CITIZENS WHO HAVE THE FEELING OF FREEDOM
Your video is kind of refreshing really. As a Singaporean, Its good to see an alternative view out of the other many videos in UA-cam praising Singapore. As many have already pointed out, there is no perfect country and Singapore has been largely on the right track which is already much much better than many other countries. I don't perceive "Kiasuism" as a negative trait or as a derogatory term always used by our neighbor(no prize for guessing who😉). Kiasuism is the reason how Singapore got to where it is today. Hard work from our ancestors all in pursuit of a better life for the next generation. Mind you that they work hard(especially the pioneer generation) knowing that they likely won't see the fruit from the seeds they planted when they were young before they die. The fruits are being enjoyed by the next generation. I can see the same happening now as well albeit in smaller scale. In summary, I think that we should embrace Kiasu and I will always be proud to be perceived as Kiasu instead of lazy & nonchalant 😉
I totally agree with you. I guess embracing "Kiasuism" is one of the most important reasons I am now seriously planning to move to Singapore sooner than later. Everyone has the right to choose his/her lifestyle, but I often feel frustrated and discouraged when friends around me start slandering people who want to work hard (and probably play hard as well). Those who wish to achieve self-worth through hard work also need a suitable place to live.
As a Singaporean who is a fresh graduate straight out of university, I am still stressed out on how I am going to survive at this rate with such expensive housing and crazy expenses. Many people are realising that we are becoming corporate zombies to just pay off housing loans until we die. Worst, I don't think I can even afford one. If this is the reality, I don't really know what to do anymore.
my parent didn't have education with 5 kids. Now with 11 grandchildrens and no one is begging on the street. "You don't really know what to do anymore." Please consult my parent!
I understand. I'm half a Gen before you. I bought a condo - 1 bedroom- at 578k in 2011. Sold at 700k. By the time, you've saved and are ready, you are looking at 0.8M (minimum). for a 1 bedroom. Of course, you may be luckier and find a soul mate to buy a HDB. I hope you are. Anyway, I'm not. Still single at 40. So I packed my bags and looked elsewhere. Landed down under and single handedly bought a house - 4 bedrooms and 1000 sq ft land area - and best view in the suburb. A house like this would cost 3 x in SG, at least.
Coming from Indonesia, I can only envy all the goodness of living in Singapore. Infrastructures, Standard of living, properness, discipline, etc. If Kiasu, or simply wanting to be the best, is to be blamed, you should live a few months in my country to enjoy the vice versa of kiasu and list series of the same objective observation.
@@youtuberschannel12 your comment is the perfect example of the kiasu spirit that the video mentioned. LOL suck this up. do you expect you yourself to suck up all the benefits from the sweat of your forefathers? Hahaha... my grandfather worked hard, so now I don't need to work as hard?? dream on, buddy. new migrants will come in and work as hard to keep the effn machine going. no asset or economy or country last forever giving out benefits. you know the saying family wealth won't last three generations. even now you look at america, where the people are too complacent thinking that they can suck up and live off the wealth from the past.
@@jjsamuelgunn1136 Do you even know what kiasu is? Don't anyhow use. What you said clearly shows that you don't deserve Singapore and singaporeans. Come here to enjoy then piss on Singaporeans. If you not happy about Singaporeans why are you even here? Don't be a hypocrite. Did I mention that I suck up all the benefits of my forefathers. In reality immigrants like you are the ones sucking up all the sweat and tears of our forefathers and Singaporeans. Did immigrants like you serve NS? Born and bred Singaporeans do. Singaporeans contribute way more than you do. Infact Singaporeans are the ones that are contributing to both the country and immigrants. Whereas immigrants like you not only doesn't contribute but cost Singapore and Singaporeans.
@@youtuberschannel12 Absolutely. Kiasu encompasses not wanting others to get more than you. Oh, I'm not in Singapore now so whether I am happy or not, does not come into the picture. But so what if I am not happy with Singaporeans, I would be happy to be in Singapore. Who would want to admit they are sucking up all the benefits. The thing is you want to suck up the benefits, otherwise why you resent foreigners getting benefits as well. BTW, that 'benefit of forefathers' is your 'claim'. Again I say.. suck it up and cry. In fact the only reason you whining that foreigners do not contribute but cost Singapore is because YOU are crying. That's your personal kiasuism.
@@jjsamuelgunn1136 lol. “Kiasu encompasses not wanting other to get more than you” pretty much proves you foreigners don’t understand the meaning. You clearly don’t deserve the benefits you got from Singapore. We don’t suck up all the benefits we worked for it. Those that are sucking up the benefits and did not worked hard enough for it are foreigners like you. Did you serve ns? Did you contribute to Singapore and Singaporeans? No but rather you hate on us and suck up all our benefits and take it out of the Singapore whereas Singaporeans kept that benefit in Singapore and contributed back to Singapore and Singaporean’s. We contributed to you. Gave you jobs, serve NS, give you a clean, green and safe environment to work and live. Yet you hate on Singaporeans. What you said clearly proves my point that foreigners like you cost Singapore more than you contributed and don’t deserve a single cent from Singapore.
This is true - one of the main points of this video is about how Singapore is in a housing crisis, and whilst that might be true, it's even worse in other countries like the UK, Canada and New Zealand. And, unlike those countries, which in some cases actually seem to be making the problem worse by giving tax breaks to idle property investors, Singapore is actively working to address the crisis, and has a very low homelessness rate, which is even more impressive given the lack of space to build on
@@Luke-tt3dt Singapore is not in any housing crisis. Most Singapore citizens are able to buy an apartment from the Govt. Maybe some expats are finding housing expensive because they are not eligible for public housing but these are mainly the mid level expats where they are not given any housing allowance by their employer because they are not high enough in the rank. For Low level foreign workers, they live in employer provided dormitories.
I think many countries have problems similar to Singapore. Australia is also very expensive, stressful, extremely difficult to buy a house or even pay rent in Sydney for example unless you earn really big money. At least in Australia, it's a big place, people can move to a smaller city or rural area if they can find a job there or are able to start a business. The problem for Singapore is that it is a city state, and island, limited land, with a large population in a small area. To create more land and housing is not easy.
It is not that the government cannot build enough for Singaporeans. It is because the dark money coming from all over the world is buying up the estate, causing the estates to be unaffordable.
I am an expat living in Singapore. Some issues explained in this video, such as overstressed life and work, are serious social problems in my home country, Japan, and other Asian countries like South Korea (or probably most of the countries in the world), to varying degrees, but when you add in the soaring cost of living and lack of decent care and redress measures in case of "failure", Singapore is a really hard place to live! I can feel it. To be honest, sometimes I really feel glad that I was not born in this country, and I feel sorry for Singaporean kids who grow up feeling the constant pressure to excel academically for their future "success" and "good life" as defined by the government and their parents. I believe that Singapore is now at a turning point in rethinking its social model, where economic development has been the main national priority and so-called "meritocracy" has been an engine to drive economic growth. It may sound optimistic, but I believe that this country will address these issue and improve the situation in the future, just as it achieved its miraculous economic development less than 5 decades after its founding.
@imsickofyou-pb2xt to be honest singapore doesn't really invent new things which is due to the education system ,it's just a place for huge corporations to come in asia
I am a Singaporean. Born and saw my country growing and reaching heights. But more and more people are disillusioned with the current govt. Only foreigners and those well connected are positive. Many below are very worried.
It's more like growing high expectations of the government. And yes Singapore is small so anything happens in the world, it affects us. It's not like the government can solve everything right? Like Ukraine no grain, Malaysia can't grow chickens, Singapore chicken supply gets cut off. How to solve? Send army into Ukraine? lol no way right? But somehow people still expect Singapore to solve this without sending army into Ukraine. Excessively high expectations. And not current government who else? Chee? That guy is a damn one man circus. Chiam got standard, Chee? Not really.
hi brother, this is Saurav Lahiry from Pune, India. One question for u. in SG, why don't Chinese guys marry Indian girls. Like Indian boy + Chinese girl is very common, but the reverse is rare. What are ur thoughts on this. CM + IF, does it happen ?
Then you don’t have any idea what the outside world is like. The foreigners are right, you have it good, better than 90% of countries. Try going to Malaysia or Indonesia and see how much you’ll miss home
@@sauravlahiry6951 Quite often actually. My oldest friend is an Indian girl, literally oldest, her father and my father were sitting outside the delivery room together. It's common, just that the people involved see no reason to make a big deal out of it, hence there is little coverage. In some countries with a racial divide, it can be big news but in a country that sees everyone as "Singaporean"? "Hey their wedding why are you poking your nose in? You're his mother in law is it?" 🤣. In Singapore, "Singaporean" > race.
@@sauravlahiry6951 good, valid question indeed. You can see many Chinese girls marrying Indian guys. Not the other way round. Harsh reality is majority of Chinese men have strong racial prejudice. They like to crack stupid racist jokes unknowingly. They have tunnel vision to life. You can change it. They will cry when they get slapped by white guys. But they do the same. There are many good examples of racial insensitivity in every spectrum of life in Singapore. They expect everyone to accept their way.
Another thing you see uniquely in Singapore is that a lot of seniors still work after retirement to sustain now you see that tells you it’s not a place to retire.
So, what's your solution to grow the economy? Singaporeans are aware of their geographical constraints--and in this scenario, it's often a choice between bad and less bad, not good or bad. Singaporeans are still tweaking the system to make it better for everyone and have made a lot of improvement in its healthcare and public education, less so in housing.
Sad to say, the improvement these days are mostly benefitting the elites. The pavements in many HDB estates are still no better than in the 70s and where once pebble stone paths once dotted the estates built in the 80s, somewhere after 2000, the entire infrastructure and many others were reduced to concrete pavements or completely removed, like tiled covers on the parapet. Even the greenery was completely destroyed with many fruit trees, flowering shrubs uprooted and replaced with gnarly shrubs and orange trees (current favourite flora of someone influential) which do not flower at all and regularly given army crew cuts reducing many lush trees to bare trunks and fluttering thin branches dotted with leaflets.
there’s a limit to economic growth. you can’t sell & export more and more stuff. who should be the one buying all that shit? there’s no one. growth has its limits. Singapore developed into Switzerland level. there’s nothing to develop or grow anymore, there’s only now to LIVE. your singaporean parents & grandparents worked their asses off for their country so that YOU can live an easy better life with much freetime leisure & without much work. NOT that you go through the same slavery they did. We should let their sacrifices go not into vain for some greedy bastards who are willing to sacrifice the not-existent happiness of their singaporean citizen to the limit even more, for their 80th buggati and yacht. it’s time to enjoy LIFE. Singapore succeed, time get some happiness.
@@PlayerHeader you forgot Singapore's economy is a diversified one, unlike other countries such as Malaysia and Brunei which highly depends on natural oil and petrol which makes up half of their GDP (for Malaysia)
As once a Singaporean student, there is some truth in your video, but as to any topic ever, there are outliers and contrarians who survive and excel without conforming to govt's education norms. As you mention earlier, yes there is immense pressure, it's a survival jungle out here, but there are some of us who thrive on this pressure and stress. Emotional Quotient is indeed a scarce asset here.
Now in the last year of secondary school I can probably be qualify to comment on the education system in Singapore I did not start good in Singapore, due to some family issues I lived in china untill I am Primary 3 and due another family issue I was sent back to Singapore again. This completely messed up my academic performance and personal welfare. I did not receive any English class in china thus I cannot understand anything on primary school until P4-5, failing every subject except for Chinese. Consequently Did super bad on “PSLE”(As mentioned in the video, this exam put you to different streams) went in one of the secondary with the minimum entry requirement Now you probably think I will rant about the system but actually I am very satisfied with my time there, even though the school is a sort of ‘gangsta’ community school the Teachers there are still very responsible and effective. You can definitely do well if you have the determination for it the school will assist you with your learning. But do be noted that as a lower stream you will receive lesser resources from the school compared to others and even be labelled as dumb and hopeless but the resources you get is completely enough for you to get yourself together and climb back up. In Secondary 2 students are given a chance to go to a better stream if they get 75% and above for end of year exam(I got 74% sadly) and proceed to take on O-level just like the rest. Even if you failed to do that you can still choose to go for PFP(A program that grant you access to poly with N-level result at the cost of one extra year) and secondary 5(to take O-level) there is at least 3 chances for you to leave your current stream and hop to better one. As long as you are willing to do it you can.
That’s the good side highlighted now the downside Yes the system is competitive, and every decision you made will consequently affect you options all the way untill university courses. I will show you the cost effect chain in the system with my Personal example -I did badly in PSLE -got into a bad school -in a lower stream -took N-level exam Now you road separate I will highlight both way PFP pathway: -one extra year in polytechnic -limited courses offer to you in the program -limited poly courses limit you from taking university courses -you option of degree is limited by your poly diploma as some degree only accept relevant diploma from poly) -getting in a industry you do not like Secondary 5 pathway(my personal Pathway) Take O-level exam Polytechnic: -Limited by N-level subject combination -forbids you from taking biology subject(only offered in express stream) or any other pure science subject(i have to highlight, a lot of the subject are only available in O-level streams and some of that subject is crucial to applying some diploma in poly so if you want to become a doctor you must not be in N-level stream from the start because you need biology as a subject) -You will not be able to take medical relevant diploma in poly or any other diploma required you to have a specific O-level subject -still limited choice of career JC: -O-level subject combination affect the A-level subject combination -since you were from N-level it is impossible for you to get some A-level subject -how A-level subject is a must to apply for some university degree to sum it up, you can definitely get back to higher stream but once you are in Lower stream you career option is very limited by the lower stream it will ultimately affect your university options if you perform poor In primary school national exam and that fucking fucked up.
Good video. I feel sympathy for the working class in Singapore. Unfortunately, average workers in my home town of London also face the same issues. They see luxury flats going up everywhere and they can no longer afford the neighborhoods they grew up in. I don’t know if any major city has found a solution to the housing issue.
Please do a video abt a country that located above Singapore; Malaysia. They will be having general election this mid November, maybe a well summarised dark side of Malaysia can be a good eye opener for the voters out there.
Great here. I love the fact that drew in time to make your research its really accurate. If you can kindly upload constantly cause at times we take long with content from you
The video has the point. However. Which country is so perfect? I am living in SG now as a foreigner, and all I have to appreciate is its people and what they have done. There is no utopia in the universe, and you will be living in hells no matter where you are if you don’t learn to appreciate what you have.
I used to work at sg as an immigrant worker but i go back and forth from malaysia-sg to work at sg everyday. I work as a factory worker (operator) 9hour daily(weekend off). The biggest problem i had with my company i work into is their breaktime is only 15min in those 9hour work and also "forced" OT on weekend, while in malaysia breaktime is at least 1hour. Luckily there is some loophole because the company stated u cant take OT if u take MC on the same week. So if i dont want to OT on that week,simply go for and MC. Sound unethical but fuck it i wanna rest and chill on weekend too 🤣
Everytime I go to SG, i usually took taxy from Harbourfront to another point. I often heard the Taxi driver said their life difficulty in today's SG life. I cannot generalized them all from the Taxi driver perspective, but its really something. We have to admit that, not only in SG. Almost all country in the world facing the same problem. Perhaps The only difference is i still can take vegetables from my backyard when i don't have money to buy it. But... For me... I like SG and they are small but outstanding. Hope they will find the way out of their social issues.
It was like a Matrix moment when I realised how things truly were and decided to leave the country right after finishing my degree at NUS 16 years ago. I was court-martialed for allegedly breaching my exit permit while in Melbourne awaiting result of my Australian permanent residency visa application. Not even an apology was offered after I showed up at Tengah Air Base and they admitted that it was a computer error. A truly reprehensible place.
I was born in India & lived in Singapore up to the age of fifteen & we were having beautiful Kampong life in Sembawang which can never be matched with the skyscaper life of today.Now when l talked to my friends in Singapore from India they always say fed up of this life full of tension & Singapore is good for staying one or two weeks as tourist.
As i singaporean the video is very accurate and the kiasu mentality u touched on is niceee as it is another reason why we students are very stressed haha your parents will compare your grades to their friends and relative the people surrounding them, then at the same time u have to worry about scoring grades not only for your future but also because u know your parents dont want to lose to other parents😂, the cycle repeats and ya its a vicious cycle. The video's infomation was good btw :D
As a Singaporean that is currently in high school, I get why every single student in class is so obcessed with grades. Exams really changes the rest of your life, but from my contextual knowledge, it is still mostly going to be work, work and more work. If I am older and could afford moving out of Singapore, I would. Even if I earn significantly less money, at least I could have a laid-back life with ample time to enjoy what I like doing the most, instead of confining myself into SG's societial norms and work entire chunks of my precious life. Remember, we only live once. Would you rather live a fufiling life where you could enjoy yourself to your fullest, or would you put all your hardwork and sacrifice your well-being for corporations that dont care about you?
After living in 3 continents, I recently relocated to Singapore from London. I am pleasantly surprised how balanced this city state is in every aspect including signs of responsible capitalism. It’s a perfect example of what great leadership can do. No place is perfect but the Singapore model is probably the closest to it.
I have a question for you. I often hear that people who work in the corporate world have little to no life in London. Maybe this true to a degree maybe it is not at all (I do not personally know). What is the situation in Singapore when compared to London, i am curious to read your experience ?
As a US citizen with a living allowance (rent for a 3 bdr flat was 9000 USD in 2010) I loved living in Singapore-safe, clean, excellent cheap healthcare, good public transport as a car was at least double the US price). My husband came with a US govt job but I was denied a work permit as I was over 50. Many of my Singapore friends were layed off from jobs at 60 and most of the taxi drivers were ex businessmen who had to work in retirement. There were many elderly selling Kleenex on Orchard Road (Singapore Rodeo Dr). I experienced a sad part of kiasu when I tripped on a curb and broke my ankle. People averted their eyes and walked past me in embarrassment for my “mistake”-my friends warned me this was not uncommon. It happened again when I started to choke at a party and people edged away-my husband helped me. I also found my Singapore friends were very afraid of the rest of the world-they worried endlessly about dangers when they were in a country with almost no crime-they would push me out front if something aggressive or uncomfortable needed to be done-of course Americans are rude😂 STILL-I loved living in Singapore and my Singapore friends were honest and kind. I wish them nothing but the best😀
This is exactly my case. As a tourist going to the airport using MRT. My hands got stocked in between the closing doors, no one could help, later the doors opened and I was in, every one acted as if nothing happened. Now imagine myself in a situation between life and death. Nothing will happen. This is too bad.
Authoritarianism always kills the humanity in the people, they become cowards and are afraid to help. Tragic, but glad you saw this. Don't allow the US to fall into this trap. Get more of your younger friends and family to vote.
No offense to anyone, but after reading the comments. I’m only curious to find out how many of u served Singapore armed forces or will be serving. Pls leave a like.
I've worked in Singapore as IT for a bank for 2 years. 9am-10pm everyday, weekend support calls, midnight support etc. It was hell. No benefits, no work life balance, all I did for 2 years was to work. Got paid 7000 sgd per month. Was it worth it? Sure, if coming from a poor country. But when I saved enough, I immediately left. Not going back.
As a minority in Singapore, this video is more accurate then whatever our current ruling party think is going on. If meritocracy isn't bad enough, there's the racial discrimination that comes with not being from the majority of the four national races we have in Singapore. And age discrimination too. Many places have a 'token' person where they're there to make it look like there is diversity. You can be old and obsolete BUT if you are old, obsolete AND a minority? It will be THAT much worse for you. Local companies and employers far out prefer foreign workers over local citizens as they're cheaper. Many foreign workers bully local colleagues out of their jobs to have a vacant spot to bring in more of them. Attempts to voice out such concerns are either dismissed or undermined which makes us more bitter towards foreigners.
With experience as a Singaporean student currently about to go through O levels, I honestly think that the country is dying economically and society wise. This video basically sums up everything but one point that I think he did not mention is the toxic enviroments in schools and at home. Im sure most Singaporeans agree, either u rebel or ur a pleaser when it comes to parents. If you choose to rebel, it will only add up to the pressure and stress currently. Child abuse has became a norm too. School is also very toxic because of the social status in ur class. You basically need to have good social skills or be outright manipulative to be popular and have many friends. If not, adolescent teenagers like me will just feel downright insecure about everything and become depressed. Im sure most people from other countries reading this can relate to it one way or another.
Ima just say best of luck to your O levels Also to add, if you're a pleaser child, you'll probably get overworked and then stressed really fast due to expectations from uour parents, teachers and yourself. It's really a lose-lose situation in which choosing the bad instead of the worse will be the best option
You are feeling this way because you may be overwhelmed by your O levels and probably your parents who hope to get the best out of you. Their fear is that you would struggle later on in life if you don't put in the hard work now. As parents, it's always a struggle between giving your kids fishes or teaching them how to fish. Being a rebel is a growth progress because you are building your own identity in life. Your parents may not recognise this or if they do, are not adequate enough to handle this differently because they weren't brought up in that way. Trust me, being popular is overrated. I never hung with popular kids in school because I find them to be pretty shallow. All talk but no substance. Instead, I found my own niche group of buddies that has stuck with me through thick and thin. Don't lose yourself trying to please others because it will only disappoint everyone. Instead, find real friends that are willing to accept you for who you are. Those are friends worth keeping. And having good social skills is vital in life, be it work or play. Pretty sure you won't like dealing with snobs who are so insensitive to people around them. You may idealise people in other countries thinking they're having better lives. Grass is always greener on the other side. Last but not least, your success and failures in school DO NOT define your adult life. I scrapped by for my O levels thinking I was doomed but I managed to go on to poly, graduated and have a family of my own. I'm not rich but I'm comfortable. Many lessons are learnt outside school. As long as you don't give up on learning, you will always grow. Have faith, do your best for your Os and be the best person you wanna be. =)
as a singaporean child, for me, my brothers and my friends, when it comes to our studies, we are pleasers, so we work very hard in our studies, however when it comes to gaming or playing, we rebel, we explain to our parents that since we work so hard, we deserve to play and rest more, so in my opinion, the way to live a normal life is to be a rebel AND a pleaser.
Singaporean Older Generation are the Gem's They are very humble and works equal to 25 year old and I am glad I had a opportunity To work in Singaporean in my life .
Matches the Singapore I knew back in the 1990s when I used to visit on business. Still friends with an ex-colleague, over the years I can say he has never lost the rushed, nervous and quick-talking personality I first met. Great guy, massively stressed out. Would love to visit again, though. Chinese, British and Continental breakfast all available in the hotel; _awesome._ Really loved to have a coffee prepared the local way (filtered, condensed milk) at the little shops near the park in front of the Singtel building, sitting in the relative cool of the morning and admiring the local bird species.
Dear DOM, Please do a report and analysis of the Philippines. It started out as the first modern city in Southeast Asia because of American "ownership" in 1899, devastation during WWII, quick rebuilding and Western-style modernisation post-war. It was even Lee Kwan Yew's model for Singapore during Pres Marcos's Martial Law yrs. Show us what happened post-Marcos and post-US bases. Thank you.
It would be interesting. Personally, I feel that the US ruined the Philippines. American-style capitalism barely works in the US, but seems to work only because there's a lot of money they're. It fails miserably in the Philippines because people have so little money. They can't afford a decent education, health care, proper transport. Don't worry, the West is heading that way too.
As a Singaporean born and bred, there's always 2 sides to the coin. Sure, we are not as liberal compared to some Western democracies but I'm glad that our govt doesn't copy wholesale from foreign governments because it simply won't work in Singapore due to our mixture of different race, religion and culture within, not to mention that we're surrounded by neighbours who may pick fault with us if we stand out too much from the rest of the ASEAN nations. Singapore Government recognises the housing issue and is willing to introduce market cooling measures. Unlike Hong Kong, young Singaporeans have more realistic chance of "owning" public housing because we're required to contribute certain percentage of our monthly wages into CPF which can then be used to pay for a variety of essentials such as housing loans, medical and school fees, similar to how social securities work in Western countries I assume. The key here is to live within your means and don't get smart by flipping public housing properties unless you are very sure about what you're getting into. Compare to some of our ASEAN neighbours, corruption and crime rate is very low in Singapore as authorities come down hard on perpetuators, giving people and investors confidence to set up businesses in Singapore which in turn offer job opportunities. Public infrastructures are well planned and public transport works well 98% of the time in my humble opinion. Bottomline: things generally work the way you expect them to be in Singapore. Some Singaporeans take these conveniences for granted because they've probably never step foot outside the country for extended period of time. In terms of population, most of our forefathers were immigrants from all parts of the work and I think SG government will not hesitate to bring in foreigners en mass if our birth rate continues to fall, since human workforce is vital for Singapore's progress. This by itself is worrying for Singaporeans, but the giant wheels of Singapore Incorporated will not stop simply because of our reluctance to comply. Our strong currency and relatively high quality of life in ASEAN means most ASEAN citizens are willing to work here and hopefully take roots in Singapore. The challenge is how will the SG government cultivate a sense of belonging and loyalty among these new citizens so that they won't run away at the first sign of trouble should Singapore gets drawn into any global disputes. My complaint is that there's no soul to Singapore because everything looks glossy and man-made. We don't have the luxury of countries like Japan or Korea where the population is more homogenous because they have centuries of cultural grounding. Change is the only constant in Singapore and if Singaporeans don't catch up, then we'll easily become obsolete on regional and global stages. In life there will always be trade-offs. Not everyone can have their pie and eat it.
Singapore is focussed on a policy of rapid population growth or Ponzi Demography. Sure you can import foreign talents to counter a self declared ageing problem but Singapore is a tiny island. At some point, this island will reach its maximum limit and there will be no land to import more foreign talents. There will be a huge ageing population then as the new migrants become old themselves but without the ability to import more foreign talents to increase demand in the country, housing prices and the economy will collapse. This is a fact.
@@ving8355 looking at the new MRT lines being built probably they are still continuing the growth ponzi .... good luck to the 10 million people looking for jobs .... there isn't a need for megacities at this point because of remote work / AI / fintech crypto / metaverse etc
As a Singaporean...there's so many things I love about my Singapore ... after having spent time in most developed countries..like in the America,Europe , Japan, Australia or NZ...is u can walk at night here in peace...and enjoy the night life here more as compared to those other countries..not to mention there's no cold climates here.. On the contrary about the aging population here...as a senior citizen , I'm surprised that I am still much in demand in the workforce as the government encourages to re-employ healthy senior citizens..
Personal opinion I guess. I walk about at night in Japan and NZ with ease as well. No fear at all. By the way, recently got all the rape and murder cases at bedok and yishun when girls went night jogging. So it's not as safe as you think it is. Cold climate oh my god. I hate the heat here and always travel to cold climates to escape the heat.
@@jjsamuelgunn1136 you speak as if earthquakes are going to end their country. I go to Japan twice a year. Never kena before. In Taiwan when I kena earthquake, I just shake along with the building and then life goes on. Unless its like a Richter scale 8 earthquake, no 1 gives a shit about it. May I ask, how many scale 8 earthquakes have we seen in the past 10 years? Not all of NZ are earthquake prone. I'm actually going to migrate over. Bought a house out of range of the earthquake area. Do your research and you will know what areas to stay away from. You say you can run from crime. Why did all the people in the news who kena murdered/raped/molested not run away then?
@@YokNg Living or staying there once a year is different from living there and parking your house there permanently. Sure, go ahead. Anybody can talk now. Anyway, why you suddenly talk about taiwan. Did I mention taiwan? When I say 'run from crime' I don't mean in a literal way, genius.
@@jjsamuelgunn1136 I'm using Taiwan as an example because I experienced my first earthquake there. I thought I made that quite clear. Oh hi genius. Thanks for making your own comments unclear. I generally assume the average commentor doesn't possess the intelligence to add satire or hidden meaning. Now show me what you mean. I guarantee it will not alter the end result anyway. It's just your futile effort to divert the topic into another direction
This is so true. Unlike other "first world" countries, there aren't enough local entrepreneurs and creativity. All the focus is about getting a good education so you can work within PMET jobs at MNCs. (While complaining about FT are competing and taking up those jobs, lol) We don't have enough people who dare to take risks and setting up businesses that generate revenue from other countries (for example, like tech firms in Israel, US and many countries in Europe.) While we are relatively educated as a whole, there's just too much conformity and no one really think outside of the box. To achieve and sustain a level of prosperity, it's not enough to depend on foreign investment & MNCs, we need more homegrown enterprises that can scale and operate globally. Subsequently, this will also lead to more locals working at director and C levels.
But the govt is promoting the no risk culture by punishing people who have different opinions. This will ensure the survival of the existing government, but it will stifle the thinking skills of the people. So no creativity?
I’ve said this for years… Where are the Singaporean cars, motorcycles, products and businesses? Totally dependent on foreign corporations for good employment is very risky!
@@markstevens6682 if you mean singapore to produce our own cars and motorcycles locally, I don’t see how singapore has space to produce all these vehicles. For one, Singapore already has too many people, they don’t want more cars and vehicles on the road. Also it makes more sense to focus land space on accommodation than making items that they don’t want.
A reason for Singapore’s lack of cultural arts and appreciation is because we are such a young country… most countries develop their style and art and culture after years of fine tuning it and enjoying life without all the first world problems. Singapore is not even 60 years old, and the country pretty much has been around with technology and all… also the fast progress of singapore is also due to citizens that have been working hard to push the economy, i doubt it was in our culture to appreciate arts at all. Just work and work.
@@star12341998 I beg to differ. It is actually the other way round. Mr Lee killed the local arts scene in the 70s to get people back to concentrating on just work (and GDP growth), and not dabble themselves with liberal ideas or worse, "socialism". While it made sense given the direction they were taking back then, it has also effectively killed the creative and cultural scene for the coming decades, effects of which we are still feeling to this day even though it has slowly recovered. It is the killing of the arts that has made Work a mainstay culture of Singapore, because most people who were raised and grew up in the years after don't really know better than the official narrative parroted throughout their lives in school. Schools up till recently also mainly concentrate on the academic aspects, because their job is not to nurture future talents, but rather to pump out future wage slaves to feed into the endless grind of an economic machine. Students are not taught to think, but merely to follow the indicated path, as seen from the emphasis placed on their performance in school-leaving examinations.
ok I watch this video again. Kiasu means afraid of losing out. This word surprisingly made it into modern English vocabulary and can be found in dictionary. It is a recent inclusion. The word is from chinese dialects, Teochew and Hokkien. Part of the reason for the inclusion into English vocabulary I guess is due to Singapore being an ex-colony of the British empire. I guess the Brits want to always have some links with its sphere of former influence. The English language has always included some french words and is the opposite of latin which is said to be a dead language. The English language is the language of international commerce. Eventhough Singapore gained independence, but it is still part of the Commonwealth, and the Queen was the head of the commonwealth. Now it is the King. A singh caught onto the idea of Kiasuism and commercialise on it, commisioning a comic book out of it. In the comic, the boss is a Mr Singh, Mr Kiasu is a typical young Singaporean jobber who is like a clown. This clown has a cousin called Kiasi which translate to be a coward. This is the typical sidekick of the main character, and Mr Singh is a remote character who makes cameo appearances. The comic was popular with the local people, and there was commercial element to it. Basically, kiasu is a behaviour that is prevalent in all humans of the world. One cannot say we Singaporeans started it. It is seen in animal group behaviors too, if we observe animal during feeding time. so it is very ancient. Competition is the driving force of kiasu-ism. Yes, children go through the selection process which is very crude by todays' standards, selecting elites out of the lot. These elites are often send for some international math olympiads or spelling bee contests and often gets first placing. The latest was some show in UK of a young Singaporean guy who has mega-memory. He has knowledge of many trivial facts on geography. Now China is showing even more extreme kiasu-ism on many aspects. why because Competition within the mainland is always on a higher notch. This is the same with Europe , and USA. They too have it within themselves. Singapore is technically a small island, although within the Asia land mass. Singapore is the 2nd most densely populated country in the world after Monaco, but not the most dense cities. HongKong have probably higher density, and Hongkongers are known to be hardworking and extremely competitive that Singapore's kiasu-ism would be a laughingstock to them, and then what? They have to come here to be global citizens of the world. The competition in Mainland is the reason. The CCP of China is showing extreme kiasu-ism in brutalism, along with all the PRCs currently in China. It is life and death matters right now in China. People are put in extreme conditions of being deprived of food ! That bit of kiasuism may means survival or death. ok back to Singapore's kiasu-ism. So we have it from young. Into National service where we are like the Russians conscripts right now. Out to the working world, get a wife, start a family, get a house. It is probably planned from cradle to grave. yes it is. The life we live. Kiasuism is conditioned into us to compete for allocation for public housing. If you go along the flow of government planning, one can reap some rebates or discounts along the way, BUT at some disadvantages that is inherent to the process. People are getting married for the housing discounts rather than due to natural pairing. This social engineering which probably is very traditional to chinese culture. The generations before us, marriage was by matchmaking.
i am a singaporean, i know many things happening around me, changes and as such. yet i cant use words to decribe. you can explain very clearly in just a few words. well, more than a few words. just like what we singaporean always say "you really very steady poon peepee' ..
Of the 4 Asian tigers, Korea and Singapore are done while Taiwan and Hong Kong are left. We would appreciate if you cover them as well. Thanks btw!👍👍👍 Malaysia's exploitative model is also a good idea tho.
Malaysia is very laid back, blessed with abundant fertile soil, moderate climate, no serious natural disaster. Not as rich and advanced as Singapore but not poor either. Malaysia can afford to a have a very carefree and relaxed pace as a country to grow and advance economically. What is the point of being well of and rich if you spend all your time working, Not enjoying what life has to offer?. Everyone only have 1 life.
Hong Kong is very easy. Personally I can't believe ppl compare us to SG, we are so so SO much worse than SG. we are home to the richest men in Asia but also a near 20% poverty rate at the same time. Civil servants earn in one month what the poorest earn in a year. All photos of Hong Kong/Victoria Harbour you see are taken from the skyscraper-filled business disctrict. Cross the harbour and go past the harbourside tourist area and you will find the poorest and most densely populated area in Hong Kong (upper west part of kowloon), it's like a completely different city. We also have the most expensive housing in the world (19 times the median income, second place is Sydney at a distant 12 times). A 400 sq.ft flat can run you upwards of 1 million USD in some places. Speaking of housing a good chunk of the poor live in unsanitary and tiny but still overpriced 50-100 sqft subdivided flats (basically a normal flat but each individual room e.g. bedroom each becomes a separate flat), yet the government doesn't do anything about it and keeps letting rich investors fuck up the housing market because yummy yummy land tax (gov's main source of income and the reason why other taxes are extremely low here). Yes we might have public housing but waiting times average out at like nearly a decade. less than half the land here is flatland/suitable for development and government is still trying to reclaim more land and building more apartments when there's plenty of empty ones (enough for the poor and homeless probably) bought up by investors or just gathering dust for being too expensive. Oh, then there's the obvious. Natural security law passed in 2020 after the protests. entire opposition party arrested and parliament is just corrupt tycoons and pro-china bootlickers, publicly criticising the government or China can land you a prison sentence, implementing propaganda and revisionism in the education system, all but 2-3 independent news organizations that don't blindly repeat gov talking points have been shut down and their people arrested, trade unions have also been affected and dismantled (wow very "communist" and pro-worker of you, China), etc etc. More than 100,000 people have already emigrated since 2020 thanks to this stupid law. Dom you can thank me for doing any future video on HK for you 😘
This is so true. With increasing high cost annually, low birth rate and increasing elderly population, SG will very soon become a elderly country, then a foreigner country with little or no Singaporeans and lastly a deserted country where no one wants to even step into the country.
As a Singaporean student, what you have to say about our social & economic situation is a fairly accurate representation of what's going on. When quantity and quality of work is the #1 thing in society & your life, people will inevitably forsake other pursuits like having a family. The overworking is certainly a major cause for concern, my mother used to work for a Bank of China branch, working hours lasted until 10 - 11pm from 8am. I remember my teachers in primary school telling the class how they stayed up till 3am in the morning marking our work, barely getting any sleep for lessons the next day. The country doesn't have a lot of land either, so housing is difficult especially with a growing population due to massive immigration. There's bits of discrimination against immigrants, especially those who come from China and India since they are the most prominent, but I don't discriminate when they come in because my ancestors came from China, and I know Indian friends whose families have been here since Independence, we're all stuck in a stressful situation together and bigotry will only result in unnecessary strife. Lee Kuan Yew's vision was fruitful and the people did receive the benefits, but when you progress so fast, you'll lose the older generations. The good thing is that nowadays, active efforts are made to teach the elderly how to use technology, learn new skills, & so on.
hi if you got free time like holiday, do come to east malaysia to refresh your soul 😂
Nonsense
From my own observation…
My own nieces (30+ & 40+) are all stressed out about their kids.
I was an ex SGrean student too… till A levels (Uni abroad). I know all too well what stress SGrean students go through.
Hence I swear to myself, my kids will never be in SG studying.
Same with dogs, after my SGrean dog passed… I will not have another dog until it’s paws can run free in the meadows or fields.
If I was stressful as a student back then pre 1990s… I cannot imagine the stress the kids are having now.
Yea the stress here is insane and i am always so exhausted both physically and mentally.
so so true, apart from the perfect image outside, the country inside is dying of tiring working hours, fast paced life and expensive lifestyles
As a Singaporean, I agree with you on the issue on overwork leading to less creativity. I have worked for over 10 years at my job .I was very busy as i was focused on my job . When the pandemic hit, the industry i was in (aviation) was hit very very badly. I did not lose my job but my work hours were cut greatly. I found myself with alot of free time as a result and I decided to write a fantasy novel. I completed it and found a great sense of satisfaction that i never felt in all my years of work.
If the pandemic had not hit, i would never have written a novel as the thought of it would never have crossed my mind because i was so busy with work.
Because we are busy chasing something outside, we often forget our inner selves, which possess a superpower from the universe. This power can guide us towards what we should do and help us realize what is truly enough. Life is not about earning money; it is also about enjoying and sharing beautiful moments, just like when you write a book. It is a simple, and that's all.
@@PiseyHean All people come to this life to learn how to love .
Lies again? Dietary Supplements Google Drive
whats the name of the novel? would buy if it interests me
A good use of your time.
As a Singaporean adult that failed badly in their “streaming” system. I say this video is accurate. Once you fall on the wrong side of the road, you have little to no resources for you to pursue your dreams. It took me years before I found my footing but alas am faced with housing problems. Only in Singapore where you’ll have someone that makes 4-5 grand a month and is still staying with his parents.
Your first sentence is very strange. If you are a Singaporean, you should use the word "our". If you use the word their, it means you are probably not Singaporean.
@@ang1852 What makes you singaporean is your citizenship, not the usage of certain words that fit your paradigm.
@@ang1852 That’s a nice attempt at discrediting my comments. Unfortunately my IC is pink.
“Their” and “ours” works. But if you read between the lines, you’d know why “their” is picked over “ours”.
Ours would seem more agreeable like one United Singapore.
Theirs seem to fit better when I’m trying to criticise the people that “created” this system that we have. (Credit given when it’s due, I see them removing things like EM1,2,3, NT, NA express which is a good step. )
You’re also an example of the many xenophobes residing in Singapore. Your first impression of me is “confirm not local” despite the fact that I literally said I’m a Singaporean adult… 🙄
You then very strange ah. Knn internet Sherlock Holmes.
How? Tio kan shiok anot? Anyhow come here say people not Singaporean. Siao peh.
@@Goofygoobn said it damn right
@@ang1852 He has made a valid point and you are busy nitpicking his argument.
I know of a Singaporean guy who lived and worked in South Africa for a few years as an engineer. While in South Africa, he owned a house, a car and he wasn't so busy as he only worked 40-hours per week (8-hours per day, Monday to Friday) hence he had more personal time on the weekends and after work.
However, ever since he returned to Singapore, he's been miserable as even though he earned more money back in Singapore than in South Africa, he still couldn't afford an apartment of his own (let alone buy a house), hence he had to move back into a tiny apartment with his parents, he couldn't get a car as he'd have nowhere to park it or drive it to and he was overworked. Unlike in South Africa, he had no work-life balance in Singapore.
I'm from South Africa. And yes, we DO separate our work from our rest times. I'm from Cape Town, and were known as the "lazy city" as Cape Tonians take everything in their stride. Life's not hurried here😊
He should have just stayed on in South Africa....
What are the typical Singaporean working hours?
@@classiccasualgaming 12 to 14 hrs..
@@khairiaris really not healthy. Also, life has lost meaning. Just work all day until death.
It's not just in Singapore, more people are beginning to realize that maybe hard-work isn't all there is to life anymore. In the end, what is success if you're not fulfilled and happy? In this kind of system we're expected to work for the majority of our waking hours, with a lack of time to do things like spending time with your loved ones, self reflection and the things we enjoy, and even before that we've spent 20 or so years of our lives grinding to score well in exams. This is a more arduous task if we have scholarships to maintain since not all of us are well off enough to pay the exorbitant fees institutions charge. Families can't spend much time with each other because of hectic work culture and it has a domino effect on the whole of society. When a child doesn't get the attention they deserve because mommy and daddy are too busy providing for the family and otherwise, how will this affect society in the long run? If we only have one life, is this how we're gonna use it? It's so obvious why there is a global resentment for the current status quo. You may defend it all you want, but many of us have had enough of it.
Exactly, hardworking is no longer useful, foreign employers just discriminates against Singaporeans and just import immigrants from their own country to replace Singaporeans.
Singapore will slowly become new Japan and Korean.
Most people are born live and die running around following a narrative. Stop. sit on the beach, watch the sunset, enjoy being alive.
@@AjarnSpencer A begger living on the streets is alive and happy. Unfortunately, your suggestion will lead Singapore to downfall.
@Waka Waka that's the sad thing about it, you need a group of people to be unemployed for the whole system to keep running, so that workers will always be afraid of being replaced... I feel so bad for being born in a middle class family while watching the less fortunate live their lives in hardship everyday, but giving 5 bucks or something is like putting a band aid on a wound, it's not going to solve their underlying problems... it's up to the wealthy upper class to decide what to do with their immense amount of wealth and it's clear what their priorities are. And then there are the so called 'third-world' countries that were promised an escape from poverty but ended up in modern imperialism like Nigeria, they're basically owned by Shell at this point... I wish people would stop taking advantage of one another, but alas, it's only a wish.
Born and raised in Singapore, I can sum it up. We Singaporeans work hard for expats to enjoy their lavish life. Glad I'm out of this hell hole.
GO TO NORTH KOREA, you have NO idea what a hell hole is
Its happening in THE UK, THE USA everywhere
@@danielporter7773 no it's not. You clearly haven't even lived outside of sg. Stay cooped up here, and enjoy the corporate slave life here.
agreed with this. which country did you go to?
@@andyng5321 Canada. It's awesome here
This is brilliantly made at many levels. As an expat, the Kiasu mindset starts off as being funny, until it soon becomes stifling. I remember enrolling my daughter in an after school ballet class. What is a little fun and recreation for us, is a matter of serious personal “enrichment” for them. They even threatened to throw my 4 year old out of class because she preferred to wear the outfit gifted by her aunt rather than the one prescribed at the class!
As you rightly say this is the flip side of the country’s success
they do everything by the book, very rare you find someone doing something unconventional. Lived there for almost 3 years
@@r4avn which book my friend i want to LEARN
@@marvin19966 Didn't mean to offend anyone, there is good and bad in everything. What I meant was you guys are too good at following rules, which is a good thing. But too much good leads to other side effects. And of course, it doesn't apply to all, but the majority does.
And I never pointed out that I had any bad experiences in SG, it's a safe, peaceful small city country.
@@marvin19966 Please don’t my friend! The standard book of life will teach us much more and make us more globally robust and worldly wise than a handholding, shepherding, overprotective society
@@r4avn Yes absolutely! There’s a flip side to everything and no one can deny the extraordinary achievements they have made
As a Singaporean, I can confirm that a number of people in this country are obsessed over grades and work, as if those were the only things that mattered in life. This sort of mindset causes unnecessary stress and other physical, mental and emotional health problems. Well, I guess that's how some Asian societies function, because the situation is worse in China and Japan.
I once read a story about a boy in Singapore who committed suicide because his parents were not too happy with his grades, even though his grades were actually quite good. But his grades weren't good enough for his parents, who set a very high expectation on him.
The govt has taken some measures to reduce school-related stress, such as abolishing exams for primary 1 and primary 2 students and abolishing secondary school streaming, but still, some students feel the stress of having to meet their parents' high expectations.
This sort of culture is one reason why I am going to move to another country if I have the money for it. I'm not gonna stay in a country with a culture that doesn't really care about the people's welfare.
@FutaCatto source: from a Japanese
My dear is true Singapore very tough life,,I see I hdb flat 7 people in family staying to gether 😮,, only two rooms ,, 3 people staying in lobby sofas
The grades thing is the Same in Korea.
And some parts of Australia too, mainly in a few schools.
Lies again? After Dark X
Singapore is also infamous for its racism and government represion.
I visited Singapore twice in 2006 and 2015. I have observed that in 2006 Singaporeans are really proud of their success story but in 2015 I can see some unhappiness. This may be because of gaps in wealth distribution which is common in any free economy.
Even singaporean struggling to survive in their own country! 😂
Visit us again in 2024. Mood is even worse now. People are getting prickly
Sebagai rakyat Malaysia, saya sangat kagum dengan pendidikan dan pembangunan yang diterapkan di Singapura.
Tempat saya bekerja saya boleh melihat Seletar Air Port dan Serangon Island setiap hari sejak 2006.
Sehingga sekarang, terdapat banyak bangunan yang telah dibina di atas tanah yang dahulunya laut.
Pembangunan yang dilakukan Singapura adalah bersifat aggressive, sangat pantas.
Saya sering bertemu dan berurusan dengan Chief Officer Singapura, Taiwan, Philippines, China dan lain-lain.
Saya memang akui pendidikan saya ditahap rendah namun ini bukanlah satu halangan untuk kita beramah mesra.
Warga Singapura yang berumur sekitar 50 keatas adalah lebih mesra berbanding 30 dan kebawah.
Saya berharap dimasa hadapan, kita boleh bertegur sapa tanpa memandang tahap pendidikan.
You are most welcome to Singapore because we love to visit your country and be your friendly neighbours too
You are most welcome and thank you for the insight
“Regardless of race, language or religion” should add education level as well 😂 Ramai rakyat Singapura (termasuk diri sendiri) akan memandang tahap pendidikan orang lain untuk membuat anggaran tentang mereka. Saya harap minda ini boleh dikerjakan dan pada masa yang sama, bahawa tahap pendidikan pemuda Melayu saya boleh dipertingkatkan. Saya cukup sedih melihat pemuda Melayu saya ditinggal dalam sistem kami.
I had a colleague which is also an expat from India. Now, he is working in Malaysia and turns out life is better there even though earn less over there. He told us that the concept of clock has no meaning in Singapore. Sleep irregular, eat irregular, lifestyle irregular and social is slim to none. I fully agree with him, I went vacation in Malaysia, you can appreciate the true meaning of leisure, layback and cheap. Yes, we can laugh our neighbor less than success but I want them stays as they are because it bring tears to my eyes whenever I tasted the colorful life.
Actually if you really think about it, is success more important than quality of life. Malaysia gdp is not as high as Singapore or a first world country like Singapore, but its costs of living is significantly lower than Singapore(even if you a Malaysian and earn Malaysian wages) and the people looks much happier. So what is the point of being in a first world country in the first place when the citizens of a developing nation like Malaysia have better quality of life. I also saw a few Singaporeans who migrated to Malaysia and say they prefer their life in Malaysia, they have UA-cam channels.
@@TeleeFONE May I know the name of the channel? :)
@@AzizDoufikar2280 I saw a few, 1 of it is this guy, you can also read the comments section from Singaporeans and Malaysians who migrated/retire in Malaysia and the costs of living is lower and life is less stressful and more fun ua-cam.com/video/zFihlRYCP8M/v-deo.html
@@TeleeFONE Yes, I agree with you that success does matter to improve way of life but overall, sometime, we can appreciate our neighbors unique culture and their way of life. This is why I want them stays as they are. My next trips will be Philippine, Indonesia, Thailand and etc. 😁
Dunno what place you guys went. Went to visit my in laws in Penang. Really dead place. No colour no life. Its supposed to be a better part of Malaysia but it feels like a dead place with a sense of danger.
Not sure if your experiences are recent but my in laws are always saying Malaysia is horribly expensive to live for the wages.
I’ve been speaking to family and friends about this vicious cycle and I’m glad you made this video. I’m from Gen Z, and I feel like my generation will not be able to afford housing, pay more taxes, pay more of everything while wages stay the same.
I’ve already seen my peers ‘take it easy’ with the hustle of life and pursue work-life balance, seeking opportunities elsewhere, etc.
I’ve read some books (Read: From Miracle to Complacency, Nicholas Walton) and articles that claim we’ve gone soft or complacent. But I wonder are we really? Or have we seen how unsustainable the current system is.
What do you mean by "corruption"? I hear the term used all the time.
Gen Z, you are in the 3rd generation of prosperity after WWII. A natural cycle of economic. From bad to good and back to bad in three generations. Growth can't sustain forever, there are many pauses after generations. Some generation are more lucky. When money and jobs are plentiful, price get bid up due to growth, things got expensive. Its all supply and demand in capitalism. At least Gen Z born in a nice facility, many in WWII generation in the world, were born poor and got bombs drop on them.
To me, there's no doubt that the younger generations are "softer" than the older ones. One simple reason is that this generation doesn't really know what it's like to be poor, and that affects their tenacity and drive.
"Poor" amongst the GenZ means not being able to afford meals above $10 often, not being able to buy the latest phones and gadgets. If you're GenZ and worried about housing, i'm worried about your finance management. A couple can afford a 3 room flat (2 bedrooms) with combined income of $2.7k a month (2022). And income levels has risen SO FAST in the past 10 years, it's really worrying to see people who claim they can't afford a house in SG.
"Poor" in my grandparent's era was only being to afford to eat meat on special occasions like birthdays or CNY. CNY was special because it was the only time of the year they bought a new set of clothes. I dont think they ever imagined going on vacations or buying fashionable items. I can only imagine how driven they were to work hard, long hours, suffer scoldings and unfairness, and really commit to their jobs, because if they lost their job, the families would starve.
Their tenacity laid the foundation of the jobs and economy that we feast upon today. If they didnt work so hard, and for so little money, MNCs wouldnt have set up bases here and we wouldnt have the jobs today.
It may seem extreme, comparing 4 generations apart. But i'm a millennial and having been in the workforce for almost a decade, I can honestly tell you that my generation (including me), are not as tough as my parent's or their parent's generation. I am honest and open minded enough to accept that.
I have also seen GenZs coming in as my interns and junior staff, and whether they're softer, whether they can take as many long hours, scoldings, unfairness without complaint... I can see clearly.
@@slayergut imo i don’t see being soft as a bad thing, being willing to take abuse makes you complacent
@@Anon-tq9gm it goes both ways to be honest. It really depends on what someone wants from their career..
If they just want to be comfortable and cruise along in their work, sure, not a bad thing to be soft and sensitive.
But if the person wants to be successful, to be a cut above the rest, they want to be a commando, a C-suite in a large company, a top level athlete etc. Being tough is almost always going to be better than being soft.
Challenges, failures, unfairness etc are inevitable in life. And the higher up you go, the more intense they will be.
Honestly as a Singaporean I feel the people in China, Japan and Korea have it much worse than us. Much worse working conditions, a lack of social welfare and trust in public institutions for the Chinese, and the extremely long working hours and all the restrictive social pressures to conform and stuff for the Japanese and Koreans.
Suicide rate in S. Korea is higher than in Japan and average working hours are longer in S. Korea than in Japan too
Amen! (A Japanese who have lived in SG once) I was so shocked when returning to Japan. You earn so little and pay tremendous tax.
Agreed with you
@@MeecoMucoTiger You mean, tax rate in Japan is outrageous? How high is it?
@@pinetworkminer8377 According to what I've heard, it's close to 50% or more. Including income tax and other taxes. This is just what I've heard and can't be confirm throughly. So do take with a pinch of salt.
As a Singaporean, I'm very impressed by the accuracy of this video! The issues that you've raised hit the nail on the head, it's almost as if you're a local here (are you? haha). Growth is a logarithmic curve - and it seems like as a country we're reaching a plateau where it's harder to push for more. I think you rightly stated that the strategy that worked in the past will not work for the future. Now that we've reached "economic success" as a country, our goal and therefore strategy for the future has to change. But as a country, I don't think that goal and strategy is clear to us yet.
spot on...there isn't a need for mega financial cities anymore ... new technologies Remote working / Metaverse / AI / Fintech / Crypto will reduce need for financial centres (NY/London/HongKong) etc .. trying to cram millions onto a small islands runs counter to world trends of decentralization
Study well lah ✌️
Insightful to accept a view, critically reflect on your experience and then look for a solution. Asking the questions to shape a better future. Many of us in the Developing World see Singapore as the ultimate yardstick. We can even learn more.
Massonians are taking control of yhe entire world and they serve the devil. So pray to God/Allah and hope 4 best whilst being ready 4 worst.
You can always run to Malaysia where living is easy.
when i visited singapore this year, i noticed that everyone i walked past by does not look happy and they look very tired. everyone pretty much has this 12 hour work face on and just wants to go home and rest.
The country is rich but not necessarily its people 😢
The going will get tough for every country and even tougher for resource poor Singapore. I lived in many countries, and realised that Singapore is one of the few country who recognises her problems and make tactical decisions to address them. And this is important, a strategy is only good if there is constant monitoring of changing circumstances and adaptions to those changes. In general, smaller societies have high agility and adaptability; I am confident, for now, Singapore has the attributes to succeed.
Agree with your observation
There are persistent problems like low birth rate, high costs, high maintenance, and global competition. Lets hope the leadership are as agile and adaptable as you say.
address them?😂😂😂😂 the clown 4g leadership are so out of touch it’s not funny
@@taeyeonist1462 another old uncle who complains abt government everyday XD
@@hoogreen another mindless government sycophant incapable of critical thinking 😂
As 3rd Gen Singaporean, with both my parents and grandparents having seen it’s rise, I can assure all audience members this video is very true. I like in the North, the people stuffing area you could say which no foreigners really know. My grandparents worked in the Naval base and later Shipyard there, seeing its transformation from a Kampung to a Town Centre. Life is very stressful, and it’s not a happy one. Everything is competitive, and the ones who can’t keep up will fall.
This is the price of getting into 1st world country. Unless ur grandparents wants to remain as wad singapore used to be 50 iver years ago where everyday u have to worry if there's enough food to feed ur family or not, earning only like 10, 20 per month. Cause wad I know is my grandma ( she went through ww2 )used to be very poor and she is happy that singapore develop into such a rich and beautiful country with more opportunities.
I’m proud about Singapore as an Asian although it must have been difficult for many. I wish my country, Sri Lanka has sone the right things from the beginning. It’s miserable to be a citizen in a bankrupt country. Sri Lankans now live in hunger and have very limited opportunities to succeed.
That’s why agriculture and Self sustainability is important. It’s important to meet atleast 70 percent of basic neves internally itself
Lee Kuan Yew always believed Sri Lanka had the right ingredients to be the next Asian economic miracle and it did but its leaders starting with the Bandaranaikes took that country deep into the ground and for years he expressed disappointment at what Sri Lanka (or Ceylon as it was known) had become.
Dividing a multiracial society based on race will always bring problems and all of Sri Lanka's problems trace back to its reluctance to accept its multiracial heritage. Singapore learned from its past and created a meritocratic society where its Chinese, Malay, Indian/Tamil and Eurasian populations were all equal. Sri Lanka should have done the same, creating a society where its Sinhalese, Tamil, Moor, Malay and Burgher/Eurasian populations were all equal. What a waste.
Blame the WEF penetrating your government's cabinet..
I am truly sorry my friend and send my prayers to you and your compatriots, the best of luck
@@user-jt3dw6vv4x LKY was a Han supremacist and helped install a chemical castration program for the Tamils and Malays cause he thought the poor minorities would out-breed the middle-class chinese lmao
But besides that he had the right idea in terms of integrating all groups into the housing units so ethnic enclaves wouldn't happen as well as outlawing even religious discrimination.
@@wheresmyeyebrow1608 Never heard of that but LKY is a role model for the world.
Agreed with most of the content, especially the Kiasu mentality. Though that said, every country has their own problems, no country is perfect. It comes down to how that country adapts to their problems, and whether the trade-off is worth it.
Agreed, America has a lot of problems too. Keeping up with the Jones is what we said here. Without a standard of a good citizen, America is falling behind. The wealth of the past generation is getting less in each age. Homeless and dysfunctional government with 24 hours political fights is worse than this video problem of Singapore. People lose hope, worry about China, and the family split with different political views. We wish we have the Singapore problem.
Are you annoyed when people are kiasu? Like how?
As a Singaporean studying in secondary school, I agree with being burnt out. Recently, our end of years exams have ended. I will be moving on to secondary 3 next year, so I am pressured to chose what subjects I want to take. It’s not easy to just pick whatever you want. They will always put the people who are better in the subject first before yourself no matter how much you like that subject. As a very average student interested in art and not too worried about things like biology and additional maths, I am shunned by many people and they say that I should be taking pure subjects instead of wasting my time on art. They keep telling me that anyone who chooses to take art in secondary 3 is out of their mind or are stupid. Yes I am burnt out. There is always that thought at the back of my mind that I have to be good in at least one subject, I have to get an A in this subject, I need to be best at this subject. Not only to please teachers or parents, but also to please myself. The education system is truly tiring and competitive, it’s always about how well you do that determines your strength as a leader sometimes as well. I lost count of how many nights of sleep I lost preparing for exams and to know that I won’t be one of those prioritised for that specific subject after working so hard because my score is average, it just hurts to be honest. I see so many of my friend succumbing to depression and anxiety for the pressure to get A’s just so their parents won’t take away their devices which is their only escape from reality. I really hope this mentality of working hard will just be dropped soon.
Screw the people asking you to take pure science, trust me once it hits sec 3 if you don't like the subjects you take, it won't end well. Personally, I got pressured into taking A math but it was the worst mistake of my life. Countless sleepless nights spent practicing something I just couldn't understand. I finally dropped it but not after wasting my sec 3 and a half of my sec 4 year. Take art if you have an interest in it, it'll be the only thing keeping you going when the subject gets tough.
Heyy, first off thanks for sharing. I’m a 22 yr old in the working field now, I might be able to understand how you feel as I took F&N (food and nutrition) for Os when I was your age :) it’s also commonly not regarded as a subject for “smart ppl”, but I agree w this previous comment, of how you should definitely take subjects closer to your heart. Because when it gets tough, that interest is what will keep you going. I know it might be hard to pursue something you like at the age, especially with social pressure from people who have more social/ financial power, but try your best to take what u like/ do what you love in your own capacity.
That being said, here’s a reminder that you’re trying the best that you can. And regardless of results, you are W O R T H Y okay? You’re worthy of love and kindness and gentleness on yourself :) at the end of the day, your relationship with yourself is what will propel your forward, regardless of some national exam results. All the best in life kiddo :)
Ended up getting F9 for Principles of Accounts (PoA) because my mother told me it would be "better for my future" and her colleague's daughter got A1 "no problem". She seemed to conveniently forget I was horrific at Maths and only scored well for English, Pure Literature and Humanities.
I should have taken Food & Nutrition because there was crossover with Biology which I was already taking, and I have a massive love for food and cooking that I retain to this day.
Guess what? Accounts did nothing much for me because now I'm a writer and studied theatre at university because I could do/loved nothing else.
Move towards your interests, and have faith in your own skills. I agree that O Levels are crappy overall, but don't let your experience in secondary school negatively shape your life! Singapore/society may not see the benefit of art but it doesn't mean you don't have to.
Find the small joys in life and try not to let the stress that everyone seems to expect (or you aren't "working hard") take over your life, cause that only leads to trauma and unhappiness.
All the best and jiayou with exams but also your life beyond Os! There's so much more than what Singapore tells you there is!
im a student in the middle of my o’s, and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE just take subjs that you like and confident that you will put effort so you will do continuously well. dont take subjs only bc ur parents pressure, you might not use your full potential then you burn out, and thats not good. jiayous
@@andreasng3182 hi sorry for late reply but ya thanks! I heard a lot of my seniors struggling with A math and failed to do well, I will keep that in mind :)
As a former Singaporean, I had planned to move overseas. I moved to Canada in 2004, and although it had not been easy initially, I finally settled down. The pasture is not always greener on the other side but overall I felt more at peace in Canada. Singapore however is always a nice place to visit, and eat, when I see my relatives.
Singapore is Little North Korea May the Singaporean Justice be exposed for unlawful deletion of case FC/OSG 139.2015, and the coverup of my son's kidnap.
@@AjarnSpencer what happened?
I am a Singaporean who will be leaving for Canada in a couple of months as well.
Opposite for me here, lived in Ontario the past 8 years. Moving to Singapore has been one of the worst changes of scenery in my entire lifetime (of which I’ve had an abundance of). Taxes are very low here yes, but I don’t believe it’s worth the amounts of overall social depression and stress experienced here, I thought freedom was going extinct in Canada but living in Singapore has made me develop a newfound appreciation for western freedoms more than ever.
I will add the food is absolutely amazing here though haha
I disagree with the generalisation that grades = everything. As a Singaporean who did poorly academically in my earlier years, I only started getting decent grades in Poly, when I was 18/19 years old (high school equivalent). Even so, I still managed to enter a local university, graduating with a second upper honours degree, and a scholarship from a statutory board. I do also have a number of peers who did not do well in primary/secondary school and even during university, but still ended up working in government entities, IB, large corporations etc.
As mentioned in the video, Singapore's society is based on meritocracy, and for the most, they look at an individual holistically. If you're the best in the room (grades, non academic achievements, eloquent, relevant experience), you'll get the scholarship/ university admission/ job.
I just want to say that this video was well-made. It covers a lot of the important issues Singapore is currently facing. Keep up the good work!
I heard from my Singaporean friends who work for the civil service that high level gov officials are actually scouted and groomed from a rather young age. The ones who do well and all that. I personally know one who is now a minister, and one who has been climbing the ranks pretty fast in the service too. I don’t blame them for being this way. If anything, Singapore is very efficient. I personally find it very military like, but it works nevertheless
To clarify, the Singapore civil service has two tracks. There's the normal track for most people (of course if you perform well you'll be promoted, but not as fast as the other track). Then there's the scholar track, where people who have been offered prestigous scholarships like the Public Service Commission Scholarships or the Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Scholarship. These scholarships are awarded to 18 year olds who have just completed their A levels, and they look at your extracurriculars, leadership potential and character etc and subject you to rounds of intense scrutiny and interviews. Basically these scholars go overseas to study, and once they've completed their tertiary education they come back and work in the civil service. They get promoted faster and get offered better opportunities first, so naturally they rise through the ranks extraordinarily fast until they get to the top in the civil service or military, and if they are willing to enter politics, become ministers and future leaders of their country. To illustrate, the Commanding Officer of my artillery battalion during my NS was some super young scholar in his early 30s who had already made full colonel. Then he got posted out and replaced by a regular guy in his 40s who had just made lieutenant colonel (1 rank and two paygrades below colonel). That's how fast the scholars rise. No doubt the scholars are capable people, but I feel the danger is that this practice breeds leaders who all think the same way and engenders groupthink and an inability to think outside the box.
@@silverchairsg very true. There’s also that risk. I’m wondering, I know someone who was also a very very excellent student. Ivy League. He didn’t join the civil service, but a big international company. He was soaring high, then became a minister. My friends told me he was “scouted”, what does that mean? Are these people also kept an eye on for higher gov positions?
@@bettyhello Ok. To clarify a bit, my previous comment describes how the government scouts talented people for the civil service. They are groomed for top leadership positions in the civil service or the army, but are civil servants, not politicans (though they can choose to run for politics later on). For your friend's case, he was "scouted" by the People's Action Party (the political party in Singapore) to join politics, not the civil service. The PAP has a habit of tracking up and coming "high flyers" in the private or public sector and inviting them for "coffee" to invite them to join them and run for politics. This is a different thing from joining the civil service as I described above. So to become minister, your friend had to join the PAP and run for elections and be elected a Member of Parliment to represent one of the housing districts in Singapore, and then named Minister by Lee Hsien Loong in his Cabinet. The ministers are politically elected appointees from the winning political party, but their staff who advise and carry out their instructions are civil servants, including the top staff/civil servants who tend to be these scholars.
@@bettyhello Yes, sometimes they get people who are successful managers in companies to take up government service because, well, proven track record outside. Much better/cheaper than having to groom them yourself.
@Waka Waka Yes and when you compare the SAF high flyers with their US counterparts it's almost comical. High flyer becomes a major in their late 20s while some US captains are old AF and already greying at the temples.
The problems highlighted in the second part of the video can apply to many Asian countries and is not unique to Singapore. I'm not Singaporean but my wife is and I decided to have my kids born as Singaporean. We don't own a car, live in an HDB flat, and sent our kids to a neighborhood school. Tuition only for Chinese as we speak English at home and Cantonese is not mother tongue. We are also not Kiasu parents and don't pressure out kids. We live within our means and my wife works part-time so she's not bored. We are not financially stressed and are able to spend alot of time with our kids. My son passed the GEP exams without any tuition and he stayed in the neighborhood school in Clementi. PSLE was not stressful either as he got accepted to NUS High via DSA. My daughter attends a good secondary school in the neighborhood. I believe that we have achieved such balance through understanding and practicing many aspects of family and consumer science with as much engagement with out children as possible. We find that some of those who are stressed bring in upon themselves because of being kiasu. And most of the stress is financial being caused by spending close to the maximum of their means. Cars, condo, eating out often, and wanting branded goods are prime examples of decisions that cause unnesseary financial pressures. The costs of being kiasu is missing out on the blissful experiences of life but having all the material trappings of comparative societal success.
Similar mindset as you. Chose personally to live within my means so as to reduce stress in the family and spend more quality time with one another. I’m educated in the so-called elite SG schools, finished a bachelor at NUS and has a master from NTU. Ultimately decided not to stay in the corporate rat race, and it’s not that difficult since we chose to live in a 3 room HDB and don’t own a car. We can even afford nice annual holidays and set aside money for retirement. That said I’m actively looking to get my son educated overseas eventually and also planning to retire overseas as Singapore is getting increasingly to costly to live in.
Very well said 👏👏👏 it's the kiasu mentality and to be better than your neighbours that make one's life so stressful. Try living within your means and believe as the saying goes "Contentment in life is great gain"
I spend morethan 6 years in SG working as a health care profesional and this video is 100% true. It's a sad reallity, the work- related stress (physical, mental, emotional), the vecious competition and greed to get even better/ be the best is really unimaginable. I get sicked of it and moved to the UK, but kinda regret it. Because inspite of it's dark side (there are few more issues not mentioned in this video), Sg is the defenition of convenience and efficiency. Work wise, they know how to compensate/aprreciate you for your hard work. In terms of services or just paying your tax, you will definately see with your own eyes and experienced what you paid for.
How is it still efficient if everyone is working so hard? Isn't this the opposite case?
@@CW91 I'm just telling my experience. I know it's getting out of the main topic but, I myself learned to be efficient with my job because of the work culture there (although their work culture is sometimes toxic but, there are are also good things came out from it). And if you are not aware, compared to other countries Singapore provides/ prioritise good customer service coz Sigaporeans are good in complaining.
@@maryannconstantino4507 what you said is true. It's only the term "efficient" which I am questioning (not to you) because working hard is usually a sign of inefficiency.
@@CW91 i respect what you believe...but not everytime working hard and inefficiency coincides. We works hard to get a better result, to aim to provide quality and efficient service. That's how we're trained in my previous job and how I view it. Meanwhile, slacking and not working hard results in inefficiency. Well I guess it will be more fitting to use the term "struggling to work" (for the sake of the context of that video) instead of "working hard" - it can be misleading.
I’m a Singaporean student, although we don’t say we are stressed. We actually are saying that behind a fake face pretending to be happy so we don’t stress out our already hard-working parents.
Same man
This video far oversimplifies the situation, and yet somehow still hits the nail on the head.
Wow. What I’m hearing is that Singapore has exactly the same problems that most East Asian countries have…Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, China, you name it - they all share this story of Singapore’s. People are depressed, societies are highly competitive, high conformity and low creativity, etc.
I guess what makes Singapore unique is that the Singaporean government is a very smart authoritarian regime. Authoritarian, but smart. It governs with brains, and in turn gains good control over the society, making it even easier for it to govern.
Singapore covers up every negative aspect of its society. Which is why few people know the truth about this, one of the most dangerous and shittiest countries.
@@AjarnSpencer Wow really 😯 Could you elaborate on this? I’d love to know more
highly competitive because the population have the highest IQ. all the countries you named have the highest IQ on the planet. Don't forget Japan.
If you think Singapore’s Kiasu mentality is bad, please do a deep dive into Hong Kong. It’s on a whole other level.
On Fertility rate, its not just the stresses of life and high cost of living. The fact that Singaporean men have to serve national service and graduate later than international peers, we feel the need to ‘catch up’ in our careers before having a family. By the time a Singaporean male graduates from university at the age of 25 - 27, our international peers have been working for 3-5 years and we a holding perhaps managerial positions.
HK is NOT Kiasu, Kiasu is not the same competitive, kiasu is definitely a very Sg mindset, most SGporean don't even really understand what kiasu is or don't know how to explain it. Kiasu a scared lose with a petty mindset, "small air", don't confuse it with competitive spirit. HK is definitely not Kiasu.
As a Singaporean, I'm glad you are telling the true story of Singapore. We see too many foreigners singing praises about how this is one of the best places to be yet not even venturing our past the exorbitantly expensive city district. And by the way, this "relatively cheaper" public housing you speak of cost about half a million dollars for a small apartment and housing only goes up from there.
And so I echo words said by many Singaporeans during our dark days of WW2 "We have no right, we have no say, we long to be free one day."
As someone who finished another round of national exams (streaming) not too long ago, I too realised the sheer amount of pressure my classmates were under. Due to the new AL system which is mathematically unrewarding and rewards all-rounders, DSA has also been highly competitive with only ~5% of applicants getting a space. (Yes lots of statistical analysis between T-score (where marks of 4 core subjects are summed and multiplied by 0.73) and AL (where your score for a subject is translated to a number from 1-8 and called your AL and then the ALs for the 4 subjects are summed for the total AL. The system is unrewarding as the AL mark bands are marginal close to the top.
AL1:90% and higher
AL2: 85%-89%
AL3: 80%-84%
AL4: 75%-79%
AL5: 65%-75%
AL6: 45%-65%
AL7: 20%-44%
AL8:
Yeah in the old system B was 60 and A is 75 and above it has become too centralized on academic excellence.
I have visited Singapore 3times, last in 2017. No doubt a beautiful city state, great food, great places like Sentosa, Marina bay area, orchard rd.
I did observe that taxi drivers, hotel staff not friendly to tourists probably due to stress or other reasons.
Even restaurants are rushed. MTR was packed.
Singapore is an icon city 👍
Actally, it is like that in all successful Asian countries.
MTR WOWWWW
eh.. MRT?
This is the first time I have seen your video and I like it very much. You are basically like Economics Explained, but more chilled out and I like that.
From the very first time I first set foot into Spore in 2008, I had this feeling that Singaporeans, although not rude or impolite are always on the run, always busy, always focused on work or making money. It's a city where I HAVE to leave after 2-3 days or I'm feeling too depressed. I couldn't imagine to live there long-term and I'm always surprised that many expats want to.
I even heard that some artists say the audiences in Singapore are some of the most "boring". Again, this is nothing against the country or the people, but I could imagine that such impressions might be true because of the society.
For sure, can't have the best of both worlds. Singapore's success is due to the hard work, without creativity. To sustain this, more hard work would be required, but some creativity in today's modern world would help too,
@@mxsthxted not true that we have not enough creativity. Creativity can be applied in problem solving in any jobs. Solving Singapore issues also require our leaders to think out of box.
Chinese are boring people
It sounds like Taipei.
Studied in a uni for 5 yrs and found out that things are pretty wrong in this island 🇸🇬 of Singapore every step of your educational journey is "Highly" regulated by The interference of govt. It's almost as if you put yourself for 5yrs of constant struggles and hardships like Army training School it's damn hard .
lol it's the opposite. Army training is actually very relaxed, it's school that is stressful.
To be fair they just removed exams for kids till they are p4 (10y)
It used to be from p1 (7y)
It may it not perfect but change is happening
Just vote pap out before is too late. The government will make many promises, but has your life get better? Pap only interested in their own pockets. They will never return your parents CPF and your once u start work. They will increase the 😢minimum amount so high when is time for u to take your CPF, two- third of it will be stuck, u see those old uncle and aunty at food court, work till drop dead. That might be u or me in this situation in the future. In the pass the pap has done good for most Singaporean, now it has become proud and greedy. Time to rise and wake up! 😊
I almost fall off my chair. You need to travel to other countries to see what hard in life.
@@et4344 So... which "other party" you want to control the government? Easy to say jump but when you don't check if the swimming pool got water or not..... No PAP then who? WP? SDP? One of these others is definitely going to take over, so who do you think is good as the next government?
I am an India. This is very similar to India. extremely competitive education. Not enough seats in college. There are college in Delhi where cut off to join the graduation 3 year degree is 99%. Imagine. 99% is the cut off for application. we have some top institutes to study MBA. To get admission, they check school exam marks, high school marks, entrance test marks, Group discussion, personal interview, work experience etc. the cut off is usually 99.70% or more. some students get rejected even at 99.80%. here situation is worse than singapore. because for 1 seat there are 10,000 application. for 1 vacancy there are 50,000 application. Every months, students commit suicide in hostels bcz of depression, study load n stress. there are no official data released. but suicide rate is very high.
Overpopulation is the root of the problem in India, your government needs to fix that first
@@RiseAgainst369 our population is young and rapidly getting skilled & educated just like china did in 1990s, our population is our asset. when all country population is declining, we are having young population who can become doctor, scientist, coder, military personnel. the size of indian middle class is 1000 million.
Welcome to Singapore... Welcome 🙏
True
@@RiseAgainst369or perhaps our govt isn't spending much in education . It's not even 1% of nation's spending budget . Political parties are focused on welfare schemes targeting different sections of society to fill their vote banks .
Btw kiasu also exists not just in Singapore - it pervades lots of industries internationally as well, like in banking and consulting in the UK and US etc.
Of course, there's even a name for it in western society, FOMO.
@@Orion-mi4eu FOMO is a relatively recent term. That competitive streak exists in every society since humans existed. The only difference is how pervasive it is.
How the author describes Kiasu describes most experiences of people in Asian cities. Strong strong competition from a young age to get the best schools the best universities the best jobs because the supply of good jobs is limited and there are always stark reminders of what happens if not successful.
@@matthewmatthew638 however, that competitiveness exists in other societies too obviously. Western societies a century ago were just as competitive, while Asians were the ones still in the fields. Just about every society which got a taste of the better life will acquire a desire to get more.
And like Western societies, East Asians will eventually take stock of what we are doing to ourselves and "lie flat"....for better or worse.
Kiasu in SG starts from a young age (Tuition starting at Primary School). Kiasu in the West mostly starts in work.
Dark side of Singapore is during the night time where it looks even more stunning than bright side.
I lived 5 years in Singapore and always loved everything Singaporean. But got tired of exactly the points you made. Although missing many aspects of Singapore, eventually happy to be back in the EU, with frequent visits to my numerous friends in Singapore.
This is made so well.Most of it is true so it kind of makes me sad.Whenever I tell foreigners that I’m Singaporean they are always like ‘Wow your so lucky!’ but we kind of sacrifice a lot of things to be successful.Steven He said ‘no dating till college’, but for most Singaporeans they date after they finish college as they have to focus on studying and getting good grades.By the time they get a stable job with a stable income, they still have to worry about bills and student debts.By the time that starting a family even comes to our minds, we would think that we are simply ‘too old’ to start dating and get married and whatnot.Plus, when we have already sacrificed so much to grind good grades and get this job, it would be just one more sacrifice to give up on starting a family.It’s rather sad, really. 😅 And that’s not even getting to parent-child relationships.Most parents(Luckily not mine) just hire maids and barely see their children as they are working all the time.They expect their child to study and get good grades regardless.However, how is a child supposed to self-study when no one has taught them to?Parents just send them to a lot of tuition from a young age, so children would natrually think that they do not need to learn how to self-study as they have tuition.However, once they get to secondary school, they cannot possibly have tuition for every single subject.Hence, they do badly, and get scolded for doing so, putting more stress on the now teenager.
ok, I really didn't know anyone seriously studying in college in Singapore. Everywhere I look, everyone is talking about dating so I will really want to ask where are you coming from.
Great video. My wife and I just moved to Singapore from Toronto, and we can tell you that the problems discussed in this video are worldwide, including in places like Canada. The only reason they seem more huge in Singapore is because of the small land size. The rents here are crazy, we knew that before we moved. We were ready for everything that Singapore was going to throw at us, and we acknowledged it, because the opportunities we have here are 10 times better than in Toronto. We were attracted by the modernity of the country, the people, the cuisine, the focus on law and order and a civil society, kids being taught actual education, instead of Woke propaganda and nonsense, etc. The biggest fear we have is how we'll be viewed as expats who moved in. So far, everyone's been extremely nice and courteous, but we know not everyone feels that way. Therefore, our focus after moving here was to integrate well, go with the flow, and contribute to the society of Singapore. My wife is a very talented and experienced anesthesiologist, and she was hired to bring her vast knowledge to the country. Her personal objective is to train the locals here on proper techniques and standards so that Singaporeans can pass on the knowledge to the next generation. If you're going to move here, make it clear as best you can that your objective is to contribute, rather than take away.
Yes. And also being white helps a lot in East Asian countries.
Don’t listen too much to the naysayers.
Enjoy Singapore…..
Take the opportunity to go to the neighboring countries.
I am a Malaysian.
Tinydik men only steals. Beware of this chinese
Hope everything go well for your family. Welcome to Singapore.
Welcome to Singapore. Go help out at the grassroots such as community centres n non profit organisations that match your values, that will help u to integrate well. We r thankful with talented and helpful people joining us in this little Red Dot.
stress is everywhere, not only in sg, we are lucky enough to be stressful because everyone have a job, that's more important. Many countries don't even have enough jobs opportunities for their own people. Gov is doing a good job to attract foreign investment and talent to build up the economy. Most sg are more farsighted although some still like to complain. Overall we are doing well and heading towards the right direction
What direction?
Agree. Avoiding stress is not a solution. Learn to manage it and know your own limits. For example, if you cannot get to top 20% to top schools, do your best in your school. At least, our Singapore schools have the best support from govt. Our kids still have different paths to make it in life. Not everyone is a scholar. Our society also needs different forms of workforce.
Frog in the boiling water
Your foresight can be of great help in other economies
People get tired and feel useless by this mentality. I remember my younger days where I get to enjoy
Being a kid
Without this high expectations. It’s ok not to be ok. Let them enjoy life not to the extent of burning yourself out. Life is too short
I'm a Singaporean teenager, and I can safely say that my own childhood was destroyed by the education system and the need to be first in everything.
I had to go to enrichment classes starting at 5 years old. My whole week, Sunday to Saturday had enrichment or kindergarden. I barely had time to relax, and the "breaks" were periods where I had to study for tests in my enrichment classes. And I needed to get 100% because of you know what.
I was a social outcast because of this and still am a sort of introvert. I couldn't converse with my classmates because I spent more time developing new hobbies and interests in my enrichment classes than my social skills. And I couldn't discuss anything because the classmates (keep in mind this was kindergarden) discussed about TV shows, UA-camrs, nursery rhymes etc. and I couldn't say anything because I never got the chance to watch UA-cam or TV on a regular basis. I never even talked to my sister much because of my schedule and now we don't have a strong bond.
I was rushed to study P3 and 4 and 5 topics at P1. I was 6 and studying topics for 10 year olds. I was 8 and studying secondary school topics like Pythagoras theorem and Trigonometry. I was overstressed and the tuitions came and went. I had to quit many of my older enrichment classes to make way for English Chinese sciences tuitions even though I wasn't failing. I developed su1c1dal thoughts at 9 and tried to ki11 myself twice. My classmates knew yet couldn't care because I was a socially awkward freak.
I swear, when I have kids I'm letting them have an actual tuition free childhood.
@@jay0787 SG Education sucks. It not that efficient at it job , NUS and NTU students are getting more and more retarded with each batch and most of them are jobless. ( the stats lie)
Singapore has been home for over 20 years - I love Singapore. Plenty of challenges ahead (as with every country) BUT i have more confidence in Singaporeans being able to solve them than in most other countries. Zero tolerance to corruption is the key metric to continue moving forward. And the Singapore Govt has demonstrated that they are more and more willing to listen to the needs of the people than in the past. Some cool technologies will really help Singapore out (esp about land space) with the development of vertical farming / stem cell lab meat production / solar developments etc). And everyone living within 500metres of greenspace etc is a important element for wellness.
lol paying the ministers $10,000 per month while we serve 2 years of NS and 10 years of reservist for them???
@@andyng5321 only $10000/month.. i thought it was a lot more than that..
@@sweetsweet3753 10,000 per month is minister, if they are member of Parliament it's probably 20,000 or 15,000 per month. Even 10,000 per month is not a low amount dude, the average Singaporean only earns 3k flat per month. Plus 10,000 per month was a few years back. The ministers don't understand what it is like to be poor in Singapore.
The government has no choice but to be more open to listen to people because of the invention of social media. The other reason is because they lost Group Representation Constituency to opposition party in the last 3 elections, it was unprecedented before that.
@@sweetsweet3753 I just went to google, member of Parliament salary is 16,000 per month
This might be one of the best videos out there which depict the situation as it is. Well done!
After having lived for 4 years in Singapore I learned among other things: Singaporeans are very good at executing processes, but mostly unable to deal with deviation from those established processes. It means they are not good at problem solving. That is the result of lack of creativity and why the country needs the foreign knowledge workers from Europe and the US, places that emphasize individual and critical thinking rather than rote learning.
This is the fault of an education system which assumes everything can be solved by applying learnt processes, without any need for the analytical and critical thinking skills required to solve real world problems. Not unique to Singapore unfortunately.
Excellent video. Singaporeans are becoming well aware of how precarious our success is. As mentioned by the author, Singapore's economic growth relies totally on rapid population growth. This is more commonly known as Ponzi Demography.
But Singapore is just an island a little bigger than 700 square kilometers. Reclaim as much land as you want but it's not going to make much of a difference.
Once we reach the limit and we can't import more foreign talents, the economy will start to decline.
The surprising thing is that people from the region are still eager to take up citizenship completely clueless as to what is happening.
You would think that paying close to a million dollars for a small public housing unit would deter people from applying for citizenship but that doesn't seem to be the case.
Million a bit exaggerated no? I'm househunting and a 2-room flexi is from 120k to 200k, hardly a million dollars like you say.
@@danielc2701 1 million dollars for a resale HDB unit. Think about it. Government's latest cooling measures target condo "downgraders" because they are the ones who drove the prices up. It didn't help when the demand for new house far outstrip the supplies and in addition to covid delays drove prices even further. I have a 5 month old daughter, we ballot multiple times and each time it's always a failure. HDB BTO are over subscribed. Want to see how much a BTO cost now? BTO prices are pegged to surrounding properties, which has gone up to ridiculous levels. Keep going like this even subsidized housing will become unaffordable. And it already is. 380k for 5 room BTO at Tampines in 2018. It's 508k mnimum for a new project. Sun Plaza Spring. Go find out how much a newly MOP unit is going for now.
@@hetzerlee1019 BTO lol. You go for BTO and you complain to me about resale price? I have to go for 2 room flexi and you complain to me?🤣
@@danielc2701 Can a young couple buy a 2 room flexi?
@@ving8355 Should be. Singles too after 35.
To be fair, the Singapore government did try very hard to address all these "darker issues". However, as Einstein rightfully pointed out, "insanity is doing the same thing over and expecting a different result", neither the Singapore government nor its people are willing to move out of the comfort zone to embrace much needed change in how we
define "meritocracy"; creating more room for passionate individuals who are less academically inclined to succeed in life ; providing opportunities for experimentation of new or unconventional ideas; creating a system for more work life balance; amongst others.
If cannot run or sustain an island. Return it back to Malaya. For non Malays who dont like it, can return back to where you guys belong to also.
As a Singaporen school is already stressful
Another great explanation and documentary from you, really enjoyed it.
As a westerner who is know 39 years old and has been travelling the world for 20 years full time both in Asia and Europe all i can say is freedom, the countries that give the people the most freedom are the countries that win. The feeling of freedom is what all humans desire and you can plot on a graph the countries that have high levels of freedom and you can see clearly the correlation of freedom and success. Its the only thing that is universal in success. YOU MUST HAVE CITIZENS WHO HAVE THE FEELING OF FREEDOM
Your video is kind of refreshing really. As a Singaporean, Its good to see an alternative view out of the other many videos in UA-cam praising Singapore.
As many have already pointed out, there is no perfect country and Singapore has been largely on the right track which is already much much better than many other countries.
I don't perceive "Kiasuism" as a negative trait or as a derogatory term always used by our neighbor(no prize for guessing who😉). Kiasuism is the reason how Singapore got to where it is today. Hard work from our ancestors all in pursuit of a better life for the next generation. Mind you that they work hard(especially the pioneer generation) knowing that they likely won't see the fruit from the seeds they planted when they were young before they die. The fruits are being enjoyed by the next generation. I can see the same happening now as well albeit in smaller scale.
In summary, I think that we should embrace Kiasu and I will always be proud to be perceived as Kiasu instead of lazy & nonchalant 😉
U hv kids?
Sg kiasu is not at working but your kiasu is at behaviour 😂
@@haziqismail8588 kiasu is a way of life. It applies to work as well. That is why Singapore is so successful
I totally agree with you.
I guess embracing "Kiasuism" is one of the most important reasons I am now seriously planning to move to Singapore sooner than later.
Everyone has the right to choose his/her lifestyle, but I often feel frustrated and discouraged when friends around me start slandering people who want to work hard (and probably play hard as well).
Those who wish to achieve self-worth through hard work also need a suitable place to live.
it is the reason nothing truly groundbreaking ever came out of singapore, don't work hard, work smart and have fun
As a Singaporean who is a fresh graduate straight out of university, I am still stressed out on how I am going to survive at this rate with such expensive housing and crazy expenses. Many people are realising that we are becoming corporate zombies to just pay off housing loans until we die. Worst, I don't think I can even afford one. If this is the reality, I don't really know what to do anymore.
my parent didn't have education with 5 kids. Now with 11 grandchildrens and no one is begging on the street. "You don't really know what to do anymore." Please consult my parent!
@@hdlim8753 Times have changed.
too true! unfortunately!
I understand. I'm half a Gen before you. I bought a condo - 1 bedroom- at 578k in 2011. Sold at 700k. By the time, you've saved and are ready, you are looking at 0.8M (minimum). for a 1 bedroom. Of course, you may be luckier and find a soul mate to buy a HDB. I hope you are.
Anyway, I'm not. Still single at 40. So I packed my bags and looked elsewhere. Landed down under and single handedly bought a house - 4 bedrooms and 1000 sq ft land area
- and best view in the suburb. A house like this would cost 3 x in SG, at least.
Coming from Indonesia, I can only envy all the goodness of living in Singapore. Infrastructures, Standard of living, properness, discipline, etc.
If Kiasu, or simply wanting to be the best, is to be blamed, you should live a few months in my country to enjoy the vice versa of kiasu and list series of the same objective observation.
Immigrants of today get to enjoy all the benefits due of our forefathers and Singaporeans hardwork. They had none in this.
@@youtuberschannel12 your comment is the perfect example of the kiasu spirit that the video mentioned. LOL suck this up. do you expect you yourself to suck up all the benefits from the sweat of your forefathers? Hahaha... my grandfather worked hard, so now I don't need to work as hard?? dream on, buddy. new migrants will come in and work as hard to keep the effn machine going. no asset or economy or country last forever giving out benefits. you know the saying family wealth won't last three generations. even now you look at america, where the people are too complacent thinking that they can suck up and live off the wealth from the past.
@@jjsamuelgunn1136 Do you even know what kiasu is? Don't anyhow use. What you said clearly shows that you don't deserve Singapore and singaporeans. Come here to enjoy then piss on Singaporeans. If you not happy about Singaporeans why are you even here? Don't be a hypocrite. Did I mention that I suck up all the benefits of my forefathers. In reality immigrants like you are the ones sucking up all the sweat and tears of our forefathers and Singaporeans. Did immigrants like you serve NS? Born and bred Singaporeans do. Singaporeans contribute way more than you do. Infact Singaporeans are the ones that are contributing to both the country and immigrants. Whereas immigrants like you not only doesn't contribute but cost Singapore and Singaporeans.
@@youtuberschannel12 Absolutely. Kiasu encompasses not wanting others to get more than you. Oh, I'm not in Singapore now so whether I am happy or not, does not come into the picture. But so what if I am not happy with Singaporeans, I would be happy to be in Singapore. Who would want to admit they are sucking up all the benefits. The thing is you want to suck up the benefits, otherwise why you resent foreigners getting benefits as well. BTW, that 'benefit of forefathers' is your 'claim'. Again I say.. suck it up and cry. In fact the only reason you whining that foreigners do not contribute but cost Singapore is because YOU are crying. That's your personal kiasuism.
@@jjsamuelgunn1136 lol. “Kiasu encompasses not wanting other to get more than you” pretty much proves you foreigners don’t understand the meaning. You clearly don’t deserve the benefits you got from Singapore. We don’t suck up all the benefits we worked for it. Those that are sucking up the benefits and did not worked hard enough for it are foreigners like you. Did you serve ns? Did you contribute to Singapore and Singaporeans? No but rather you hate on us and suck up all our benefits and take it out of the Singapore whereas Singaporeans kept that benefit in Singapore and contributed back to Singapore and Singaporean’s. We contributed to you. Gave you jobs, serve NS, give you a clean, green and safe environment to work and live. Yet you hate on Singaporeans. What you said clearly proves my point that foreigners like you cost Singapore more than you contributed and don’t deserve a single cent from Singapore.
No countries in this world is perfect. Singapore got more things right than wrong.
This is true - one of the main points of this video is about how Singapore is in a housing crisis, and whilst that might be true, it's even worse in other countries like the UK, Canada and New Zealand. And, unlike those countries, which in some cases actually seem to be making the problem worse by giving tax breaks to idle property investors, Singapore is actively working to address the crisis, and has a very low homelessness rate, which is even more impressive given the lack of space to build on
@@Luke-tt3dt Singapore is not in any housing crisis. Most Singapore citizens are able to buy an apartment from the Govt. Maybe some expats are finding housing expensive because they are not eligible for public housing but these are mainly the mid level expats where they are not given any housing allowance by their employer because they are not high enough in the rank. For Low level foreign workers, they live in employer provided dormitories.
While Singapore's strategy may be the best way forward during LKY's era, I believe it is not the case right now. This is just postponing the problems.
I think many countries have problems similar to Singapore. Australia is also very expensive, stressful, extremely difficult to buy a house or even pay rent in Sydney for example unless you earn really big money. At least in Australia, it's a big place, people can move to a smaller city or rural area if they can find a job there or are able to start a business. The problem for Singapore is that it is a city state, and island, limited land, with a large population in a small area. To create more land and housing is not easy.
@@TheDtkxiang And which strategy is that?
Good video.....totally agree. Born in 1972 and i did encounter all those things mentioned. There are no perfect country.
*_I live in Singapore, and I can testify the dark sides. Kudos for your well-made video!_*
Finally a return ! Great work Dom
It is not that the government cannot build enough for Singaporeans. It is because the dark money coming from all over the world is buying up the estate, causing the estates to be unaffordable.
I am an expat living in Singapore. Some issues explained in this video, such as overstressed life and work, are serious social problems in my home country, Japan, and other Asian countries like South Korea (or probably most of the countries in the world), to varying degrees, but when you add in the soaring cost of living and lack of decent care and redress measures in case of "failure", Singapore is a really hard place to live! I can feel it. To be honest, sometimes I really feel glad that I was not born in this country, and I feel sorry for Singaporean kids who grow up feeling the constant pressure to excel academically for their future "success" and "good life" as defined by the government and their parents. I believe that Singapore is now at a turning point in rethinking its social model, where economic development has been the main national priority and so-called "meritocracy" has been an engine to drive economic growth. It may sound optimistic, but I believe that this country will address these issue and improve the situation in the future, just as it achieved its miraculous economic development less than 5 decades after its founding.
criticizing meritocracy?At least in singapore the tech ministers know what a USB key is
@imsickofyou-pb2xt to be honest singapore doesn't really invent new things which is due to the education system ,it's just a place for huge corporations to come in asia
I am a Singaporean. Born and saw my country growing and reaching heights. But more and more people are disillusioned with the current govt. Only foreigners and those well connected are positive. Many below are very worried.
It's more like growing high expectations of the government. And yes Singapore is small so anything happens in the world, it affects us. It's not like the government can solve everything right? Like Ukraine no grain, Malaysia can't grow chickens, Singapore chicken supply gets cut off. How to solve? Send army into Ukraine? lol no way right? But somehow people still expect Singapore to solve this without sending army into Ukraine. Excessively high expectations. And not current government who else? Chee? That guy is a damn one man circus. Chiam got standard, Chee? Not really.
hi brother, this is Saurav Lahiry from Pune, India. One question for u. in SG, why don't Chinese guys marry Indian girls. Like Indian boy + Chinese girl is very common, but the reverse is rare. What are ur thoughts on this. CM + IF, does it happen ?
Then you don’t have any idea what the outside world is like. The foreigners are right, you have it good, better than 90% of countries. Try going to Malaysia or Indonesia and see how much you’ll miss home
@@sauravlahiry6951 Quite often actually. My oldest friend is an Indian girl, literally oldest, her father and my father were sitting outside the delivery room together. It's common, just that the people involved see no reason to make a big deal out of it, hence there is little coverage. In some countries with a racial divide, it can be big news but in a country that sees everyone as "Singaporean"? "Hey their wedding why are you poking your nose in? You're his mother in law is it?" 🤣. In Singapore, "Singaporean" > race.
@@sauravlahiry6951 good, valid question indeed. You can see many Chinese girls marrying Indian guys. Not the other way round. Harsh reality is majority of Chinese men have strong racial prejudice. They like to crack stupid racist jokes unknowingly. They have tunnel vision to life. You can change it. They will cry when they get slapped by white guys. But they do the same. There are many good examples of racial insensitivity in every spectrum of life in Singapore. They expect everyone to accept their way.
Another thing you see uniquely in Singapore is that a lot of seniors still work after retirement to sustain now you see that tells you it’s not a place to retire.
😢😢
So, what's your solution to grow the economy? Singaporeans are aware of their geographical constraints--and in this scenario, it's often a choice between bad and less bad, not good or bad. Singaporeans are still tweaking the system to make it better for everyone and have made a lot of improvement in its healthcare and public education, less so in housing.
Another " what do you suggest" Teo Chee Hean in the making.
Sad to say, the improvement these days are mostly benefitting the elites. The pavements in many HDB estates are still no better than in the 70s and where once pebble stone paths once dotted the estates built in the 80s, somewhere after 2000, the entire infrastructure and many others were reduced to concrete pavements or completely removed, like tiled covers on the parapet. Even the greenery was completely destroyed with many fruit trees, flowering shrubs uprooted and replaced with gnarly shrubs and orange trees (current favourite flora of someone influential) which do not flower at all and regularly given army crew cuts reducing many lush trees to bare trunks and fluttering thin branches dotted with leaflets.
there’s a limit to economic growth. you can’t sell & export more and more stuff. who should be the one buying all that shit? there’s no one. growth has its limits. Singapore developed into Switzerland level. there’s nothing to develop or grow anymore, there’s only now to LIVE. your singaporean parents & grandparents worked their asses off for their country so that YOU can live an easy better life with much freetime leisure & without much work. NOT that you go through the same slavery they did. We should let their sacrifices go not into vain for some greedy bastards who are willing to sacrifice the not-existent happiness of their singaporean citizen to the limit even more, for their 80th buggati and yacht. it’s time to enjoy LIFE. Singapore succeed, time get some happiness.
@@PlayerHeader you forgot Singapore's economy is a diversified one, unlike other countries such as Malaysia and Brunei which highly depends on natural oil and petrol which makes up half of their GDP (for Malaysia)
@@PlayerHeader Which is why there is a push to transit into service industry, service industry is not one where you have to produce goods.
As once a Singaporean student, there is some truth in your video, but as to any topic ever, there are outliers and contrarians who survive and excel without conforming to govt's education norms. As you mention earlier, yes there is immense pressure, it's a survival jungle out here, but there are some of us who thrive on this pressure and stress. Emotional Quotient is indeed a scarce asset here.
I am Singaporean living overseas for 26 years, I believed in working hard and Singapore have the best Government in the world
Good. Staying abroad, with no real experience of living in Singapore, and commenting about policies😅
Typical chinese
Now in the last year of secondary school I can probably be qualify to comment on the education system in Singapore
I did not start good in Singapore, due to some family issues I lived in china untill I am Primary 3 and due another family issue I was sent back to Singapore again. This completely messed up my academic performance and personal welfare. I did not receive any English class in china thus I cannot understand anything on primary school until P4-5, failing every subject except for Chinese. Consequently Did super bad on “PSLE”(As mentioned in the video, this exam put you to different streams) went in one of the secondary with the minimum entry requirement
Now you probably think I will rant about the system but actually I am very satisfied with my time there, even though the school is a sort of ‘gangsta’ community school the Teachers there are still very responsible and effective. You can definitely do well if you have the determination for it the school will assist you with your learning. But do be noted that as a lower stream you will receive lesser resources from the school compared to others and even be labelled as dumb and hopeless but the resources you get is completely enough for you to get yourself together and climb back up.
In Secondary 2 students are given a chance to go to a better stream if they get 75% and above for end of year exam(I got 74% sadly) and proceed to take on O-level just like the rest. Even if you failed to do that you can still choose to go for PFP(A program that grant you access to poly with N-level result at the cost of one extra year) and secondary 5(to take O-level) there is at least 3 chances for you to leave your current stream and hop to better one. As long as you are willing to do it you can.
That’s the good side highlighted now the downside
Yes the system is competitive, and every decision you made will consequently affect you options all the way untill university courses.
I will show you the cost effect chain in the system with my Personal example
-I did badly in PSLE
-got into a bad school
-in a lower stream
-took N-level exam
Now you road separate I will highlight both way
PFP pathway:
-one extra year in polytechnic
-limited courses offer to you in the program
-limited poly courses limit you from taking university courses
-you option of degree is limited by your poly diploma as some degree only accept relevant diploma from poly)
-getting in a industry you do not like
Secondary 5 pathway(my personal Pathway)
Take O-level exam
Polytechnic:
-Limited by N-level subject combination
-forbids you from taking biology subject(only offered in express stream) or any other pure science subject(i have to highlight, a lot of the subject are only available in O-level streams and some of that subject is crucial to applying some diploma in poly so if you want to become a doctor you must not be in N-level stream from the start because you need biology as a subject)
-You will not be able to take medical relevant diploma in poly or any other diploma required you to have a specific O-level subject
-still limited choice of career
JC:
-O-level subject combination affect the A-level subject combination
-since you were from N-level it is impossible for you to get some A-level subject
-how A-level subject is a must to apply for some university degree
to sum it up, you can definitely get back to higher stream but once you are in Lower stream you career option is very limited by the lower stream it will ultimately affect your university options if you perform poor In primary school national exam and that fucking fucked up.
Good video. I feel sympathy for the working class in Singapore. Unfortunately, average workers in my home town of London also face the same issues. They see luxury flats going up everywhere and they can no longer afford the neighborhoods they grew up in. I don’t know if any major city has found a solution to the housing issue.
Please do a video abt a country that located above Singapore; Malaysia. They will be having general election this mid November, maybe a well summarised dark side of Malaysia can be a good eye opener for the voters out there.
It would be a great!
Great here. I love the fact that drew in time to make your research its really accurate. If you can kindly upload constantly cause at times we take long with content from you
The video has the point. However. Which country is so perfect? I am living in SG now as a foreigner, and all I have to appreciate is its people and what they have done. There is no utopia in the universe, and you will be living in hells no matter where you are if you don’t learn to appreciate what you have.
I used to work at sg as an immigrant worker but i go back and forth from malaysia-sg to work at sg everyday. I work as a factory worker (operator) 9hour daily(weekend off). The biggest problem i had with my company i work into is their breaktime is only 15min in those 9hour work and also "forced" OT on weekend, while in malaysia breaktime is at least 1hour. Luckily there is some loophole because the company stated u cant take OT if u take MC on the same week. So if i dont want to OT on that week,simply go for and MC. Sound unethical but fuck it i wanna rest and chill on weekend too 🤣
SAME in a WESTERN COUNTRY, get use to it
@@danielporter7773 lmao where? Have barely seen that anywhere
Everytime I go to SG, i usually took taxy from Harbourfront to another point. I often heard the Taxi driver said their life difficulty in today's SG life. I cannot generalized them all from the Taxi driver perspective, but its really something. We have to admit that, not only in SG. Almost all country in the world facing the same problem. Perhaps The only difference is i still can take vegetables from my backyard when i don't have money to buy it. But... For me... I like SG and they are small but outstanding. Hope they will find the way out of their social issues.
It was like a Matrix moment when I realised how things truly were and decided to leave the country right after finishing my degree at NUS 16 years ago. I was court-martialed for allegedly breaching my exit permit while in Melbourne awaiting result of my Australian permanent residency visa application. Not even an apology was offered after I showed up at Tengah Air Base and they admitted that it was a computer error. A truly reprehensible place.
Me reading this comment at Sembawang Air Base: hmmm interesting
Singapore is a beatiful country and so clean I would like to visit it.
Yes, Singapore is actually very dark. Basically a greedy, cruel ruthless culture started by the founding leader.
I was born in India & lived in Singapore up to the age of fifteen & we were having beautiful Kampong life in Sembawang which can never be matched with the skyscaper life of today.Now when l talked to my friends in Singapore from India they always say fed up of this life full of tension & Singapore is good for staying one or two weeks as tourist.
As i singaporean the video is very accurate and the kiasu mentality u touched on is niceee as it is another reason why we students are very stressed haha your parents will compare your grades to their friends and relative the people surrounding them, then at the same time u have to worry about scoring grades not only for your future but also because u know your parents dont want to lose to other parents😂, the cycle repeats and ya its a vicious cycle. The video's infomation was good btw :D
We fought to succeed. Now we fight to survive.
As a Singaporean that is currently in high school, I get why every single student in class is so obcessed with grades. Exams really changes the rest of your life, but from my contextual knowledge, it is still mostly going to be work, work and more work. If I am older and could afford moving out of Singapore, I would. Even if I earn significantly less money, at least I could have a laid-back life with ample time to enjoy what I like doing the most, instead of confining myself into SG's societial norms and work entire chunks of my precious life.
Remember, we only live once. Would you rather live a fufiling life where you could enjoy yourself to your fullest, or would you put all your hardwork and sacrifice your well-being for corporations that dont care about you?
After living in 3 continents, I recently relocated to Singapore from London.
I am pleasantly surprised how balanced this city state is in every aspect including signs of responsible capitalism. It’s a perfect example of what great leadership can do.
No place is perfect but the Singapore model is probably the closest to it.
Is that so?
I have a question for you. I often hear that people who work in the corporate world have little to no life in London. Maybe this true to a degree maybe it is not at all (I do not personally know). What is the situation in Singapore when compared to London, i am curious to read your experience ?
@@hopliteoperator I think thats the case regardless which city you work in
thats bullshit, im from sg and i wanna get out asap
@@afriendlyuu Why?
As a US citizen with a living allowance (rent for a 3 bdr flat was 9000 USD in 2010) I loved living in Singapore-safe, clean, excellent cheap healthcare, good public transport as a car was at least double the US price). My husband came with a US govt job but I was denied a work permit as I was over 50. Many of my Singapore friends were layed off from jobs at 60 and most of the taxi drivers were ex businessmen who had to work in retirement. There were many elderly selling Kleenex on Orchard Road (Singapore Rodeo Dr). I experienced a sad part of kiasu when I tripped on a curb and broke my ankle. People averted their eyes and walked past me in embarrassment for my “mistake”-my friends warned me this was not uncommon. It happened again when I started to choke at a party and people edged away-my husband helped me. I also found my Singapore friends were very afraid of the rest of the world-they worried endlessly about dangers when they were in a country with almost no crime-they would push me out front if something aggressive or uncomfortable needed to be done-of course Americans are rude😂 STILL-I loved living in Singapore and my Singapore friends were honest and kind. I wish them nothing but the best😀
This is exactly my case. As a tourist going to the airport using MRT. My hands got stocked in between the closing doors, no one could help, later the doors opened and I was in, every one acted as if nothing happened. Now imagine myself in a situation between life and death. Nothing will happen. This is too bad.
So true
Authoritarianism always kills the humanity in the people, they become cowards and are afraid to help. Tragic, but glad you saw this. Don't allow the US to fall into this trap. Get more of your younger friends and family to vote.
If I can say, no country is 100% liveable. There are always downsides that balance the upsides. I’d say we are lucky to be living here
No offense to anyone, but after reading the comments. I’m only curious to find out how many of u served Singapore armed forces or will be serving. Pls leave a like.
They are only interested to here for free scholarship, and jobs. Can't ask them to serve NS, they will run away in the first instance.
I've worked in Singapore as IT for a bank for 2 years. 9am-10pm everyday, weekend support calls, midnight support etc. It was hell. No benefits, no work life balance, all I did for 2 years was to work. Got paid 7000 sgd per month. Was it worth it? Sure, if coming from a poor country. But when I saved enough, I immediately left. Not going back.
As a minority in Singapore, this video is more accurate then whatever our current ruling party think is going on. If meritocracy isn't bad enough, there's the racial discrimination that comes with not being from the majority of the four national races we have in Singapore. And age discrimination too. Many places have a 'token' person where they're there to make it look like there is diversity. You can be old and obsolete BUT if you are old, obsolete AND a minority? It will be THAT much worse for you. Local companies and employers far out prefer foreign workers over local citizens as they're cheaper. Many foreign workers bully local colleagues out of their jobs to have a vacant spot to bring in more of them. Attempts to voice out such concerns are either dismissed or undermined which makes us more bitter towards foreigners.
With experience as a Singaporean student currently about to go through O levels, I honestly think that the country is dying economically and society wise. This video basically sums up everything but one point that I think he did not mention is the toxic enviroments in schools and at home. Im sure most Singaporeans agree, either u rebel or ur a pleaser when it comes to parents. If you choose to rebel, it will only add up to the pressure and stress currently. Child abuse has became a norm too. School is also very toxic because of the social status in ur class. You basically need to have good social skills or be outright manipulative to be popular and have many friends. If not, adolescent teenagers like me will just feel downright insecure about everything and become depressed. Im sure most people from other countries reading this can relate to it one way or another.
Ima just say best of luck to your O levels
Also to add, if you're a pleaser child, you'll probably get overworked and then stressed really fast due to expectations from uour parents, teachers and yourself. It's really a lose-lose situation in which choosing the bad instead of the worse will be the best option
O Levels isnt bad.. wait till you try A Levels... hahahahahah.....
You are feeling this way because you may be overwhelmed by your O levels and probably your parents who hope to get the best out of you. Their fear is that you would struggle later on in life if you don't put in the hard work now. As parents, it's always a struggle between giving your kids fishes or teaching them how to fish. Being a rebel is a growth progress because you are building your own identity in life. Your parents may not recognise this or if they do, are not adequate enough to handle this differently because they weren't brought up in that way. Trust me, being popular is overrated. I never hung with popular kids in school because I find them to be pretty shallow. All talk but no substance. Instead, I found my own niche group of buddies that has stuck with me through thick and thin. Don't lose yourself trying to please others because it will only disappoint everyone. Instead, find real friends that are willing to accept you for who you are. Those are friends worth keeping. And having good social skills is vital in life, be it work or play. Pretty sure you won't like dealing with snobs who are so insensitive to people around them. You may idealise people in other countries thinking they're having better lives. Grass is always greener on the other side. Last but not least, your success and failures in school DO NOT define your adult life. I scrapped by for my O levels thinking I was doomed but I managed to go on to poly, graduated and have a family of my own. I'm not rich but I'm comfortable. Many lessons are learnt outside school. As long as you don't give up on learning, you will always grow. Have faith, do your best for your Os and be the best person you wanna be. =)
as a singaporean child, for me, my brothers and my friends, when it comes to our studies, we are pleasers, so we work very hard in our studies, however when it comes to gaming or playing, we rebel, we explain to our parents that since we work so hard, we deserve to play and rest more, so in my opinion, the way to live a normal life is to be a rebel AND a pleaser.
yeah i agree schools are hella toxic. and ENGLISH PAPER TWO WAS SO BAD AAAAAAAAA
Singaporean Older Generation are the Gem's They are very humble and works equal to 25 year old and I am glad I had a opportunity To work in Singaporean in my life .
Matches the Singapore I knew back in the 1990s when I used to visit on business. Still friends with an ex-colleague, over the years I can say he has never lost the rushed, nervous and quick-talking personality I first met. Great guy, massively stressed out. Would love to visit again, though. Chinese, British and Continental breakfast all available in the hotel; _awesome._ Really loved to have a coffee prepared the local way (filtered, condensed milk) at the little shops near the park in front of the Singtel building, sitting in the relative cool of the morning and admiring the local bird species.
Dear DOM, Please do a report and analysis of the Philippines. It started out as the first modern city in Southeast Asia because of American "ownership" in 1899, devastation during WWII, quick rebuilding and Western-style modernisation post-war. It was even Lee Kwan Yew's model for Singapore during Pres Marcos's Martial Law yrs. Show us what happened post-Marcos and post-US bases. Thank you.
It would be interesting. Personally, I feel that the US ruined the Philippines. American-style capitalism barely works in the US, but seems to work only because there's a lot of money they're. It fails miserably in the Philippines because people have so little money. They can't afford a decent education, health care, proper transport. Don't worry, the West is heading that way too.
As a Singaporean born and bred, there's always 2 sides to the coin. Sure, we are not as liberal compared to some Western democracies but I'm glad that our govt doesn't copy wholesale from foreign governments because it simply won't work in Singapore due to our mixture of different race, religion and culture within, not to mention that we're surrounded by neighbours who may pick fault with us if we stand out too much from the rest of the ASEAN nations.
Singapore Government recognises the housing issue and is willing to introduce market cooling measures. Unlike Hong Kong, young Singaporeans have more realistic chance of "owning" public housing because we're required to contribute certain percentage of our monthly wages into CPF which can then be used to pay for a variety of essentials such as housing loans, medical and school fees, similar to how social securities work in Western countries I assume. The key here is to live within your means and don't get smart by flipping public housing properties unless you are very sure about what you're getting into.
Compare to some of our ASEAN neighbours, corruption and crime rate is very low in Singapore as authorities come down hard on perpetuators, giving people and investors confidence to set up businesses in Singapore which in turn offer job opportunities. Public infrastructures are well planned and public transport works well 98% of the time in my humble opinion. Bottomline: things generally work the way you expect them to be in Singapore. Some Singaporeans take these conveniences for granted because they've probably never step foot outside the country for extended period of time.
In terms of population, most of our forefathers were immigrants from all parts of the work and I think SG government will not hesitate to bring in foreigners en mass if our birth rate continues to fall, since human workforce is vital for Singapore's progress. This by itself is worrying for Singaporeans, but the giant wheels of Singapore Incorporated will not stop simply because of our reluctance to comply. Our strong currency and relatively high quality of life in ASEAN means most ASEAN citizens are willing to work here and hopefully take roots in Singapore. The challenge is how will the SG government cultivate a sense of belonging and loyalty among these new citizens so that they won't run away at the first sign of trouble should Singapore gets drawn into any global disputes.
My complaint is that there's no soul to Singapore because everything looks glossy and man-made. We don't have the luxury of countries like Japan or Korea where the population is more homogenous because they have centuries of cultural grounding. Change is the only constant in Singapore and if Singaporeans don't catch up, then we'll easily become obsolete on regional and global stages. In life there will always be trade-offs. Not everyone can have their pie and eat it.
Singapore is focussed on a policy of rapid population growth or Ponzi Demography. Sure you can import foreign talents to counter a self declared ageing problem but Singapore is a tiny island.
At some point, this island will reach its maximum limit and there will be no land to import more foreign talents. There will be a huge ageing population then as the new migrants become old themselves but without the ability to import more foreign talents to increase demand in the country, housing prices and the economy will collapse.
This is a fact.
@@ving8355 Don't forget, half the country is foreign, they can expel all the "old migrants" (mostly construction workers) home.
Yeah but you have no qualm of taking other countries corruptor into your country and incorporating their wealth into your economy.
@@ving8355 looking at the new MRT lines being built probably they are still continuing the growth ponzi .... good luck to the 10 million people looking for jobs .... there isn't a need for megacities at this point because of remote work / AI / fintech crypto / metaverse etc
As a Singaporean...there's so many things I love about my Singapore ... after having spent time in most developed countries..like in the America,Europe , Japan, Australia or NZ...is u can walk at night here in peace...and enjoy the night life here more as compared to those other countries..not to mention there's no cold climates here..
On the contrary about the aging population here...as a senior citizen , I'm surprised that I am still much in demand in the workforce as the government encourages to re-employ healthy senior citizens..
Personal opinion I guess. I walk about at night in Japan and NZ with ease as well. No fear at all. By the way, recently got all the rape and murder cases at bedok and yishun when girls went night jogging. So it's not as safe as you think it is.
Cold climate oh my god. I hate the heat here and always travel to cold climates to escape the heat.
@@YokNg too bad japan and nz are in earthquake zone. u can run from crime but you can't hide from natural disaster.
@@jjsamuelgunn1136 you speak as if earthquakes are going to end their country. I go to Japan twice a year. Never kena before. In Taiwan when I kena earthquake, I just shake along with the building and then life goes on. Unless its like a Richter scale 8 earthquake, no 1 gives a shit about it. May I ask, how many scale 8 earthquakes have we seen in the past 10 years?
Not all of NZ are earthquake prone. I'm actually going to migrate over. Bought a house out of range of the earthquake area. Do your research and you will know what areas to stay away from.
You say you can run from crime. Why did all the people in the news who kena murdered/raped/molested not run away then?
@@YokNg Living or staying there once a year is different from living there and parking your house there permanently. Sure, go ahead. Anybody can talk now. Anyway, why you suddenly talk about taiwan. Did I mention taiwan? When I say 'run from crime' I don't mean in a literal way, genius.
@@jjsamuelgunn1136 I'm using Taiwan as an example because I experienced my first earthquake there. I thought I made that quite clear. Oh hi genius. Thanks for making your own comments unclear. I generally assume the average commentor doesn't possess the intelligence to add satire or hidden meaning. Now show me what you mean. I guarantee it will not alter the end result anyway. It's just your futile effort to divert the topic into another direction
This is so true. Unlike other "first world" countries, there aren't enough local entrepreneurs and creativity. All the focus is about getting a good education so you can work within PMET jobs at MNCs. (While complaining about FT are competing and taking up those jobs, lol) We don't have enough people who dare to take risks and setting up businesses that generate revenue from other countries (for example, like tech firms in Israel, US and many countries in Europe.) While we are relatively educated as a whole, there's just too much conformity and no one really think outside of the box. To achieve and sustain a level of prosperity, it's not enough to depend on foreign investment & MNCs, we need more homegrown enterprises that can scale and operate globally. Subsequently, this will also lead to more locals working at director and C levels.
But the govt is promoting the no risk culture by punishing people who have different opinions. This will ensure the survival of the existing government, but it will stifle the thinking skills of the people. So no creativity?
I’ve said this for years… Where are the Singaporean cars, motorcycles, products and businesses?
Totally dependent on foreign corporations for good employment is very risky!
@@markstevens6682 if you mean singapore to produce our own cars and motorcycles locally, I don’t see how singapore has space to produce all these vehicles. For one, Singapore already has too many people, they don’t want more cars and vehicles on the road. Also it makes more sense to focus land space on accommodation than making items that they don’t want.
A reason for Singapore’s lack of cultural arts and appreciation is because we are such a young country… most countries develop their style and art and culture after years of fine tuning it and enjoying life without all the first world problems. Singapore is not even 60 years old, and the country pretty much has been around with technology and all… also the fast progress of singapore is also due to citizens that have been working hard to push the economy, i doubt it was in our culture to appreciate arts at all. Just work and work.
@@star12341998 I beg to differ. It is actually the other way round. Mr Lee killed the local arts scene in the 70s to get people back to concentrating on just work (and GDP growth), and not dabble themselves with liberal ideas or worse, "socialism". While it made sense given the direction they were taking back then, it has also effectively killed the creative and cultural scene for the coming decades, effects of which we are still feeling to this day even though it has slowly recovered. It is the killing of the arts that has made Work a mainstay culture of Singapore, because most people who were raised and grew up in the years after don't really know better than the official narrative parroted throughout their lives in school. Schools up till recently also mainly concentrate on the academic aspects, because their job is not to nurture future talents, but rather to pump out future wage slaves to feed into the endless grind of an economic machine. Students are not taught to think, but merely to follow the indicated path, as seen from the emphasis placed on their performance in school-leaving examinations.
ok I watch this video again. Kiasu means afraid of losing out. This word surprisingly made it into modern English vocabulary and can be found in dictionary. It is a recent inclusion. The word is from chinese dialects, Teochew and Hokkien. Part of the reason for the inclusion into English vocabulary I guess is due to Singapore being an ex-colony of the British empire. I guess the Brits want to always have some links with its sphere of former influence. The English language has always included some french words and is the opposite of latin which is said to be a dead language. The English language is the language of international commerce. Eventhough Singapore gained independence, but it is still part of the Commonwealth, and the Queen was the head of the commonwealth. Now it is the King. A singh caught onto the idea of Kiasuism and commercialise on it, commisioning a comic book out of it. In the comic, the boss is a Mr Singh, Mr Kiasu is a typical young Singaporean jobber who is like a clown. This clown has a cousin called Kiasi which translate to be a coward. This is the typical sidekick of the main character, and Mr Singh is a remote character who makes cameo appearances. The comic was popular with the local people, and there was commercial element to it. Basically, kiasu is a behaviour that is prevalent in all humans of the world. One cannot say we Singaporeans started it. It is seen in animal group behaviors too, if we observe animal during feeding time. so it is very ancient.
Competition is the driving force of kiasu-ism. Yes, children go through the selection process which is very crude by todays' standards, selecting elites out of the lot. These elites are often send for some international math olympiads or spelling bee contests and often gets first placing. The latest was some show in UK of a young Singaporean guy who has mega-memory. He has knowledge of many trivial facts on geography.
Now China is showing even more extreme kiasu-ism on many aspects. why because Competition within the mainland is always on a higher notch. This is the same with Europe , and USA. They too have it within themselves. Singapore is technically a small island, although within the Asia land mass. Singapore is the 2nd most densely populated country in the world after Monaco, but not the most dense cities. HongKong have probably higher density, and Hongkongers are known to be hardworking and extremely competitive that Singapore's kiasu-ism would be a laughingstock to them, and then what? They have to come here to be global citizens of the world. The competition in Mainland is the reason. The CCP of China is showing extreme kiasu-ism in brutalism, along with all the PRCs currently in China. It is life and death matters right now in China. People are put in extreme conditions of being deprived of food ! That bit of kiasuism may means survival or death.
ok back to Singapore's kiasu-ism. So we have it from young. Into National service where we are like the Russians conscripts right now. Out to the working world, get a wife, start a family, get a house. It is probably planned from cradle to grave. yes it is. The life we live. Kiasuism is conditioned into us to compete for allocation for public housing. If you go along the flow of government planning, one can reap some rebates or discounts along the way, BUT at some disadvantages that is inherent to the process. People are getting married for the housing discounts rather than due to natural pairing. This social engineering which probably is very traditional to chinese culture. The generations before us, marriage was by matchmaking.
We already have a word for this, FOMO, but that relates more to socialising rather than achievements.
i am a singaporean, i know many things happening around me, changes and as such. yet i cant use words to decribe. you can explain very clearly in just a few words. well, more than a few words. just like what we singaporean always say "you really very steady poon peepee' ..
Your content is absolutely amazing.
Amazingly wrong
Of the 4 Asian tigers, Korea and Singapore are done while Taiwan and Hong Kong are left. We would appreciate if you cover them as well. Thanks btw!👍👍👍
Malaysia's exploitative model is also a good idea tho.
Hong Kong is dying because of China, and Taiwan is getting extinct because of low fertility
And China and Japan are the asian lions?
Malaysia is very laid back, blessed with abundant fertile soil, moderate climate, no serious natural disaster. Not as rich and advanced as Singapore but not poor either.
Malaysia can afford to a have a very carefree and relaxed pace as a country to grow and advance economically.
What is the point of being well of and rich if you spend all your time working,
Not enjoying what life has to offer?.
Everyone only have 1 life.
Hong Kong is very easy. Personally I can't believe ppl compare us to SG, we are so so SO much worse than SG.
we are home to the richest men in Asia but also a near 20% poverty rate at the same time. Civil servants earn in one month what the poorest earn in a year. All photos of Hong Kong/Victoria Harbour you see are taken from the skyscraper-filled business disctrict. Cross the harbour and go past the harbourside tourist area and you will find the poorest and most densely populated area in Hong Kong (upper west part of kowloon), it's like a completely different city.
We also have the most expensive housing in the world (19 times the median income, second place is Sydney at a distant 12 times). A 400 sq.ft flat can run you upwards of 1 million USD in some places.
Speaking of housing a good chunk of the poor live in unsanitary and tiny but still overpriced 50-100 sqft subdivided flats (basically a normal flat but each individual room e.g. bedroom each becomes a separate flat), yet the government doesn't do anything about it and keeps letting rich investors fuck up the housing market because yummy yummy land tax (gov's main source of income and the reason why other taxes are extremely low here). Yes we might have public housing but waiting times average out at like nearly a decade. less than half the land here is flatland/suitable for development and government is still trying to reclaim more land and building more apartments when there's plenty of empty ones (enough for the poor and homeless probably) bought up by investors or just gathering dust for being too expensive.
Oh, then there's the obvious. Natural security law passed in 2020 after the protests. entire opposition party arrested and parliament is just corrupt tycoons and pro-china bootlickers, publicly criticising the government or China can land you a prison sentence, implementing propaganda and revisionism in the education system, all but 2-3 independent news organizations that don't blindly repeat gov talking points have been shut down and their people arrested, trade unions have also been affected and dismantled (wow very "communist" and pro-worker of you, China), etc etc.
More than 100,000 people have already emigrated since 2020 thanks to this stupid law.
Dom you can thank me for doing any future video on HK for you 😘
At least you have a free press!!
Sorry, bad joke.
I'm surprised how much the success portion reflects our secondary 3 social studies syllabus
This is so true. With increasing high cost annually, low birth rate and increasing elderly population, SG will very soon become a elderly country, then a foreigner country with little or no Singaporeans and lastly a deserted country where no one wants to even step into the country.