The Temasek Times, 2 Jul 2012Despite growing public disgruntlement and anger at the relentless influx of foreigners which has marginalized Singaporeans in recent years, the government is focused on ‘integrating’ native Singaporeans and immigrants to make Singapore a more ‘livable’ city, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Speaking at Sunday’s official opening of three global events held in Singapore, PM Lee said Singapore will continue to improve and strengthen its ‘social capital’ which is more than just having better physical infrastructure.
Some of these measures include building new housing estates and upgrading old ones, improving public transport with more train lines and buses, and introducing more green spaces in the city.
PM Lee also took pains to emphasize that a ‘livable’ city is also about the people:
“Integrating Singaporeans and newly-arrived immigrants and foreign workers, preserving ethnic harmony, building a more compassionate society… This is what we have to do to make Singapore the best home for us all, and this is what we will do year after year, continuing to improve as we raise our standards step by step.”However, PM Lee noted that this transformation is not easy as it is difficult to rally political support for the ‘right’ choices.
With Singaporeans fast being outnumbered by foreigners, they may need to ‘assimilate’ into them rather than ‘integrate’ as large numbers of them continue to flood into Singapore, leading to rampant inflation, sky-rocketing property prices, stagnant wages and an obvious decline in the quality of life.
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