Singaporean Male Scholars. Whiny?

Hello Mr. Phillip Yeo.

I happened to read this morning's edition of Sunday Times at 6 am in the morning and i was to put it mildly, incensed to read of the CHAIRMAN of A*STAR making such degoratory comments such as these.

"I rather give my scholarships to females and foreigners"

"Singapore male scholars are whiny, even after doing NS, they are still not mature" -paraphrased

Hello, I am a scholar from Singapore, occifer from OCS and served with pride in the army for 2 fucking years.

and tell you what, i am actually considering ways to get the fuck out of my bond, including going to SMU and finding my own financing for my studies.

WHY? Because the Singapore government is autocratic. and frankly, comments like these don't help. We also view the 6 years bond as something akin to NS, where there is no freedom of choice for us.

Why don't girls get it? Because they have not experienced the bureaucracy of the public service, they have not experienced the paperwork, the administration, the system.

In NS, it is ALWAYS about the DAMN SYSTEM.

Even NOW, my mum complains about the education system. It is always the system. It elevates foreign "talent", it does not provide flexibility, and certainly certain "POLICIES" cannot be bypassed because mr. so and so said so.

we guys have been through the system. Granted, it is efficient. It has worked for many years. It is a system in place set by higher ups in their "policy" decision.

Much like 2+2 years for bachelor/masters cannot, but 3+1 for the same can. WHY? (If you dunno about it, go read acidflask incident.)

policy. It is always policy.

There is NO FLEXIBILITY IN THE SYSTEM!

ladies, before you mouth off saying us guys are weak and whiney, we are not whiney. (fuck i don't even wanna bother to find out the correct spelling)

We don't whine. we know better not to whine. it never works. NS makes you a good whiner. I know, I'm a PC. (SIR... VERY LONG LA THE ROUTE MARCH, SIR.. More time for canteen break, Sir... please this please that.)

WE know we have to work the people who run the system, for the system doesn't allow for What-ifs. It's just like the no-U-turn. In Singapore, you have to ALLOW a certain action. If you can't find it in the policy book, ermm sorry, not allowed.

Other places, it's the opposite. Everything is allowed unless it is explicitly disallowed.

So tell me how to produce good, model citizens who can actually think with such a system?

Sorry Mr. Yeo, i have great respect for you, esp. biopolis and stuff. But i have to firmly and politely disagree with you on this point.

In fact, most scholars serve their bonds and fuck off. we are having the best and brightest, the critical thinkers, thinking of leaving public service after they've been there and done that.

Let's hope it will change in the future.


lip
ranting