Posted by theonlinecitizen on
September 9, 2011
Education Minister
Heng Swee Keat and 1,700 students and faculty members had gathered
in NTU’s main auditorium to hear Mr Lee Kuan Yew give his take on
the way forward for Singapore (see HERE).
Singaporean Joan Sim, a PhD student at Nanyang Technological
University’s (NTU) School of Biological Sciences posed the
following question to Mr Lee:
“Given
the big influx of immigrants here in a short time, and a dilution
of the national identity, what can we do to create a sense of
belonging and foster social cohesiveness?”
She had
expected Mr Lee to ask her questions as well but the questions he
asked her took her by surprise.
He
wanted to know how old she was. When she replied that she was
twenty-seven, he asked if she was married. In response to her reply
in the negative, he asked when she would finish her PHD and
calculated that she would be twenty-nine when done.
He then
proceeded to ask if she had a boyfriend. Her negative answer led Mr
Lee to draw the crowd’s attention to the female biological clock
and a woman’s child-bearing years stating that after 35, the
dangers of having children with Down syndrome rises.
He
concluded their question and answer session with advising her not
to waste time and wishing her well in both her PHD and getting a
boyfriend.
While the issues of a declining birth rate and
immigration are linked, I am not sure that one is a direct
causation or effect of the other. In that
sense, Mr Lee totally evaded Ms Sim’s question.
The government has defended its
policy on immigration by stating that foreigners are needed to
boost the declining birthrates but is that a long term
solution?
Secondly, Ms Sim was not questioning the policy
of using immigration to boost declining birth rates; she was merely
asking how to build social cohesiveness. There was simply no need to embarrass her by
pointing out that she was single in front of an audience. Besides,
it almost seems like he is blaming her and all other singletons for
the need for immigration!
There
are many reasons for Singapore’s declining birth rate. It cannot be
simplified into young people wasting time and not getting
married.
In our
increasingly busy lives, the business of finding a suitable partner
is a complex one. Finding time to meet people is a problem that
should not be underestimated. One may argue that we should learn to
prioritise but that is so much easier said than done.
The
cost of living in Singapore is increasing and people need to work
hard to ensure that they are not left behind. Working hours are
long and bosses do not necessarily understand the concept of work
life balance.
When
you are low in the packing order, you tend not to be the first one
out of the door so suffice to say, you will spend most of your
twenties in the office.
Even if
people have partners and get married, they may not have children
until they are in their 30s for the same reasons cited above. So in
reality, the root causes of the problem are the need for greater
work life balance and policies aimed at reducing the costs of
living in Singapore.
Using
immigrants to boost declining birthrates is but a short term
measure that does not deal with the problem head on. Immigrants may
not stay and even if they do, immigrants will age as well. It is
therefore not sustainable.
At
best, immigration can be used as a potential tool for slowing — as
opposed to overcoming — population ageing.
The issues of marriage and family are deeply
personal ones. For Ms
Sim to have been asked these personal questions in front of a
crowded room by a well-known politician, who is credited by many to
be the architect of modern Singapore, must have been extremely
uncomfortable. I feel for her.
Her
question to Mr Lee was a fairly straight forward one which deserved
a direct answer without bringing in her marital
status. Ms Sim’s
marital status has absolutely no bearing on fostering social
cohesiveness. Nor is it her fault for not having a boyfriend or not
being married. These are but side issues to the bigger problems of
a declining birthrate due to increasing costs of living and longer
working hours.
Singling her out is irrelevant to her
question. It is
also below the belt and had the dual effect of evading a direct
question and shaming her for being brave enough to ask a valid
question.
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/09/lee-kuan-yews-below-the-the-belt-answer/
http://edvantage.com.sg/edvantage/news/news/753896/_My_mind_was_a_total_blank_.html
