<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>Population growth may add to woes
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I DO not know whether to cheer or lament our rapid population growth. We have so far not experienced the woes of overpopulation, which was once blamed for the misery of the Third World.
The main argument for increasing our population is that an undefined critical mass is essential for economic growth and prosperity. Like many other economic theories, the hypothesis can be proven only by its results, much like the economic downturn in the United States that belatedly brought home the realisation that something was amiss in the country's financial framework.
Now we worry about our ageing population and the need to infuse young blood to sustain ourselves. But all young people eventually grow old. Will our problem be compounded then?
As a small country with no natural resources, we may eventually face insolvable problems if we are overpopulated. China has been playing catch-up for half a century and is still unable to drop its draconian policy on family size.
We should be very cautious in tweaking our population numbers.
Dr Ong Siew Chey
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I DO not know whether to cheer or lament our rapid population growth. We have so far not experienced the woes of overpopulation, which was once blamed for the misery of the Third World.
The main argument for increasing our population is that an undefined critical mass is essential for economic growth and prosperity. Like many other economic theories, the hypothesis can be proven only by its results, much like the economic downturn in the United States that belatedly brought home the realisation that something was amiss in the country's financial framework.
Now we worry about our ageing population and the need to infuse young blood to sustain ourselves. But all young people eventually grow old. Will our problem be compounded then?
As a small country with no natural resources, we may eventually face insolvable problems if we are overpopulated. China has been playing catch-up for half a century and is still unable to drop its draconian policy on family size.
We should be very cautious in tweaking our population numbers.
Dr Ong Siew Chey
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