SEPTEMBER 2 — A PANEL of prominent business leaders and policymakers’ meeting at a forum organized by Business China and the Singapore Business Federation has criticised young Singaporean graduates and workers for being too bound by rules and lacking knowledge of the local region.
It is an interesting and somewhat controversial observation. Rules and an adherence to rules from a young age is the basis of Singapore’s social and economic system.
There are regulations, steps and procedures for everything. Our orderly rules are part of the national brand and national success story.
Singapore is more orderly, more disciplined than its neighbours and that’s why we attract more business, we are told.
It is why we alone among the South-east Asian nations is an economically developed country.
This is obviously an oversimplification but rules have certainly played a part in our nation’s success and to criticise our youth for following rules (something that is almost universally considered to be a rather good thing) is a bit of a stretch.
However, I do understand the broad thrust of the argument. While following rules and laws is important, strict adherence to rules without basic flexibility and common sense becomes rigidity.
This rigidity -- something I have personally seen in young Singaporeans — often translates to a lack of initiative and a passivity.
Sometimes you must bend the rules and more importantly, sometimes you must make the rules yourself rather than waiting for a playbook.
This is particularly true in South-east Asia; developing economies require initiative, constant adaptability and problem solving.
Singaporeans, on the other hand, sometimes act as if our country is magically connected to Australia, Hong Kong, the US or Europe.
In reality though, many of our biggest opportunities lie in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia or further afield in places where instinct and responding on the fly are as important as set procedures and guidelines.
While our immediate region with its 650 million people and US$2.5 trillion dollars (RM10.2 trillion) in GDP is full of potential, too many Singaporeans simply lack the knowledge and skills to thrive in these markets.
Singapore is successful, but it is a bubble and the approaches that work at home may not work in Vietnam or Myanmar.
While panellists did praise Singapore’s language policy with our largely bilingual population making us ready for global growth, the reality is that Mandarin and Tamil won’t necessarily help us develop links within our immediate region.
Perhaps it is time to introduce more options to study Malay, Thai, Vietnamese and Myanmar -- at different levels in our education system.
It really is worth thinking about how we can expose young Singaporeans to the region and make them see our neighbours not as exotic destinations for holidays and field-trips but as venues for future entrepreneurship and growth.
Internships in the region starting at poly level would be helpful and of course these linkages must continue at university and beyond. Too often Singaporeans aspire to go to Europe or America for further studies and work experience, but we can learn as much from our immediate neighbours.
In Europe, for example, even at middle-school level exchanges are common with students from France doing all sorts of projects in Italy, Germany, Spain etc.
What’s crucial is these exchanges often involve staying with a host family and being placed in a local school rather than travelling as a large group.
When Singaporeans do venture into the region, we often do so within our mini bubble with Singaporean teachers and students peering out at their host country but not integrating.
Though differences in economic circumstances should be considered, with a bit of research and some guidelines I think even school-aged Singaporeans can be exposed to our region and this would make a real difference.
Ultimately it is not about breaking rules but about understanding, willingness and flexibility. How things work abroad might be differentbut wherever they are, Singaporeans should be able to lead and seize opportunities.
