EARLIER this month, I was surprised to read that the Football Association of Singapore will give each local club a subsidy of $2,000 a month to hire foreign players. A constructive discussion is needed to explore the wisdom of this policy of attracting foreign talent.

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Catalonia (Spain) could be a better comparison with a population of 6 million. They have produced several world class figures in tennis, football, basketball, motor sports, etc., not to mention world renowned personalities in the arts, music, literature, etc.

Singapore worships paper qualifications. That’s the only thing that matters in Singapore. Everything is judged solely on that criterion. Unlike some other countries where it is possible for a technician to earn more than a degree holder, in Singapore, you can forget about being able to earn a good salary if you don’t have the paper qualifications. Is it any wonder that both students and their parents put all their efforts and resources into this relentless paper chase? There simply isn’t room for other pursuits. When we do (ace the exams) it would be mostly because we have channeled all our resources into achieving that outcome. Not because we are naturally talented, or even brilliant. Many managed to accomplish it through tuition, or by mastering past exam papers, etc. Many of our straight A’s students don’t impress as we can often see how well they go on to (I mean, don’t) impress later on in life.

No matter. Talents here are not necessarily measured by their performance or the results they get. The passport to a high post (and high pay) is by sheer academic attainment alone. Does anything else matter? Sports? The Arts? Music? Where got room to cramp?

It goes beyond sports, even some of our core businesses are told/asked/pressured/requested/talked-into/persuaded to hire foreign key managers and CEOs.
We should judge talent in their own right regardless of nationality or place of birth.

Hey, your letter means no cents lah!

The number of talents a country is not direct proportional to its population, okay?

Our country got enough talents leh, no `pool-ball' no die okay?

Use our talents in other fields like economis, business and technology lah!

Hee-hor, hee-hor, hee-hor, hee-hor................

I have the other reason for you. Singapore gahmen has no patience when it comes to cultivating success. Everything have to be instant. Why is it that they can't realize certain many things in life takes time to accomplish? Easier to buy success eh?

Holland has never won the world cup.

it's not the population size, duh!

compare geography/climate, physique and culture first la.

Holland has a very vibrant and competitive youth league that feeds players to the professional clubs. That's the main explanation for their success. Our kids have to break into schools just to find a pitch for a game.

Nonetheless, the government has gotten its priorities right. Singapore should not spend serious money on football or sports in general. Serious money should be directed to more economically productive ventures and developing local talents for the workplace. Sports, music and the arts have poor ROI.

During his Mandarin National Day Rally speech on 17 August, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said:

"In the Olympics contingent, there are 25 members, half of whom are new Singaporeans. Why do we need them? Make a single calculation. The Chinese have 1.3 billion people. Singapore has a population of four million ... If we want to win glory for Singapore and do well not only in sports but in many other areas, we cannot merely depend on the local-born."

Apparently our government thinks that population size is a limiting factor in achieving success and uses it as a reason to continuously justify their actions... New Singaporeans should be welcomed in our sportteams but it is all together a different matter to neglect local talent.

I don't think developing local athletes requires 'serious money'. It is much more about organisation and management of existing resources. In addition, we are talking about a small number of athletes. It is hard to believe that a country like Singapore can't spare the resources for them...

"Why is it that they can't realize certain many things in life takes time to accomplish? Easier to buy success eh?"

Maybe because it's somebody's wish to see something done in his lifetime?