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SINGAPORE: Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean has said the conversation on Singapore's future continues even after the debate in Parliament on the Population White Paper is over.
Calling for support as he wraps up the debate on the White Paper on Friday, Mr Teo said the government must keep an open mind and continually review its approach and adapt strategies according to Singaporeans' changing social and economic needs.
He said changes in the domestic and external circumstances must also be taken into account and the interests of Singaporeans always be at the heart of everything.
He said: "Voting for the motion does not mean that the conversation stops. The conversation continues and so it should. The conversation on population did not start this week, in this House. It started, surely but earnestly, about a year ago, when we started consulting Singaporeans of all ages, from different walks of life.
"Similarly, the conversation does not end in this room today. The end of this debate does not mark the end of the discussion on this very important issue. The discussion should and must continue.
Mr Teo said it has been a good and passionate debate with more than 70 members participating over the past five days.
He noted that the Marriage & Parenthood package was widely welcomed and the government will continue to study and consider all good ideas.
Some MPs had also asked the government to carry out a medium-term review of Singapore's population policies and assumptions. Mr Teo said these are useful points, which reflect the views of Singaporeans.
He said that in drawing up the White Paper, the government sought to balance many demands and constraints. He noted there are no easy or simple solutions and there is a need to find the right balance.
The White Paper is proposing a major shift -- a significant slowdown in Singapore's workforce growth rate.
Mr Teo said this is a carefully balanced path between the two extremes of either "business as usual" or the "freeze" mode, with no increase in foreign workforce numbers.
Under the roadmap, the government will also maintain a strong Singaporean core by encouraging more Singaporeans to get married and have children.
This will be supplemented by a calibrated pace of immigration to prevent the citizen population from shrinking.
Mr Teo noted that there is agreement on the number of permanent residents to be taken in each year, but not on the number of new citizens.
Still, he said, members do agree to the plan in principle.
Mr Teo assured Singaporeans that the government is also not deciding now on the population trajectory beyond 2020, nor on any specific population size.
He said the population projections are for the purpose of land use and infrastructure planning, and not a population target.
- CNA/al
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