bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

SCMP Reporter

Should Singapore lift its long-standing ban on chewing gum to attract more foreign talent? That is the sticky debate being chewed over following comments by renowned American economist Lester Thurow.

 Singapore must embrace foreign talent readily and 'make them feel like citizens' if it wants to be another Silicon Valley and be seen as an attractive place to live and work, advised the Massachusetts Institute of Technology management and economics professor during a recent trip.

 'Change the law on chewing gum, because it makes the rest of the world think you control everything, which you don't,' he said.

 Of course, Mr Thurow's premise is a little larger than the chewing gum issue.

 What he was trying to say was, if Singapore wants to lure and retain more foreign professionals to improve its economy, don't scare them off with an image of a paternalistic society that controls citizens' every move.

 Everyone's heard the joke about Singapore being a 'fine' city. Pop star Mariah Carey even asked whether she would be arrested for wearing a bikini during her recent Singapore visit.

 However, Singapore's overseas image does not fit the real picture.

 We cannot remember the last time anyone was prosecuted in court for either trading gum, failing to flush the toilet, or even downloading pornography from the Internet. Yet Singapore's hardline, 'nanny state' lives on.

 State-linked Singapore Telecom failed in its recent bid to merge with Hong Kong's Cable & Wireless HKT partly because of concerns expressed by Hong Kong legislators and commentators about the risk of Singapore Government political interference. It was not the only reason, but definitely a factor.

 The reality is that neither government ministers or state investment arm Temasek Holdings interfere in the running of government-linked corporations.

 Having said that, it would be wrong to suggest Singapore is a liberal haven. Its economy and society are still clearly managed.

 However, since Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong launched his campaign to transform the country into a 'Renaissance City', significant lifestyle changes have been taking place to complement the finance sector liberalisation already gathering pace.

 This could lead to the establishment of a Hyde Park-style outdoors speakers' corner to provide a forum for free speech, something many would have considered impossible a year ago.

 Mr Goh's motives are primarily economic.

 Faced with dwindling birth rates and a steady outflow of educated Singaporeans, he has to make Singapore a more enjoyable place to live if he is to retain its most talented nationals and attract skilled foreigners to supplement its workforce as it strives to build a knowledge-based economy.

 He wants to turn a brain drain into a brain gain.

 A census is under way which is expected to show that foreigners account for about one in four of the population, possibly the highest ratio in Asia.

 However, international competition for foreign professional talent is getting increasingly tough, particularly in the information technology (IT) industry.

 Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad this month announced a campaign to attract 5,000 skilled foreign workers a year to help take the nation into the information age.

 Previously, Malaysia's immigration and work visa regulations had been exceptionally tough.

 'We must reach out to the four corners of the world to ensure a massive brain gain, an infusion of men and women of extraordinary talent, creativity, knowledge, skill and other capabilities,' said Dr Mahathir.

 His 'knowledge-economy master plan' should be ready within 18 months.

 Singapore announced its own foreign-talent programme in 1997.

 This is by no means just an emerging Southeast Asian phenomenon.

 The seemingly insatiable international appetite to lure Internet-orientated entrepreneurs and professionals has been causing leading economies around the world to rethink past norms.

 European Union leaders this week launched an 'e-Europe' campaign which will force member states to seek out skilled foreign workers to help the continent catch up with the United States in the global dotcom race.

 'Europe must attract talented people from all parts of the world,' said European Commission President Romano Prodi at the campaign's launch.

 In Germany, employers' organisations say there are 75,000 IT posts un-filled.

 Singapore Trade and Industry Minister George Yeo Yong Boon acknowledges his country's star search is going to be tough, but believes most Singaporeans are ready to welcome more foreigners.

 'Great cities in the world are being constantly replenished by driven, talented people from the countryside,' he said.

 'So it is crucial, if we are to maintain our dynamism, that we continue to bring in talent from all over the region into Singapore,' said Mr Yeo, in a recent Straits Times interview.

 'The advantage of being a city-state is that we can keep out the 'slums' and the 'riff-raff', the things that we don't want,' he said.

 The sticky question remains, will this still include gum? 



Economics professor gives Singapore something to chew over