In Singapore’s Immigration Debate, Sign of Asia’s Slipping Middle Class?

[songsongpunggol]

In Singapore’s Immigration Debate, Sign of Asia’s Slipping Middle Class?
By DIDI KIRSTEN TATLOW

People demonstrating in Singapore against a government plan to increase the population to nearly 7 million via legal immigration, by 2030, an increase of around 30 percent.Edgar Su/Reuters People demonstrating in Singapore against a government plan to increase the population to nearly 7 million via legal immigration, by 2030, an increase of around 30 percent.

BEIJING — Immigration is a hot-button issue nearly everywhere in the world, though the contours of the debate vary from place to place. In the United States, sweeping changes to the law may offer legal residency for millions of people who have entered the country illegally, my colleague Ashley Parker reports.

Here in Asia, in the nation of Singapore, the debate looks somewhat different: The government plans to increase the population from just over five million to a possible high of nearly seven million by 2030, via regulated, legal immigration. It’s provoking opposition.

So much so that on Saturday, about 3,000 people turned out for what some commentators said was one of the biggest demonstrations in the nation’s history. (If the number seems small, it reflects the tight political control exerted over Singapore life by the People’s Action Party, which has run the country for about half a century and discourages public protest.)

What are the contours of the debate in Singapore?

Concern over booming immigration, often focused on new arrivals from increasingly rich China, has been simmering in the nation, with many feeling that the immigrants don’t play by the same rules, that their manners are poor and that they are pushing up prices. That feeling crystallized last year when a wealthy Chinese man driving a Ferrari at high speed killed three people (including himself) in a nighttime accident.

(Similar sentiments are found in Hong Kong, as my colleagues Bettina Wassener and Gerry Mullany wrote.)

Vividly illustrating the resentment, Singaporeans sometimes call the wealthy immigrants “rich Chinese locusts,” according to an article in the Economic Observer’s Worldcrunch.

Less controversially, the article quoted Peng Hui, a professor of sociology at National Singapore University, as saying: “Singaporeans do not discriminate against the Chinese. On the contrary, they very much identify with their Chinese ancestry.” (Of course, rich Chinese are not the only new immigrants, but they are a major group, many commentators have pointed out.) “What the local people do not appreciate is the fact that Chinese people talk loudly in public, eat on the subway and like to squeeze through in a crowd or grab things,” Mr. Peng was quoted as saying.

So the Singapore government’s Population White Paper that passed in Parliament earlier this month, just before Chinese New Year, was bound to stir things up.

The government is presenting the rise in immigration as a target that is needed if Singapore, where immigrants already make up about 40 percent of the population, and which has the highest concentration of millionaires in the world, is to continue to flourish, reports said. Singaporeans just aren’t having enough children, said the prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong.

“In my view, in 2030, I think 6 million will not be enough to meet Singaporeans’ needs as our population ages because of this problem of the baby boomers and bulge of aging people,” Mr. Lee said in Parliament, adding that 6.9 million was not a target but a number to be used to help plan for infrastructure.

“Do we really need to increase our population by that much?” wrote a person called Chang Wei Meng in a letter to The Straits Times, according to Reuters. “What happened to achieving the Swiss standard of living?”

Gilbert Goh, a main organizer of the rally Saturday at Singapore’s Speaker’s Corner in a public park, said the protesters had a message: “They want to tell the government, please reconsider this policy. The turnout is a testimony that this policy is flawed and unpopular on the ground,” The Associated Press quoted Mr. Goh as saying.

Yet amid the familiar rhetoric about immigrants, heard around the world – they don’t fit in, they’re rude, they’re different – might something more important be going on here?

In a blog post on Singapore News Alternative, Nicole Seah, a politician who has run for Parliament and comments on social issues, wrote: “Along with many other Singaporeans, I oppose the White Paper.”

Why? She is looking for “a society that lives in harmony, rather than tense and overcrowded conditions,” she writes.

“Not the Singapore Inc. that has been aggressively forced down our throats the past few years – a Singapore which is in danger of becoming a transient state where people from all over, come, make their fortunes, and leave.”

Not “a Singapore that has become a playground for the rich and the people who can afford it. A Singapore where the middle class is increasingly drowned out because they do not have the social clout or sufficient representatives in Parliament to voice their concerns.”

Ms. Seah’s statements raise an interesting question: Is this part of a phenomenon that the columnist Chrystia Freeland has written about so ably for this newspaper, the ascendancy of a wealthy, “plutocrat” class and the slipping status of the middle class?

As Ms. Freeland wrote last week: “The most important fact about the United States in this century is that middle-class incomes are stagnating. The financial crisis has revealed an equally stark structural problem in much of Europe.” Is it hitting Asia, too, and does Singapore’s protest speak, at least in part, to this? Hong Kong’s dissatisfaction too?

 

[songsongpunggol]

Singapore protest biggest since independence

In rare show of anger, crowd voices opposition to policy of increasing immigrant numbers
Sunday, 17 February, 2013, 12:00am

Toh Han Shih in Singapore

Singaporeans express their opposition to government population policy. Photo: Reuters

Thousands of Singaporeans braved drizzle to attend a rally yesterday to oppose the government's plan to increase the population by bringing in more foreigners - a rare example of protest in the tightly controlled city state.

An organiser, Kwan Yew Keng, estimated that 3,000 people took part, making it the biggest demonstration in Singapore since it gained independence in 1965, barring election rallies.

Rally leaders, who used Facebook and other online platforms to organise participants, openly attacked the People's Action Party (PAP), which has been in power for more than 50 years and controls 80 of the 87 seats in parliament after losing two byelections in the past year.

"The large crowd here shows the PAP government that they [the protesters] are not afraid any more. They don't want to hide behind a moniker on Facebook to show their displeasure," said one of the organisers, Gilbert Goh, a former opposition candidate for parliament.

One sign, apparently directed at Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, read: "Ah Loong sweetheart, 6.9 (million) is a kinky number, but quality, not quantity," referring to his comment that the country's population could reach 6.9 million by 2030. A speaker at the rally, Kumaran Pillay, said he wanted his country to be led by "a man with vision" and did not want Singaporeans' lives to be controlled by "number Nazis".

Another speaker, Sem Teo, a banking executive, said: "Singaporeans should stop being afraid and speak up for change."

Rally participant Tan Jee Say, an ex-civil servant now in opposition who ran for president in 2011, said: "The prime minister has failed us. Make way for a new prime minister."

Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse

 

[songsongpunggol]

Rare Singapore protest against population plan
Faris Mokhtar, The Associated Press, Singapore | World | Sun, February 17 2013, 3:26 AM

Nearly 3,000 people held a rare rally in Singapore on Saturday to protest a government plan to increase the city-state's population by admitting more foreigners, voicing concerns that it will worsen already strained public services and push up the cost of living.

Such demonstrations are rare in the Southeast Asian country, known for its image of political stability and efficient governance, with the ruling People's Action Party stifling opposition voices and placing tight controls on public protests.

The chief organizer of the rally, Gilbert Goh, said the protest was a display of citizens' unhappiness over the population plan, which was endorsed in parliament on Feb. 8. "They want to tell the government, please reconsider this policy. The turnout is a testimony that this policy is flawed and unpopular on the ground," he said.

According to the plan, the government will bolster infrastructure and social programs to accommodate a projected population of 6.5 million to 6.9 million by 2030 — a marked increase from the current population of 5.3 million. Of the projected 2030 population, non-foreigners would form between 3.6 and 3.8 million, slightly more than half of the total.

The issue triggered five days of intense debate in parliament, with both opposition and some PAP legislators expressing concerns that an immigration inflow would hurt public infrastructure and dilute the Singaporean identity. But the plan was eventually approved by a wide majority.

The plan to admit more new citizens comes amid government concerns that the current population will not help ensure the economy remains robust, as Singapore grapples with a falling birthrate and aging baby boomers.

"In my view in 2030, I think 6 million will not be enough to meet Singaporeans' needs as our population ages because of this problem of the baby boomers and bulge of aging people," Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in parliament on Feb. 8, adding that 6.9 million was not a target but a number to be used to help plan for infrastructure.

Although Singapore continues to bring in hundreds of thousands of immigrants from countries such as Indonesia and China to work as maids and construction workers, it also attracts thousands of higher-income foreigners who find the country's high standard of living and stability appealing.

But the influx has strained public services, with complaints of transport overcrowding, and caused property prices to escalate, sparking concerns among locals about the rising cost of living and fostering a deep resentment toward foreigners.

"Immigrants come at such a fast pace that they're not able to assimilate," said Samantha Chia, 32, one of the rally speakers. "It's unfair for them as well and a lose-lose situation."

Although economic prosperity has turned Singapore into a bustling metropolis, critics have noted the government's continuous pursuit of growth at all cost.

"We want the government to put the vast resources that are at their disposal at the service of us, the people," said one of Saturday's protesters, Vincent Wijeysingha, a university lecturer and member of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party. "Because we are not machines and our neighborhoods are not factories, and our island is not a hotel."

 

[songsongpunggol]

Singaporeans protest plans to increase immigration
By Liz Neisloss, CNN
February 16, 2013 -- Updated 1212 GMT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Singapore government wants to increase population by allowing more immigrants
Protesters say they worry about losing jobs, overcrowding
Government says foreigners are needed to take care of rapidly aging population
"Imagine a place where you can be a stranger in your own home," protester says

(CNN) -- Singaporeans don't normally gather in public protest. Decades of single party rule and an iron hand when it comes to dissent has shaped a somewhat meek public. But a proposal by the government to allow more immigrants to come to Singapore in the next few decades to make up for a population shortfall has emboldened citizens to go public.

On Saturday, several thousand Singaporeans gathered in a small downtown park near an area known as "Speaker's Corner" to vent their anger. Organizers estimated the crowd to between 3,000 and 4,000 and said it was the largest gathering since post-independence Singapore in 1965. Singapore police told CNN they don't give crowd estimates.

At the heart of the issue is a so-called "White Paper on Population" recently issued by the government that proposes allowing the population to rise from 5.3 million to as high as 6.9 million by 2030 in order to keep the economy growing and to keep it a magnet country for business.

The government also says foreigners are needed to take care of the country's own rapidly aging population.

Protesters on Saturday insisted they didn't fear foreigners but worry about the loss of Singaporean jobs to foreigners, depressed wages and overcrowding that has taxed Singapore's infrastructure, including housing and transportation. Protesters also say the government's plans will make them a minority in their own country.

"Imagine a place where you can be a stranger in your own home," a protester said.

Like many developed nations, not enough people are having babies. For more than three decades, the country's fertility rate has been below replacement level, meaning Singaporeans aren't having enough babies to replace themselves. This has had a huge impact on a tiny country striving to be a booming economy.

The government has relied on foreigners to fill executive ranks, as well as to perform low-wage jobs from construction to cleaning. While the country is one of the world's wealthiest, it also has an enormous income disparity between rich and poor. Protesters say Singaporeans would have more babies if they were more confident of their economic prospects, and that the government should rely less on cheaper foreign labor and improve the wages of Singaporeans.

 

[songsongpunggol]

BBC

16 February 2013 Last updated at 10:10 GMT

Rare mass rally over Singapore immigration plans
Singapore protest on 16/2/13 Critics of the government's white paper say they want to see a curb on the numbers of immigrants

Singaporeans have staged a rare demonstration, in protest at government plans to allow more immigration.

Organisers said more than 4,000 people attended the rally, making it one of Singapore's largest ever protests.

They are angry at a recent government policy paper that predicted the population would grow by 30% to 6.9 million by 2030, with immigrants making up nearly half that figure.

Many locals blame immigration for rises in property prices and living costs.

The peaceful three-hour rally took place in heavy rain at a park venue known as Speakers' Corner, where protests are allowed without a police permit. Only a handful of uniformed officers were seen close by,

The crowds, protected from the downpours by a sea of umbrellas, came out to voice their displeasure at the ruling People's Action Party's (PAP) immigration policies, rally organisers said.

"The large crowd here shows the PAP government that they are not afraid any more, they don't want to hide behind a moniker on Facebook to show their displeasure," chief organiser Gilbert Goh, a former opposition candidate for parliament, told AFP news agency.

"They are showing their deep displeasure with the white paper."

Singapore is known for its strict social controls and intolerance of dissent.

Saturday's protest came as news emerged that Singapore's first prime minister, 89-year-old Lee Kuan Yew, has been taken to hospital with a brain-related blockage.

Mr Lee, who is the father of current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, will remain in hospital while he recovers from a suspected transient ischaemic attack, which occurs when blood flow to the brain stops for a period of time, a statement from his son's office said.
Falling birth rate

The Singaporean government said last month that it expected its population to increase by 30% to between 6.5 million and 6.9 million by 2030, with foreigners making up 45% of that number.

It said immigration was needed to help offset a slowing birth rate and ageing population, and it needed to find a balance between the number of Singaporeans and foreigners in order to sustain its rate of economic growth.

"If we do too little to address the demographic challenge, we risk becoming a steadily greying society, losing vitality and verve, with our young people leaving for opportunities elsewhere," it said in the white paper.

"But if we take in too many immigrants and foreign workers, we will weaken our national identity and sense of belonging, and feel crowded out of our own home."

Singapore's total fertility rate of 1.2, which represents the number of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her child-bearing years, has been below the population replacement rate for more than three decades.

That has led to concerns that the number of Singaporeans may shrink in the coming years.

But many local people say the surge in foreigners in recent years has already put a strain on the small, wealthy island state's resources, and has pushed down salaries while raising property prices.

 

[Dreamer1]

Brother SSP,the latest is that Singapore has the highest GINI coefficient,then if you compare the middle 20%,you will be shocked to think that our middle class are NEW POOR,invented by Mr LTK,many years ago,he saw the trend.

 

[songsongpunggol]

Rare mass rally in Singapore demands immigration curbs

By Annabelle Liang and Bhavan Jaipragas (AFP) – 13 hours ago

SINGAPORE — More than 2,000 people attended Singapore's biggest protest in decades on Saturday to demand curbs on immigration amid growing public anger over an expected surge in the foreign population.

The peaceful three-hour rally at an officially designated protest zone was staged by a civic group after the government said foreigners could account for nearly half of the densely packed island's population in less than 20 years.

Organisers put the crowd, shielded by a sea of umbrellas from heavy downpours, at 4,000. Police said they were not monitoring the size of the crowd and AFP reporters estimated the turnout at more than 2,000 people, many of them clad in black.

"I think it's the largest protest in decades. It is also the first one where anger is directed squarely at the government," said Reuben Wong, an assistant professor of political science at the National University of Singapore.

"People are now more willing to air their grievances. They have been doing it on the Internet for the past few years, but it is new for them to physically come down in such numbers," he told AFP.

Rally leaders, who used Facebook and other online platforms to draw support, openly attacked the People's Action Party (PAP), which has been in power for more than 50 years and still controls 80 of the 87 seats in parliament despite losing two by-elections in the past year.

"The large crowd here shows the PAP government that they are not afraid any more, they don't want to hide behind a moniker on Facebook to show their displeasure," said chief organiser Gilbert Goh, a former opposition candidate for parliament.

"They are showing their deep displeasure with the white paper," he told AFP, referring to a controversial population projection issued last month.

The crowd repeatedly chanted "We want change" at the height of the protest.

No arrests were made and only a handful of uniformed policemen were seen around the rally venue, a grassy park where protests are allowed without a police permit at a spot known as Speakers' Corner.

A government policy paper last month said the population could range between 6.5 and 6.9 million by 2030, with foreigners making up 45 percent because Singaporeans are not producing enough babies to sustain economic growth and support a rapidly ageing population.

Citizens currently make up 62 percent of the current population of 5.3 million.

"Save Singapore -- Say NO to 6.9 million," said a banner at the rally

Protests are rare in Singapore, a wealthy island republic known for strict security and social controls, but Facebook, Twitter and other social media have set the tone for political debate in recent years.

Multi-racial Singapore has bitter memories of deadly riots in the 1960s.

Saturday's rally came less than two years after the May 2011 election when the ruling party suffered its worst ever performance, with immigration already a sensitive issue.

Foreigners have been blamed for stealing Singaporeans' jobs as well as straining housing, transport and medical services.

Goh, the rally organiser, ran unsuccessfully for parliament in 2011 under the opposition National Solidarity Party and runs an organisation assisting unemployed Singaporeans.

Copyright © 2013 AFP. All rights reserved.

 

[songsongpunggol]

ASIA NEWS
February 16, 2013, 12:13 p.m. ET

Singaporeans Protest Immigration Plans

By CHUN HAN WONG

SINGAPORE—Concerned by an immigration squeeze that has swelled living costs, Singaporeans gathered Saturday to protest government plans to keep importing foreigners to help tackle demographic woes.

The demonstration is one of the largest shows of public dissent in tightly regulated Singapore, where the ruling People's Action Party has seen its parliamentary dominance erode slightly in recent years with an electorate seeking more steps to quell rising socioeconomic pressures.

Protesters gathered against a policy platform—endorsed by lawmakers this month—that mandates authorities to prepare for Singapore's 5.3 million population to grow by up to 30% by 2030, so as to mitigate low birthrates and an aging society. The policy means Singaporeans could form little more than half of the population on an island already described by citizens as overcrowded, prompting concerns over diluting national identity and a fraying social fabric.

"This [protest] is a show of strength so we can let the government know that we are really not happy," said Ben Kwek, 42, as he cradled his 4-year-old son. "Singaporeans used to let them have a free hand…[but] we cannot let them have a free hand anymore."

A spokesman for Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the government had no immediate comment on the protest.

Organizers say at least 4,000 people braved the rain at Hong Lim Park—the only venue in Singapore where demonstrations are allowed—to hear a dozen opposition politicians, activists and ordinary citizens criticize the policy, while police estimated a crowd of 3,000 people attended the peaceful demonstration.

Dozens of policemen watched the protest, which is among the largest held in Singapore since the city-state became a nation in 1965.

Many in attendance held aloft umbrellas, while dozens donned black T-shirts and paraded placards.

"There's a growing sense among citizens that the PAP is for a kind of Singapore that they don't identify with," one which prioritizes economic survival, said Devadas Krishnadas, a political risk consultant and former civil servant, who described Saturday's turnout as "unprecedented for a political event outside of an election."

Singapore, a Southeast Asian city with land area of just 714 square kilometers (276 square miles), has used liberal immigration policies to fuel rapid economic growth in the past decade, boosting its population by nearly 32% since 2000. The influx of foreign labor—now numbering 1.23 million, or a third of the total workforce—has helped cement the country's status among the world's wealthiest nations, but had also been blamed for soaring home prices, infrastructure failings, and a widening gap between rich and poor.

Citizens first rebuked the PAP by handing the ruling party its smallest-ever general election win in 2011, prompting government steps to slow immigration, cool the housing market and help poorer citizens. But housing and car-ownership costs kept rising to new records, and voters last month dealt the PAP a heavy by-election loss, although it still dominates Parliament with 80 out of 87 seats.

Saturday's protest came after a public debate this month over the new population policy, which called for infrastructure sufficient to support a population of between 6.5 million to 6.9 million people by 2030. The projection suggests Singaporeans could make up just 55% of the population then, extending a marked decline over the past decades—citizens made up 91% of the population in 1980, but only 62% in 2012.

Mr. Lee and other government leaders have defended the paper's proposals, assuring citizens the government would protect their welfare, and that the 6.9 million figure is only a "worst-case scenario" to be used for infrastructure planning. Still, many citizens remain unconvinced.

"We worry for the soul of our country," Vincent Wijeysingha, treasurer of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party, told Saturday's crowd in a speech. "We are not machines, and our neighborhoods are not factories, and our island is not a hotel," he said.
—Shibani Mahtani contributed to this article.

 

[Valdez]

I think with these global coverage investors will really think hard about putting their money in singapore. Foreigners will now think really hard about getting a job here or getting relocated here.
Without any natural resources or hinterland to fall back on Singaporeans will have to rely on themselves. Singaporeans will be fighting for jobs with fellow Singaporeans. With less FDI means less jobs available. The end result will be asking for lower wages to secure that job. Few would want to join the PAP , leaders now treated like pariahs. PAP will lose the will to govern. Yes it will see the rise of WP the only credible opposition. However it's leaders too lack the confidence to form an alternative govt preferring to be just to be back benchers provide checks and balance.
The end result would be the eventual collapse of singapore economy and slipping back into recession and eventually to be a 3rd world country joining the ranks of cambodia and laos. 20 years from now our population will be back to 3 million and below as foreigners, rich and middle
class Singaporeans would have cashed out and left for greener pastures elsewhere living those lacking the means to migrate behind.
Singapore would then be swallowed up either by malaysia or indonesia in an event of any armed conflict in the region. Bye bye singapore.
.

 

[Leongsam]

class Singaporeans would have cashed out and left for greener pastures elsewhere living those lacking the means to migrate behind.
Singapore would then be swallowed up either by malaysia or indonesia in an event of any armed conflict in the region. Bye bye singapore.
.

It's good to see that there are a few others that understand the realities.

Most seem to have this airy fairy idea that once the PAP is out of office, Singapore will turn into an oasis of prosperity and tranquility and everybody will live happily ever after with a minimum wage ensuring that the lowest denominator can live a life of comfort.

I can understand it when children believe fairy tales can come true but it surprises me that such naivete is displayed by so many adults.

 

[mojoe]

this airy fairy idea that once the PAP is out of office, Singapore will turn into an oasis of prosperity and tranquility and everybody will live happily ever after

there is no evidence to support the view that without the PAP we will sink; Singapore has a bright future; there is resilience; but the future stinks if we do not change; Singapore must be for Singaporeans; my years in NS will come to nought if i am invaded by foreigners

 

[Dreamer1]

there is no evidence to support the view that without the PAP we will sink; Singapore has a bright future; there is resilience; but the future stinks if we do not change; Singapore must be for Singaporeans; my years in NS will come to nought if i am invaded by foreigners

Brother MJ,of course Singapore would not sink,it is not as difficult as PAP made it up to be,with the exception of stupid PAP,most of the people now know the way to increase GDP-productivity and value creation,the way to increase these two are exactly why we must get rid of PAP,once we control the free inflow of foreigner workers,productinvity should go up,Boss Sam and the other joker probably never deal with foreign workers here,ask them to call any bank,airline,transport compny,then they should know why our productivity is so low even compared to USA,Innovations -I am sure most people know who kill innovations in Singapore,think Mr Brown!cheers

 

[Leongsam]

Boss Sam and the other joker probably never deal with foreign workers here,ask them to call any bank,airline,transport compny,then they should know why our productivity is so low even compared to USA,Innovations -I am sure most people know who kill innovations in Singapore,think Mr Brown!cheers

I had to deal with Singaporeans as employees back in the 80s. In the early 90s, when foreigners started arriving in small numbers, it was a godsend. Suddenly, I could hire people who were actually interested in working. It was a refreshing change.

Singaporeans were interested only in bigger allowances, shorter hours and more fringe benefits.

 

[YaoSiuKia]

Singaporeans were interested only in bigger allowances, shorter hours and more fringe benefits.

Ain't the Aussies and Kiwis the same? Since the government in Singapore import such talents to benefit businessmen like yourself, why did you choose to leave?

 

[Valdez]

there is no evidence to support the view that without the PAP we will sink; Singapore has a bright future; there is resilience; but the future stinks if we do not change; Singapore must be for Singaporeans; my years in NS will come to nought if i am invaded by foreigners

Just look at Egypt, Libya, Cambodia, the people clamoured for change. They got it. Are they any better. Now Kenna manipulated by the bigger powers.
Singapore is literally floating on foreign money , ie Brunei,Indonesia,etc... because they see singapore is a stable place to park their money because of strong governance. These money will flee at any signs of instability.
Faith in s$ will evaporate. Value of s$ will literally go down the drain. Govt will need to print more money as everything in singapore has to be imported. This will lead to hyperinflation and we will end up like Zimbabwe.

 

[Leongsam]

Ain't the Aussies and Kiwis the same? Since the government in Singapore import such talents to benefit businessmen like yourself, why did you choose to leave?

Yes they are and these countries pay for it through their noses. Fortunately, both are a lot bigger than 700 sqkm. OZ has huge amounts of mineral wealth. NZ has its dairy, its tourism and a variety of other staple products that pay the bills regardless of government policy.

If you can't see the difference between the fragility of Singapore and the rock solid foundations of OZ and NZ, it is indeed very worrying.

As for me I left simply because I sensed it was a good time to bank the chips and because I had reached my retirement goals.

 

[mojoe]

Just look at Egypt, Libya, Cambodia, the people clamoured for change. They got it. Are they any better. Now Kenna manipulated by the bigger powers.
Singapore is literally floating on foreign money , ie Brunei,Indonesia,etc... because they see singapore is a stable place to park their money because of strong governance. These money will flee at any signs of instability.
Faith in s$ will evaporate. Value of s$ will literally go down the drain. Govt will need to print more money as everything in singapore has to be imported. This will lead to hyperinflation and we will end up like Zimbabwe.

and i will be in Auckland .... c'mon, give me a break

 

[Valdez]

there is no evidence to support the view that without the PAP we will sink; Singapore has a bright future; there is resilience; but the future stinks if we do not change; Singapore must be for Singaporeans; my years in NS will come to nought if i am invaded by foreigners

There too was no evidence that after they overthrew their govts, eypgt, Tunisia, Yemen, Libya economies will tank. But look what happened now. These countries now facing serious civil unrest after the people got what they want - change of govt. I am sure they expecting their lives would be improved.
Look at Cambodia. Used to be the richest country in south east asia. Brought down by the middle class who too clamoured for change. At least there is still hope for Cambodia. The country contains huge deposit of gold. What has singapore got?

 

[songsongpunggol]

Terrorists widely read paper on SG White paper assembly!

Singapore seethes over population plan
Proposal to boost city state's population prompts rare protest, signalling growing dissent over influx of foreigners.
Heather Tan Last Modified: 17 Feb 2013 11:13

Thousands of Singaporeans demonstrated Saturday against plans to boost the population [Heather Tan/Al Jazeera]

Singapore - Thirty-year-old Hayatt Shah made the most difficult decision of his life last month.

The Singapore native gathered his belongings and left behind his family and friends to begin a new life in Japan with his wife and six-month-old daughter.

High housing prices drove him to move from Singapore, explained Shah, who added he has no regrets leaving a country he no longer recognises. "I refuse to pay such a high price to live in a box that I have a lease on for 99 years. It's crazy that property prices here in Saitama [in Japan] are more affordable than properties in Singapore."

Like many of his fellow citizens, the musician and English instructor found it increasingly difficult to sustain a comfortable lifestyle in Singapore, where he was born and bred. "It is the simple fact that I don't feel like I am home anymore in Singapore," he said, which spurred him to move.

Singapore's success story is relatively well-known. Having transformed itself from a tiny island nation with no natural resources to one of the richest countries in the world, Singapore prides itself on its booming economy, sustained by encouraging foreign investment and migrant labourers.
Disenchanted Hayatt Shah recently moved his family to Japan

But despite being the third-most densely populated country in the world, Singapore's government recently announced plans to increase its total population from 5.3 million to 6.9 million by 2030. The move caused a public outcry, with thousands taking to the streets on Saturday in protest.

An aging population coupled with dwindling birth rates, escalating housing prices, overcrowding, and caving infrastructure are just some of the factors responsible for the rising dissent among Singaporeans.

Population plans

In January, Singapore's government - which has been led by the People's Action Party since 1959 - introduced two proposals. The first was its "White Paper on Population", which outlined a strategy to ensure sustainable population levels in the face of low birth rates and an aging society. Shortly thereafter, a plan to increase Singapore's land area by nearly 8 per cent was announced to accommodate the new population.

In addition to the number of foreigners, an estimated 30,000 new permanent residents - a status given to foreigners who live in Singapore for long periods of time - will also be added each year.

"The White Paper is about mitigating the problems of our aging population and low birth rates, so as to secure Singapore’s future," said Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in a post on his Facebook page. "Our priority is to maintain a strong Singaporean core by encouraging Singaporeans to get married and have children. We will reduce inflow of foreign workers, moderate flow of new citizens and maintain [permanent resident] population at about present size."

Lee added a disclaimer that the government was not aiming for 6.9 million population, explaining the figure "is just a basis for us to plan our infrastructure".

What shocked many was the report's prediction that the country's population will start to decline by 2025, with more than 900,000 Singaporeans - more than a quarter of the number of citizens - retiring from the workforce. The report noted the country's fertility rate has fallen for the past 30 years, and currently stands below the replacement level of two babies per mother.

In 2010, the World Bank estimated Singapore's fertility rate to be just 1.2 births per woman - among the lowest rates in the world.

Rising public anger

The potential influx of more than 1.6 million additional people has caused rare demonstrations in this island nation. Although the government stressed it would maintain a strong Singaporean core in spite of an incoming surge of foreigners, the majority of Singaporeans remain sceptical about its promise to deliver.

"It seems like anyone can just come into Singapore," said Shah. "So will having 6.9 million people make Singapore a happier place? Is the economy really that important?"

Cassandra Siew, a housewife, said she doesn't trust that the government will properly handle the population increase.

"The government has been singing the same song for years," she said. "They keep adding more and more numbers year after year and assure us that it will be for the best, but when will it end? I'm sorry to say that I simply don't buy into their promise of looking out for us anymore."

Another Singaporean, marketing executive Ron Chew, said: "Our country is rapidly evolving, but Singaporeans are not reaping any of its benefits. Why should a foreigner be entitled to the same, if not more, privileges than a Singaporean?"

Eugene Tan, an assistant law professor at Singapore Management University, described a "spatial and mental sense of being overwhelmed felt by large swathes of the public".

"Singapore is barely coping with the rapid influx of immigrants over the past decade, so there is the prevalent view that if we can't cope with 5.3 million, how are we going to manage with 6.9 million within two decades?" said Tan. "There is a sense that the immigration policy will not be of benefit to the average Singaporean."

But the public could be "reacting to a figure which they don’t really comprehend", said Chua Beng Huat, a sociology professor at the National University of Singapore. "Whether 6.9 million will be the steady state population is completely speculative, and one should not be fixated by it."

Many say a potential loss of Singapore's national identity is an even more pressing problem than overpopulation.

Dissent against the population plans has been widespread, and a rare public protest on Saturday claimed to have drawn close to 5,000 people - an impressive feat in a country where many protests and public gatherings are illegal, and a police permit needs to be obtained to hold one.

"I want to express this displeasure faced by many Singaporeans on a united and peaceful platform," said organiser Gilbert Goh, an unemployment counsellor who runs a support website for the jobless in Singapore.

"My greatest fear that arises from all this is the loss of our Singaporean identity, because it's been eroded so much already and with the heavy influx, it may be destroyed," said Goh. "And to add insult to injury, we are constantly being reminded that we could be the minority population figure in 17 years' time."

Political impact

Singaporeans have become increasingly vocal about the high influx of foreigners in recent years, demanding changes in the government's relaxed immigration policies.

The opposition Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) recently launched its own population policy report, calling instead for a plan for businesses to favour Singaporeans when hiring and to tighten the screening of foreign professionals to wean businesses off of cheap foreign labour.

SDP party chief Chee Soon Juan said instead of moving towards a population of 6.9 million, the current population should be reduced "because of all the current problems Singapore is seeing".

Some think dissatisfaction with the White Paper could hurt the People's Action Party (PAP) in the country's elections in 2016.

"We are talking about an average increase of 100,000 people every year, so if you want to talk in terms of how crucial the impact will have on the next general election, I cannot exaggerate how important it is," said the SDP's Chee.

"Time is not on the side of the PAP," said professor Tan. "I think political change is inevitable and controversial issues like the White Paper on Population might hasten the flight of support to the opposition."The ruling party appears to have lost support in recent years. This was made clear in a by-election in January that the PAP was expected to win. Instead, unhappy Singaporeans delivered the party a devastating blow by voting in favour of the opposition candidate.

Political blogger Andrew Loh agreed. "I feel that the PAP government will see its share of the popular vote decrease further ... I do not see these things improving enough by the next general election for people to reinstate the level of trust in the government which they had in the past."
Source:
Al Jazeera

 

[YaoSiuKia]

Re: Terrorists widely read paper on SG White paper assembly!

Must you start a thread on the this topic each time you have something to say?