Ngiam Tong Dow - Iswaran talk Hollywood cock on F1

[Confuseous]

ON FORMULA 1

How else can Singapore further transform into a global city?
My favourite topic — I’m on public record — is Formula 1 (F1). We’re paying the Englishmen to stage the F1 night race here. Why should we use taxpayers’ money to pay for these races? I have asked this question publicly, but the MOF has never addressed it.

Doesn’t F1 put Singapore on the world map?

What does it mean by putting a country on the world map? I was born in a generation where every cent counts, so I believe we should spend our money wisely, and not on frivolities. Sometimes, I think our present Cabinet spends money on frivolities, and staging the F1 is my “favourite” example.

A Hong Kong delegation asked me what I consider frivolities. In Hong Kong, they have fireworks displays every year. One of the delegates asked me whether I thought it was a waste of public money. If everyone in Hong Kong can see the fireworks, then there is no waste; if only a restricted number of people can see it, then the money spent is wasted.

Since Singapore has been considered a boring country, don’t you think it will increase our soft power?

These are all Hollywood-type dialogue. When you do not have money or there is no food in your stomach, your priority would not be Singapore’s soft power.

For example, one of my favourite topics to show the stark difference in priorities during my younger days and today is work-life balance. During my younger days, we never thought of work-life balance. For me, my first plane ride was for a work conference in Bangkok! It’s a different generation now, as people today travel frequently for leisure from a young age.

I’m not saying we should be miserly, but we should spend our personal money and public funds wisely to benefit most people.

 

[Char_Azn]

He also live in a time when Singapore have no tourism industry. The F1 is like a giant Tourism Poster to the F1 fans to show them what Singapore is.

I'm not sure if this bugger have ever traveled out of Singapore, many pple have either not heard of us or don't have any clue what we are. I loss count of the number of times I have to explain to pple we are not part China, what SG really is and how we work

In this globalized world where every country is competing with each other for investor money, the more exposure you get the better. The fact that SG is still the only F1 night race out there makes us stand out

 

[shittypore]

He also live in a time when Singapore have no tourism industry. The F1 is like a giant Tourism Poster to the F1 fans to show them what Singapore is.

I'm not sure if this bugger have ever traveled out of Singapore, many pple have either not heard of us or don't have any clue what we are. I loss count of the number of times I have to explain to pple we are not part China, what SG really is and how we work

In this globalized world where every country is competing with each other for investor money, the more exposure you get the better. The fact that SG is still the only F1 night race out there makes us stand out

F1 dont beat the way Temasick makes us World Famous in the Financial World!

 

[KopiCbye]

He also live in a time when Singapore have no tourism industry. The F1 is like a giant Tourism Poster to the F1 fans to show them what Singapore is.

I'm not sure if this bugger have ever traveled out of Singapore, many pple have either not heard of us or don't have any clue what we are. I loss count of the number of times I have to explain to pple we are not part China, what SG really is and how we work
?
In this globalized world where every country is competing with each other for investor money, the more exposure you get the better. The fact that SG is still the only F1 night race out there makes us stand out

So you are saying without F1 nobody knows where is SG right? Do you know how retarded you sound?

 

[halsey02]

He also live in a time when Singapore have no tourism industry. The F1 is like a giant Tourism Poster to the F1 fans to show them what Singapore is.

I'm not sure if this bugger have ever traveled out of Singapore, many pple have either not heard of us or don't have any clue what we are. I loss count of the number of times I have to explain to pple we are not part China, what SG really is and how we work

In this globalized world where every country is competing with each other for investor money, the more exposure you get the better. The fact that SG is still the only F1 night race out there makes us stand out

I collect stamps & stamp on postcard..in a hobby called philately. Recently I asked my counterpart collector in USA to send me, the set of Disney/Pixar stamp post cards..they come in a book of ten... the booklet with 5 unused postcard came in the mail...but the 5 sent by mail, did not arrive.

I jokingly said they must have gone to CHINA...indeed they did, they arrived much later, 5 of them with the word stamped across in blue.. 'MISSENT TO TAIPEI"..so they did go to China..REPUBLIC OF CHINA!!

My point is...the Americans do not know where SINgapore is, another province in PRC or a County in ROC??...you ask they F1 race in SINGapore?, where is that?....New England, Florida, they know...

Get the POINT!!

 

[halsey02]

So you are saying without F1 nobody knows where is SG right? Do you know how retarded you sound?

Yes...it is...

 

[winnipegjets]

He also live in a time when Singapore have no tourism industry. The F1 is like a giant Tourism Poster to the F1 fans to show them what Singapore is.

You gotta to be kidding. Tourism has always being a pillar of the economy and Ngiam was in the service then. Why do we need an F1 event where taxpayer's money is freely given to the rich tycoons to promote sinkapore? There are enough marketing to promote sinkapore. Ngiam has a point here. Till this day, we have not had a audited cost-benefit analysis of hosting the F1 event. Give us the data.

I'm not sure if this bugger have ever traveled out of Singapore, many pple have either not heard of us or don't have any clue what we are. I loss count of the number of times I have to explain to pple we are not part China, what SG really is and how we work

So what is the average foreigner doesn't know where is sinkapore? 70 percent of Americans don't even have a passport. Sinkapore wants to promote the country to these 70 percent?

In this globalized world where every country is competing with each other for investor money, the more exposure you get the better. The fact that SG is still the only F1 night race out there makes us stand out

We are attracting the wrong kind of investment ...that's why our economy needs cheap foreign labour.
The case for hosting F1 is not supported by hard numbers!