Singapore has always been a
small and extremely crowded island. With a current population of
4.9 million (projected to rise to 6.5 million by 2020), the
city-state is bursting at the seams.
Still, the Singapore economy is on the mend. People are talking of
a possible GDP growth of 13-15 per cent this year. At the same
time, however, the economic turn-around has sparked off a dramatic
escalation in property prices, tourist arrivals and living
costs.
All of this has exacerbated the growing income divide and put
pressure on the island republic’s all-too limited resources.
While no one is accusing the city-state of festering poverty, there
is clearly a growing polarisation between the have’s cruising
around in their Lexus and patronising the expensive marble-lined
hotels and the have-nots in tucked away in their Housing
Development Board (or HDB) flats.
The latter’s feelings of deprivation and disenchantment has been
made worse by a gnawing sense that foreigners are the main
beneficiaries of the Singapore prosperity.
Last week, I set out to explore the contrasts as well as the
attendant strains that this growth spurt must be engendering in
Singapore. Their political leaders and policy-makers are clearly
watching these developments closely as elections (expected in
mid-2011) loom on the horizon.
The newly-opened Marina Bay Sands casino (dubbed MBS) represents
one end of the socio-economic divide. It looms over the city,
symbolising Singapore’s determination to reinvent itself as a
services and tourist hub in the face of constantly shifting global
trends.
As I approached the casino complex, with its three separate
55-storey hotel wings capped by a bizarre floating garden, I asked
my taxi-driver if he’d ever visited the MBS. He shook his head,
replying: “It’s only for high-class people.”
The casino itself was a revelation. I’m not a gambling man but its
main gaming floor was huge and strangely enthralling. It was
crammed with tables for countless games (including blackjack and
baccarat) as well as the ubiquitous one-armed bandits.
Despite it being a Monday evening the casino was still one-third
full. Most of the patrons appeared to be from mainland China or
elsewhere. Indeed, Singaporeans must pay to get in, but foreigners
enter for free.
The casino’s upper floors contain private gaming rooms and a
handful of very high-end restaurants. These specialised in serving
dishes with luxurious ingredients, like rare seafood and
champagne.
What struck me as I passed through the casino on my way to the
hotel was the constant noise. The mix of piped music, human voices
and the electronic beeps and whirrs of machines resulted in a weird
melange of sound, like ghostly organ fugue.
The next morning, however, I was shown a completely different side
to Singapore. A young artist and friend, Alecia Neo, took me on a
tour of her neighbourhood, Queenstown, a well-maintained, albeit
distinctly working-class area to the west of the Central Business
District (CBD).
Born and brought up in Queenstown, Alecia is a proud local girl.
Nonetheless she is well aware of the difficulties many locals are
facing. Indeed her photographs of the neighbourhood’s personalities
are infused with a sense of belonging, tenderness and
compassion.
“People here are generally cash-poor. Medical costs are high and
property is so expensive. If there’s an emergency it can be very
tough. My father has a small sundry shop and elderly folks (well
into their 70s) are always asking for part-time work but the
foreigners, especially the mainland Chinese, are always willing to
work harder for less,” Alecia said.
While Singaporeans enjoy better health standards, the downside is
that many blue-collar workers have found themselves growing old
while their retirement funds run out.
This is a serious public policy challenge anywhere. Singapore’s
gentrification, however, has accentuated its growing socio-economic
disparities.
Many Singaporeans are struggling to afford basic housing. For
instance, an executive apartment in Singapore now costs around
S$840,000 (RM2 million), far more than a two-room HDB flat at
S$255,000.
Of course, wealthy non-Singaporeans are hardly deterred by such
prices. These are the buyers sought out by private bankers.
This means that foreigners are competing with local Singaporeans
for housing and jobs at all socio-economic levels.
Still, it must be said that, Singaporeans of any class are
generally much better off than their compatriots elsewhere in
Southeast Asia. Nevertheless, the problems faced by lower-income
Singaporeans remains a major headache for the PAP government.
Interestingly Singapore authorities have become far less generous
in granting permanent residencies to foreigners, perhaps mindful of
the backlash this policy has created.
Queenstown reveals that there are definite structural weaknesses in
Singapore’s economic model.
While the PAP control of the media allows it to
manage these imbalances, the fast-approaching elections mean that
more permanent solutions are needed.
On our part, we Malaysians must acknowledge that such disparities
also occur in our own country. The socio-economic differences are
equally stark. In the past race was the sole determinant of poverty
or indeed wealth. That has changed. How we manage this divide will
be a major test for Malaysia. — mysinchew.com
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or the publication.
The Malaysian Insider does not endorse the view unless
specified.
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/breakingviews/article/the-two-sides-of-the-singapore-coin-karim-raslan
