TR EMERITUS

I mentioned that I met Professor Yu Wei Shin, nearly a month ago in my piece “I KNOW I AM ATTRACTIVE – I JUST DON’T KNOW WHO I AM ATTRACTIVE TO.” (15 July 2020), via my Linkedin feed. Professor Yu had mentioned that he had read my pieces on TRemeritus and that he was an ex-Singaporean. My brief acquaintance with Professor Yu got me thinking about who these ex-Singaporeans are and whether we as a nation could tap onto people like him. I’ve invited him to give us a glimpse into his life and his feelings towards Singapore. In the brief glimpses that I’ve had of the man, it is clear that Singapore is failing to make the full use of our diaspora. Here is a well-educated man, who is building a high-tech product in his later years (A point I stress as Singapore is a place that considers you ancient and useless after 45). The Professor has given me a short blurb, which I hope you will enjoy. Tang Li – Singapore 20 July 2020 According to reports in Singapore’s Parliament, there are around 1,000 Singaporeans give up their citizenship every year. Many of those who have given up their citizenship and moved elsewhere are well-educated and found success in their new homes. Many also yearn to return to Singapore to share their accumulated knowledge, skills and experience, to semi-retirement, which they would do so at no cost to the tax payer. Unfortunately, our current immigration system does not recognize that there might be a diaspora out there who could do many things for Singapore. Once you leave and renounce your citizenship, you are deemed to be like every other foreigner and if you wish to return to Singapore to work, you need to apply for an Employment Pass. In my experience, this is a discriminatory process. Ex-citizens are regarded as “traitors” for having the audacity to give up their citizenship and the system seems to prefer those who never had ties to Singapore coming in. I take myself as an example, despite have two PhD’s and conducted ground breaking scientific trials, I was advised twice “Do not apply, and if you do, your application will be rejected.” This is sad. I think of other countries that have prospered because they tapped on the skills, experiences and even capital of their diaspora. China, for example, tapped on the diaspora in its early stages of development. India has a system known as the “Persons of Indian Origin” (PIO) card, which makes it easier for anyone of Indian origin, regardless of passport to come and contribute something to India. Why do most of us give up our citizenship? We do so for a variety of reasons and I believe that most, if not all, of us give up our citizenship as a last resort. However, our heart is still very much anchored in Singapore- a little red dot of their forefathers, and where they were born and spent many years growing up. In my case, my father is Singaporean, though he returned to China to die. I was born and grew up in Malaysia, went to New Zealand to study, worked, then immigrated to Australia to work, before coming to NTU to teach in 1984. You could say Singapore got a good deal from me. None of my education was paid for by the Singapore tax payer and I came with a PhD and with 10 years heavy engineering industrial experience. Apart from my 19 years of lecturing, I was very active as town councilor (in charge of environment matters), presidents of learned societies and consultancy to SME's, PSA, Philips, Seagate, Mobil Oil, Mindef, MFA, CleanSeas, I only applied for Australian citizenship because of my mother's dying wish and my wish is to return to SERVE SINGAPORE UNINTERRUPTED! While I may have renounced my Singapore Citizenship, I’ve been able to contribute in the following ways: 1. At 56, I studied Master of Occupational Therapy at the University of Sydny and then PhD (Medicine) at University of New South Wales, graduating at 60 years, so that I can help solve some of the chronic disorders of the elderly in Singapore (-- stroke, elderly falls, etc). 2. Even before I graduated, I returned and conducted a major clinical trial for hip fracture prevention together with Tan Tock Seng Hospital, for several hundred HDB residents, under a Government grant, using Prof Cameron's hip protector invention (USyd). He is the internationally renowned "Father of Hip Protector". 3. From 2012-2016, I returned as Visiting Consultant at Nanyang Polytechnic, and conducted 3 major clinical trials with TTSH using my invention: Robotic Lower Limb Rehab System, for sub-acute and chronic stroke patients, and elderly falls prevention -- all very successful! 4. Now, together with my PhD university mate Dr Wong (www.apppliedrobotics.com.au), and Nanyang Polytechnic, I am inventing a revolutionary wheelchair system that even the Brits have no solution. It will solve many of the social economic problems in Singapore and beyond, ease the manpower shortages in nursing homes and hospitals and create many skilled jobs in Singapore! 5. Going forward, we plan to establish a virtual Disabled Mobility Technology Research Centre, combining the expertise of University of Wollongong in Australia and NYP. Singapore spends millions on educating and nurturing "foreign talents" in its education system. We work hard to attract expatriates from the West and India. We should also not overlook people like me. We have the talent and the desire to serve. Why can’t you make it easier for us, people who have the established emotional connection to come back to contribute? Incidentally, my father served in the British Navy to defend Singapore during the war and suffered PTSD, which lead to family violence and divorce! Also, two of my children were born in Singapore, and three of them attended primary and secondary schools in Singapore. It hurts to be told on twice, "do not apply, and if you do, your application will be rejected"??? Prof YU Wei Shin PhD(Medicine)(UNSW), PhD(Mech ENgg)(Canterbury, (BE(Hons) Sydney   Tang Li *Although I’ve been based mainly in Singapore for nearly two decades, I’ve had the privilege of being able meet people who have crossed borders and cultures. I’ve befriended ministers and ambassadors and worked on projects involving a former head of state. Yet, at the same time, I’ve had the privilege of befriending migrant labourers and former convicts. All of them have a story to tell. All of them add to the fabric of life. I hope to express the stories that inspire us to create life as it should be.      Read More →

Asia Nikkei Review said: Xi's Gorbachev obsession put China on a Soviet path. "Why did the Soviet Union disintegrate?" China's then-new leader Xi Jinping asked his fellow Communist Party members in December 2012. "Their ideals and convictions wavered," he said, vowing never to let the same fate befall China. Since then, he has been on a mission to strengthen the Chinese Communist Party's control over the country. The CCP leads everything, it was announced at the last party National Congress in 2017. "East, west, south, north, and center." But Xi's obsession with avoiding the Soviet path and establishing absolute party rule looks to be the precise reason why the Trump administration and the international community are increasingly skeptical about China. Read here. TKL said. Hello, Nikkei. I know that you are pro-America and anti-China. I have read your views for the past months. Tell you what - I agree with Xi Jinping. I believe that it is important for The CCP to lead China. A country needs a clear direction and strong leadership. Look at the mess that is happening in America and the UK. This is what you get with a democratic system that is not working. I am not sure about Japan. But I think Japan democracy is working well. So, it is okay for your country. What about Singapore. Sad to say, we are not performing well. I know Singapore has a dominant party in charge, like in China. But it has one big flaw. The PAP largely follows the American capitalist model of running the country. It may not be exactly similar to America, but it is similar to a large extent. China's model is socialist. The leaders are sincere in working in the best interest of the people. It has obtained the trust of the people, largely. Sure, there are some dissidents in China. Their stories are covered prominently in the western media. But they are largely exaggerated. If the leaders in the CCP are corrupt, their people will know. They are not stupid. So, to comrade XJP. Well done. TKL gives you his respect and support.   Tan Kin Lian      Read More →

Click to enlarge The Facebook post by Ho Ching deriding public announcement of donations is all the more baffling when you consider that her husband Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has done it on at least two occasions. In a 2012 statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, it was announced that PM Lee would donate $350,000 for three community causes – Prime Minister’s Social Service Award, Prime Minister’s Valedictorian Award and Community Initiatives Fund under the People’ Association. Statement issued by Prime Minister Office: Prior to this, when there was a hike in ministerial salaries in 2007, PM Lee also publicly announced that he would donate his own salary increase to charity for a period of five years. Given this backdrop, what’s the point in Ho Ching saying “there are lots of folks who donated and continue to donate quietly, without making any public announcement”? Since her husband has made public announcements of his donations, he surely cannot be counted among those “who donated and continue to donate quietly.” What’s more, donations are more overt when they are intended to reflect and acknowledge the benefactor – such as Prime Minister’s Social Service Award and Prime Minister’s Valedictorian Award. Ho Ching’s Facebook post came in the wake of Workers’ Party chief Pritam Singh announcing his donation of half of his salary as Leader of the Opposition. Are we seeing a case of double standards? When the opposition does it, there must be an ulterior motive, there is more to it than meets the eye. But when the establishment does it, it is in the name of transparency and keeping the public informed.   Augustine Low      Read More →