Here is an article from Lucky Tan about our low fertility rate
http://singaporemind.blogspot.sg/2012/08/immigration-using-low-fertility-rate-as.html
My own view is that the low fertility rate is caused by several government policies implemented over the past 25 years, starting from the excessive demand on our male citizens doing National Service. The government ignored several calls from me to address this issue. The problem became worse over the years due to high price of HDB flats and the cost of living.
http://singaporemind.blogspot.sg/2012/08/immigration-using-low-fertility-rate-as.html
My own view is that the low fertility rate is caused by several government policies implemented over the past 25 years, starting from the excessive demand on our male citizens doing National Service. The government ignored several calls from me to address this issue. The problem became worse over the years due to high price of HDB flats and the cost of living.
10 comments:
Kin lian I can't agree with you more
Hi Anonymous
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Yes, the factors that Mr Tan mentioned were all responsible for the late marriages and less desire to start a family.
For me, the biggest culprit is the un-affordable"Affordable" public housing. They are almost all inflicted to a very large extent.
Well, it certainly is not the lack of libido among male singaporeans!
Our young men really get the short end of the stick.
They are bound up like a crab doing 2 years NS, then have to fight for jobs competing in own country awash with foreign opportunists, then have to hitch up a woman to marry, among the mostly picky and materialistic pool of local women, then have to upkeep family, job, elderly parents and Army Reservice obligations annually.
Holy God, what a tall order. Any wonder why our population is shrinking, the ever increasing costs of living is like an albatross round the neck, the whole spectra could be dauntingly frightening to the young man, as well as to the woman, who are ever wondering whether the man chasing her has financial ability to upkeep her, and finally get ostracised for being too old.
Habis lah, there is no light at end of tunnel, if Govt still insist they are right. But the hidden Agenda we guess is " Oh, we could easily solve this sticky problem by welcoming in foreigners to make up the numbers, after all Singaporeans are former immigrants too, no big deal. Still, we have to put on a public face, to show we care, so just pay lip service, nudge people to marry and have babies."
Full stop. TKL could cry till the cows come home, Govt just become deaf frogs as usual. A matter of sai hei.
The ruling PAP has "attitude problem". They are trying to outsmart the population. Pray that the "divine power" can help them to become "wiser".
If you look around for good/sound policies implemented by any government in the world. They are from the wise government with a humble attitude and taking people's feedback seriously. They treat all citizens as their equal partners and acknowledge the fact that the taxpayers do their part to make things possible for them to have sufficient resources to run a country. They also refuse to believe that all credits belonging to the top-few political leaders. The current PAP leadership has forgotten that how did we build up "Today's Singapore" right from the scratch even without our own police and military forces in 1965.
Collectively they have only one god that they worship: GDP
They will be extremely uncomfortable if their GDP god becomes negative.
As for NS, its here to stay forever.
They have built a huge building there to sell storage space for the rich: space to keep bullion. artwork and jewellery. A climate control building.
Who will guarantee its safety?
Our NS boys lah!..
Policies are not designed with chance. Its designed with empirical purpose.. and their god is the GDP
I think HDB flat has to be really affordable especially those 4-room and below. Without a permanent place (nest), I doubt couples want to bring their babies to this world.
As for foreign talents, statistic alone is not enough, a bit of wisdom is needed in Government's thinking.
Before Ministers' salary increase in 1994, birthrate already a problem. 18 years of revised Ministers' Salary, birthrate continue to fall. What does this means? Birthrate is a global problem thus has nothing to do with the talented Govt with World class salary. Same apply if Sgp goes into recession. Also applies to high cost of living or high COE. As long as it is unsolvable, it has nothing to do with highly talented and highly paid Govt. It is a Global Problem or external factors....
One Singapore politician said that ensuring that all Singaporeans own their HDB flats will increase their willingness to defend the country in times of crisis. I agree. But a better way is to find ways to solve Singapore's low birth rate problem. I find it more worthwhile to defend the lives of my family members than an expensive HDB flat and lives of foreign-born Singaporeans.
We should find ways to get Singaporeans to pro-create so that they have a reason to defend Singapore: Lives of their family members, not HDB flats.
I also think that this is the 'psychologically heathier' choice. Depending on large-scale immigration as the main solution is an inferior choice in the long term.
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