|
 |
|
Source:
www.gov.sg |
|
Interview with DPM Wong Kan
Seng, Minister-in-Charge of Population Issues |
|
|
|
|
(1) What is Singapore's population
challenge? |
|
Singapore's total fertility rate (TFR),
which measures the number of babies born per woman, fell to a historic
low of 1.24 in 2004. It remained at the same level in 2005. |
|
To replace ourselves, we would need a TFR of
2.1, or at least two per woman, and we have not seen that figure in
Singapore since 1976. That means we have had 30 years of
under-replacement. |
|
At the same time, with globalisation, more
Singaporeans will venture abroad. Today, we count more than 140,000 of
them already. |
|
A Straits Times article reported last month
that two-thirds of Singaporean teens would like to work abroad. There is
nothing wrong with that; in fact, we have been encouraging Singaporeans
to venture abroad to study and work where possible so that they can
learn new things and seek out new opportunities. |
|
We hope that when they go overseas to study
or work, they remain connected to Singapore, remain Singaporeans in
heart and mind. We also hope that they will eventually come back, and
play their rightful role in contributing to our economy, and serving our
people. |
|
However, the Straits Times survey also
revealed that 53 per cent of Singaporean teens would consider
emigration. |
|
If the result is truly representative
of the aspirations of the young, then Singapore would have a
problem. At a time when we are not replacing ourselves through new
births, we can ill afford to lose our able sons and daughters. |
|
Any population will shrink if the
number of deaths gradually outstrips new births - this is
symptomatic of an ageing society. |
|
When coupled with more emigrants
leaving the country, the rate of shrinkage will accelerate
dramatically. This is not an optimistic picture, and has begun to
happen in Japan, which has recorded its very first instance of
resident deaths outstripping resident births 1. |
|
Our own population is ageing - current
projections show that one-in-five Singaporeans will be over the
age of 65 by 2030. |
|
Without more new births, our
population will shrink. A declining population will diminish our
economic prospects and vitality, compromise our defence
capabilities and increase the socio-economic burden for all
Singaporeans. |
|
Whether Singapore can continue to grow
and prosper depends on how we tackle the population challenge.
This problem is real and imminent. We need to do something about
it. |
|
(2) Is Singapore unique in facing
its population challenge? How does the Government intend to deal
with the problem of a shrinking population? |
|
We are not alone in grappling with
population issues. I had earlier touched on Japan's acute
situation of deaths outstripping new births. |
|
Almost all developed countries face
the twin problems of a declining TFR and an ageing population. |
|
Take Australia for example. In 2004,
the Australian government urged families to have "one (baby) for
mum, one for dad and one for the country",and more recently, to
"procreate and cherish". While it has managed to reverse the
downtrend to increase its TFR from 1.73 in 2001 to 1.77 in 2004,
it is still below replacement rate. |
|
To complement its fertility efforts,
Australia has tried to reach out to its overseas diaspora and at
the same time attract immigrants. The main and outstanding
exception among developed countries is the United States, where
TFR is holding steady at the replacement level of 2.1. Among
others, a key factor behind the high TFR in the US is the high
inflow of new immigrants. |
|
Clearly, the population challenge is a
serious one for many countries, including Singapore. It is also a
complex and multi-faceted challenge. There is a need for planning
and coordination at the highest level. |
|
To do this, the Government has formed
a ministerial-level committee, the National Population Committee
(NPC)2 , which I chair. |
|
The NPC steers and guides the
development of strategic policies in confronting the population
challenge. The NPC has adopted a holistic approach, focusing its
efforts in the three key strategies on promoting marriage and
parenthood, engaging Overseas Singaporeans and encouraging
immigration of suitable foreigners. |
|
The NPC was initially supported by a
part-time secretariat based in the Ministry of Community
Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS). It was housed in MCYS
because the focus then was on marriage and parenthood. |
|
However, given the complexity and
urgency of the issue, it was upgraded to a full-time National
Population Secretariat (NPS)3 in the Prime Minister's
Office (PMO) in June 2006. |
|
The NPS is responsible for setting
policy objectives and coordinating the efforts of the various
government agencies involved in the continuum of
population-related issues. |
|
3) The Government introduced the
Marriage and Parenthood package in August 2004. What are the
results so far? |
|
It has been two years since we
introduced the parenthood package. |
|
Overall, we have seen some positive
results - there were about 240 more births from January to June
2006 compared to the same period in 2005, and about 400 more
births in 2005 compared to 2004 . This is a positive reversal
which comes after four consecutive years of decline. |
|
However, while the numbers have gone
up slightly, it is not realistic to expect our population trends
to reverse overnight or even in a few years' time. |
|
The TFR is declining for all ethnic
groups in Singapore. |
|
The TFR for Indians and Chinese have
been below replacement rate for many years. For the Chinese, the
TFR was 1.65 in 1990 and hit 1.08 in 2005; for the Indians, it has
dropped from 1.89 in 1990 to 1.24 in 2005. |
|
For the Malays, the TFR was 2.69 in
1990 and dipped below the replacement rate to 2.07 for the first
time last year. |
|
A shift in trend requires a mindset
change towards desiring parenthood and celebrating family life. We
have seen some encouraging signs. |
|
In a recent survey of 3,000 married
respondents by MCYS, 83 per cent of them indicated that the
parenthood package had created a friendlier environment for having
and raising children. In particular, the younger and higher income
respondents were more likely to respond positively. |
|
56 per cent of the respondents also
said that the parenthood package has influenced them to have or
consider having (more) children or have children earlier. We must
press on. |
|
More..... |
|
1Due
to declining birthrate, deaths in 2005 outnumbered births by
10,000. From 2006, population is projected to dwindle, falling
from 127.4 million to 100.7 million by 2050. Source: Asiamedia,
"The Coming Internationalisation: Can Japan assimilate its
immigrants?" dated 12 Jan 2006 (Source:
www.asiamedia.ucla.edu).
Another example is Germany. Its death rate outstrips birth rate -
10.6 vs. 8.3 per 1,000 population in 2005 (Source:
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0004395.html) |
|
2
Members of NPC: Mr Lim Hng Kiang, Mr Khaw Boon Wan, Mr Tharman
Shanmugaratnam, Dr Ng Eng Hen, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Mrs Lim
Hwee Hua and Dr Amy Khor. |
|
3
The NPS reports to the Permanent Secretary in the PMO, Mr Chiang
Chie Foo. DPM Wong Kan Seng oversees the work of the NPS as
Chairman of the NPC. |
|
Source:
www.mha.gov.sg Press Release
23 Aug 2006 |
|
 |
|
Important
Notice |
|
Our FrontPage
Editions are a historical record of our Web site and reflect
the changing of the times, and also of our Web site through
time. We do not and will not update the links and stories on
these FrontPages even if they have become obsolete. |
|
FrontPage Edition: Wed 23 August 2006
All rights reserved
