Here are some statistics about Singapore that may have been one of the many factors why Singaporeans emigrate. Singapore has the second highest population density in the world, after Monaco. This could be alleviated if they were also Malaysian citizens, which will give them a constitutional right to go back and forth; and the hunterland in Malaysia is like a second home. This special feeling is not shared by Singaporeans. It is this Singapore PR status and Malaysian citizenship that enables a Malaysian working in Singapore to have the best of both worlds. Another stress factor in Singapore is the presence of a huge number of foreigners, at 42% of total and a whopping 50% in the service sector. This does not give you a homely feeling unless all the foreigners are given citizenship. A very serious demographic future faces Singapore. Its current fertility rate is the 3rd lowest in the world at 1.22 births per woman. Anything less than 2.1 will see the population disappear in the future. What is more alarming is the extremely low birth rate of the Singaporean Chinese woman at 1.08, Indians at 1.14, and Malays 1.82. The peak child bearing age has shot up from 25-29 to 30-34, and this is not healthy from a brains point of view. Herein are the reasons for bringing in foreigners. It is a life or death issue. Either the whole island becomes completely depopulated or it gets lots of new blood.
Dont we all know that already. Kindly quote your sources if you want to be taken seriously. Also give an idea of how you arrived at your conclusion, any schoolboy nowadays is expected to do that, or are you living in the past?
Loh, are the above statistics correct? They can be verified easily by checking with none other than the Singapore government's own source.
Well, then good job. However the opening statement that these are some of the reasons why people here EMIGRATE does not fit in well.Read it again,a visitor reading this article on its own may misunderstand,that people are emigrating because they are crowded out by foreigners, in this case people would leave cosmopolitan KL, New York or London too.
This will be an interesting talking point about Singapore www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_549133.html. I have pointed this out about Singapore's poor productivity not long ago and now the government is trying to address this problem. What do you think? My personal opinion is that it is a dead end and too much of thinking too rigidly inside the box. But let us hear what Loh, Bbn, and others have to say.
The former Romanian diplomat Silviu Ionescu is being indicted in Romania and will be tried in Romania soon. There is simply no chance of bringing him back to Singapore for trial, unless Romania is slated to have a huge Singapore investment in Romania, in which case anything can be traded.
Its true what old westerners say : 1) Old dogs cannot learn new tricks 2) Leopards cannot change their spots. 3) Andrew Carnegie in his famous books observed : " the most hardened criminals just before execution always seem to say the same words :" The world doesn't understand me". Incorrigible. I have better things to do than to surf the internet and dig out damaging articles written on other people's affairs.I think it is worse than the most vicious Ah Por always gossiping and bad-mouthing neighbours, cantonese call them Pat Poh or Sam Ku Lok Por. I would rather read articles that enlighten me and where I can learn something new, if I wanted to gossip and act like Papparazzi and Pat Kuah Gong I can go to the market and or old folk's home and indulge in the latest gossip and news.i think I have self respect and wouldn't go down so low, i have a meaningful life just like most of the people here. I suggest watching a good movie, retros maybe , how about " One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" or sth on Ching San?
Pls stick to the topic under discussion. Your natural instinct to wander, ramble and meander self-destructs and short-circuits your capacity to think rationally. Too much short-circuiting is bad for your health.
Now, Bbn do you think this is good Singapore Also Can? www.theonlinecitizen.com/2010/06/spore-not-doing-enough-to-curb-human-trafficking-says-us/. Despite denial everyone knows what is going on.
Thank you my Chee Sin friend, by the way my comments are not aimed for you to read, they are informing people of your credentials.
On human trafficking Malaysia fares better than Singapore, according to the US report, so Malasia Boleh! The Malaysian government is congratulating each other for a job well done. Do you want evidence, Bbn?
I will spare you the embarrassment this time. BTW, do you notice that I only refer readers to a website instead of reproducing the whole article? This is to give readers the option to ignore the referenced site instead of "force-feeding" them with the complete article.
I'm sorry to learn that as someone who professes to be independent thinking and knowledgeable, you've considered yourself being "forced-fed" with the reports. But just as what you've stated above "to give readers the option to ignore the referenced site", readers can similarly ignore my posts if they wish to. But the fact that they continue to follow events in Singapore will mean that they are still interested out of their own accord and not being "forced-fed" as you tried to imply.
$3,100 median income goal Jul 2, 2010 By Cai Haoxiang and Rachel Chang IN 10 YEARS' time, an economy with top-quality skills will boost the real median incomes of Singaporeans by 30 per cent from $2,400 to $3,100, Singapore will have more internationally competitive local companies and will be one of the most liveable cities in the world. 'We think we can raise incomes, raise the wage of the average worker, by one-third in the next 10 years. That means moving from a median wage of about $2,400 today to about $3,100 in 10 years time,' said Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam at a dialogue at Suntec City on Friday. Accounting for inflation, the figure is $3,800, he added. Mr Tharman was speaking at the recommendations dialogue for the Economic Strategies Committee, organised by the Singapore Business Federation and attended by 600 businessmen. He said that the next five to 10 years provide a 'whole wave of opportunities' for Singapore to play to its strengths in urban and water management. Singaporean companies can also capitalise on a wave of Asian demand in middle-class services like health, travel, education, entertainment and financial services. 'It's useful to ask ourselves where we want to be in 10 years' time, what is the sort of Singapore we want to see? And I'll just want to highlight three facets of that Singapore that the ESC thought of as being desirable and essential,' he said. First, he said, the ESC wanted to see an economy that has top quality skills to raise incomes for the average Singaporeans by one-third in the next 10 years. To boost wages from $2,400 to $3,100, Singapore needs to become a leading hub in Asia for global businesses and high-value, complex manufacturing, and possess top-notch service standards, he said. 'We think we can raise incomes, raise the wage of the average worker, by one-third in the next 10 years. That means moving from a median wage of about $2,400 today to about $3,100 in 10 years time,' said Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam. -- ST PHOTO: JOYCE FANG
Mission accomplished The Straits Times Jul 2, 2010 By Radha Basu, Senior Correspondent MEULABOH (Aceh) - SINGAPOREANS were the first foreigners to set foot in tsunami-ravaged Meulaboh, Aceh, days after tragedy struck that sunny Sunday morning in December 2004. They came to bury the dead, help heal the wounded and begin the long hard task of rebuilding a town reduced to rubble. On Friday, 5 1/2 years later, Foreign Minister George Yeo announced the completion of all major reconstruction projects in what grew to be the biggest humanitarian mission in the Republic's history. And as Team Singapore pulled out, it left behind a modern hospital, spacious schools, brightly painted homes - and a people who are learning to hope again. Mr Yeo was in the coastal Indonesian town - which lost a quarter of its 40,000 people to the tsunami - to hand over a $12 million general hospital funded by Singapore to the Indonesian authorities. When Singapore first offered to help its neighbour and friend in those tense, tragic days after the tsunami, the Indonesian Government requested that it focus its efforts on Meulaboh. Its bridges were broken. The arterial roads connecting it to Banda Aceh and Medan were clogged with debris. Its pier had been swept away. Its main hospital, while largely spared by the waves, had been damaged by the earthquake. Bodies were piling up in the courtyard as survivors came to look for missing loved ones and tend to the injured. On Friday, the same courtyard, rebuilt, like the rest of the hospital, came alive with music and dance. Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Yeo said that when he first visited Meulaboh nearly a year after the tsunami, there was still 'destruction everywhere'. 'Now, each time I come, I see progress,' he told the gathering. The Cut Nyak Dhien Hospital was the 70th and last project to be funded by the Tidal Waves Asia Fund, set up with donations from the people, corporations and Government of Singapore. Roughly two-thirds of the $89 million collected - was allocated to Indonesia. The fund was administered by Singapore Red Cross (SRC), which also build the hospital in collaboration with the Singapore government and Temasek Holdings. While reconstruction work has officially ended, Singapore will continue to strengthen administrative capacity in Meulaboh, Mr Yeo said, adding that he was in talks with the World Bank to see how best to further help Meulaboh. 'So many people died... an administrative culture has got to be built up and all kinds of specialists must be trained. Where we can, within our resources, we should help, and will continue to do so,' he said. Mr Yeo officiates the opening of the hospital Cut Nyak Dhien Meulaboh on Friday. -- ST PHOTO: NEO XIAOBIN
Record-smashing turnout (fro qigong) The Straits Times Jul 5, 2010 By Sue-ann Chia AS THE cool morning breeze blew across Woodlands Stadium on Sunday, almost 3,000 people swayed to a slow and steady rhythm. Dressed in red and white, participants looked like they were rehearsing for a mass display in the upcoming National Day parade. But the large gathering, which included Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, labour chief Lim Swee Say and several MPs, were there for another reason. They were aiming for a place in the Singapore Book of Records as the largest mass qigong display. And they did it with ease - smashing the previous record set by Ayer Rajah-West Coast constituency Sports Club last September. Then, 765 people performed qigong together. On Sunday, there was more than triple the number of people - exactly 2,698. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (centre), labour chief Lim Swee Say and several MPs participated in the mass qigong display at the Woodlands Stadium on Sunday with an aim for a place in the Singapore Book of Records as the largest mass qigong display. -- ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA
Scientist bags top youth award Jul 5, 2010 Stem cell expert among four winners honoured this year By Ang Yiying TWO scientists who have made waves in the field of stem cell research - one of whom had mentored the other - were honoured yesterday at the Singapore Youth Awards. Dr Loh Yuin Han, 33, received the youth award for his contributions to science and technology. At the ceremony, his former mentor, Dr Ng Huck Hui, 38, who had won the same award in 2005, got the medal of commendation - given to past youth award winners who have surpassed their previous accomplishments. The youth award, presented by the National Youth Council, is the nation's highest accolade for those aged 35 and under, recognising outstanding achievements in arts and culture, community and youth services, entrepreneurship, science and technology, and sports and adventure. The other winners are film director Royston Tan, 33, entrepreneur and founder of PurpleClick Media Leonard Tan, 31, and Para- lympic swimmer Yip Pin Xiu, 18. This year's youth award winners were picked from 93 nominations, while the medal of commendation was picked from nine nominations. The winners of the Singapore Youth Award this year are (from left) entrepreneur Leonard Tan, film-maker Royston Tan, scientist Loh Yuin Han and athlete Yip Pin Xiu (not in photo). -- ST PHOTO: AIDAH RAUF
