LOCAL celebrity Michelle Chong recently took her frustrations to the Internet, complaining that Singaporeans do not take pride in their work. In a Facebook post that has since gone viral, she cited examples of shoddy work she had experienced in the past year, commenting that people here have a "heck care attitude" and "generally don't care about what they do".

It must have hit a raw nerve, judging by the flood of responses from people weighing in on the debate. A lack of job pride in Singapore is not a newly observed phenomenon, and to be fair, it's not an affliction that plagues the city-state alone. But her fundamental question still stands: Why? Why are Singaporeans not propelled to go the extra mile in their work? And is that what's stopping our country from achieving more?

As with all complex matters, it's always a combination of intrinsic and structural factors. To Ms Chong, bless her idealistic soul, it's "not really about the money". She wrote: "Monetary rewards are great and all, but I know I get fulfilment when audiences love what we create for them."