There was once a father who had a son. There was a sporting event at his son's school. The father who was a smart man realized that his son would probably not win. Besides it detracted from the more important goals of studying for exams. The father still wanted a gold medal. So the father took some money from his son's college fund which his son had been working for - and hired someone to impersonate his son at the Sports event. That person won. The father gave the person some money and took the medal home. The father now had a gold medal to proudly hang in the dining room.
That parable just about sums up my opinion of the decision by the govt to stack the sporting teams with talented foreign born players.
True - other nations - including Australia also give citizenships to talented foreign born sports people as well. But Singapore goes over the top with this tactic of minting fresh citizens for the purpose of winning sports medals more so than other nations.
Seriously what the fuck is the point?
Its about the same as making a bunch of Germans, Russians, Maoris, and Africans into citizens so Singapore can field a winning soccer team, ice-hockey team, rugby, or basketball team at the next international games. Imagine it. The extend of their citizenship only goes so far as holding a pink IC.
Here's a question for you - What really makes a Singapore citizen Singaporean?
Instead of doing that cynical approach to sports - I think its much better to spend the nation's money on its own locally born citizens. Here are some examples:
1. Spend the money on training our sports teachers. Its highly important that our sports and physical education teachers are knowledgeable about the whole dynamics of muscle growth and training. Think of the amount of good it would do to the nation if the sports teachers were highly skilled and knowledgeable - they could teach entire generations of citizens to be more aware and conscious of their health and physical training.
Money that goes into this field also goes into creating our own Sports Industry.
2. Raise up our own sports people. Some grumpy cynic might complain, "What for - they won't win" But Singapore spends billions of dollars on its armed forces and military. I'm not saying its wasted money (sidetopic: consider how much Hong Kong govt spends on its own military.) But if Singapore is prepared to spend so much money on its own armed forces - why not devote some money towards training and sponsoring its own locally born sports people?? Each dollar spent on a Singapore born sports person also goes to his Singapore family, his parents, his children and would quite likely encourage a Singaporean child to do the same rather than swotting for the exam in an air-con room. Some of them might even win. This is Nation-building stuff.
If you disagree with this - you might want to consider the sheer amount of man hours spent by each Singaporean male and the contributions made by his family in NS (not to mention the number of Singaporeans killed or maimed in the line of duty). NS conscripts are being paid fuck all. And what for? Don't talk about duty when you are being paid a highly exorbitant (public) salary.
We pay taxes. We stay law abiding citizens.... Wait... What for?
You might as well hire Gukhas to defend our nation... Hmmmm.... oh wait a minute.... :D
I don't mind if the (minted fresh citizens) foreign born players stay in Singapore and contribute to the culture of Singapore - but if they go back home after they won the medal and got their prize money and whatever monetary reward they were promised by the Gahmun - what's the point? Basically you hired some foreigner to win the medal for you.
It would be cheaper just to go to a shop in Chinatown and make a copy of the gold medal and put a photoshoped face next to it.
But if you are running the country like a business corporation than it does make more economic sense to purchase foreign sports talent. Cheap, efficient, sure-fire success. Using that sort of brutal logic and you will ignore the welfare of old aged citizens who can't work anymore and withhold their CPF pensions... your citizens not producing enough kids - no problem just increase the migration intake - whatever... you want cheaper workers - you want oprofits - you don't want to pay your citizens a living wage? you don't want to open another university? you don't want to spend more money on national education? NO problem - hire foreigners - any kind of economic rational idea to promote the interests of the rich and powerful- no matter how cruel, souless is worth contemplating.
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