| By Li Xueying, Political Correspondent | ||
 |  | MM Lee met with applause as he arrives at the Lianhe Zaobao launch of a new feature section, Crossroads. ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA |
Whether it comes to the giving out of jobs or business contracts or scholarships, whoever excels will be rewarded, he stressed yesterday.
In fact, the idea that guanxi (connections) is not a factor in one's success attracts people to put down roots here.
Mr Lee was addressing about 450 people - two-thirds of whom are new citizens and permanent residents - at the launch of a new feature section in Chinese-language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao.
Called Crossroads, it is aimed at new immigrants and will feature news and issues that concern them.
Speaking in Mandarin, Mr Lee, who attended the event as a special guest, said the most important principle of meritocracy is: All citizens are equal.
'There is no difference between races, religions, new or old citizens,' he said. 'Our policy is: Whatever your background or race, we use the best people. So, I think, those who choose to emigrate to Singapore, you do so because you understand Singapore does not require guanxi...They know Singapore's governance is open, transparent and fair.'
However, this also means the immigrants must master English, he said. 'If you want to succeed in Singapore, you need to have a good grasp of English - our common language. So when you communicate with the world or among races, there is no advantage whether you are Malay, Indian or Chinese.
'Thus, the competition is very fair.'
During his 30-minute session, which included a question-and-answer segment, Mr Lee also addressed the concern that many new immigrants use Singapore as a stepping stone to other countries.
http://forums.delphiforums.com/sunkopitiam/messages?msg=26708.1
No comments:
Post a Comment