“For an Industrial Properties Manager, engaging with industrialists is part of everyday work. A young public officer like me, however, would find it intimidating at first, having to speak with those da laoban   (“big bosses” in Mandarin) — especially in Defu Industrial Estate, which I manage — as they are mainly Chinese- or dialect-speaking. That is when making casual talk in their lingo would help ease the tension, especially during Relocation Exercises, which involve coaxing them to move from their over-three-decade-old factories to modern industrial complexes. It’s like the industrial version of moving from kampongs to HDB flats! Often, casual face-to-face chats in their language about their products and business, or even how their children are doing, really help them to warm up to me after ‘cold’ conversations over the phone.”

Here is one of those casual face-to-face chats with an industrialist:

Tenant Auntie: You guess dajie   (“older sister” in Mandarin) how old? I, Pioneer Generation, contribute to SG.

Me: Wah, dajie, I wasn't able to tell! You look young. Yes, you Pioneer Generation, I respect! I, pai-miah  (“tough life” in Hokkien) generation, cannot compare.

Tenant Auntie: [laughs]  You where got pai-miah. Public servant, stable job, every month sit down to collect salary sng zua-ji  (“count one’s money” in Hokkien).

Me: Dajie, I think you got the wrong idea of zua-ji. It means zua  (“paper”) and ji  (“words”). That means we are busy with clearing a lot of paperwork lor  as we have to justify using taxpayers’ money to build the replacement units for HDB’s industrialists!

– Bernard Sim, Executive Industrial Properties Manager, Industrial Properties Group, Housing & Development Board