... the "government" is failing miserably to see why
birth rates are low...
... people are just falling in love, getting hitched, and then
stopping short at the baby part.. why? Answer is so obvious our
scholastic FAP fails to see - COSTS OF UPBRINGING & COSTS OF
LIVING!
======================================
Singapore govt plays Cupid for Valentine's
Day
SINGAPORE, Feb 13, 2008 (AFP) - Worried that a low birth rate could
threaten the country's very survival Singapore's government is
playing Cupid, using Valentine's Day to promote romance and
marriage.
In a city where many singles say they are too busy making money
to make love, the government plans to step up its official
"Romancing Singapore" campaign on Thursday, the traditional lovers'
day, to encourage people to take up dating.
The campaign, launched in 2002 and managed commercially by the
private sector since 2005, has lined up a series of events
throughout February and on Valentine's Day itself to try to reverse
the falling birthrate. And a separate initiative sees the
government directly funding efforts to promote romance.
In 2006 it launched the one-million-Singapore-dollar (704,000
US) Partner Connection Fund to support dating agencies that come up
with what it called new "social interaction opportunities" for
singles.
"A lot of countries, they let nature take its course but in
Singapore because of our work and lifestyle, we don't have a lot of
time," said Andrew Chow, a manager with Romancing Singapore.
"We are trying to educate the singles that dating is in fact a
lifestyle. I think nowhere else in the world does things like
Singapore."
Among the events Romancing Singapore has planned to give Cupid a
helping hand is an evening date on the newly-opened Singapore
Flyer, the world's tallest observation wheel at 42 storeys
high.
The Valentine's Day event, billed as "Love In A Capsule," is
organised by Romancing Singapore and Clique Wise, another social
networking outfit. From movie marathons, Friday night shopping
sprees and treasure hunts, Romancing Singapore says it has tapped
more than 5,000 singles to participate in previous events.
Love comes at a price, though - a date on the Singapore Flyer
costs 140 US dollars, which includes a gourmet dinner at a spa
resort. All 24 slots have been booked, said Chow.
Violet Lim, co-founder of dating agency Lunch Actually, agreed
Singapore's fast-paced lifestyle has made it hard for couples to
connect.
"We play the role of an introducer," she said. "A lot of people
who join us, they are not exactly people who can't find dates on
their own. I would say it's more due to their schedules."
A subsidiary of Lunch Actually, Eteract.com, received funding
from the government's Partner Connection Fund for its online dating
platform. The platform allows singles to get acquainted by chatting
and even playing games in cyberspace, said Lim, adding the
identities of participants have been verified.
The number of babies born per woman in Singapore fell to an
historic low of 1.24 in 2004 and 2005, far below the rate of 2.1
needed for the population to replenish itself, the government has
said.
This shortage prompted authorities to offer cash incentives for
couples having more than two children, encourage foreigners to
adopt citizenship, and ease up on previously taboo subjects like
sex.
"We have managed to reverse the decline in births, but only
barely," Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a message on the
eve of Lunar New Year earlier this month.
"Last year we only had 37,000 resident births, just 2,000 more
than in 2004."
Lee said that ultimately the issue is not just about financial
incentives but other factors including "social attitudes".
Singapore had a population of 4,588,600 last year but about one
million of those were non-resident foreigners, official statistics
show.
Perhaps among those numbers lies the partner Joyce Tia is
seeking.
Tia, a group financial controller in her thirties, will join a
dinner date organised by Ideas and Concepts dating agency on the
eve of Valentine's Day.
"I am looking for a long-term relationship so having the dating
agency to provide me the background of the person is good," said
Tia.
