By Alicia Wong | SingaporeScene – 9 hours
ago
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/singaporescene/gov-t-puts-poreans-first-pm-lee-175645736.html
PM Lee Hsien Loong outlines new measures to assure Singaporeans the
government puts them first. (TV image)
Tackling head on Singaporeans' unhappiness over foreign workers
and immigrants, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday outlined
several new measures in housing, education, healthcare and jobs to
relieve citizens from the pressure of the influx of foreigners.
In his
90-minute National Day Rally speech in
English at the University Cultural Centre, he said while
Singaporeans understand the logic of the foreign talent policy,
they still feel the emotional impact.
"These are
policies where the benefits are there but they are long term, the
downsides are immediate, the side effects are visible, people react
to them and we have to respond to this."
"I empathise with
this. And we are acting to relieve the pressures and make clear we
are putting Singaporeans first," he
stressed.
HOUSING
On housing, the government will:
PM Lee noted that
people are marrying later when their incomes have risen and
acknowledged the concerns young couples face about having children
when they cannot afford a home.
These adjustments
will ensure the government can meet demand and keep the prices of
new flats stable and affordable, he assured. "I promise you: We
will keep housing available and affordable for Singaporeans."
EDUCATION
On changes to
education, the government will:
PM Lee said
foreign enrolment at universities will be capped at present levels,
which is 18 per cent of the local university intake.
PM Lee clarified
that the foreign student intake has "not been at the expense of
local student intake because we have steadily increased the number
of places for Singaporeans in our universities".
This year a record
number of 12,000, or one in four, Singaporeans entered the
universities, compared to 9,000, or one in five, a decade ago. By
2015, universities will take in 14, 000 Singaporeans a year.
Foreign students
also prepare local students for the global workplace and in some
cases, the students partner in new start-ups, he added, citing the
example of BioMers, a start-up by three Singaporeans, one Indian
national and one Canadian Greek.
JOBS
PM Lee also
acknowledged, even as the country experiences nearly full
employment, Singaporeans are also worried about jobs.
The main issue, he
noted, is in the middle-lower range, where foreigners on Employment
Pass work alongside middle level managers and executives.
So the government
will:
The Ministry of
Manpower will announce the new criteria shortly.
"But I should
caution you on one thing: Just because we are tightening on foreign
workers doesn't mean automatically that Singaporeans get better
jobs or higher pay," said PM Lee.
"The competition
isn't just with foreign workers here, we are competing with workers
all over the world," said PM Lee, noting that graduates and
professionals are not spared.
In China, 7
million graduates compete with each other annually and to compete,
Singapore must develop expertise in work they have not yet learnt
to perform, he said.
Calling for the
"right balance" in foreigner intake, PM Lee also cautioned that
slowing down the intake of foreigners will mean slower economic
growth, less vitality and "less resources to improve our
lives".
PM Lee's other
overarching message on Sunday was that Singapore must maintain its
sound, basic directions and adjust policies where needed.
The government
will progressively improve its policies as it encounters new
situations and problems, he assured.
"But where the
strategic direction is correct, where we are basically sound and we
have a temporary problem to deal with, I think we should have the
courage and honesty to say "we're doing the right thing, let's
tackle this problem.""
"Let's not throw
out the baby with the bathwater. It's very dangerous," he
warned.
HEALTHCARE AND SPECIAL NEEDS
When enhancing
Singapore's social safety nets, this means keeping to the present
approach of targeted help while addressing emerging problems.
Some changes PM
Lee announced include:
Changes to the
PCPS will allow more needy patients with chronic illness to get
treatment earlier and pay less fees, said PM Lee.
He urged the
community to play a part in integrating those with special needs
into society.
Singapore should
not become a welfare state, he stressed, citing Greece as an
example of a country with a generous welfare system and which is
now in financial turmoil.
While the European
Union has bailed Greece out, twice so far, PM Lee asked, "If
Singapore ever runs into trouble, who would bail us out?"
"The best thing
is, don't get into a hole and maintain a sense of self-reliance and
personal responsibility because that's the best way for us to
succeed."
Sharing a common destiny
Devoting the last
portion of his speech to focus people on building the nation's
future, PM Lee dealt at length on the Singaporeans' shared history
and common destiny; he outlined the current works to enhance the
nation's landscape and infrastructure.
Looking to the
future, he asked: "What sort of Singapore do we want to be 20 years
from now?"
"Do we want to be
still an exceptional country, one which is unique and which people
look up to around the world or are we content for Singapore to be
an ordinary country getting by but no different from so many other
cities all over Asia?"
To continue being
exceptional will require "special effort", such as building for the
long term patiently, keeping politics pragmatic and constructive
and working together for the common good, he said.
"I believe to keep
Singapore exceptional is a goal well worth striving for," stated PM
Lee. "We deserve it, our children deserve no less."
