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SINGAPORE – Non-constituent MP Leong Mun Wai has called for immediate steps to be taken to restore the balance of interests between Singaporeans and foreigners, in light of concerns raised by locals about discrimination.
He also urged the government on Tuesday (September 1) to cut short-term job pass approvals and renewals to funnel more existing jobs to Singaporeans and provide more data to get Singaporeans to commit to foreign talent policy.
Mr Leong, who is from the Singapore Progress Party (PSP), assured the House that his party “will defend this Parliament as a Parliament of Singapore, and not as a partisan Parliament”, adding that he awaits more information and resources. surrendering to the Opposition in Parliament so that it functions as an effective voice and generator of ideas.
In his inaugural parliamentary speech during the debate on the president’s speech, he stressed that the PSP strongly supports an open economy and society.
He believes the government has good reason to push for a model of foreign talent, but added that some adjustments can be made to the country’s immigration policy, including the way the policy is communicated.
“The foreign talent model, which implies competition for jobs in our own territory, is especially sensitive,” he said, asking for more data to achieve citizen acceptance.
For example, it will be useful to periodically disclose statistics of professional, managerial, executive and technical jobs (PMET), broken down into categories of citizens and permanent residents, he added.
Details on intra-company transfers made under the various free trade agreements would also be helpful, he said.
“Without clearer data, Singaporeans cannot have an informed discussion about whether the existing foreign talent model is benefiting us.”
Why Leong is ‘deeply disappointed’ with a local bank
Mr. Leong proposed grouping companies into two categories: offshore companies and onshore companies.
Offshore companies, with products and services predominantly sold overseas and that Singaporeans do not yet have the skills to produce, may have more freedom to tap into talent from around the world.
But this is conditional on maintaining the principle of non-discrimination towards Singaporeans and following the minimum wage requirements for Employment Pass and S Pass holders.
Other companies will fall into the onshore category, in which regulations and procedures will be tightened.
Developing his suggestion, he said: “We stipulate that Singaporeans must be well represented in senior management and human resources functions to ensure that procedures are properly followed.”
A foreigner-to-citizen ratio cap should apply to all of these companies and their various departments, and Singapore should protect entry-level jobs for its new graduates.
Also, foreign PMETs must have more work experience before they are allowed to join Singapore’s workforce.
In addition, he said there should be a succession plan to replace each foreign manager at the end of their visa period, with an additional visa extension granted only if the manager is required to move up and their previous position is taken over by a Singaporean.
Mr. Leong added that citizenship should be granted only to permanent residents who have lived in Singapore for a long time and have passed a stricter set of naturalization criteria.
He called for a Citizens Commission to be established to oversee the granting of citizenships.
“Citizenship is sacrosanct to Singaporeans who are justifiably concerned about the erosion of national identity and the dilution of our citizenship.”
He noted that since the turn of the millennium, the Government had introduced a different brand of foreign talent.
One high-profile manifestation of that policy was the appointment of John Olds as chief executive officer of DBS Bank in 1998, said Leong, a former managing director of OCBC Securities.
He related that a high-level Japanese banker told him: “Leong-san, it’s like having a foreigner to run Mitsubishi Bank in Japan. It’s unthinkable!”
Mr. Leong told the House that he had supported the appointment of Mr. Olds.
“However, I am now deeply disappointed that 22 years after his appointment, DBS still does not have a CEO.”
Derrick Goh (Nee Soon GRC), Managing Director and Group Audit Head at DBS Bank, in a quick reply, said that all members of DBS’s senior management team are Singaporean, except for one person, who is Malaysian and PR . .
The current CEO of the bank, Piyush Gupta, was born in India and became a Singaporean in 2009.
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