Today’s more knowledgeable, diversified new generation
which is tech-savvy and better informed demands more, and expects
more from society.
BY THE day, Singapore – in seemingly perpetual transformation –
is full of surprises. Hardly a year of being hit by one of its
worst ever crises, the economy has surprisingly turned red hot.
In fact, it looks set to make Singapore the world’s
fastest-growing country this year, overtaking even China. So why is
public reaction so muted?
The solid performance plus several other superlative
achievements have stirred more public concerns than euphoria, as it
would have in the past.
It also stirred a debate on Singapore’s four-decade strategy of
economic growth allegedly taking precedence over the welfare of
citizens.
The boom has created a huge manpower demand, which prompted
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to announce he may have to bring in
another 100,000 foreign workers.
This comes in the wake of a Ministry of Trade and Industry
forecast of a sizzling 13%-15% GDP growth for 2010, higher than any
other country, developed or not.
Singaporeans have been reassured by the recovery from a severe
economic crisis during the past two years.
However, people are broadly sceptical about how much the boom
will benefit the masses in terms of jobs and wages, or in reducing
the gap between rich and poor.
Their doubts seem justified.
Only four days after the PM said prospects were so hot that “if
we don’t allow the (100,000) foreign workers in, you are going to
have overheating” his finance minister appeared to have poured cold
water on it.
Tharman Shanmugaratnam called the rebound short-term and natural
after two years of near-zero growth.
And a week later, Dr Tony Tan, deputy chairman of the Government
of Singapore Investment Corp (GIC) sounded a more dismal note for
Singapore.
The fragile recovery could see the world tip back into recession
“sooner than expected”, he warned.
Few people believe it will greatly improve their lives and may
in fact raise the cost of living.
Some revived the old criticism that “the government becomes
rich, but the people remain poor”, which doesn’t describe today’s
middle class in Singapore.
In addition, people’s expectations have also risen. This is
because of rising affluence and the investment on education during
the past few decades now paying off.
It has produced a knowledgeable, diversified new generation
which is tech-savvy and better informed. The consequence is they
demand more and expect more from society.
Tens of thousands are beginning to question or challenge
government policies.
Take the issue of GDP.
When I was a wet-behind-the-ear reporter, few Singaporeans knew
what the term (defined as “the total income of a country”) meant.
That was 45 years ago.
At the time, Singapore’s 1.9 million people – largely poor and
not literate – had just been given independence.
As time passed, people began to learn not only what GDP was, but
also its importance to Singapore’s survival, given its high
dependency on the outside world.
At the outset, the economy was top priority, the raison
d’etre of the republic’s existence, over-riding almost
everything else.
Explaining why it was so, the then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew,
briefing a group of editors about the historic accumulation of
state assets, explained: “When we became the government in 1965, we
found an empty cupboard; there was no money, no reserves. Brick by
brick we had to build it up.”
Today with the new generation becoming more aware about issues
like GDP, state reserves and foreign investment, people are
demanding more information and a greater role in their
decisions.
Today, the new generation – instead of accepting what the
leaders say based on trust as their parents did – wants to play a
role in debating and forming decisions.
Generally, people have become more cynical about the media use
of superlatives when reporting the country’s achievements.
Of late – as the general election draws nearer – there are more
of such eye-popping headlines, including:
> Singapore has just become the earth’s most over-populated
country, a world top albeit of dubious quality.
> The republic has overtaken Hong Kong to become the world’s
frothiest housing market, according to The Economist –
good for most property owners, but terrible if the bubble
bursts.
> The number of visitor arrivals rose by a whooping 26.7% in
June – very encouraging.
> Singapore has surpassed rival Hong Kong as most competitive
economy - at least until next time – positive news.
> Wealthy Singapore was ranked the 81st happiest country in
the world below countries like Thailand, Taiwan and South Korea,
Gallop reported – a poor measure.
> Only 19% of Singaporeans told Gallop they were
“thriving,” 75% said they were “struggling” and 6% claimed to be
“suffering” – poor quality of life.
Critics are pressing for change. Oppositionist Gerald Giam
asked: “Why does the PAP government have such an obsession for GDP
growth?
“Don’t they realise that it does not necessarily indicate a
healthy economy?” Giam said.
Newspaper letter writer Seah Su Chen says that gross domestic
product growth is not an accurate reflection of the standard of
living.
“It puts no value on leisure. A society that works longer hours
will have a higher GDP, but it may not score in human measurements
like education and health,” she adds.
And Nominated Member of Parliament Viswa Sadasivan wants the
government to reduce its economic focus to measure progress with
socio-economic indicators.
The governing party has rebutted the charges, denying it had
ever pursued a “GDP growth at all cost” strategy.
“Even in the early days, we have turned down investment
opportunities we felt could cause pollution.”