Foreign Talent Appreciation Day

In light of recent events and witnesses, it came upon me that our Public Holidays should be renamed Foreign Talent Appreciation Day instead.

Foreign Talents play a significant role in building our country(literally). Hence, just as we enjoy our PHs, they too deserve every right to celebrate and partake in our festive activities. Their presence has been a boon to our nation, for their contributions have attributed to an improvement in our standard of living in both the material and non-material aspect.

Our industrious FTs build our houses, schools, offices, shopping malls and more. Without them we will not have such sturdy HDB flats to reside in, our children will not have a compound for their education, our workforce will not be able to complete their jobs in those towering skyscrapers, and we will not have those luxurious malls at our disposal for leisure. Besides constructing, they clean our houses, cook for us, wash our dishes and clean our streets.Therefore, with their help our environment became a more conducive and comfortable place for us to live in.

In our education system, FTs play their part in raising the bar. Their unwavering determination to excel, diligence and perseverance (and sometimes gifted prowess in math) make them the most fearsome competitors in schools. They provide our local students with a real challenge and motivate them to strive and achieve better results. Consequentially, the mean grade improves and raises our academic standards.

On board our public transport, we share the capacious cabins with our FTs. Especially on PHs, we see a stark increase in ridership contributed by our FTs. Correspondingly, this would result in an increase in revenue and eventually profits for our public transport operators. Our non-profit driven operators would obviously then channel this excess money into research and development to improve the system and benefit all of us. Hence, while their inclusion may reduce the space available on board and cause some of us to not board due to the shortage of ample room,we should still welcome them on board despite the need to squeeze and cuddle since it benefits us and builds camaraderie .

FTs are also crucial in boosting our domestic consumption. Our relatively small local population translates to a relatively small demand. However, with the inclusion of our FTs, our overall population increases ,hence, fueling more demand.  Especially on PHs, they exit their quarters and paronise our shops along with our streets. By widening their expenditure here, the amount remitted back to their hometown decreases resulting in a smaller outflow of money from our economy.

Recently, our FTs are also spotted invading our service industry. No matter where we go, from retail to food and beverage (and lately our telecommunication phone operators) we just can't escape their grasp. But isn't this good? Where else can we find such talents with an enormous passion to serve and bring a smile to your face. They do not mind the long working hours or the menial wages, they are glad to simply fetch you those beautiful clothes you fancy, the right size of shoes for your foot and the sparkling bags shining on the shelf. When you are hungry, you can count on them to cook those delicious local delicacies for you, to bring the food to your table and to clean up the dishes after you are done.When there is an annoying problem with your mobile phone, your cable tv or your home broadband internet, they are just a call away. Besides addressing the technical issue, their service extends to solving your anger management issue with a smile. When your body feels sore and worn out, you can always seek treatment from our FT masseuse(who would be so eager to serve you that they can't wait to provide you with extra services). At the end of the day, we return home(from shopping, dining or more) feeling really pleased thanks to the great services of our humble FTs.

Our FTs are also really honourable self sacrificing people. Despite being called talents, they do not mind lower wages and taking up jobs that we do not want. They fill up the vacant holes in our economy and drive the cost of production down. This translates to lower prices and ensures the smooth operating of our economy.

Their integration into our society brings many cultural and social improvements(in much contrary to the common belief). They strive to learn our culture, fit into our way of life and celebrate our festivities as much as we try to endure theirs. Their grooming, accent, aroma, mannerism and lifestyle creates a more diverse and vibrant society. Yet among all the different behavioral patterns and habits, we adore them and live in harmony with them. Don't we always pride ourselves as a diverse yet harmonious society?

In view of the above motioned merits, our awesome FTs deserve a regular appreciation day to commemorate their efforts and contributions to our country. And what would be a better way to do this than to recognise them during our PHs ?(when we should obviously be bestowing them with fame, fortune and numerous commendation awards) We are proud to have such wonderful inclusions to our fabulous cosmopolitan state.

So why wait? Go befriend a FT since they are such awesome people and you may find yourself a new best friend FOREVER!

Scott signs off.