State of Things to Come
OUR OVERBURDEN SYSTEM
One of the ways Singapore addresses its declining birth rates is to allow mass immigrants to settle here, hopefully, grow roots, become its citizens and contribute to its economic growth. Its main rationale is to augment our already aging population in order to reduce social and financial burden on future generations.
The aim to increase population without enhancing the basic support system and infrastructure is tantamount to gorging oneself with food on a full stomach.
We are now facing a crisis of scarcity. For a start we have limited land and food resources. It is a fact that we don’t have a big piece of land to grow food for our own sustainability. We need to buy food and water form others. Neither do we have the natural energy resources such as natural gas and oil to fuel our ever-increasing population needs.
Our transport and healthcare system are crumbling under heavy burden due to overpopulation. Every day our trains and buses are jammed-pack during peak and off-peaks periods. Hospitals and polyclinics have long queues of waiting patients during opening hours. The educational system is undergoing tremulous strains too. Furthermore, do we have enough land to house the many millions in years to come?
Some might presume that the PR population is re-producing faster than Singapore citizens. That accounts for the increasing proportion of foreign students in our local school population. But that is not a complete picture. Another way to look thing is, perhaps we are too efficient. Within short period of time, work permits, PRs applications at approved almost instantaneously.
Traditionally we have many PR applications from citizens all over the world, including Malaysians, Indonesians, Philippines, Burma, India, China, Sri Lankan, Europeans, Americans, just to name a few. Recent years, we even have PR applications from residents of exotic countries such as Eastern Europeans, Russians, Ukrainians, people from Middle Eastern countries and Africa continents.
Basically we are like a mini United Nation.
There are many avenues for ‘aliens’ to come in here. It can be via Employment Pass, S-Pass, and Work Permits for Foreign Workers and Domestic Workers. Perhaps other less known are the Dependant's Pass and Miscellaneous Work Pass and many other ‘passes’. Holders of these passes can stay here for periods ranging from a few months to years. Amazingly, the conduit for working in Singapore is multi-channel, multi-faceted, not unlike streams of Atlantic salmons gushing in.
Very soon, we might not be able to meet or support some of the people's basic needs (shelter, healthcare, transport) if the existing situation is allowed to persist.
Unless we acquire a few more islands like Sentosa and amalgam them into a super hinterland, how are we to provide and support the millions in one tiny island of less than 700 square kilometers? Even if we manage to acquire land, we need to built more houses, more hospitals, more schools, more roads, more offices swiftly to sustain the growing numbers. Do we need to eventually build a city ‘under’ our island-state to sustain the growing numbers?
To put things in perspective, Singapore Island is smaller than the State of Johor, Malaysia. Singapore is less than one-third of its size to be precise.
Yes, over-population and immigration are global phenomena, but it is also a national one for us. We are not exactly opening the Pandora’s box, but a floodgate for salmons, herrings, and sea stars and perhaps zooplankton, seaweed and other marine creatures that occasionally come along. If there are more immigrants than citizens genetic makeup of the population will change drastically for better or for worse no one knows. But one thing is for sure; the resources will not be enough for everyone living in this land!
To solve the growing crunch, we need to have a bird’s eye view on this matter. We need to see the big picture, not just deluge the market with workers just to fill employers’ coffers. Adopt a helicopter’s view as well. Perhaps it even necessitates a ‘space-craft’ view to tackle this teething megalomaniac issue.
Nip the problem swiftly in the bud before our transport, healthcare and educational infrastructure deteriorates or retrogress further. Act before our economic engine comes to a complete stop. Once it bursts, it will be like spewing out a bubble gum all over the place, dirt and all.
One of the ways Singapore addresses its declining birth rates is to allow mass immigrants to settle here, hopefully, grow roots, become its citizens and contribute to its economic growth. Its main rationale is to augment our already aging population in order to reduce social and financial burden on future generations.
The aim to increase population without enhancing the basic support system and infrastructure is tantamount to gorging oneself with food on a full stomach.
We are now facing a crisis of scarcity. For a start we have limited land and food resources. It is a fact that we don’t have a big piece of land to grow food for our own sustainability. We need to buy food and water form others. Neither do we have the natural energy resources such as natural gas and oil to fuel our ever-increasing population needs.
Our transport and healthcare system are crumbling under heavy burden due to overpopulation. Every day our trains and buses are jammed-pack during peak and off-peaks periods. Hospitals and polyclinics have long queues of waiting patients during opening hours. The educational system is undergoing tremulous strains too. Furthermore, do we have enough land to house the many millions in years to come?
Some might presume that the PR population is re-producing faster than Singapore citizens. That accounts for the increasing proportion of foreign students in our local school population. But that is not a complete picture. Another way to look thing is, perhaps we are too efficient. Within short period of time, work permits, PRs applications at approved almost instantaneously.
Traditionally we have many PR applications from citizens all over the world, including Malaysians, Indonesians, Philippines, Burma, India, China, Sri Lankan, Europeans, Americans, just to name a few. Recent years, we even have PR applications from residents of exotic countries such as Eastern Europeans, Russians, Ukrainians, people from Middle Eastern countries and Africa continents.
Basically we are like a mini United Nation.
There are many avenues for ‘aliens’ to come in here. It can be via Employment Pass, S-Pass, and Work Permits for Foreign Workers and Domestic Workers. Perhaps other less known are the Dependant's Pass and Miscellaneous Work Pass and many other ‘passes’. Holders of these passes can stay here for periods ranging from a few months to years. Amazingly, the conduit for working in Singapore is multi-channel, multi-faceted, not unlike streams of Atlantic salmons gushing in.
Very soon, we might not be able to meet or support some of the people's basic needs (shelter, healthcare, transport) if the existing situation is allowed to persist.
Unless we acquire a few more islands like Sentosa and amalgam them into a super hinterland, how are we to provide and support the millions in one tiny island of less than 700 square kilometers? Even if we manage to acquire land, we need to built more houses, more hospitals, more schools, more roads, more offices swiftly to sustain the growing numbers. Do we need to eventually build a city ‘under’ our island-state to sustain the growing numbers?
To put things in perspective, Singapore Island is smaller than the State of Johor, Malaysia. Singapore is less than one-third of its size to be precise.
Yes, over-population and immigration are global phenomena, but it is also a national one for us. We are not exactly opening the Pandora’s box, but a floodgate for salmons, herrings, and sea stars and perhaps zooplankton, seaweed and other marine creatures that occasionally come along. If there are more immigrants than citizens genetic makeup of the population will change drastically for better or for worse no one knows. But one thing is for sure; the resources will not be enough for everyone living in this land!
To solve the growing crunch, we need to have a bird’s eye view on this matter. We need to see the big picture, not just deluge the market with workers just to fill employers’ coffers. Adopt a helicopter’s view as well. Perhaps it even necessitates a ‘space-craft’ view to tackle this teething megalomaniac issue.
Nip the problem swiftly in the bud before our transport, healthcare and educational infrastructure deteriorates or retrogress further. Act before our economic engine comes to a complete stop. Once it bursts, it will be like spewing out a bubble gum all over the place, dirt and all.
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