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[h=2]Singaporeans seethe over population plan[/h]
February 17th, 2013 |
Author: Online Press
Proposal to boost city state’s population prompts rare protest, signalling growing dissent over influx of foreigners.
Disenchanted Hayatt Shah recently moved his family to Japan.
Singapore 17, Feb – 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.
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.
.
More news on: http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2013/02/20132169114441474.html
Proposal to boost city state’s population prompts rare protest, signalling growing dissent over influx of foreigners.
Singapore 17, Feb – 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.
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.
.
More news on: http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2013/02/20132169114441474.html
