Singapore's declining birth rate a cause for concern: SM Goh
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I think if a mr. yellow were to write an article about the problem just like what SM wrote, he would be given a hard time - there's no solutions in it.
Anybody can spot problems. But let's talk about solutions cos that's what we really want to hear from leaders whom we're paying heavily.
It sure looks silly to just ask the people to solve a big problem on their own.
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Originally posted by www:
if he really wants singapore to last 100 years, the govt shouldn't allow local-born singaporeans become an enslaved species.
... Will Singapore last 100 years if local-born Singaporeans are becoming an endangered species?"
Mr Goh added that Singapore had no natural resources except its people, but with fewer babies and a declining fertility rate, this vital resource was not being renewed.
This would lead to problems in the future, with a lack of manpower, skills and young men to defend the country.
- CNA /ct
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that would be a better incentive for locals to reproduce themselves than some stupid reasons like needing manpower to sustain the economy and to defend the country! -
Say lah, kia simi, no balls ahOriginally posted by FireIce:there is something i wish to say about SM Goh's family and his family values........
but i cannot say!!
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make a clone and say it....Originally posted by FireIce:there is something i wish to say about SM Goh's family and his family values........
but i cannot say!! 
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Xiao Lee is talking abt population, dont know why, he suddenly go into scholarship
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Did he change suddenly? haha didn't notice.
Well imo, with regards to scholarship, he's saying that since foreign ivy league unis are offering scholarships to us, we shd also do the same. Trying to justify our intake of foreigners just like how foreign countries accomodate us.
Do we have S'poreans stealing 7-11 cashier jobs overseas? If professionals working overseas, nothing to say. Singapore shd also accomodate foreign professionals but not normal level jobs. -
In Channel U documentary, there is data shoing 800 Sporean every year gave up their Spore citizenship but it never revealed which country citizenship theyOriginally posted by av98m:It'll be interesting to see the foreign population slowly but surely overtake the local population. For one thing, the size of our armed forces will shrink because there are less locals to be conscripted, while the foreign migrants will mostly leave after only staying a few years, as they will prefer to have their children in countries with no conscription. This will have serious consequences for our security situation. Which in turn will further affect our attractiveness to foreign investors. I can understand why the PAP is worried but I'm still not going to turn my life and my unborn children's into a living hell just to provide warm bodies for the armed forces.
adopted. -
I believe more FT is good for the country especially they bring their leel of expertise.Originally posted by Rock^Star:Did he change suddenly? haha didn't notice.
Well imo, with regards to scholarship, he's saying that since foreign ivy league unis are offering scholarships to us, we shd also do the same. Trying to justify our intake of foreigners just like how foreign countries accomodate us.
Do we have S'poreans stealing 7-11 cashier jobs overseas? If professionals working overseas, nothing to say. Singapore shd also accomodate foreign professionals but not normal level jobs. -
how much peanuts did that guy take home? We actually pay him peanuts to say suchfoot in mouth things? Must be strong mandate at work..
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is he livin 1 bus stop away from katib train station?Originally posted by Rock^Star:Yeh a lot os Asians are still in the "backward" mentality. Eg a life is only complete if you start a "family" etc.
I personally know a Malay chap who has 12 children and he earns only $1200 a month. Wife is of course taking care of the kids. He stays in Yishun (Anyone knows him? ) Now u wonder how he remembers all their b'days.....he is being plain selfish, thinking that more children means more prosperity.
A child is a liability. If a S'porean already owns a car, having another kid is like owning another car. If one has 2 kids, then make it 3 cars. The bloody baby bonus is nothing to trumpet about, govt shd wake up. Its payout is for the initial baby stage, what about life after that? Stupid people, really no brains.
Oh my, better stop.....turning into a whiner!
cos someone i noe has many siblings.. and she's # 7 when i knew her...
she still have a few younger siblings. -
the ministers make 100k a month and thus should set a good example by having at least 10 children each.
do you agree?
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Well, it's possible, I wouldn't know that well....eldest kid 17 years old, youngest is 2 years old. I can't imagine....almost a kid every year, he thinks the wife is a factory is it??Originally posted by shinta:is he livin 1 bus stop away from katib train station?
cos someone i noe has many siblings.. and she's # 7 when i knew her...
she still have a few younger siblings.
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Let's face it, most of us here just wants the sex, without the responsibility(babies) that comes with it afterwards
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Want to have a kid nowadays very very expensiveOriginally posted by nanren4ever:Let's face it, most of us here just wants the sex, without the responsibility(babies) that comes with it afterwards -
den different le.. the gal i noe same age as me.. back den her eldest sibling was 28..Originally posted by Rock^Star:Well, it's possible, I wouldn't know that well....eldest kid 17 years old, youngest is 2 years old. I can't imagine....almost a kid every year, he thinks the wife is a factory is it?? -
STI Home > ST Forum > Story
Aug 22, 2006
Outlook on baby shortage not rosy
I REFER to the call by both Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, during his National Day Rally speech, and Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong
a day earlier to young Singaporeans to have more children.
Both men have raised very logical and very convincing arguments as to why the unmarried should get married, the childless should have children and those with children should have more.
Sadly, I believe it will all fall on deaf ears and nothing much will change.
The irony is that the Sunday papers reported a story of a Malay couple in northern Malaysia who have 21 children. The mother was desperate to stop but what was telling was the father's perception: that children are 'assets'.
The young working generation today has been trained and trained well to look at life in terms of assets and liabilities.
Even in the Sunday papers, there is page after page of advice on how to lower liabilities and increase assets.
And the truth is that children today are liabilities; a drain in terms of time, money, attention and almost every aspect of any parent's life.
We hear stories of parents mortgaging their homes to provide funds for a university education, or even working double shifts just to make ends meet, or for that extra dollar for music lessons.
In fact, some of the successful people in Singapore, including some in Parliament, are unmarried.
How then can we sell the message to have more babies to our younger generation wholeheartedly?
With the ever-increasing emphasis to make it in this tiny island, and with the perception that almost everything is getting more expensive, I really do not see the birth rate climbing until somehow these young ones come around to seeing children as assets.
So as far as I can see, on a personal level, issues of a non-replacing population and the need to import new citizens mean nothing to these persons.
Until children are proven not to be a drain, nothing positive will happen.
This time next year, as it has happened since MM Lee raised it about 10 years ago, the same issue will again be raised.
Michael Loh Yik Ming
http://straitstimes.asiaone.com/portal/site/STI/menuitem.c2aef3d65baca16abb31f610a06310a0/?vgnextoid=7532758920e39010VgnVCM1000000a35010aRCRD&vgnextfmt=vgnartid:9dfd2726bd13d010VgnVCM100000430a0a0aRCRD -
This lawyer is absolutely spot-on.
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Declining birth rate of Singaporeans is not just concern as mentioned by lau goh.
I foresee the seriousness of this and it will be even worst than China. -
Ten years since MM Lee first raised the issue, and why does this problem of declining birth still persist ?
The answer is written on the wall but accepting it is persistently resisted.
The Cost of Living is simply too high despite all the data that the Department of Statistics has produced and which the Government has used to refute such claims, insisting that they have done a good job in keeping inflation low.
Keeping inflation low does not necessarily mean that Cost of Living is affordable vis-a-vis the balancing of the family budget.
The family budget varies widely between the Upper Income, Uppder Middle Income, Lower Middle Income and the Lower-lower Income groups - and the amount of Official Help that is available differs even more between those in the Lower-low Income and the Upper Income.
The irony of it is that somehow the disparity in the number of children in the family seems to wider between the Upper Income - (with less children) - and the Lower-lower Income - (with more children despite not being able to afford).
The pinch of the high Cost of Living experienced by the Lower-lower Income do not seem to deter such families from having more children - as there exist some degree of social support from the Government and from its own ethnic community.
While the Upper Income groups - supposedly more educated - are more aware of the significance in the costs of child rearing WITHOUT any forms of social support, and the budget comes from their own resources only.
The higher the income, the higher the parental ambitions for the children, which will entail higher expenses, and tighter budget even with a larger income compared to the Lower-lower Income families.
The families trapped in the Upper-Middle Income and Lower-Middle Income will form the larger portion of the Singapore population, and this is where many prefer to remain single or childless, while slogging it out to build the nest, or achieve one's Life Goals.
If the Government do not attend to the issue of the Cost of Living, and prefer to use statistics to convince us that all is well - when it is not - this subject will continue for another Ten Years, and by then those Foreigners will also be a member of this single Singaporean pool. -
His kids are not DINKS. 3 kids each and surviving on single income.
Anyone know the answer why? Hmm?? ANYONE!!
Sif every Singapore lao pei is SM. If my father SM, I give you 5 kids, I also can support. -
Originally posted by Atobe:
Very well said indeed!!
Ten years since MM Lee first raised the issue, and why does this problem of declining birth still persist ?
The answer is written on the wall but accepting it is persistently resisted.
The Cost of Living is simply too high despite all the data that the Department of Statistics has produced and which the Government has used to refute such claims, insisting that they have done a good job in keeping inflation low.
Keeping inflation low does not necessarily mean that Cost of Living is affordable vis-a-vis the balancing of the family budget.
The family budget varies widely between the [b]Upper Income, Uppder Middle Income, Lower Middle Income and the Lower-lower Income groups - and the amount of Official Help that is available differs even more between those in the Lower-low Income and the Upper Income.
The irony of it is that somehow the disparity in the number of children in the family seems to wider between the Upper Income - (with less children) - and the Lower-lower Income - (with more children despite not being able to afford).
The pinch of the high Cost of Living experienced by the Lower-lower Income do not seem to deter such families from having more children - as there exist some degree of social support from the Government and from its own ethnic community.
While the Upper Income groups - supposedly more educated - are more aware of the significance in the costs of child rearing WITHOUT any forms of social support, and the budget comes from their own resources only.
The higher the income, the higher the parental ambitions for the children, which will entail higher expenses, and tighter budget even with a larger income compared to the Lower-lower Income families.
The families trapped in the Upper-Middle Income and Lower-Middle Income will form the larger portion of the Singapore population, and this is where many prefer to remain single or childless, while slogging it out to build the nest, or achieve one's Life Goals.
If the Government do not attend to the issue of the Cost of Living, and prefer to use statistics to convince us that all is well - when it is not - this subject will continue for another Ten Years, and by then those Foreigners will also be a member of this single Singaporean pool.
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In actual fact about 2% our professionals working population migrate every year.Why our gov doesnot do any thing to retain them and the Gods are sometimes simply say if u dont like the cost of living here then go loh?
I think 2 increase the population is just an excuse 4 something 2 come?
Do really think the increased population will solve our ecnomic problems,pls think carefully and let me know which sch of thought said so? -
Its so easy for SM to say that its up to Singaporeans to boost up the population. When the nationwide figures of birthrates are so low, there is obviously a problem with the policy situation of the country.
I belong to the DINK group of newly marrieds, both of us are professionals and yet we feel that we are unable to afford to have children. Very simple reasons
1. Income levels stagnent or dropping
2. Cost of living increasing
3. No stake in the country
I have no illusions about things improving by themselves and am intending to start migration plans -
Even my mum-in-law who loves to have more grandkids has been telling my sister-in-law not to have more than 2.Originally posted by Aveme:ermm love children and wanting to have lots of kids is different ok?
People will still love children and getting just one baby per couple may just fulfill that already,there is really no necessity to really go on for way more than what they can afford.End of the day the govt has to help out with the issue of cost.
if not you think that irresponsible parenting is good? Just because people love children,they should bear more and more without thinking if they can give a good enough raising for them,resulting in the parents and the kids all suffering in the end?
Say burden on her son as cost of bringing up a kid is very expensive. She is worried that he will work himself to death to provide for them. Already at 30+ he works long hrs. & now has heart problem. -
Unless people have the financial capability to raise a child from a toddler to university, small wonder why many dosen't want to have any.
Having babies now is just considered financial liability for most. With life here so stressed and hectic as it already is, one wonders where is the time to have and look after a child. -
One issue here is the mindset of people. Look at sub-Sahara Africa for example. The large majority of people there struggle on subsistence level, but birth-rates are high. Not saying that we are having it easy here, but we surely cannot say that we are having it as bad. We just want to ensure that our children are well taken care of if we do want to have children.
Anyway things do look quite gloomy. I doubt the FTs would settle here and contribute their sons for NS.