Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong must clarify the PAP's plan for 10 million population

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URA released its plan to build underground infrastructure ready for 10 million population in April 2019. Lawrence Wong was, and still is, the Minister for National Development. It is not possible for URA to do so much work on this and release this plan without the approval of the Ministry and the Minister.

The government, the PAP and the Minister for National Development must be the ones to clarify why this report was released, and the reason behind this report.

 

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SDP, Workers' Party, PSP and the opposition can see that the govt is working towards a 10m population. However, PAP and its supporters deny that PAP has ever gone down that route. So strange hor.


Singapore GE2020: Lack of transparency is reason for questions over 10m population figure, says PSP chief Tan Cheng Bock

PSP candidates (from left) Francis Yuen, Choo Shaun Ming and Tan Cheng Bock visiting Block 9 Teck Whye Lane on July 3, 2020.ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Lester Wong

SINGAPORE - Progress Singapore Party (PSP) leader Tan Cheng Bock on Friday (July 3) gave his take on the debate on the 10 million population figure, saying the reason it has become a hot topic is due to a lack of transparency by the Government.

"If the data is not given to you, people will speculate... because they don't know. You are not transparent with your data," he told reporters while canvassing for votes in Chua Chu Kang GRC which his party is contesting.

He also said that in principle, he would have no objection to the 10 million figure if the reasons given by the Government are "sound and logical".

"Just tell us: we want the 10 million, and why. We need it because of this reason, we see it (this way),'' he said, adding that people will then say "if it can or cannot (be done)".

"But you've got to show us the data. Don't give it to us in bits and pieces."

Dr Tan, who is leading the PSP's A-team to contest in West Coast GRC, was asked for his thoughts on the exchanges between the People's Action Party and the Singapore Democratic Party, since Wednesday, over the 10 million figure.

The SDP has made the population issue a key plank in its "Four Yeses, One No" campaign slogan, with the "no" referring to raising Singapore's population to 10 million.

SDP chief Chee Soon Juan had said in a live debate on Wednesday that Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat had "toyed with the idea", a claim refuted by Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan during the debate.

Dr Balakrishnan also stated for the record that Singapore "will never have 10 million" and referred Dr Chee to a statement by the National Population and Talent Division.

The division has stated categorically on Wednesday that the Government "has not proposed, planned nor targeted for Singapore to increase its population to 10 million".

The following day, Mr Heng rebutted Dr Chee's claim in a Facebook post.

"Let me be clear: The Government has never proposed or targeted for Singapore to increase the population to 10 million. And if we look at today's situation, our population is likely to be significantly below 6.9 million by 2030," he wrote.

The PAP, in a rebuke to Dr Chee on the same day, said he should apologise to Singaporeans for misleading them with a falsehood.

In the lead-up to the July 10 polls, Dr Tan's party has been calling for greater transparency from the PAP government, including how Singapore's reserves are being used.

On Friday, he said the fundamental reason people have started to question the Government on issues like the 10 million figure is they do not know if they are being told the truth.

He added that the Government has "to win that trust back".

 

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GE2020: PAP should raise concerns on 10 million population figure with The Straits Times, says SDP
By JANICE LIM

Lena Loke/TODAY
Singapore Democratic Party chairman Paul Tambyah (right) makes house visits in Pending Road, Bukit Panjang on July 3, 2020.
Published03 JULY, 2020

• SDP is urging the PAP to take up concerns on 10 million population figure with The Straits Times
• Chairman Paul Tambyah said Singaporeans should ‘read the article’, decide for themselves
• PAP could have clarified the issue earlier, he said
• SDP welcomes PAP statement that it is not looking at a population of 10 million

SINGAPORE — The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) is digging in its heels over the controversy on whether the Government, under the People’s Action Party (PAP), in March last year had said that it was looking at lifting Singapore’s population to 10 million.

The party’s chairman Paul Tambyah said on Friday (July 3) that PAP, which has slammed the SDP for citing that figure, should take up any unhappiness it may have over the claim with The Straits Times.

That’s because the opposition party got that 10 million figure from an article in the national broadsheet, he added, in response to questions from reporters during a walkabout at the Al-Imam mosque at Bukit Panjang. The PAP Government has repeatedly said it did not make any reference to looking at increasing the population to 10 million.

Dr Tambyah also called on Singaporeans to make the assessment themselves. “You know I ask Singaporeans, you know, don't trust what the PAP says, don't trust what the SDP says, trust your own eyes. Read the article, see what it says.”

He added: “The SDP is quoting The Straits Times. If you're not happy with the statement, please take it up with The Straits Times. We never made any statement at all.”

Read also: GE2020: ‘I didn’t say S’pore should plan to increase population to 10 million’, says PAP’s Heng Swee Keat

The article, dated March 29, 2019, reported Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat’s remarks made at a forum.

The article stated: “On the projected population of 6.9 million by 2030, set out in the Government's 2013 Population White Paper, Mr Heng said the number goes beyond how densely populated Singapore would be. The social space is as important. Singapore's population density is not excessive, he said, noting that other cities are a lot more crowded in terms of liveable space. He cited former chief planner Liu Thai Ker, who said in 2014 that Singapore should plan for 10 million people for it to remain sustainable in the long term."

A sharp exchange of words between the SDP and the PAP over the 10 million population figure erupted on Wednesday evening when Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, a member of PAP’s central executive committee, went head-to-head against Dr Chee Soon Juan, the SDP secretary-general, during a live debate.

Read also: GE2020: PAP says SDP’s population size falsehood renders campaign 'pointless', calls into question its integrity

Dr Balakrishnan accused Dr Chee of “raising a false strawman” when Dr Chee asked his opponent to go on record on whether the Government indeed had plans to increase Singapore’s population to 10 million.

The Straits Times clarified on Thursday, the day after the debate, that Mr Heng had neither said Singapore should plan for 10 million people — nor mentioned the figure during the forum.

On the same day, Mr Heng made those same points and posted a video of the forum on his Facebook page, inviting Singaporeans to watch it.

During the forum, responding to a question on population, Mr Heng had said: “Seriously, on the population issue, first of all, the 6.9 million number that was put out earlier on. In fact, I met Mr Liu Thai Kher, our former chief planner, and he said, I think he had publicly said this, it had been reported in the papers, that we should go for even higher number, and that this little red rock, little red dot rather, can accommodate many more people.”

“Now whether this little red rock can accommodate many more people, actually is not strictly just the physical constraints. I mean we cannot be thinking of 50 million people on this little red dot because you’ll just be so dense and unpleasant. But if you look at our population density as a city, it is not excessive. There are many cities, which if you look at the livable space, it is actually a lot, a lot more crowded. But the population number is not just about the physical space. It is also about the social space. It is about the sense of togetherness.”

On Friday, Dr Tambyah reiterated the SDP’s stance that the clarification by Dr Balakrishnan on Wednesday — that the Government had no such plans — was good for Singapore and that the SDP had achieved one goal of their campaign, which is a “no” to Singapore aiming for a population of 10 million.

Dr Tambyah also said that this whole furore has been a misunderstanding. But the Government had plenty of opportunities to clarify the statement in The Straits Times, he added.

“For the longest time they have refused to deny the 10 million. You know that report came out in March 2019. We launched our ‘4Y1N’ (four yeses, one no) in April 2020. You know, they have kept quiet all through, they have had this ambiguity. Now finally, for the first time they have said no,” he said.

The 4Y1N campaign involved four propositions the SDP supported, and one it opposed — namely possible plans to increase Singapore’s population to 10 million.

Reiterating his call for Singaporeans to make their own judgment, he said: “The thing to do for Singaporeans is read with your own eyes. What do your own eyes tell you? What did Dr Chee say and what did Dr Vivian Balakrishnan say? Who is the one who is reading The Straits Times article the same way you read The Straits Times article?”

Late on Thursday night, the PAP issued a press statement calling into question the integrity of the SDP for basing one of their campaign proposals on a falsehood.

When asked to respond to that, Dr Tambyah said he is completely baffled over claims that SDP is perpetuating a falsehood.

“What is the falsehood? So are they reading the same article, you know, do they have the same pair of eyes, did they go to the same school, learn how to read English the same way?”

“This is an unprecedented election. It is held in the middle of a pandemic. And what you are doing is you are arguing about what happened in a university forum in March 2019,” he said.

TODAY has sought comment from The Straits Times.
Read more at https://www.todayonline.com/singapo...2GY8GcK_q2gePFkCJ2EXwdOPVswJv_sjOpmxT6dwPdwgE