6.5 Million

Originally as a comment in Singapore Angle.

A country that has the economic strength to grow should grow and not be hindered by irrational and emotionally-charged fears.

Singapore should grow both in economic might as well as population size if it can. Policy-makers cannot be held back by the fear to tread, else nothing ever grows or progresses.

Every growing nation in history has and continues to face the variant grouses the local populace has with a migrant diaspora and the “ills” it brings. Unfortunately, as history continues to show, eg in the USA, UK, EU and Australia, population growth in emergent nations either via migration or baby boom has always been for the betterment of the nation, tempered (or is it cast in a bad light) by reports of irrational grouses coming to the fore.

History also shows that migration is the fastest way for an emergent nation to quickly realise its potential. In the height of SEAsian migration to Australia for education and jobs in the late 90s, the grouses became more apparent, especially with one Ms Hanson corrupting the process for her own political mileage. But as the nation progressed, the fire and ire die down and life goes on. Fast forward 20 years and Australia and Australians are now enjoying the fruits of a liberal migration policy, at least for the states that embraced it, ie Victoria, New South Wales, where large population growths equated larger economic growths.

http://www.anz.com/business/info_centre/economic_commentary/StatesJan06.pdf

Independent research on Australian state economic growth vis-a-vis population changes, either via inter-state migration or otherwise. The document speaks for itself.

One might ask, yes this is evidence, is should we have more? Yes you can always have more but I think it’s enough. While a call for research might sound balanced and fair, to me it’s irrational thought wrapped in prose.

Singapore will not have achieved its global successes without the migrant population we have today at 1 million plus. Growing our population from 4 million to 6 is merely the next evolutionary step. What, did you honestly think our population would be artificially culled at 4 million? Nor do we have the luxury of waiting for CMIO to produce enough children fast enough.

http://www.singaporeangle.com/2007/02/more_research_on_immigrationqu.html

http://www.newsintercom.org/index.php?itemid=517

A pinch of humility?

Grats to the Lions for winning the Asean Cup at the Supachalasai Stadium yesterday! An exciting match; the man of the moment IMHO was Lionel Lewis with 2 spectacular saves, without which, Kairul Amri’s venomous shot would have been for naught.

But onto a more serious note…

It has been an interesting 2 weeks of regional development, first kicked off by Thailand’s ruling junta that Singapore, via its overseas stake in AIS, can and are snooping on the Thais’ secure communications. Without dwelling too much on the issue, it was clear that the Thais were sending a strong signal, not surprisingly hot on the heels of Thaksin’s visit to Singapore.

Shortly after, Indonesia bans all sale of sand to anyone. Shockingly an admission by a vice-admiral linked the ban to bilateral ties with Singapore, mirroring a similar ban in 2003.

Then Malaysia swings into the fray, fingering Singapore as the cause for Johore’s flooding, that reclamation efforts in the nearby Singaporean islands resulted in a slowdown in the overflow of rainwater into the Johore Strait, well at least according to Utusan, a Malaysian newspaper.

It’s strange that Singapore’s regional “partners” have come out swinging at her in unison. In politics and diplomacy, both are games of reparte and give and take. Most of the time deals are bargained by perceptions of win-win; how much win-win can be bluffed depends entirely on the skill of the diplomat.

However, in all conducts of trade so to speak, such talks are tempered by a pinch of humility, unless if you’re a global superpower which Singapore obviously isn’t. As she is regarded as a minnow in the region, it is prudent that she at times behaves like one, even if she punches way above her weight. Of late, the region has been attempting what appears to “beatdowns”, attempts by big brothers to put someone in its place as cited in the above paragraphs. There must be a reason for it.

For fun? Unlikely unless we’re talking about newb politicians, perhaps in the Thais’ case. It would an unlikely case for the Indonesians. Possibly it has been a case of both parties, where Singapore has been of late rubbing our regional friends the wrong way. Perhaps as a cautionary tale Singapore ought to conduct its business with more tact?

Could hubris have gotten the better of Singapore, where she has of late weathered global events far better than most in the region and, despite its size achieved quite a far bit more as well? It has been such that her domestic politics have been of the “suck it up” variety. Woe be to Singapore if she thinks that attitude while workable against its docile populace, will work in a regional arena, much less a global one.

http://www.newsintercom.org/index.php?itemid=511