A Singaporean In Australia

A friend posted a link to your blog on my wall, which prompted me to send this email at 6:30am on a cold spring Sunday morning in Geelong, Victoria. Coincidentally, I returned on Friday from a week-long conference in Perth.

My name is E**. I am Singapore born and trained GP. Five years ago today, we moved here to take up permanent residence. I have been happily working as a GP in regional Victoria after completing all my registration formalities in October 2008.

I would be happy for you to put me in touch with the SGH surgeon whom you spoke about in your blog in August. I know of the hurdles to get registered and working here, but there are many ways to skin a cat.

Cheers,

E**

******

The Doctor [link] in Melbourne has since linked up with student doctors over dinner. I'm sure doctors have a lot of things to talk about over dinner. 

When E** mentioned Dark Arts, I understood. As Singaporeans, we know little of this sort of things. Remember, we even have to crack our heads to bring some cash over sometime back when in reality the Australia Government is actually rubbing their hands chanting, "More money, more money." Why would they think of taxing the inflow of money? That can and will be done later. You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave. We Singaporeans are programmed to walk the path of light.

Unfortunately, Dark Arts are something that cannot be mentioned openly, only in private and in very hush tones. You've got to even make sure the babies are asleep first. My lovely guest who work in ICA enlightened me on this. Some 'rules' are purposely kept ambiguous and mysterious so that nobody knows what to do with them. They exist but they never exist. These are done so that the agencies can do whatever that bends the grass. Otherwise if all rules and policies are stated overtly, they will be unable to regulate the floodgates as and when they are pleased.

Think about it, all Governments LOVE foreigners. Be it the Australia or Singapore government, they love wealthy foreigners who can bring money in. They love cheap and good foreigners who are willing to work less than what the current batch of people ask for. The problem that the Australia government faces is the minimum wage system. Eventually, unqualified migrants, asylum seekers and new migrants who are willing to settle for less will ask for the minimum. Then Australia will need the next pool of cheap labour to work behind the scenes. In Singapore, that pool of exploited labour is ALWAYS there because someone is only busy with stealing toothpicks from Din Tai Feng restaurants.

I was talking about getting in even when you have no business to, if you still don't get it. Singaporeans who think, "I want but cannot," will therefore remain "cannot" while we continue to see PRCs who cannot speak a sentence of English coming in a steady trickle and you wonder how. No, there are not investment migrants, trust me on that. It's about Dark Arts and you will only learn if you sacrifice your heart and soul to your project.

So the Singapore government tried their best to discredit our doctors to a Third World level. If you are a doctor and have that, "I go when I have a job offer that includes a house and a blonde babe maid," mentality, you'll never make it here. I believe the same goes for any other vocations. Only when you truly seek, the path opens for you. Including the path that leads to the Dark Arts.