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FT Shuttler Quits

brandon66

Alfrescian
Loyal
Feb 17, 2009

ONE of Singapore's rising foreign badminton talents has quit the national team, complaining that he was told to either take up citizenship or go.

Doubles specialist Riky Widianto, 17, who has been here since 2005, flew home to Indonesia yesterday after tendering his resignation to the Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) earlier this month.

SBA COULDN'T WAIT

'I wanted to stay and fulfil my dream as a badminton champion for Singapore. But I had no choice because the association told me I had to become a citizen now, or quit. My family told me to wait another year or two, but the SBA couldn't wait.'

Badminton officials had wanted him to become Singaporean in time to represent the country at this year's South-east Asia Games, but Riky said his parents felt he was too young to make the move.

'I wanted to stay and fulfil my dream as a badminton champion for Singapore,' he told The Straits Times. 'But I had no choice because the association told me I had to become a citizen now, or quit.

'My family told me to wait another year or two, but the SBA couldn't wait.'

The full-time player was also unhappy with his monthly pay of $1,350, saying it was barely enough to cover his living expenses.

They included his $400 monthly room rent at the Singapore Sports School, and $350 a month for catered meals there.

The Surabaya native said he was sad to leave Singapore and his friends, but did not want to defy his family's wishes.

Asked if Riky had been given an ultimatum, SBA chief executive Edwin Pang told The Straits Times: 'We advised him to resign if he did not want to switch citizenship.'

He explained that the shuttler had been earmarked not only for the SEA Games, but also the World Junior Championships, Asian and Commonwealth Games next year.
 

Blazars

Alfrescian
Loyal
I think the prob is $$$. All our FT sportman come to play for us is bcos of $$$. If they willing to pay him... say $1800... he might be tempted to convert.

I say we buy the Msia guy over. He is the no. 1 in badminton right now?
 

halsey02

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
Why did he not want to switch citizenship?
Bye Bye.

Every Singapore born male, is forced by law under the NS Act..blah blah, to report for national Service upon reaching xx age.

This 17 year old BADminton FT from Indonesia, does he have to serve National service?

His parents are wise.....!!:smile:
 

Lestat

Alfrescian
Loyal
I think the prob is $$$. All our FT sportman come to play for us is bcos of $$$. If they willing to pay him... say $1800... he might be tempted to convert.

I say we buy the Msia guy over. He is the no. 1 in badminton right now?

He is worth 3.5K per month FOR LIFE. :biggrin:

How to get him over? :p
 

borom

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
This episode again proof what all of us already knows and many has been complaining about- that PR's get better treatment than citizens.
Riky's parents are smart and they must have seen there's no advantage of being a S'pore citizen at all.He was happy to be receiving $1,350 a month as PR but when asked to be citizen, remuneration becomes an issue.

This also shows up another unique point of this present government -that they are asked to pay more so that people will accept citizenship.

Its really comical to see how places in schools, universities. national sports teams,and jobs are given away to foreigners and yet the deprived and bullied keep on voting for the same bunch of bullies.

Expect to see more cartoon shows like that from the ridiculous policies of the you must pay me not to be corrupt bunch of mafias .
 

JohnTT

Alfrescian
Loyal
Foreigners are only here in S'pore for good times. FT scheme is a failure. Foreigners just take advantage of S'pore FT scheme. :mad:
 

melzp

Alfrescian
Loyal
Chong Wei is so so near BUT beyond reach. $$ is not everything to some.
$$ is attractive only to the trashes.
 

tonychat

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
Feb 17, 2009

ONE of Singapore's rising foreign badminton talents has quit the national team, complaining that he was told to either take up citizenship or go.

Doubles specialist Riky Widianto, 17, who has been here since 2005, flew home to Indonesia yesterday after tendering his resignation to the Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) earlier this month.

SBA COULDN'T WAIT

'I wanted to stay and fulfil my dream as a badminton champion for Singapore. But I had no choice because the association told me I had to become a citizen now, or quit. My family told me to wait another year or two, but the SBA couldn't wait.'

Badminton officials had wanted him to become Singaporean in time to represent the country at this year's South-east Asia Games, but Riky said his parents felt he was too young to make the move.

'I wanted to stay and fulfil my dream as a badminton champion for Singapore,' he told The Straits Times. 'But I had no choice because the association told me I had to become a citizen now, or quit.

'My family told me to wait another year or two, but the SBA couldn't wait.'

The full-time player was also unhappy with his monthly pay of $1,350, saying it was barely enough to cover his living expenses.

They included his $400 monthly room rent at the Singapore Sports School, and $350 a month for catered meals there.

The Surabaya native said he was sad to leave Singapore and his friends, but did not want to defy his family's wishes.

Asked if Riky had been given an ultimatum, SBA chief executive Edwin Pang told The Straits Times: 'We advised him to resign if he did not want to switch citizenship.'

He explained that the shuttler had been earmarked not only for the SEA Games, but also the World Junior Championships, Asian and Commonwealth Games next year.

He made the right move. Many of those with pink IC even throw them away. He will grow up wiser and if wanna take a citizenship, take from a country that is a real first world and not one that act like one.
 

Lestat

Alfrescian
Loyal
As quoted on http://mrwangsaysso.blogspot.com/2009/02/singapore-must-think-that-badminton.html

Riky is 17 years old this year and the SBA wants him to become a Singapore citizen so that he can represent Singapore in the SEA Games this year.

And if Riky becomes a citizen this year, what would happen to him NEXT year, when he turns 18? National Service. Two years of his life gone. What a major disruption to his badminton aspirations.

So OF COURSE his family advised Riky to wait a year or two. He needs to avoid the NS liability that kicks in, when he turns eighteen.

The most convenient way for Singapore to win gold medals is actually to import foreign female sports talents.

Men are just too troublesome. If they are citizens, their sports training gets disrupted for two years (around age 18 to 20) and if they are not citizens, they won't be allowed to represent Singapore.

"Oh well, it wasn't such a bad deal, after all" Riky must be thinking. "Over the past three years, I got to play in some tournaments, I received some good training AND while I was still in Singapore, the badminton association paid me a salary every month. Even when I was only 14 years old."


Smart move, this FT :biggrin::biggrin:
 

DerekLeung

Alfrescian
Loyal
$1,350 is an absolute joke !

Singapore may as well hire $500 ah neh to do the job !

Pay nuts to get more frustrated nuts working for the regime !
This is wage suppression at it's worst in Singapore !


Hire one foreigner work horse to represent but behind him got 50 stupid singaporean admin staff who do nothing but bark at others and boot-lick PAP government to get $3,000 above.

At this rate we can never see Atlanta.
 

DerekLeung

Alfrescian
Loyal
Is our national agenda becoming one for the people or more for
the STATE of SINGAPORE ?

In this case is it more for sports or national calling ?

WTF yet again ! You got lots of dumbArse somewhere and everywhere in government sector !
 

Conan the Barbarian

Alfrescian
Loyal
http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2008/7/7/sports/21754882&sec=sports

Yes. It's for LIFE. Though I got the amount wrong. :biggrin:

Do the maths. SGP prefers to 'BUY' talents. It's cheaper this way. :biggrin:

I'm very sure Riky did not come to Singapore for the money. Every
Indonesian that can make their way to Singapore to study and play
do not need the measly $1350 or more, they are already rich. All the players in my former school years ago were right up there in terms of wealth.

They may want to be PRs, but will delay citizenship until they are older.
They need a PR somewhere as Indonesia is pretty unstable. But which
rich guy will voluntarily serve NS for 2 years, even if it is in name only?
Sports may be disrupted, but during NS, they can eat, sleep and talk sport only, except maybe for the 3 months BMT.
 

Lestat

Alfrescian
Loyal
I'm very sure Riky did not come to Singapore for the money. Every
Indonesian that can make their way to Singapore to study and play
do not need the measly $1350 or more, they are already rich. All the players in my former school years ago were right up there in terms of wealth.

They may want to be PRs, but will delay citizenship until they are older.
They need a PR somewhere as Indonesia is pretty unstable. But which
rich guy will voluntarily serve NS for 2 years, even if it is in name only?
Sports may be disrupted, but during NS, they can eat, sleep and talk sport only, except maybe for the 3 months BMT.

I do agree with you that MOST Indonesians that can make their way to SGP are already very rich. However, that's not a representation of ALL Indonesians who comes to SGP. I personally do know some who are not from very wealthy background, but are willing to work for their future here. :smile:

Then again, it's an undeniable fact that we 'buy' sports talents as opposed to grooming them from young. :smile:
 

The_Latest_H

Alfrescian
Loyal
The "my way or the highway" option usually don't work. If they did that, don't be surprise that more of such cases will continue to flow. People aren't stupid; the PAP shouldn't believe that threats like this will continue to work.

Fear shouldn't be the first option. It should always be the last, last, very last option.
 
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