http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20090802-158581.html
Sun, Aug 02, 2009
AsiaOne
SM Goh: 10 challenges for S'pore's next generation
By AsiaOne
Singapore has achieved a lot in 50 years of self-government. But can its success be sustained for another generation?
This was the question that Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong asked in a National Day dinner speech at Marine Parade last night.
Success creates its own problems
Singapore's economy has grown 125 times from $2 billion 50 years ago to $250 billion today. But with this success comes its own set of problems, says Senior Minister Goh.
SM Goh calls these problems the 'perils of success' and said that they will be even more challenging than the problems he faced when he was Prime Minister. He also said that the next generation will also have a tough time dealing with them.
He highlighted ten challenges that the next generation of young Singaporeans will face in the coming years:
The first challenge
"Can you maintain Singapore?s high economic growth and keep on improving on our standard of living??Just remember, the world is a very competitive place and our economy has matured.?If UK can slip from the top of the chart in GDP per capita, so can Singapore."
The second challenge
"How do you convince Singaporeans that their lives will get better when they are already living in good-quality public and private housing ?For my generation, it was a big jump in our standard of living when we moved into 3-room HDB flats with modern amenities."
The third challenge
SM Goh also said that this was a question for the Transport Minister:
"How do you satisfy the transport demands of the next generation for comfort, convenience, congestion-free travel and punctuality of services and their expectation of affordable fares, ERP and parking charges?"
The fourth challenge
This question was directed to the Health Minister:
"Can you stamp out these diseases the way we did with infectious diseases like TB, malaria, typhoid and polio??Can you keep health care costs down and affordable?"
The fifth challenge
The question was addressed to the Minister of Manpower and Secretary-General of NTUC:
"Can you design a new training programme, Workfare and Job Credit Scheme for grandparents and maybe even great-grandparents?"
The sixth challenge
SM Goh addressed this question to parents and the young:
What will get our young to marry and have children??Any creative ideas on procreation?
The seventh challenge
This question touches on the topic of aging:
"How do we support so many senior citizens??How will we look after our parents and grandparents? Will you build more community hospitals, nursing and old folk homes, and keep them affordable?"
The eighth challenge
This question was meant for the Minister of National Development:
"How much more land can we reclaim over the next 50 years? As our population and economy continue to grow, how will we deal with the challenge of limited land for economic expansion while preserving sufficient space for housing and recreational needs? Will Singapore be over crowded?"
The ninth challenge
"This one for the Prime Minister, Minister for Education, schools and families."
"We have to accept that more Singaporeans will study and work overseas and that some may settle abroad.?But how do we bond them to Singapore, physically if possible, and if not, at least emotionally. How do we ensure that most will return home and contribute to Singapore which gave them the foundation for their success? How do we ensure that there will always be a core of honest, able and dedicated Singaporeans to look after the country and their fellowmen?"
The tenth challenge
"How do we ensure that Singaporeans of different faiths will continue to mix with one another and respect one another's faith?"
Sun, Aug 02, 2009
AsiaOne
SM Goh: 10 challenges for S'pore's next generation
By AsiaOne
Singapore has achieved a lot in 50 years of self-government. But can its success be sustained for another generation?
This was the question that Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong asked in a National Day dinner speech at Marine Parade last night.
Success creates its own problems
Singapore's economy has grown 125 times from $2 billion 50 years ago to $250 billion today. But with this success comes its own set of problems, says Senior Minister Goh.
SM Goh calls these problems the 'perils of success' and said that they will be even more challenging than the problems he faced when he was Prime Minister. He also said that the next generation will also have a tough time dealing with them.
He highlighted ten challenges that the next generation of young Singaporeans will face in the coming years:
The first challenge
"Can you maintain Singapore?s high economic growth and keep on improving on our standard of living??Just remember, the world is a very competitive place and our economy has matured.?If UK can slip from the top of the chart in GDP per capita, so can Singapore."
The second challenge
"How do you convince Singaporeans that their lives will get better when they are already living in good-quality public and private housing ?For my generation, it was a big jump in our standard of living when we moved into 3-room HDB flats with modern amenities."
The third challenge
SM Goh also said that this was a question for the Transport Minister:
"How do you satisfy the transport demands of the next generation for comfort, convenience, congestion-free travel and punctuality of services and their expectation of affordable fares, ERP and parking charges?"
The fourth challenge
This question was directed to the Health Minister:
"Can you stamp out these diseases the way we did with infectious diseases like TB, malaria, typhoid and polio??Can you keep health care costs down and affordable?"
The fifth challenge
The question was addressed to the Minister of Manpower and Secretary-General of NTUC:
"Can you design a new training programme, Workfare and Job Credit Scheme for grandparents and maybe even great-grandparents?"
The sixth challenge
SM Goh addressed this question to parents and the young:
What will get our young to marry and have children??Any creative ideas on procreation?
The seventh challenge
This question touches on the topic of aging:
"How do we support so many senior citizens??How will we look after our parents and grandparents? Will you build more community hospitals, nursing and old folk homes, and keep them affordable?"
The eighth challenge
This question was meant for the Minister of National Development:
"How much more land can we reclaim over the next 50 years? As our population and economy continue to grow, how will we deal with the challenge of limited land for economic expansion while preserving sufficient space for housing and recreational needs? Will Singapore be over crowded?"
The ninth challenge
"This one for the Prime Minister, Minister for Education, schools and families."
"We have to accept that more Singaporeans will study and work overseas and that some may settle abroad.?But how do we bond them to Singapore, physically if possible, and if not, at least emotionally. How do we ensure that most will return home and contribute to Singapore which gave them the foundation for their success? How do we ensure that there will always be a core of honest, able and dedicated Singaporeans to look after the country and their fellowmen?"
The tenth challenge
"How do we ensure that Singaporeans of different faiths will continue to mix with one another and respect one another's faith?"
