Star, Malaysia
August 20, 2006
Insight Down South By Seah Chiang Nee
JUST as it once did with water, a worried Singapore is
seeking alternatives to its dependency on oil for energy.
Long considered its Achilles' heel, the reliance on these two and
other imported necessities often stirs up people's concern about
their future.
As oil prices spiralled, the government and private businesses
began to source for other options, including gas and
bio-diesel.
The fear is two-fold: firstly, a sudden global cut-off as a result
of war or a natural calamity, and secondly, continuing high price,
either of which could deal a severe blow to this modern
city.
Last week, the Minister for Trade and Industry, Lim Hng Kiang
announced that the government would import Liquefied Natural Gas
(LNG) to meet the future rising demand for energy.
With easy access to palm oil in Malaysia and Indonesia, the city is
also developing a bio-fuel industry.
These measures are aimed at meeting resourceless Singapores
long-term needs.
This is not the only area of concern, of course, when people here
talk about their lives.
For almost a decade now, Singaporeans have been fretting about
their future.
Some feel that the nations collective quality both the
government and the people has declined compared to that of the
previous generation just as that of its competitors (especially
China) has risen.
Consequentially, the perception is that things are sliding and
others are overtaking us.
Not every Singaporean shares this pessimism, however.
Many still believe the nation remains economically strong and
people are hardworking.
Growth is likely to hit 6.5% to 7.5% for 2006.
When the government invited a Japanese expert amid some publicity
to come and train Singaporean restroom specialists the modern
way of cleaning toilets, it raised a few chuckles in bar
rooms.
That was two months ago. It was an image-polishing effort to
persuade unemployed citizens to accept cleaning work at a time when
the unskilled had a hard time making a living.
(Singapore relies on thousands of foreign cleaners, while many
unskilled locals are jobless after years of economic
restructuring.)
The Singaporean restroom specialist was no laughing matter.
The talk around town is that if the government actually took such
pain to promote toilet cleaning, the employment situation must
indeed be bleak.
It wasnt that bad; the thing was also a skills upgrading
exercise.
But the public discussions and general pessimism about
Singapores prospects have been very active.
Some online threads (including a public poll) were more specific,
posing direct questions on whether this nation can survive the new
global competition, like: What will Singapore be like in 5-10
years time? or How bright is our future?
For the 4.3 million Singaporeans, having a good job is the most
important thing in life. It sustains their middle-class living,
allows them to own a home, send their kids to university and retire
comfortably.
Without it, nothing is possible. The authorities do not provide any
dole or safety net for the jobless. In Malaysia or Thailand, they
can leave the cities and live in the countryside but not in
Singapore.
This is the reason why the Singaporean view of his future is shaped
largely by the sort of job he has (or has not).
It is Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loongs greatest challenge.
So how do Singaporeans evaluate their own country and its
future?
The republic still has one of Asias strongest economies, and
Singaporeans generally consider theirs a relatively stable,
promising life but they see the future as less rosy.
o Seah Chiang Nee is a veteran journalist and editor of the
information website littlespeck.com
http://www.singapore-window.org/sw06/060820ST.HTM
