It is a common knowledge that Singaporeans thought that way of their own kind who left our sunny shores to venture into the wild world out there. So I am not surprised to read this online once again. I would assume the third-rated country mentioned to be Australia, since it is the country with most overseas Singaporeans today. That makes me one of the weak-willed. The title characters limit prevented me from putting the full statement. In full, it reads the "disgruntled and the weak-willed flee to third-rate countries and get treated like dirt by the ang mohs there."
I do not know if the writer bothered to slot in a snide remark for his National Day wish list. To be honest, if I were a sandwiched elite in Singapore like him, Singaporeans trickling out of Singapore wouldn't bother me so much, especially if I see them as "weak-willed." You would imagine the pleasure of a manicured garden without a single trace of weeds. Oddly enough, something about Singaporeans leaving seem to gets on the nerves of these successful people for them to bring it up often in their public outbursts. Perhaps, one needs a bigger pool of lesser people around him to feel he has achieved something in life.
The notion of "weak-willed" has probably something to do with how Goh Chok Tong labelled Singaporeans who left as "quitters". It has since been stamped permanently into the DNA of Singaporeans. If you leave, you are weak. For a population who knows nothing but to win, almost at all cost, all the time, it was a cost-effective method to keep the cogs from spinning out of place. I am not going to argue on the validity of such a label. Anyone with any speck of common sense will know to uproot and settle elsewhere requires a lot of courage, especially if his financial resources is very limited.. That isn't what I think an ingredient I will find in weak-willed people. Besides, there must be something very wrong with Singapore if it required individuals to be "strong-willed" to remain there, if that makes any sense to you.
It really depends at which level are you looking at the matter. If you are a doctor, for example, working in Singapore, you would think it is foolish for your nurses to migrate to a country like Australia. For the nurses, it makes perfect sense to be treated like colleagues by the doctors they work with in Australia than to be treated like maids by those in Singapore. Likewise, a Singaporean nurse will think it is foolish for a doctor to migrate to Australia because it means he will all that prestige he enjoys in Singapore and suffer probable financial and career opportunity costs. If you know where you stand on both sides, you will have a good understanding which side actually treats you like dirt. I am not the least surprise to read myopic views on this as well as people justifying their staying in Singapore.
So how can Singapore prevent the "weak-willed" to flee to third-rated countries to be treated like dirt by the ang mos?
Do not give a fuck
Why would you even bother to pretend you care whether Singaporeans who left get treated badly overseas unless you are secretly gloating over your deluded fantasy? It is wise and best to not give a fuck and celebrate your own success by bathing in lard.
Be third-rated
If being third-rated attracts the "weak-willed", nobody will be leaving. So be third-rated. Or even better, fourth rated.
Treat the "weak-willed" like dirt
On hindsight, it is important to treat "weak-willed" Singaporeans badly in order to retain these quitters, since it is now known they relish bad treatment. It is not too late to do that now and reverse how well the Singapore government has been treating average Singaporeans.
Import more ang mos to Singapore
The "strong-willed" will relish the challenge, the "weak-willed" will adore their masters. Win-win situation.
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