In the recent forum at NUS, undergrads who have questions for MM
Lee were asked to email them beforehand for vetting. This is a mark
departure from previous forum where MM Lee would take questions
from the floor. Apparently, the Jamie Han episode is still fresh on
his mind, and those in the varsity administration. Out of a total
of 500 questions submitted via email, only 9 were carefully
selected to enable MM Lee to prepare for the forum. In addition,
they even get his good friend Prof Tommy Koh to be the "forum
moderator" to help him out, even though there weren't any debate at
all. MM Lee certainly came out looking good and wise without the
likes of Jamie Han, or Dr Catherine Ng present to spring a surprise
on him 
http://kentridgecommon.com/?p=5534
A discussion of the
national issues raised during the Kent Ridge Ministerial
forum
During the Kent Ridge ministerial forum, Minister Mentor (MM) Lee
Kuan Yew addressed 9
pre-selected questions. According to Professor Tommy Koh, the
forum moderator, the students who wished to ask MM questions were
told to submit them via email, and out of a total of 500 possible
questions, the 9 best were selected. Thus, this
article will attempt to address national issues that were brought
up during the forum. Although issues pertaining to other countries
were also discussed, this article will only focus on national
issues.
Fuel emissions, recycling and the
environment
MM pointed out that Singapore ranks among the countries with the
highest fuel emissions per capita. However, he also cautioned that
it would be very difficult for Singapore to reduce fuel
consumption, which is essential to the running of the manufacturing
industry. The fact remains that such emissions are considered
negative externalities. Also known as “diseconomies” and external
costs, they are related to the environmental consequences of
production and use. The air pollution produced will inevitably
impose costs on our entire society.
The issue of emissions as in most cases have a regional dimension
to it, however this regional aspect wasn’t discussed during the
forum. The forest fires in our neighboring Indonesia produces the
annual haze, which leads to deterioration of air quality, that will
have a negative effect on our health. Thus, at the ASEAN level, a
mechanism to engage our neighbors on this topic is imperative.
Measures taken can range from transfer of agricultural technology
that do not involve “slashing” and “burning” to fire-fighting
assistance to quickly stem the spread of forest fires.
Turning to recycling issues, MM mentioned that Singaporeans are not
as disciplined as the Japanese when it comes to recycling
materials. He alluded to the fact that a typical home-maker would
find it inconvenient to segregate the waste and dispose them in the
appropriate recycling bins. Perhaps, a
probable suggestion might be to offer fiscal incentives to
households that attempt to recycle, e.g. a respectable amount in
exchange for an amount of recycled waste contributed.
On the whole, it would be a good idea to focus on increasing energy
efficiency and developing “green technologies”, as suggested by
Reform Party’s chief, Mr Kenneth Jeyaretnam. To do that, we will
have to build up our R and D capabilities in that area. This
venture is a long road itself, but the long-term benefits is that
the transfer of technology to our industrial sector will lead to
the reduction of emissions and hence, negative externalities. Such
“green technologies” can also be harnessed to create smart devices
(possibly spectrometry technologies?) capable of detecting
recyclable materials, e.g. one that is able to segregate recyclable
waste from those that are non-recyclable.
Gini coefficient, social class and minimum
wage
MM believes that the
implementation of minimum wage will lead to structural unemployment
as companies will seek to find cheaper means of production, e.g.
through mechanization. In another separate dialog,
MM pointed out that a high Gini coefficient is also a worldwide
phenomenon that is not only limited to East Asia. However, it may
not seem obvious to some but the Gini coefficient and
implementation of a minimum wage are both intrinsically connected.
A high Gini coefficient which indicates a great income disparity
will make the setting of a minimum wage even harder.
Those at the right tail end (high end) of the wealth distribution
curve occupy the higher end of the social classes. The children of
such families usually do well, given the fact that their family can
afford a good education in a good school up to tertiary level. MM
again alluded to the example of an elite Chinese family who sent
their children to good universities overseas, and the latter
usually ended up in high places in the corporate world.
Thus, the main issue is how we can really help uplift the bottom
20% of the country. They do not enjoy the luxury of connections
(which MM candidly pointed out as an important uplifting factor) to
lift them out of their predicament. A probable solution could
perhaps include more representatives of the bottom 20% interests at
the policy-making level so that their interests will receive
adequate attention. However, the fact remains that the bottom 20%’s
interests cannot be ignored.
Integrating new citizens into Singapore and Singapore’s
demographics 50 years later
MM candidly described the moves taken to help new citizens
integrate into the Singapore society such as segregation to prevent
the establishment of little Indias and Chinas. The usual case is that the new migrant
integrates into the society of his adopted country on his own
initiative. When Singaporeans migrate to an overseas destination,
the onus is on the latter to integrate into the society of his
adopted country. Thus, a potential migrant into Singapore shouldn’t
be any different. The general trend is that those
foreigners with a long-term view towards settling in Singapore will
usually try to integrate into the Singaporean framework. Such
phenomenon can be observed at universities whereby foreign
students, who harbored intentions of securing a permanent
residency, attempt to be part of Singaporean cliques. However, the
government intervention in the integration process is perhaps a
safeguard against potential social problems arising due to
misunderunderstandings between local Singaporeans and our foreign
counterparts.
MM ominously pointed out the increasing outflow of Singaporeans,
and the Singapore 50 years down the road may comprise substantially
of new citizens of today. Thus, whilst the government on one
hand tries to bring in a new pool of citizens, it should also
attempt to address the issue of Singaporeans departing in droves.
The fact remains that more than 50% of Singaporean youths between
the age of 15-29 years of age wish to migrate, and it is a
phenomenon that the government cannot ignore. If
not, MM’s vision of a Singapore of new citizens 50 years down the
road will eventually become a reality.
====================
For local news from
non-local mainstream media, visit: http://singaporenewsalternative.blogspot.com
.
