Publication: Agence France-Presse Date: 30 June 2015 Headline: Who will defend us? Singapore PM asks as society rapidly ages

Who will defend us? Singapore PM asks as society rapidly ages 30 June 2015 08:54 PM Agence France-Presse AFPR Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2015 All reproduction and presentation rights reserved.

Singapore's population is ageing faster than nearly any other society in the world, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Tuesday, warning this could have a serious impact on the economy and defence. Lee, 63, said he was worried that the city-state's population was expanding at its slowest pace in a decade despite the government's incentives to encourage citizens to produce more babies. "Who is going to pay the taxes to spend on whom?" he asked in a speech at a forum organised by the Singapore Management University. "Our defence, who is going to man the SAF (Singapore Armed Forces), who will defend us? We can't be 'Dad's Army'." Lee in his speech flagged the demographic shift as one of the country's major challenges in years to come. Other affluent Asian societies such as Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong face similar ageing problems. Singapore's population expanded at a mere 1.3 percent last year, the lowest in ten years, and the trend is likely to continue, Lee said. "It is something to worry about because what does rapid ageing means for a nation? We are growing older faster than nearly any other society in the world." He said the number of citizens aged 65 and above had risen to 440,000 currently from 220,000 in 2000 and this was expected to further increase to 900,000 by 2030. By 2030 two working adults will be supporting one senior citizen, up from five working adults supporting one senior citizen currently, Lee added. The government for years has been encouraging couples to have more than two children, offering financial and other incentives. But the campaign has met with little success, prompting the government to increasingly rely on foreign labour. Singapore's total fertility rate fell to 1.19 babies per woman in 2013 from 1.29 in 2012, well below the 2.1 babies needed to naturally replenish the native-born population.

Publication: Agence France-Presse Date: 30 June 2015 Headline: Who will defend us? Singapore PM asks as society rapidly ages High living costs, including for education, and lifestyle choices have been cited as among the reasons. As of end-June 2014 Singapore's population totalled 5.47 million, of whom nearly 40 percent are foreigners. Strident complaints from citizens about immigration has led the government to curb foreign hiring and the granting of permanent residency status.

Publication: AsiaOne Date: 1 July 2015 Headline: Economy, population and identity are key challenges for S'pore in next 50 years: PM Lee

Source: AsiaOne © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

Economy, population and identity are key challenges for S'pore in

next 50 years: PM Lee Charissa Yong

Wednesday, Jul 1, 2015

Photo: ST Singapore will face three key challenges in the next 50 years, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday.

They are: maintaining economic growth to improve lives in the short-term, raising its total fertility rate in the medium-term, and forging a common identity among Singaporeans in the long-run.

Mr Lee held up these weighty challenges which concern Singapore's survival at a lecture organised by the Singapore Management University. The Ho Rih Hwa Leadership in Asia lecture was held at the Suntec Convention Centre.

In the next 10 years on the economic front, Singapore needs to improve its productivity and maintain its growth. It is the only way Singaporeans can continue finding good jobs and having opportunities, he said.

Publication: AsiaOne Date: 1 July 2015 Headline: Economy, population and identity are key challenges for S'pore in next 50 years: PM Lee

Source: AsiaOne © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

The country's growth has been high, with its real gross domestic product soaring 40 times since Independence in 1965.

But this growth is slowing. Its GDP is forecast to grow by 2 to 4 per cent a year going forward, and productivity must grow by 2 per cent, he said.

Looking at the next 25 years, Singapore must tackle its demographic challenge of an ageing population and declining birth rates.

Ultimately, the best and only solution is for Singaporeans to marry and have more children, said Mr Lee.

But the biggest of these three challenges is to maintain a sense of pride in being Singaporean - something that cannot be manufactured by the Government, he said.

"For the next 50 years, we will need good policies. But just like the past 50 years, for these policies to succeed, we need a strong sense of identity and nationhood. We need to be proud to be a Singaporean," he said.

Otherwise, Singapore runs the danger of dissolving into disunity or becoming so cosmopolitan and comfortable with living abroad that "we lose the sense that only Singapore is truly home...then the centre cannot hold", he added.

Mr Lee said the Government is tackling these challenges through a raft of policies, but all these plans depend on good leadership.

This article was first published on June 30, 2015.

Publication: Berita Harian, p 11

Date: 1 July 2015

Headline: PM Lee: Maintaining Singapore's unique identity is the biggest challenge

Semasa berucap di Ceramah Ho Rih Hwa di Suntec City semalam, Perdana Menteri Lee Hsien Loong membentangkan cabaran yang bakal dihadapi Singapura pada masa depi::m. Tiga cabaran utama ialah ekonomi, penduduk dan identiti. Singapura. Berikut sedutan ucapan beliau.

PM Lee: Kekalkan identiti unik

S.,pura cabaran paling besar Pertumbuhan ekonomi berkurangan

dekad demi dekad (%) Kadar pertumbuhan penduduk keseluruhan

setiap tahun Pertumbuhan masa depan bergantung

pada produktiviti

11.5 11.5 Pertumbuhan Setahun (o/o) • Pertumbuhan Produktiviti

5.5o/o • Pertumbuhan Tenaga Kerja

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013' 2014

TREND SINGAPURA: Antara carta yang dipamerkan Encik Lee semasa memberi ucapan untuk menekankan trend yang boleh menjejas pembangunan Singapura di masa depan.- Grafik MOHD SAMAD AFANDIE

APAKAH cabaran yang kita hadapi hari ini?

la bergantung kepada tempoh masa. Sekiranya anda mengambil masa 10 tahun, cabarannya ialah ekonomi.

Kita telah mencapai tahap yang tinggi dari segi Hasil Kasar Dalam Negeri (GDP). GDP per kapita Si­ngapura adalah setinggi Jepun.

Namun kita perlu mencari jalan mengembangkan ekonomi supaya kita dapat terns membaiki kehidu­pan rakyat.

Jika · kita dapat terns memper­tingkatkan diri, dalam masa 10 tahun, kita akan berada dalam liga yang berbeza.

Kita boleh membuat pelaburan bagi rakyat, mampu membiayai ja­ringan keselamatan sosial, membai- ·

ki kehidupan dan pelbagai program lain. Sekiranya kita gaga!, ekonomi Singapura lemah dan kita keterbela­kang, seperti apa yang kini dialami beberapa negara - Taiwan, Korea, malah Jepun.

Sekiranya kita mengambil tem­poh 2S tahun, isu penduduk akan menjadi isu penting kerana ekonomi akan mengalami kerancakan dan kelembapan. pa!�m. j�ngka P!ln­jang, 2S tahun ialah jangka masa · yang panjang bagi trend kelahiran dan perkahwinan dan dasar-dasar keibubapaan dapat berakar dan mempunyai kesm langsting.

Perbezaan antara jumlah ·kadar

kesuburan (TFR) 1.2 dan TFR seba­nyak 1.S ialah 9,000 bayi setiap tahun, atau lebih 200,000 bayi lagi yang dilahirkan dalam tempoh 24 tahun.

Sekiranya kita bernpaya mening­katkan TFR kita kepada 1.S, kita da­pat memastlkan penduduk Singapu­ra kekal lebih muda dan bertenaga. Namun sekiranya TFR Singapura terns merndum pada paras 1.2, tu­gasnya adalah lebih sukar, walau­pun dengan dasar-dasar imigresen.

Masyarakat yang semakin niengecil akan juga menjadi masyarakat yang semakin tua, dan ia akan membawa masalah yang be-

gitu besar - ekonomi Singapura akan merosot dan menjadi lembap, dan nada keseluruhan masyarakat Singapura tidak lagi muda dan ber­pandangan jauh, tetapi lebih pesimis­tik, lebih berorientaslkan status qu·o a tau memegang kepada masa lalu.

Akhir sekali, sekiranya anda mengambil masa SO tahun, cabaran yang akan dihadapi Singapura ialah identiti.

Asas-asas utama mengapa kita te­lah berjaya sejak SO tahun yang lalu bukan. sahaja kerana dasar-dasar yang balk. Namun kerana pendu­duk Singapura menyokong dasar-dasar baik ini, kita dapat melaksanakan dan menghasilkan keputusan yang balk untuk Singapu­ra.

10 TAHUN: EKONOMI KITA Dalam tempoh 10 tahun, caba­

ran utama ialah ekonomi kita. Singapura dalam kedudukan

balk hari ini kerana ekonomi Sin­gapura telah berkembang sejak SO tahun lalu.

Sejak kemerdekaan, GDP sebe­nar telah meningkat 40 kali ganda

·dalam tempoli SO tahun. GDP per kapita telah meningkat 13 kali gan­da. Kita telah menikmati pertumbu­han tinggi sejak SO tahun hilu. Per­tumbuhan kekal tinggi, tetapi ia kini

semakin perlahan kerana ekonomi Singapura kini semakin maju.

Dalam dekad yang lalu, pertum­buhan daya penghasilan telah menu- _ run. la bukan sesuatu yang mengejutkan kerana ekonomi Sin­gapura semakin matang. Namun ki­ta berupaya mengembangkan tena­ga kerja - separuh menernsi bilan­gan penduduk, dan separuh lagi me­nernsi tenaga kerja asing.

Namun kita tidak boleh terns mengambil bilangan pekerja asing pada kadar yang tinggi, hanya un­tuk mengekalkim pertumbuhan.

Saya memahami kebirnbangan pembanjll-an pekerja asing- dan ke­sannya kepada perumahan, peng­angkutan awam atau persaingan pe­kerjaan.

Oleh itu, kita telah memperlahan­kan aliran masuk pekerja asing, dan menerima kesannya menernsi per­tumbuhan yang lebih perlahan. Na­mun kita perlu memperlahankan pengaliran pekerja asing dengan cara yang teratur dan seirnbang, tan­pa menyebabkan syarikat-syarikat dan juga Syarikat Kecil dan Sederha­n a . (SME) t u t u p k e d a i dan menyebabkan pekerja kita kehilan­gan pekerjaan.

Dari sekarang hingga 2020, kita tahu pertumbuhan pekerjaan tidak akan melebihi 2 peratus.

Generasi selepas Perang Dunia Kedua kini mula bersara dan kita tidak mempunyai terlalu ramai tena­ga muda yang memasuki alam pe­kerjaan. Kita telah memperketatkan dasar tenaga kerja asing, dan seperti kata Lim Swee Say barn-baru ini, ki­ta tidak akan membuat pusingan U mengenai isu ini. Ini bermakna kita perlu memastikan pertumbuhan daya penghasilan 2 peratus setahun.

Untuk merealisaslkan pertumbu­han daya penghasilan 2 peratus bu­kanlah mudah. Banyak negara mem­bangun mendapati sukar, selepas Krisis Kewangan Sejagat. Kita juga tidak mencapai 2 peratus sejak be­berapa tahun lalu.

2S TAHUN: PENDUDUK KITA Kita alami anjakan demografi be­

sar sedang bayi yang dilahirkan sele­pas Perang Dunia Kedua bertambah tua. Pertumbuhan penduduk Sin­gapura kini semakin perlahan. Tahun ini pertumbuhan penduduk mernpakan paling perlahan dalam tempoh 10 tahun.

'

Tahun lalu penduduk di sini tum­buh hanya 1.3 peratus.

Bilangan warganegara yahg bern­mur 6S tahun ke atas juga men­ingkat dengan pantas. la tumbuh daripada 220,000 pada tahun 2000 kepada 440,000 hari ini dan 900,000 menjelang 2030.

Hari ini, setiap Iima orang de­wasa menyokong seorang warga emas.

Menjelang 2030, dua orang de-

wasa akan menyokong seorang war­ga emas. Sekiranya anda melihat pir­amid penduduk kita, penduduk Sin­gapura semakin tua, dengan keba­nyakannya dalam lingkungan umur S0-60 tahun.

Apakah kesan penuaan ini bagi negara?

Dari segi cukai: Siapakah yang akan membayar cukai, untuk dibe­lanjakan untuk siapa?

Dari segi ekonomi: Bagaimana dapat kita kekalkan Singapura men­jadi makmur dan terns berseman­gat?

Dari segi pertahanan: Siapakah yang akan berkhidmat dalam An­gkatan Bersenjata Singapura (SAF), dan mempertahankan Singapura?

Xita tela:h pun melihat kesan-ke­san penduduk hari ini yang semakin tua.

Lebih banyak keluarga "sand­wic" - yang sering mempunyai dua atau hanya seorang dewasa menyokong kanak-kanak dan ibu bapa yang tua.

SO TAHUN: IDENTITI KITA Akhir sekali, dalam jangka masa

SO tahun, cabarannya adalah identi­ti kita. Bagairnana kita mengukuh­kan identiti dan ciri-ciri negara dan masyarakat kita? Bagairnana kita mengukuhkan apa yang menjadikan kita uniksebagai rakyat Singapura, apa yang membantu setiap warga ki­ta dan Singapura secara keseluruh­anya menjadi lebih balk.

SO tahun yang lalu, ketika kita mencapai kemerdekaan, kita tiada tempat lain untuk hidup. Enclk Lee Kuan Yew sering berkata: "Dunia tidak menjanjlkan kita kehidupan". Namun oleh kerana cabarannya be­sar dan kita tidak mempunyai pili­ban, kita rasakan ada tujuan bersa­ma 'untuk membina negara ihi.

Ramai yang terdorong, termasuk mereka yang dilahirkan di negara lain, tetapi sedia menjadikan negara ini kediaman dan perjuangan mere­ka.

Bagi SO tahU:n mendatang, bagairnana kita kekalkan rasa kene-

garaan ini, dan mengukuhkan identi­ti dan tujuan yang sama, supaya rakyat kita mahu menjadikan Sin­gapura satu kejayaan dan cahaya yang bersinar di dunia?

Sedang kita maju, kita menghada­pi dua bahaya. Kita boleh larnt dalarn arns globalisasi tanpa ada identiti Singapura tersendiri, yang berbeza daripada rakyat bukan Sin­gapura.

Atau kita boleh mengikut jurang kumpulan yang berbeza dengan identiti eksklusif masing-masing, sekali gus hilang rasa sebangsa.

Masyarakat kita boleh larnt dalarn arns globalisasi. Bahayanya ialah kita boleh menjadi masyarakat yang tidak bersatu padu membiar­kan garis pemisah memecahbelah­kan kita.

Begitu juga dengan kuasa besar, k e r a n a kita m a s i h s e b u a h masyarakat berbilang kaum dan per­jalanan masih jauh lagi sebelum kita kebal daripada pengarnh perkau­man atau kepentingan komersial.

Bagi memastikan Singapura kekal istirnewa, memastikan keingi­nan menjadi warga Singapura se­suatu yang boleh dibanggakan, se­suatu yang ingin kita perjuangkan; merasakan tugas dan tanggung­jawab bukan sahaja kepada warga negara masa kini bahkan generasi masa depan, merasakan semangat bersatu padu dan bukan puak yang bertelagah - itulah cabaran masa depan kita yang paling besar.

Namun kesemua rancangan ini bergantung kepada kepimpinan yang balk. Pemirnpin yang mempun­yai rasa tanggungjawab, komited sepenuhnya kepada Singapura dan rakyat Singapura. Pemirnpin yang bernpaya memenangi sokongan rakyat dan menggembleng rakyat. Pemirnpin yang berupaya bergand­ing bahu dengan rakyat demi men­jadikan SO tahun yang mendatang sama cemerlang dengan SO tahun yang lalu.

Agar kita dapat memberikan gen­erasi masa depan bukan hanya ke­hidupan yang baik bahkan masa depan yang lebih bercahaya.

Source: Berita Harian © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

SEKILAS

Trend Penduduk 2014 11> Singapura menyaksikan 24,000 perkahwinan, jumlah tertinggi sepanjang 1 0 tahun lalu.

11> 33,200 bayi dilahirkan. Jumlah kelahiran pada tahun lalu dengan jumlah pada 2012 adalah paling tinggi dalam tempoh 10 tahun lalu.

11> Pertumbuhan tenaga ke�a asing telah merosot.

11> Jumlah warga berusia 65 tahun dan ke alas akan berganda mulai sekarang dengan 2030, akibatnya jumlah warga yang beke�a akan merosot lebih separuh.

11> Kadar pertumbuhan penduduk adalah terendah tahun lalu sepanjang sedekad.

· Trend Ekonomi II>Kadar pertumbuhan hasil kasar dalam

- negeri (GDP) semakin perlahan.

11> Anggaran pertumbuhan ekonomi akan datang sekitar 2 - 4 peratus.

11> Mulai sekarang hingga 2020 pertumbuhan peke�aan tidak akan melebihi 2 peratus.

11> Singapura harus capai pertumbuhan daya penghasilan 2 peratus setiap tahun.

ldentiti Singapura 11> Singapura hadapi dua cabaran: Hilang identrti Singapura yang unik

11> Masyarakat menghadapi risiko berpecah belah mengikut garis pemisah

, kaum dan agama, isu LGBT, jurang sosial (miskin dan kaya) dan pimgaruh kuasa luar seperti ideologi ganas. �

11> Singapura perlukan pemimpin bertanggungjawab, boleh gembleng sokongan rakyat.

Publication: Berita Harian, p 1 Date: 1 July 2015 Headline: 10, 25, 50 years ahead

10�25�50 tahnn akan

datang PM gariskan cabaran Singapura

PERDANA Menteri, Encik Lee Hsien Loong, semalam membentang­kan tiga cabaran yang bakal diha­dapi Singapura pada jangka terdekat dan panjang.

Selain isu ekonomi, negara ini berdepan dengan isu penduduk, se­dang kadar pertumbuhan penduduk bakal mencapai tahap paling rendah dalam sedekad tahun ini.

Di samping itu, Singa­pura · menghadapi isu memelihara jati dirinya di tengah-tengah arus global, selain garis pemi­sah seperti pengganasan dan isu lesbian, gay, bi­seksual dan transgender (LGBT).

duk akan menjadi paling rendah da­lam sedekad. Tahun lalu, bilangan penduduk tumbuh hanya 1.3 pera­tus.

"Akhimya, huraian terbaik, bah­kan satu-satunya huraian, ialah bagi warga Singapura berumah tangga dan melahirkan anak,

·" ujar Encik

Lee. Perangkaan talmn la­

lu memberangsangkan, terdapat 24,000 perkah­winan dan 33,200 bayi warga Singapura dilahir­kan - kededua perang­kaan tertinggi dalam sedekad sebelumnya.

Encik Lee menggaris­kan cabaran itu me­ngikut tempoh 10 ta­hun, 25 tahun dan 50 tahun semasa berucap di Ceramah Ho Rih

ENCK LEE HSIEN LOONG

Pada jangka panjang pula, Singapura perlu mengekalkan semangat watan dan memperku­kuh jati dirinya, meski­pun warganya akan menjadi lebih selesa tinggal dan bekerja di

Hwa anjuran Universiti Pengurusan Singapura (SMU) di Sun­tee City semalam.

Beliau berkata setelah menikmati pertumbuhan tinggi selama ini, Sin­gapura kini berdepan dengan caba­ran terns mengembangkan ekonomi­nya dalam tempoh 10 tahun bagi meningkatkan kehidupan rakyat­nya.

Encik Lee menekankan Singapu­ra tidak boleh terns mengambil pe­kerja asing untuk mengekalkan per­tumbuhan, tetapi ia hams terns me­ningkatkan daya penghasilan.

"la sukar, tetapi Singapura tiada pilihan lain," kata beliau.

Berkenaan isu penduduk, Encik Lee berkata Singapura kini mengha­dapi perubahan demografik besar se­dang kadar pertumbuhan penduduk menjadi perlahan.

Tahun ini, pertumbuhan pendu-

luar negara. "Tetapi jika kita men­

jadi terlalu selesa di luar negara hing­ga kita tidak lagi anggap Singapura sebagai tanah air sebenar-benamya, dan sebahagian besar bakat kita ke luar negara bagi mencari cabaran atau rezeki, teras kita tidak akan berkekalan," ujar Encik Lee.

Satu lagi bahaya ialah garis pemi­sah, seperti bangsa dan agama, isu LGBT, jurang miskin-kaya, dan fak­tor luar seperti pengganasan.

Encik Lee menekankan bahawa Singapura perlu kepimpinan bertang­gungjawab, komited pada negara ini, serta boleh mertggembleng soko­ngan rakyat untuk menjadikan 50 tahun akan datang sebaik apa yang dicapai sepanjang 50 tahun lalu.

Source: Berita Harian © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

Publication: The Business Times, p 1

Date: 1 July 2015

Headline: PM Lee makes fresh plug on raising productivity

PM Lee makes fresh plug on raising productivity It'll be a hard slog, given the poor progress made so far, but Singapore has no other option, he says

By Lee u-wen

leeuwen@sph.com.sg

@LeeuwenBT Singapore

IF Singapore is to achieve the higher

end of its economic growth forecast of 2 to 4 per cent per year, the coun­try needs to work hard and boost its productivity by 2 per cent.

This will not be an easy task, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday, given the number of devel­oped countries that have stagnated in their efforts to become more produc­tive, especially since the global finan­cial crisis.

Singapore has not achieved a 2 per cent growth in productivity for the last few years, and the country's ongo­ing productivity journey is a "hard slog" that requires a transformation of society, the economy and business­es, he said.

Addressing 3,500 people at a lec­ture organised by the Singapore Man­agement University (SMU), he said: "You have to do things in different ways. You need new companies to come in (and) take over from older

ones. There (will be) turnover and churn and uncertainty, and only then can there be progress. So we have to keep at it."

The government has set a target of 2 to 3 per cent annual productivity growth through 2020, but recent num­bers have come in much lower than that; productivity was flat last year af­ter a two-year decline.

In delivering the SMU's Ho Rih Hwa Leadership in Asia lecture at the Sun­tee Convention Centre, Mr Lee ex­plained why the country needed to improve its productivity in the com­ing decade:

The government has already done the math. The growth of the work­force is not expected to exceed 2 per cent a year; baby boomers are retiring and fewer younger people are joining the workforce, even as Singapore stays the course on the tightening of the supply of foreign manpower.

He told his audience of diplomats, government and business leaders, ac­ademics and students that the pro­ductivity target may be difficult, but Singapore had no other option.

Larger countries can rely on their hinterland and natural resources to survive, but Singapore has only its hu­man capital to speak of. Improving productivity and maintaining eco­nomic growth are thus the only way

Mr Lee says improving productivity and maintaining economic growth are the only way for Singaporeans to continue finding good jobs and creating opportunities, as Singapore has only its human capital to speak of. PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN(THE STRAITS TIMES

for Singaporeans to continue finding good jobs and creating opportunities.

Productivity can prove to be both an opportunity and a challenge for

companies, he said, as he offered two scenarios drawn from port operator PSA, which uses robots to run its

cranes more efficiently. In one scenario, PSA's business

can grow because of its improved pro­ductivity, which enables its manage­ment to raise the salaries of port work­

ers; in the other, the business doesn't

expand and large numbers of crane

operators become redundant as a re­sult.

The same story of technology dis­placing jobs also applies to white-col­lar workers, said Mr Lee. He cited the

finance industry as an example of a sector where computer programs and apps are taking over the role of loan officers in assessing loans and credit worthiness.

"Some people think that half of ex­isting jobs may be taken over by com­

puters in one way or another over the next 20 years ... It's a serious mes­

sage, and we have to stay ahead of the curve and prepare our workers and businesses well for the future econo­

my," he said. This was why the government re­

cently launched SkillsFuture to help Singaporeans be more resilient and adaptable, he added. This national

movement will transform society by

recognising people for their skills and

contributions, and not so much for their qualifications.

Even as the prime minister identi­fied the economy as the main chal­lenge for Singapore in the next dec­

ade, he mapped out two longer-term issues the country has to deal with -

population matters and the essence of the Singapore identity.

On the problem of a rapidly ageing

society, Mr Lee said Singapore was ex­periencing a "major demographic shift" as baby boomers grow older.

By the year 2030, he said, Singa­pore would have some 900,000 peo­ple aged 65 or older- more than four times the number just 15 years ago. Singapore will grow older "faster than nearly every other society" in the world, he warned.

And with this comes implications: 'Taxes: who is going to pay the taxes and to spend on whom? The econo­my: how do we stay prosperous and vibrant and forward-looking? Our de­fence: who is going to man the SAF (Singapore Armed Forces) and defend us? We cannot be dad's army," he said.

Singapore's biggest challenge in the coming 50 years, however, is to ensure the country remains a "spe­cial" one that every citizen would be proud of and want to uphold.

As Singapore progresses, it must

avoid the twin dangers - that of the Singapore identity dissolving amid globalisation, and that of fault lines breaking up the people into distinct groups, each with its own identity.

Whether the country is successful on all these fronts would depend on a strong leadership team at the helm, said Mr Lee. This means having lead­ers with a sense of responsibility and who are completely committed to Sin­gaporeans and Singapore.

"We need leaders who can win the support of Singaporeans and rally the country together, leaders who can work with us to make the next 50 years as glorious as the last 50 years, and then not only will our next genera­tion enjoy a good life, they will be able to look forward to a brighter fu­ture for themselves and their chil­dren," he said.

Source: The Business Times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

Publication: The Business Times, p 2

Date: 1 July 2015

Headline: S'pore unlikely to go Scandinavian way to up fertility rate

S'pore unlikely to go Scandinavian way to up fertility rate By Lee u-wen

leeuwen@sph.com.sg

@LeeuwenBT

Singapore

WHEN it comes to rolling out gener­

ous goodies to try and boost the fertil­

ity rate here, Singapore is unlikely to

go the way of the Scandinavian coun­

tries that have spent heavily over the

years and succeeded in having more

babies.

During a dialogue session organ­

ised by the Singapore Management

University (SMU) on Tuesday, Prime

Minister Lee Hsien Loong was asked

for his views on the perennial prob­

lem of young couples not wanting to

sacrifice their career progression in

order to start a family.

'The Scandinavians have a lot of

kids, and they are content to have

three-quarters of a career. They work

hard but they don't work 12 or 18

hours a day. They finish work at 3pm

or 4pm, they fetch their kids from

childcare, go home and spend time

with them," he said.

"It's a balance, it's a different kind

of society and we are not like that.

These are choices that we have to

make for ourselves," he said during a

lively dialogue with a 3,500-strong au­

dience shortly after delivering the

SMU Ho Rih Hwa Lecture at the Suntec

Convention Centre.

At this point, SMU chairman Ho

Kwon Ping commented that the Scan­

dinavians had managed to achieve a

higher total fertility rate (TFR) be­

cause of the strong government mea­

sures and the industrial support for

long parental leave.

The prime minister remarked that

the Scandinavians have "thrown the

kitchen sink" at the problem, be it pa­

rental leave of six or 12 months or

even longer, baby bonuses, and giv­

ing every baby a place in childcare.

This has resulted in the TFR in

Scandinavian countries coming in at

around 1.6 or 1.7, which is higher

than the 1.2 5 in Singapore. TFR refers

to the average number of children

born to a woman who completes her

child-bearing years. The replacement

rate is 2.1.

When Mr Ho asked if Singapore

could one day have similar measures

to what the Scandinavians have to

raise the TFR, the prime minister re­

plied, to much laughter, that it was

possible only if the country was will-

for the country's birth trends and the

government's marriage and parent­

hood policies to take root and have an

impact.

He explained how the difference

between TFRs of 1.2 and 1. 5 is equiva­

lent to 9,000 more babies a year, or

more than 200,000 over a 25-year pe-

" ... The government cannot solve this (population) problem just by policies. It requires all of us to change our norms and culture, for us to be a more family-friendly country."

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

ing to accept a higher goods and ser­vices tax of 20 per cent to fund the pol­icies.

Mr Lee had earlier reiterated the

problem of Singapore's low TFR dur­ing his lecture, when he said that the next 2 5 years would be long enough

riod. "It can make all the difference to a population. If we can get our TFR up to 1.5, then we can keep our popula­tion younger and vibrant. But if our TFR continues to be at 1.2, that will be much harder, even with immigra­tion," said Mr Lee. "A shrinking socie-

Source: The Business Times ©Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

ty will be an ageing society, and that will cause profound problems - our economy will be stagnant or declin­ing, and the whole tone of society will be not be young and forward looking, but pessimistic, oriented to the status quo or even looking towards a glori­ous past, and that's a sad place to be in," he added.

On its part, the government will do more to help Singaporeans marry, have babies and take care of their fam­ilies. This will be done not just through baby bonuses, but by help­ing young couples with housing, help­ing parents with care-giving, promot­ing flexible work arrangements, and providing affordable and high-quality child care.

"But these are just policies and the government cannot solve this prob­lem just by policies. It requires all of us to change our norms and culture, for us to be a more family-friendly country. That takes time. We have to start now, and hopefully within 2 5 years' time, we will be able to benefit from some of the results," said Mr Lee.

Publication: Channel 8 Date: 30 June 2015 Headline: Marriage and fertility rates last year hit 10-year-high, Singapore to roll out more measures to improve rates

去年结婚生育率创十年来最高 我国将推更多提高措施

30/06/2015 23:28

我国鼓励结婚和生育的配套初见成效。去年，结婚和生育率都是过去十年来最高的。李显龙总理也

说，除了婴儿花红，接下来，政府也会推出更多措施来协助国人。

李显龙总理在新加坡管理大学的讲座上致词时说，就算是生育率提高了，但由于我国放慢了引进海

外人才的步伐，我国去年的人口增长，是十年来最慢的。同时，加上人口老龄化，在婴儿潮时期诞

生的人，现在已经 50、60 岁，因此，我国就业人口今年已经见顶。

接下来，随着更多人退休，加上生育率不足，工作人士对退休人士的比例将逐年减少，比例会从目

前的 4.9，滑落到 2030 年的 2.1。总理说为了继续提高本地的生育率，接下来，政府还会推出更多

措施。

总理李显龙表示，“我们也会协助年轻人解决住房问题，通过推广灵活工作时间安排，协助家长照顾

孩子。同时，我们也会提供可负担和高素质的保健和托儿服务，并减少我们教育系统给与孩子的压

力。”

总理说，单靠政策是不够的。所有国人都必须改变心态，让我国成为一个更亲家庭的国家。虽然需

要时间，但总理指出，如果我们国从现在就着手进行，25 年后有望看到人口增长的成果。

- CH8/ZY

Publication: Channel NewsAsia Date: 30 June 2015 Headline: Productivity growth, population and identity will be challenges over next 50 years: PM Lee

Productivity growth, population and identity will be challenges over

next 50 years: PM Lee

In a Ho Rih Hwa Leadership in Asia Public Lecture, Prime Minister Lee says based on current trends, Singapore could have an inverted population pyramid by 2050 and that this would have implications for taxes, the economy and defence. POSTED: 30 Jun 2015 18:58

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong speaking at the Singapore Management University Ho Rih Hwa Lecture on June 30, 2015 (Photo: MCI). SINGAPORE: To achieve 2 per cent productivity growth a year may be difficult, but Singapore has "no other option" said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

"Bigger countries if you don't perform so well, you have a hinterland, you have resources in the ground to survive. We don't have anything but ourselves," he said, stressing that improving productivity and maintaining growth is the on way Singaporeans can continue finding good jobs and having opportunities.

Mr Lee on Tuesday (Jun 30) outlined the country's challenges in a speech which was part of the Ho Rih Hwa Leadership in Asia Public Lecture Series organised by the Singapore Management University. He said Singapore's challenges depends on the time frame. In a 10-year horizon, it is the economy, in a 25-year perspective, it is population issues, and viewed over 50 years, the main challenge would be identity. "DEMOGRAPHY IS DESTINY"

Publication: Channel NewsAsia Date: 30 June 2015 Headline: Productivity growth, population and identity will be challenges over next 50 years: PM Lee

The Prime Minister spent much of his speech touching on Singapore's ageing population, given that this year, the country's population growth will be the slowest in a decade. The number of citizens aged 65 and above is increasing rapidly - and will nearly double from 440,000 today to 900,000 in 15 years' time. "While the economy will go up and down, in the long run, demography is destiny," said Mr Lee.

Publication: Channel NewsAsia Date: 30 June 2015 Headline: Productivity growth, population and identity will be challenges over next 50 years: PM Lee

Citing latest statistics, Mr Lee said today, every five working adults support one senior citizen. In 2030, it will be two adults supporting one senior citizen. Based on current trends, by 2050, even with immigration, the population pyramid will be inverted.

Mr Lee said the rapidly ageing society will raise questions on taxes to support social services and healthcare, how to keep the economy prosperous and vibrant and who to defend the country.

Publication: Channel NewsAsia Date: 30 June 2015 Headline: Productivity growth, population and identity will be challenges over next 50 years: PM Lee

If Singapore can get its Total Fertility Rate up from the current 1.2 to 1.5, then it could keep its population younger, he said. "A shrinking society will be an ageing society, and an ageing society will cause profound problems. Our economy will be stagnant or declining; the whole tone of the society instead of being young and forward-looking, will be pessimistic, oriented to the status quo or even looking towards the glorious past and I think that's a sad place to be in," said Mr Lee.

The best and only solution, is for Singaporeans to marry and have more children, he stated. Mr Lee said the Government will do more to help Singaporeans marry, have babies, and take care of their families, and not just through baby bonuses. This will come in the form of help for young couples with housing, support for parents with care-giving and in promotion of flexible work arrangements. The Government will also work on providing affordable and quality child-care and reducing stress in the education system.

"These are just policies and the Government cannot solve this problem just by policies, because it requires all of us to change norms and culture for us to become a more family-friendly country and that takes time," Mr Lee said.

MAINTAINING A SENSE OF HOME

As Singapore celebrates 50 years of independence this year, Prime Minister Lee stressed that maintaining a sense of nationhood and strengthening the Singaporean identity will be equally important over the next half a century. He noted that Singapore can "dissolve with globalisation". "If we become so comfortable abroad that we lose the sense that only Singapore is truly home ... and if a large part of our talent go overseas either to seek challenges or to seek fortunes, then I think we will be depleted, our centre cannot hold. We will just melt away with globalisation," Mr Lee said.

He also highlighted fault lines that could divide society, such as those along race and religion, along LGBT issues, the gap between the rich and poor, or external forces such as jihadist terrorism.

That said, various incidents have helped Singaporeans come together, Mr Lee said. These include the passing of founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in March, the recent Sabah earthquake which claimed the lives of Tanjong Katong Primary School students and teachers on a Mount Kinabalu excursion, and the SEA Games on home ground.

"To keep Singapore special, to maintain that sense that 'I'm a Singaporean, I'm proud of it and I want to uphold it', to feel a duty and responsibility not only to your fellow citizens today but to the next generation, to feel one united people and not warring clans, I think in the very long term, that is our most fundamental challenge," Mr Lee said.

About 3,500 people attended Mr Lee's lecture, including students, and members of the business community. Mr Lee is the seventh distinguished speaker in the lecture series. Others who have spoken include former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.- CNA/ly

Publication: Channel NewsAsia Date: 1 July 2015 Headline: TPP pact among global issues raised at SMU dialogue

TPP pact among global issues raised at SMU dialogue

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong explains Singapore’s interests in parts of the TPP, where the US had pushed for nations to limit support for state-owned enterprises. By Regina Marie Lee, TODAY POSTED: 01 Jul 2015 08:55

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (right) and Mr Ho Kwon Ping (left) taking questions from the floor. (Photo: Singapore Management University) SINGAPORE: Questions on developments around the world dominated a dialogue Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had with students on Tuesday (Jun 30), even though his speech was largely centred on the country’s domestic challenges in the years ahead.

Over an hour, seven of the 12 questions raised by members of the 3,500-strong audience at the Ho Rih Hwa lecture organised by the Singapore Management University (SMU) were on external issues. These ranged from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement (TPP) to territorial disputes in the South China Sea and the United States Supreme Court’s ruling on Friday to legalise same-sex marriage in the country.

An SMU final-year economics student asked Mr Lee whether a political or judicial solution would better address a “thorny issue” such as same-sex marriage.

Responding, the Prime Minister said the legislative would have to act very cautiously in Singapore because of strong views in society.

“You can pass the law, but will it be accepted? Will it be respected? Will people feel that it is legitimate?” he asked. “This is the way the American system works. They have created the

Publication: Channel NewsAsia Date: 1 July 2015 Headline: TPP pact among global issues raised at SMU dialogue

Supreme Court and it is nine persons, and the nine persons decide important issues. In this case, it was five to four, so actually one person decided the issue.”

It is important to have a good sense of the values and attitudes of the population rather than “try to impose your own on them”, Mr Lee stressed, reiterating that this is an issue to be decided “collectively, rather than (by) the Government”.

“I think we let views evolve with time,” he said. “If you want to stay one nation, cohesive for 50 years, these are the kinds of issues you must manage without fracturing our society.”

Touching on the productivity drive in Singapore, a Secondary 4 student from River Valley High School raised the possibility of Singapore facing the same problem as the US, where increased productivity does not translate to higher wages.

However, Mr Lee said the reasons for this were unclear and could range from declining union power to profiteering bosses or the rapid growth of the finance industry in America.

While a similar situation may happen in Singapore, Mr Lee pointed out that wages here had consistently risen, even faster than productivity in the past decade. “I would say (if) productivity (goes) up, wages may not. (If) productivity doesn’t go up, wages will not,” he added.

The Prime Minister also explained Singapore’s interests in parts of the TPP, where the US had pushed for nations to limit support for state-owned enterprises (SOEs).

While he acknowledged that Singapore has to give fair treatment to its SOEs, “we also want our companies to get fair treatment when they go to other countries and to get fair competition compared to SOEs in those countries”, he said.

Mr Lee added that SOEs in Singapore are managed by “proper boards”, without special perks or duties. “Everybody knows Singapore’s GLCs (government-linked corporations) are different from SOEs elsewhere,” he said.

Domestic issues raised during the dialogue included the challenges in balancing career and family aspirations, and the problem of competitiveness in Singapore.

Mr Lee noted that perspectives on how to prioritise children and one’s career would shift — those looking ahead in the longer term might prioritise family over work. “It’s very difficult to ask a 20-year-old to imagine what a 70-year-old would like to feel (at the end of the day),” he said.

On competitiveness, Mr Lee said some are more anxious “than they need to be” and that there would be many opportunities in life. To be competitive globally, Singaporeans need to be able to reorientate their directions and adapt, he added.

Read the original TODAY report here.

-TODAY/ek

Publication: Inquirer Date: 1 July 2015 Headline: Who will defend us? Singapore PM asks as society rapidly ages

Who will defend us? Singapore PM asks as society rapidly ages Agence France-Presse 07:44 AM July 1st, 2015

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong: We can’t be “Dad’s Army” AFP PHOTO SINGAPORE–Singapore’s population is aging faster than nearly any other society in the world, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Tuesday, warning this could have a serious impact on the economy and defense. Lee, 63, said he was worried that the city-state’s population was expanding at its slowest pace in a decade despite the government’s incentives to encourage citizens to produce more babies. “Who is going to pay the taxes to spend on whom?” he asked in a speech at a forum organized by the Singapore Management University. “Our defense, who is going to man the SAF (Singapore Armed Forces), who will defend us? We can’t be ‘Dad’s Army.’” Lee in his speech flagged the demographic shift as one of the country’s major challenges in years to come. Other affluent Asian societies such as Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong face similar aging problems. Singapore’s population expanded at a mere 1.3 percent last year, the lowest in 10 years, and the trend is likely to continue, Lee said.

Publication: Inquirer Date: 1 July 2015 Headline: Who will defend us? Singapore PM asks as society rapidly ages “It is something to worry about because what does rapid ageing means for a nation? We are growing older faster than nearly any other society in the world.” He said the number of citizens aged 65 and above had risen to 440,000 currently from 220,000 in 2000 and this was expected to further increase to 900,000 by 2030. By 2030 two working adults will be supporting one senior citizen, up from five working adults supporting one senior citizen currently, Lee added. The government for years has been encouraging couples to have more than two children, offering financial and other incentives. But the campaign has met with little success, prompting the government to increasingly rely on foreign labor. Singapore’s total fertility rate fell to 1.19 babies per woman in 2013 from 1.29 in 2012, well below the 2.1 babies needed to naturally replenish the native-born population. High living costs, including for education, and lifestyle choices have been cited as among the reasons. As of end-June 2014 Singapore’s population totaled 5.47 million, of whom nearly 40 percent are foreigners. Strident complaints from citizens about immigration have led the government to curb foreign hiring and the granting of permanent residency status.

Publication: Lianhe Wanbao， p 7

Date: 1 July 2015 Headline: PM Lee talks about Singapore's challenges in the next 50 years， strengthening national identity is most important

李总理谈我国未来50军

仁叶|

林心惠 报道limxh@sph.com.sg

排队向李光耀致敬、 为登山遇难的小学生哀悼、 为东运会国手欢呼与唱国歌-…..李总理认为， 国人在悲↑动和欢庆中凝聚， 展现新加坡精神， 打造国家认同感是未来50年的最根本挑战。

昨晚， 李总理在新加坡管理 大学第七届

"何日华亚洲领袖公开讲座" 上指出， 我国未来10年和25年的挑战，是保持经济竞争力、 应对低生育率和老龄化人口问题工

不过， 他告诉在场3500名出席者J我国的

根本挑战， 是如何加强国家认同感， 这也是未来50年最棘手的问题。

他说， 国际化让教育水平高的国人游走于各 国 ， 但 如果在 国外

"太舒服" ， 有可能失去对新加坡的认同感，

"我们就会被耗尽， 我们的核心也会撑不住了" 。

他说， 国人今年在多个集体经验中， 展现新加坡精神。 包括在国丧期间， 不畏曰H西雨淋向建国总理李光耀致敬、 为登山遇难的小学生哀悼、 在东运会期间为国手欢呼， 虽然国歌音乐中断仍坚持唱完，国手也展现 高尚体育精神z

"这样的程祷， 政府无法制造= 这些都是自豪与团结的自然表现， 也只铿由耕细坡人共同创造、 拥有并珍信c "

尽管如此， 宗教、种族、 同性恋课题 、 贫富悬殊以及恐怖主义，都可能导致社会内部分化。

李总理说: "是什么让新加坡人团结， 让

我们霆立身份认同?也许

我们对美食的共同爱好对

这方面有 帮助， 但那毕竟不是最关键的因素。认同感必须发自内心更深

处。 "

HE;相ôl��5i0]I��� 李总理针对美国同性婚姻合法的

裁 决首次发言， 指出美国联邦最高法院九名法官五票 对囚票，.等于一个人可 对课题做出裁定， 但这是美国的制度， 不是新加坡的制度。

他说， 新加坡国会掌握国家行政权力， 针对社会课题， 政府将谨慎行动， 针对罔性恋、 双性恋、 跨性别者(简称LGBT)课题的立场必须是 "人

民集体决定"。他重申， 我国是保守社会， 针对

LGBT等不同群体都持有强烈立场的敏感课题， 政府必须谨慎处理， 再观察人们的观点是否随时间改变。

他说 "我认为我们应该要掌握好民情和大家的感受， 准确反映新加坡人的价值观和 立场， 而不是强加自

己的观点。 "他说， 我国社会目前存在各种断

层线， 只要不同群体将各自利益视为"绝对权利" ， 社会随时可能分崩离

析。除了同性恋课题形成的新断层

线， 伊斯兰国 组织等极端宗教组织宣导的恐怖主义等外部势力， 也可能导

致社会出现裂痕。一名商人在问答环节中， 对泰国

兴建克拉运河的传闻表示担忧。 对此， 李总理说， 泰国和中国政府均巳澄清， 双方并没有参与其中， 泰国政府内也有宫员认为， 克拉运河会 将泰国南部一分为二， 不利于泰国政府。

李总理认为， 只要我国保持高效优势， 就能包住饭碗。

鼓励生育擂施奏效

去军捕鱼婴10革来最多鼓励国人生育措施

奏效， 去年3万3200个婴儿诞生， 与2 012 年一样是过去10年来最多的。

值得注意的是， 去茸并非龙年， 但诞生的婴儿人数却跟2012年龙年一样。 去年的生育率是1.25 ( 1名妇女平均生1.25个孩子)， 比前年的1.19高出一点。

虽然去年新生婴儿有增加， 但李总理也指出， 2014年人口增长只有1.3%， 是过去10年来最缓慢的。

他强调， 社会迅速老龄化， 可能对税务、国防和经济等方面造成影响。

李总理说， 政府将继续在各方面帮助国人结婚生子， 这包括住屋援助、 提供高质量托儿服务， 以及减少教育系统的压力。

"可是， 我们不能只依赖政府制定更多政策来解决问题， 要新加坡成为更亲家庭的国家， 需要大家改变规范和文化， 这些改变则需要时间。 "

Publication: Lianhe Zaobao， p 8

Date: 1 July 2015

Headline: PM: Increasing productivity is the only way to improve lives of Singaporeans

"" p . τ主z晶R言主Z矗ι.τ三�.....

d画AEE. 易石�t=I掠E局三二，J.J总理说:过去丁。每里， 特剧是面对全球金融危机的时

候， 如果不是劳动力取得擅长，本地和外国公司都将倒

闭或转移到剧的地方去营业，以致许多人失业。

本地就业增长将逐渐放缓， 新加坡经济未来的增长务必由生产力推动， 而只有提高生产力才能确保新加坡人有好的工作， 从而保障生活水平。

李显龙总理昨晚在第七届 "何日华亚洲领袖公开讲座"上， 重申提高生产力的重要性。

他说， 实际国 内 生 产 总 值(GDP)在过去50年里提高了40

倍， 人均 国内生产总值则提高了约13倍。可是， 随着新加坡经济越来越发达， 经济增长的步伐相对放缓。1964年窒1974年， 我国年均经济增长是11.5%; 1974年至1984年是8.3%， 从2004年至2014年则已下滑到5.8%"，

李总理说 "过去10年里， 特别是面对全球金融危机的时候， 如果不是劳动力取得增长， 本地和外国公司都将倒闭或转移到别的地方去营业， 以致许多人失业。……我们不能够持续大量引进客工， 以维持增长。"

为此， 李总理强调我国必须提高生产力。他以港务集团为例， 指出提高生产力既是挑战， 也是契机。

他说， 港务集团的集装箱码头过去依赖工人来操作起重机，

但现在却使用全自动的起重机，让一个操作人员能够同时兼顾五部起重机的运作， 只在出现异样的情况才需要操作员的介入。这么一来， 每个操作员的生产力提高了。

"港务集团是不是必须这么做并不断求取进步?它其实没有选择， 因为只有当它比其他竞争者更有效率， 船务公司才会把它们的集装箱和业务转到新加坡来。要不是这样， 港务集团将没有生意做， 许多工人将失业。"

李总理说， 港务集团如果不自我提升， 它在柔佛州、 香港、 蛇口或上海的竞争者却这么做， 港务集团就会失去竞争力。

"如果港务集团的业务蒸蒸日上， 起重机操作员可 处理更多货物， 他们的工资也可改善。否则，五个起重机操作员中将有四人会成为冗员。"

李总理强调， 科技取代人力的现象不限于蓝领工人， 白领员工面对同 样的挑战， 必须时刻提升技能， 以胜任新的工作岗位。他举例， 在金融业里， 在评估贷款者是否可靠方面， 电脑程序和软件目前已能够取代负责借贷人员所扮演的角色， 这个行业必须掌握大数据，

李显龙总理昨晚在第七届 "何日华亚洲领袖公开讲座" 上与学生交流，

对话会由新加坡管理大学董事会主席何光平(左)主持。

以了解借贷者的生活方式， 从而评估他们是否可靠等等。

一些报告预测， 目前市场上的工作有半数在20年内将被电脑取代， 总理说， 因此我们必须保持领

(陈福洲摄)

先优势， 协助工人和企业对迎接未来经济做好准备， 这也就是为什么政府要推出 "未来技能"计划， 协助新加坡人保持韧性应付未来的挑战。

Source: Lianhe Zaobao @ Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

当前各种断层线都可能造成社会分裂

新加坡社会目前存在各种断层线， 李显龙总理指出， 只要不同群体将各自的利益视为 "绝对权利"， 社会随时可能面临分裂与破碎的威胁。

美国联邦最高法院上周五以五票对四票， 裁定同性婚姻在全国合法， 引起全世界舆论高度关注。李总理昨天在讲座上以同性恋、 双性恋、 跨性别者(简称LGBT)课题作为社会新断层线的例子， 并在学生提问时首次针对美全国同性婚姻合法的裁定发表看法。

李总理指出， 本地支持同性恋恋爱自由与持反对立场者之间存在很大的鸿沟， 尽管政府有意倾昕各个群体的意见， 但除非双方愿意退让与妥协， 要促成两个群体间的对话不容易。他也重申， 新加坡是个保守的社会， 针对LGBT等不同 群体都持有强烈立场的敏感课题， 政府必须谨慎处理， 再观察人们的观点是否随时间改变。

他说 "我认为我们应该要掌握好民情和大家的感受， 准确反映新加坡人的价值观和立场， 而不是强加自己的观点。"

一名新大四年级女学生在对话会上询问总理， 是否认同美国联邦

最高法院九名法官以判决形式代表全国人立场的制度?对此， 李总理指出， 这是美国立法制度的运作方式， 不论是堕胎、 种族歧视或毒品等各大课题， 即使有部分人民持不同立场， 最后权力都交最高法院;此次同性婚姻合法的裁决五票对四票， 也等于仅一个人就可以对课题做出裁定， 但这是美国的制度， 不是新加坡的制度。

李总理指出， 新加坡方面， 国会掌握 国家行政权力。针对社会课题， 政府将谨慎行动， 针对类似LGBT课题的立场必须 是 "人民集体决定"。

除了同性恋课题形成的新断层线， 以及种族与宗教这个长期存在的断层线， 李总理指出， 像伊斯兰国组织等极端宗教组织宣导的恐怖主义等外部势力， 也可能是导致社会出现裂痕的严重威胁。

另外， 国人在外 国工作也免不了会受到商业利益或种族文化的外部影响， 进而把这股影响力带回到新加坡社会。李总理警惕道 "即使没有伊斯兰国组织， 大国势力也可能对我们的社会造成影响。虽然我们都是新加坡人， 但我们仍然是一个多元种族的社会。"

Publication: Lianhe Zaobao， p 1

Date: 1 July 2015

Headline: PM Lee describes Singapore's major challenges in the mid- to long-term

E[m��l呢理商军望3 园主弓血泪'事回西 E.j$äIDæ.l理�f囚�与真他国家相比，我们眼前的任务亘真挑战性，但除了提高生

严力，我国B'Bd无选嚣。幅员较大的国家可依赖宫的的腹地，

宫的可依赖地底的资源来生存。珑的则仲么都没育，只萄我们

自ao

社会人口缩小表示社会正在老龄化，这将带来严重问题:经济

埋族为会趋缓或停滞不前，整个社会不但缺乏霸气，无法向前

迈避，也会变得悲观，变得故步自封，甚至是只懂得缅怀昔日

接下来50军，我的仍需要萄良好的政策。但像过去50军­

样，要成功实施这些政策，珑的要建立强烈认同感和国家意

识。必须要为自己身为新加坡人而自禀，并努力确保新加坡继

续保持宫的独特性。

何情薇 黄伟曼 报道hosb@sph，com.sg

ngwaimun@sph.com.sg

我国要制定未来50年的长远发展， 短期要确保经济增长;中期面对人口萎缩和老龄化问题;长期则必须保持新加坡的独特性和加强国家认同感。

李显龙总理昨晚在第七届 "何日华亚洲|领袖公开讲座" 上， 以 "新加坡的过去、 现在和未来" 为题， 阐述了我国在未

来10年、 25年和50年里所面对的短期、 中期和长期挑战。

两股趋势可能稀释国家认同感他向与会的3500名大专学府和初级学

院的师生、 外国使节以及国会议员等说，身份认同的稀释， 将是未来50年里我国所面对的最棘手问题。他提醒， 新加坡50年

.辉煌。

来辛苦建立起的国家认同感， 可能在两股外在和内部趋势下面对被稀释的威胁。

新加坡越来越开放与国际化， 国人充分掌握在国外生活的能力 后， 可处处为家， 但他们 也可能因此失去对国家的认同， 使得我们的社会核心在全球化浪潮冲刷下瓦解。另一方面， 社会也可能因内部日益增加的断层线而逐渐分化。

他因此希望年轻人仔细思考 "是什么让新加坡人团结， 让我们建立身份认同?也许我们对美食的共同爱好对这 方面有帮助， 但那毕竟不是最关键的因素。认同感必须发自内心更深处。"

在建国总理李光耀逝世后， 新加坡人集体哀悼， 在悲锄中展现团结;在发生有本地小学生登山遇难的事故时， 许多人感受到一股共同的悲痛;我国运动员在最近东运会展现体育精神时， 大家也一同赞颂并 为此感到自豪。

对李总理来说， 不管是发生危机还是遇到振奋人心的事， 共同的经历可以让国人紧紧凝聚， 也是让大家为新加坡感到骄傲的要素。

他说 "这 样的精神， 政府无法制造。这些都是自 豪与团结的自然表现，也只能由新加坡人共同创造、 拥有并珍惜。

人口老龄化问题影响广泛深远放眼未来25年， 李总理指出， 人口问

题将是关键， 它的影响广泛而深远， 包括对经济、 社会和安保等等。李总理说， 如果整体生育率(Total F ertility Rate， 简称TFR)停留在目前的1.2， 不能达到1.5的目标， 这不仅意味着每年少了9000个新生儿， 也就是25年里少20万个婴儿， 我国社会也难以展现活力。

他也以一系列的问题， 说明社会迅速

Source: Lianhe Zaobao @ Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

老龄化的后果 "税务方面， 谁将缴税，税收将花在什么人身上?经济方面， 我们要如何持续繁荣、 保持活力并具前瞻性?国防方面， 谁会管理新加坡武装部队并保护我们?"

李总理指出， 今年的人口增长率预计是10年来最缓慢的。他重申， 政府透过让年轻夫妇享有房屋津贴、 提供让人负担得起的优质托儿服务和减轻教育制度的压力等， 来鼓励并协助更多新加坡人组织家庭和生儿育女。

"可是， 我们不能只依赖政府制定更多政策来解决问题， 要新加坡成为更亲家庭的国家， 需要大家改变规范和文化， 这些改变则需要时间。"

至于我国未来10年所面对的最大挑战， 则是如何持续推动经济增长。

副总理兼财政部长尚达曼不久前指出， 从今年至2020年， 政府预计 国内生产

总值(GDP)的增长区间， 每年将介于2%

至4%。随着婴儿潮一代淡出职场和新增劳动

力缩小， 本地的就业增长在接近2020年时将大幅放缓， 预计不会超过2%。

李总理昨晚说 "我们已经收紧引进外籍员工的政策， 这意味着要取得4%的经济增长， 每年就需要取得2%的生产力增长， 而这并不容易。"

但是除了提高生产力， 我国己别无选择， 他说 "幅员较大的国家可依赖它们的腹地， 它们可依赖地底的资源来生存。我们什么都没有， 只有我们自己。 "

李总理说， 政府已透过各种途径应对短、 中、 长期的挑战， 但要落实各项计划取决于优秀的领导、 有担当和可赢得新加坡人支持的领袖， 动员全国一起确保接下来的50年同样辉煌。

Publication: The Straits Times, p A4

Date: 1 July 2015

Headline: PM Lee paints stark reality of challenges in 3 critical areas

PM Lee Hsien

Loong,

speaking at the

annual Ho Rih

Hwa Leadership

in Asia lecture

last night,

said that for

policies to

succeed,

Singaporeans

must have a

strong sense of

identity and

nationhood, a

sense that

being

Singaporean is

something to

be proud of.

ST PHOTO

ALPHONSUS

CH ERN

PM paints stark reality of challenges in 3 critical areas

S'poreans must pull together to tackle issues of economy, population and identity, he says

Charissa Yong

For more than an hour last night, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong laid out the stark reality of the chal­lenges Singapore faces in three criti­cal areas: the economy, population and identity.

Warning that these challenges concern Singapore's survival, he said the country will face "pro­found problems" if Singaporeans do not pull together to meet them.

In a wide-ranging speech, he de­scribed how Singapore needs to maintain economic growth to im­prove lives in the short term, raise its total fertility rate in the medium term and forge a common identity in the long run.

The Government, for its part, is tackling these challenges through a raft of policies, PM Lee said at the annual Ho Rih Hwa Leadership in Asia lecture organised by the Sing a-

pore Management University. To maintain growth, it is encour­

aging productivity growth and roll­ing out the SkillsFuture scheme, which helps individuals master skills needed at the workplace.

And to boost population growth and cope with a rapidly ageing soci­ety, the Government is managing immigration, promoting active age­ing and encouraging marriage and parenthood. "But the Government cannot solve these problems just by policies, because it requires all of us to change our norms, our cul­ture, to become a more family­friendly country," PM Lee said.

All Singaporeans, not just the Government, have a role to play in tackling the challenges as this will decide whether the country will thrive and survive, he said.

"The fundamental reason we have succeeded over the last 50 years is not just that we've had good policies ... the policies have

worked because the population has supported these policies, which could therefore be implemented," he said to an audience of 3,500, mostly students, at the Suntec con­vention centre.

For policies to succeed, Singapo­reans must also have a strong sense of identity and nationhood, a sense that being Singaporean is some­thing to be proud of, he said.

"It's a spirit which is not manufac­tured by the Government ... it's a spirit which is embraced, created and owned by Singaporeans.

"To keep Singapore special... to feel a duty and a responsibility not only to your fellow citizens today but also to the next generation, to feel as one united people and not warring clans - I think in the very long term, that is our most funda­mental challenge," he said.

Without this glue holding the country together, Singaporeans may become too comfortably cos­mopolitan and no longer consider Singapore their home.

PM Lee said Singaporeans may also run the risk of being divided along the fault lines of race, religion

or values, a point he addressed later in a dialogue with the audi­ence.

He acknowledged that the chal­lenges are difficult and some of these policies are not easy. Raising productivity, for instance, is a "hard slog" requiring a transforma­tion of society, he said. But Singa­pore has no other option.

The economy would otherwise stagnate and this would lead to so­cial problems such as youth unem­ployment and a lack of hope for the future.

And if the population continued to shrink and age, "the whole tone of the society, instead of being young and forward-looking, would be pessimistic, oriented to the sta­tus quo or even looking towards a glorious past", he said.

Concluding, PM Lee said Singa­pore needs committed and respon­sible leaders who can win the sup­port of Singaporeans, rally the country together and work to "give our next generation not only good lives, but also a brighter future".

charyong@sph.com.sg

Source: The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

Publication: The Straits Times, p A4 Date: 1 July 2015 Headline: Staying nimble amid competition is vital

Staying nimble amid competition is vital Wong Siew Ying

The need to remain nimble in the competitive global landscape was a vital quality Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong highlighted yester­day during a dialogue he had with tertiary students.

There will always be uncertain­ties, he told a student worried about the upheavals should cash-strapped Greece leave the eu­ro zone. "But there will also be op­portunities in the midst of a cri­sis," Mr Lee said at the ques­tion-and-answer session after his address at the Ho Rih Hwa Leader­ship in Asia Lecture at Singapore Management University.

Citing Turkey, which he visited last year, he said the Turks had worked hard to try to enter the Eu­ropean Union. When it did not go as planned, they were nimble enough to change direction. He noted that as the EU plunged into a crisis, the Turks" focused on new

markets, they developed links with Africa, with Latin America, and I think they have a lot of suc­cess opening the markets, getting the businesses there, getting a new source of growth."

Australia was another example Mr Lee gave. It had to find new cus­tomers for its dairy products and mineral exports when some of its trading partners in Europe were hit by the global financial crisis.

"They found the Chinese, devel­oped the emerging markets, they promoted new customers. They found a living. Singapore has to be like that too, " he said.

Mr Lee encouraged the students to work together amid rising com­petition and be ready to learn new skills. However, he urged them

"not to have a ready set of skills so that you can plug in and straighta­way you can work, but to be able to have that spryness in an uncertain situation to judge where you are".

wongsy@sph.com.sg

Source: The Straits Times© Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

Publication: The Straits Times, Breaking News Date: 30 June 2015 Headline: Economy, population and identity are key challenges for S'pore in next 50 years: PM Lee

Source: The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

Economy, population and identity are key challenges for S'pore in

next 50 years: PM Lee

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (right) at the Ho Rih Hwa Leadership in Asia Public Lecture Series, hosted by Singapore Management University chairman Ho Kwon Ping (left).ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN Charissa Yong

SINGAPORE - Singapore will face three key challenges in the next 50 years, said Prime Minister

Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday.

They are: maintaining economic growth to improve lives in the short-term, raising its total fertility

rate in the medium-term, and forging a common identity among Singaporeans in the long-run.

Mr Lee held up these weighty challenges which concern Singapore's survival at a lecture

organised by the Singapore Management University. The Ho Rih Hwa Leadership in Asia lecture

was held at the Suntec Convention Centre.

Publication: The Straits Times, Breaking News Date: 30 June 2015 Headline: Economy, population and identity are key challenges for S'pore in next 50 years: PM Lee

Source: The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

In the next 10 years on the economic front, Singapore needs to improve its productivity and

maintain its growth. It is the only way Singaporeans can continue finding good jobs and having

opportunities, he said.

The country's growth has been high, with its real gross domestic product soaring 40 times since

Independence in 1965.

But this growth is slowing. Its GDP is forecast to grow by 2 to 4 per cent a year going forward, and

productivity must grow by 2 per cent, he said.

Looking at the next 25 years, Singapore must tackle its demographic challenge of an ageing

population and declining birth rates.

Ultimately, the best and only solution is for Singaporeans to marry and have more children, said

Mr Lee.

But the biggest of these three challenges is to maintain a sense of pride in being Singaporean -

something that cannot be manufactured by the Government, he said.

"For the next 50 years, we will need good policies. But just like the past 50 years, for these

policies to succeed, we need a strong sense of identity and nationhood. We need to be proud to

be a Singaporean," he said.

Otherwise, Singapore runs the danger of dissolving into disunity or becoming so cosmopolitan and

comfortable with living abroad that "we lose the sense that only Singapore is truly home...then the

centre cannot hold", he added.

Mr Lee said the Government is tackling these challenges through a raft of policies, but all these

plans depend on good leadership.

Publication: The Economic Times Date: 30 June 2015 Headline: Singapore PM warns of aging population's impact on economy and defence

Singapore PM warns of aging population's impact on economy and

defence

Lee in his speech flagged the demographic shift as one of the country's major challenges in years to come. By AFP | 30 Jun, 2015, 09.06PM IST SINGAPORE: Singapore's population is ageing faster than nearly any other society in the world, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Tuesday, warning this could have a serious impact on the economy and defence. Lee, 63, said he was worried that the city-state's population was expanding at its slowest pace in a decade despite the government's incentives to encourage citizens to produce more babies. "Who is going to pay the taxes to spend on whom?" he asked in a speech at a forum organised by the Singapore Management University. "Our defence, who is going to man the SAF (Singapore Armed Forces), who will defend us? We can't be 'Dad's Army'." Lee in his speech flagged the demographic shift as one of the country's major challenges in years to come. Other affluent Asian societies such as Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong face similar ageing problems. Singapore's population expanded at a mere 1. 3 per cent last year, the lowest in ten years, and the trend is likely to continue, Lee said. "It is something to worry about because what does rapid ageing means for a nation? We are growing older faster than nearly any other society in the world." He said the number of citizens aged 65 and above had risen to 440,000 currently from 220,000 in 2000 and this was expected to further increase to 900,000 by 2030. By 2030 two working adults will be supporting one senior citizen, up from five working adults supporting one senior citizen currently, Lee added. The government for years has been encouraging couples to have more than two children, offering

Publication: The Economic Times Date: 30 June 2015 Headline: Singapore PM warns of aging population's impact on economy and defence financial and other incentives. But the campaign has met with little success, prompting the government to increasingly rely on foreign labour. Singapore's total fertility rate fell to 1.19 babies per woman in 2013 from 1.29 in 2012, well below the 2.1 babies needed to naturally replenish the native-born population. High living costs, including for education, and lifestyle choices have been cited as among the reasons. As of end-June 2014 Singapore's population totalled 5.47 million, of whom nearly 40 per cent are foreigners. Strident complaints from citizens about immigration has led the government to curb oreign hiring and the granting of permanent residency status.

Publication: The Jakarta Post Date: 30 June 2015 Headline: Who will defend us? Singapore PM asks as society rapidly ages

Who will defend us? Singapore PM asks as society rapidly ages Agence France-Presse, Singapore | World | Tue, June 30 2015, 8:34 PM

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. (AFP)

Singapore's population is ageing faster than nearly any other society in the world, Prime Minister Lee Hsien

Loong said Tuesday, warning this could have a serious impact on the economy and defense.

Lee, 63, said he was worried that the city-state's population was expanding at its slowest pace in a decade

despite the government's incentives to encourage citizens to produce more babies.

"Who is going to pay the taxes to spend on whom?" he asked in a speech at a forum organized by the

Singapore Management University.

"Our defense, who is going to man the SAF [Singapore Armed Forces], who will defend us? We can't be

'Dad's Army'."

Lee in his speech flagged the demographic shift as one of the country's major challenges in years to come.

Other affluent Asian societies such as Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong face similar ageing problems.

Singapore's population expanded at a mere 1.3 percent last year, the lowest in ten years, and the trend is

likely to continue, Lee said.

"It is something to worry about because what does rapid ageing means for a nation? We are growing older

faster than nearly any other society in the world."

Publication: The Jakarta Post Date: 30 June 2015 Headline: Who will defend us? Singapore PM asks as society rapidly ages

He said the number of citizens aged 65 and above had risen to 440,000 currently from 220,000 in 2000 and

this was expected to further increase to 900,000 by 2030.

By 2030 two working adults will be supporting one senior citizen, up from five working adults supporting one

senior citizen currently, Lee added.

The government for years has been encouraging couples to have more than two children, offering financial

and other incentives.

But the campaign has met with little success, prompting the government to increasingly rely on foreign

labor.

Singapore's total fertility rate fell to 1.19 babies per woman in 2013 from 1.29 in 2012, well below the 2.1

babies needed to naturally replenish the native-born population.

High living costs, including for education, and lifestyle choices have been cited as among the reasons.

As of end-June 2014 Singapore's population totaled 5.47 million, of whom nearly 40 percent are foreigners.

Strident complaints from citizens about immigration has led the government to curb foreign hiring and the

granting of permanent residency status. (iik)(++++)

Publication: The New Paper, p 4 Date: 1 July 2015 Headline: PM Lee spells out S'pore's challenges

PM Lee spells out S'pore's challenges Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

·has highlighted three challenges

Singapore will face in the next 50

years.

The challenges are maintaining econom­ic growth to improve . lives in the short term, raising total fertility rate in the me­dium term, and forging a common identity among Singaporeans in the long run.

These would concern Singapore's surviv­al, Mr Lee said at the Ho Rih Hwa Leader­ship in Asia le.cture, organised by the Sin­gapore Management University. It was held at the Suntec Convention Centre yesterday.

· In the next 10 ¥ears, Singapore needs to improve its productivity and maintain its economic growth. It is the only way Singa­poreans can continue finding good jobs and having opportunities, he said.

Singapore's grqwth has been high, with its real gross domestic product soaring 40

times since Independence in 1965.

But this growth is slowing. Its GDP is forecast to grow by 2 to 4 per cent a year, and productiv­ity must grow by 2 per cent, he said.

Looking at the next 25 years, Singapore must tackle its demographic challenge of an ageing popula_tion and declining birth rates.

Ultimately, the best and only solution is for Singaporeans to marry and have more chil­dren, Mr Lee said.

But the biggest of these three challenges is to maintain a sense of pride in being Singaporean - something that cannot be manufactured by the Government, he said.

"For the next 50 years, we will need good policies. But just like the past 50 yeats, for these policies to succeed, we need a strong sense of identity and nationhood. We need to be proud to be a Singaporean," he said.

Otherwise, Singapore runs the danger of dis­solving into disunity with people so comforta­ble with living abroad that "we lose the sense that only Singapore is truly home ... "

Source: The New Paper© Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

Publication: TODAY, p 1-2

Date: 1 July 2015

Headline: Singapore's 'key future challenges': Economy, population, identity

GOOD LEADERSHIP, POLICIES 'PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE'

S'pore's 'key future challenges': Economy, population, identity S'poreans must do their part to avoid dangers of 'dissolving into globalisation: warns PM Lee

KELLY NG

kellyng@mediacorp.com.sg

SINGAPORE- Singapore will face criti­cal challenges in the next 50 years in keeping the economy strong, raising total fertility rate and strengthening national identity, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday.

To overcome these, good leader­ship and policies - many of have al­ready been put in place, said Mr Lee­will play an important role, but for the longer-term challenges brought about by a rapidly ageing population and globalisation, the Government alone cannot resolve them and Singapore-

ans must also do their part, he added. Speaking at the seventh instal­

ment of the Ho Rih Hwa Leadership in Asia Public Lecture Series held at the Suntec Convention Centre yester­day evening, Mr Lee sketched out how each of these challenges will unfold over several time horizons.

INSIDE PM SETSOUT CHALL ENGES S'PORE COULD FACE IN NEXT 50 YEARS• 2

SINGAPORE FEELING IMPACT OF RAPIDLY AGEINGPOPUL ATION•4

TPP PACT AMONG GLOBAL ISSUES RAISED AT SM UDIALOGUE• 6

The most immediate challenge fac­ing the Republic, in the next decade, will be raising productivity in order to grow an already-advanced economy, said Mr Lee. Over a longer time frame of25 years, population challenges will come to the fore because of low birth rates, while the most profound and fundamental challenge in the next 50 years will be in strengthening the na­tional identity.

"To keep Singapore special; to maintain a sense of 'I am a Singapore­an. I am proud of it and I want to uphold it' ... I think in the very long term, that is our biggest challenge," said Mr Lee.

e CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Publication: TODAY, p 1-2

Date: 1 July 2015

Headline: Singapore's 'key future challenges': Economy, population, identity

Spore's 'key future challenges�· Economy, population, identity eCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Addressing about 3,500 partici­pants, including diplomats, students, teachers and public officers, Mr Lee warned that Singapore runs the dan­ger of "dissolving into globalisation", with no sense of a distinct identity as the country becomes more cosmo­politan and Singaporeans become in­creasingly well-travelled.

Citing that about 200,000 Singa­poreans currently reside abroad for work and studies, he said: " It is good that our people are comfortable liv­ing over the world, but if we become so comfortable abroad that we lose the sense that only Singapore is truly home ... We will just melt away, be dis­solved by globalisation."

The other danger is that Singapore­ans could fracture into different groups, each with its own exclusive identities, said Mr Lee, who cited traditional fault lines such as race and religion, as well as newer ones such as LGBT issues.

External influences such as the Is-

la mic State can also create schisms in the Republic's multi-ethnic and multi­religious society, he said.

"How do we reinforce what makes us unique as Singaporeans ... How do we maintain this sense of nationhood and strengthen this identity and com­mon purpose, so that our people will want to make Singapore a success and a shining light in the world?" he asked.

To bind society together, Mr Lee said Singaporeans must have a shared sense of what the country stands for and what they want to achieve togeth­er- things that the Government can­not create. It is forged when citizens live together, overcome crises togeth­er, help one another in times of need and celebrate successes, he added.

He cited instances this year in which such a spirit was shown, including the outpouring of grief over the death of founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in March, as well as the earth­quake in Sabah that claimed the lives of nine Singaporeans, including seven

How do we reinforce what makes us unique as Singaporeans ... How do we maintain this sense of nationhood and strengthen this identity and common purpose, so that our people will want to make Singapore a success and a shining light in the world?

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

Primary 6 students. "Life will teach us lessons. Difficult times will come, and through that, we will learn what it means to be a Singaporean," he said.

In happier times, such as during the recent SEA Games, the national pride on display was not only because of Team Singapore's record-breaking medal haul, he said. "We felt proud to be Singaporean ... (because of) the way our people conducted them­selves. When the music stopped sud­denly when it shouldn't, Singaporeans continued to sing Majulah Singapura with gusto and pride," Mr Lee said, drawing applause from the audience.

The Prime Minister also lauded marathoner Ashley Liew, who forewent his lead during the Games event to wait for competitors who had mistakenly taken the wrong path, for his embodi­ment of "class and sportsmanship".

"Such a spirit cannot be manu­factured by the Government. These are spontaneous shows of pride and solidarity," he said. "(It's a) spirit that

is embraced, shaped and owned by Singaporeans, people who stand up for these values in their daily lives and actions, and make Singapore a dis­tinct nation that we can all be proud of and want to belong to."

Outlining a raft of plans the Gov­ernment has made to confront these challenges, Mr Lee reiterated that they must be founded on good leader­ship- "leaders with a sense of respon­sibility, wholly committed to Singapo­reans and Singapore, leaders who can win your support and rally the country together, leaders who can work with us and make the next 50 years as glorious as the last 50 years", he said.

Mr Lee also paid tribute to pioneer leaders such as Mr Ho Rih Hwa, after whom the lecture series was named. The former businessman has served the country as Ambassador to Thai­land, Belgium, the European Econom­ic Community and the United Nations in Geneva, but has refused to accept any remuneration. "He saw this as na­tional service, a duty he was so hon­oured to discharge," said Mr Lee.

Publication: TODAY, p 2

Date: 1 July 2015

Headline: PM sets out challenges Singapore could face in next 50 years

PM sets out challenges Singapore could face in next 50 years In his Ho Rih Hwa Lecture Series speech yesterday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong set out the challenges he expected Singapore to

face over the next 50 years at various points, namely growing the economy, an ageing population and strengthening the national identity.

- ECONOMY:Transfonning flt}l Ulewayweleamand work

"We have reached a high level in terms of GDP. Our per capita GDP is as high as Japan's. But we have to find a way to continue growing, so that we can improve people's lives ... If we can continue upgrad­ing, in 10 years, we can be in a different league. We can make investments in our people, afford the social safety nets, improve our lives. If we cannot, we will stagnate and lose ground, like what some countries are going through now - Taiwan, Korea, even Japan. After a decade, we will face not just economic problems, but social problems- unem­ployment, young people unable to find jobs, rest­lessness instead of hope.

"That is why we have launched SkillsFuture as a national movement. It will play a critical role to help Singaporeans become resilient and adapta­ble. It will make sure ... that our people will always have opportunities to develop to their fullest, with training available at every stage of their lives. Be­cause as your jobs change, your skill sets need to change. And you cannot depend on what you've learnt ... in the past as you grow older. You have to learn new skills and you have to be able to do new jobs. And then when the world changes, we are prepared and we are able to change with it.

"So this is a transformation of society (and) in the way we learn and ... work, the way we value individuals for what you do ... And we must work at this because that is the way to make progress in productivity. That's the way to grow the economy. And that's the way, really, most fundamentally, so every worker can feel proud of themselves and our society is one where everybody has a valued place."

A POPULATION:KeepingUle qj1 nation young and vibrant

"While the economy will go up and down, in the long run, demographics is destiny. Twenty-five years is long enough for our birth trends and our marriage and parenthood policies to take root and have an impact ... The difference between a Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 1.2 and 1.5, which is where we would like to be, is 9,000 babies per year, or over 200,000 more babies born over 25 years. And it will make all the difference to the population if we can get our TFR up to 1.5.

"Of course, I'd like (it) to go higher, but let's get to 1.5 first because then, we can keep our popula­tion younger and vibrant. But if our TFR continues to be at 1.2, that will be much harder, even with im­migration. A shrinking society will also be an age­ing society, and that will cause profound problems. Our economy will be stagnant or declining, and the whole tone of our society will not be young and forward-looking, but pessimistic, oriented to the status quo or even the past.

"Ultimately, the best and, indeed, the only fun­damental solution is for Singaporeans to marry and have more children. And on that count, we have laboured mightily. And I'm happy to say that if you look at last year's numbers, there's a little bit of good news, although it is still early signs. We have (put in place) many measures over the last 20 years. W hat we have done, I think, has helped ... But these are just policies and the Government cannot solve this problem just by policies. Because it requires all of us to change our norms, our cul­ture, for us to become a more family-friendly coun­try. And that takes time."

- IDENTITY:Sharedsenseof \...,) whatSingaporestandsfor

"Even more fundamental than demographics is the question of identity ... As we progress, there are two threats to this idea of a Singaporean identity: One, we could just dissolve, melt into a globalised world and lose that special sense of being distinc­tively Singaporean, different from non-Singa­poreans. The other risk is that we could divide internally, along fault lines, fracture into different groups, and each group with its own exclusive iden­tity, and lose any sense of becoming one people.

" ... (Our identity) has to come from a shared sense of what is it Singapore stands for, what we want to achieve together, and that comes from our shared experiences, our bonding through these shared experiences, becoming one people, becom­ing comrades, more than friends. It depends on how we grow and live together ... how we overcome crises, whether it's SARS, MERS or the global financial crisis, how we help one another in times of need (and) how we celebrate successes to-gether, in SG50 and as we did during the SEA Games."

Publication: TODAY, p 6 Date: 1 July 2015

Headline: TPP pact among global issues raised at SMU dialogue

PM TOUCHES ON DOMESTIC CHALLENGES LIKE PRODUCTIVITY

TPP pact among global issues raised at SMU dialogue REGINA MARIE LEE reginamariel@mediacorp.com.sg

SINGAPORE- Questions on develop­ments around the world dominated a dialogue Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had with students yesterday, even though his speech was largely centred on the country's domestic challenges in the years ahead.

Over an hour, seven of the 12 questions raised by members of the 3,500-strong audience at the Ho Rih Hwa lecture organised by the Singa­pore Management University (SMU ) were on external issues. These ranged from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement (TPP) to territorial disputes in the South China Sea and the United States Supreme Court's ruling on Friday to legalise same-sex marriage in the country.

An SMU f inal-year economics student asked Mr Lee whether a po­litical or judicial solution would bet-

ter address a "thorny issue" such as same-sex marriage.

Responding, the Prime Minister said the legislative would have to act very cautiously in Singapore because of strong views in society.

"You can pass the law, but will it be accepted? Will it be respected? Will people feel that it is legitimate?" he asked. "This is the way the American system works. They have created the Supreme Court and it is nine persons, and the nine persons decide important issues. In this case, it was five to four, so actually one person decided the issue."

It is important to have a good sense of the values and attitudes of the popu­lation rather than "try to impose your own on them", Mr Lee stressed, reit­erating that this is an issue to be de­cided "collectively, rather than (by) the Government".

"I think we let views evolve with time," he said. "If you want to stay one nation, cohesive for 50 years, these are

•• I think we let views evolve with time. If you want to stay one nation, cohesive for 50 years, these are the kinds of issues you must manage without fracturing our society.

PM Lee Hsienloong WITH SMU CHAIRMAN

HO KWON PING AT THE

DIALOGUE YESTERDAY

the kinds of issues you must manage without fracturing our society."

Touching on the productivity drive in Singapore, a Secondary 4 student from River Valley High School raised the possibility of Singapore facing the same problem as the US, where increased productivity does not trans­late to higher wages.

However, Mr Lee said the reasons for this were unclear and could range from declining union power to profi­teering bosses or the rapid growth of the finance industry in America.

While a similar situation may hap­pen in Singapore, Mr Lee pointed out that wages here had consistently ris­en, even faster than productivity in the past decade. "I would say (if) pro­ductivity (goes) up, wages may not. (If) productivity doesn't go up, wages

will not," he added. The Prime Minister also explained

Singapore's interests in parts of the TPP, where the US had pushed for na­tions to limit support for state-owned enterprises (SOEs).

While he acknowledged that Singa­pore has to give fair treatment to its SOEs, "we also want our companies to get fair treatment when they go to other countries and to get fair com­petition compared to SOEs in those countries", he said.

Mr Lee added that SOEs in Singa­pore are managed by "proper boards", without special perks or duties. "Eve­rybody knows Singapore's GLCs (gov­ernment-linked corporations) are dif­ferent from SOEs elsewhere," he said.

Domestic issues raised during the dialogue included the challenges in balancing career and family aspira­tions, and the problem of competitive­ness in Singapore.

Mr Lee noted that perspectives on how to prioritise children and one's career would shift - those looking ahead in the longer term might pri­oritise family over work. "It's very dif­ficult to ask a 20-year-old to imagine what a 70-year-old would like to feel (at the end of the day)," he said.

On competitiveness, Mr Lee said some are more anxious "than they need to be" and that there would be many opportunities in life. To be com­petitive globally, Singaporeans need to be able to reorientate their direc­tions and adapt, he added.

Publication: Xinhua Date: 30 June 2015 Headline: Singapore sees economic growth, population, identity key challenges in next 50 years

Singapore sees economic growth, population, identity key

challenges in next 50 years BaoXueLin 267 words 30 June 2015 11:51 PM Xinhua News Agency XNEWS English Copyright 2015. Xinhua News Agency. All rights reserved.

SINGAPORE, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Economic growth, population and identity will be the three key challenges in the next 50 years, said Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday.

Lee outlined these challenges which concern Singapore's survival in the future at Ho Rih Hwa Leadership in Asia Public Lecture organized by Singapore Management University.

Singapore needs to improve productivity and maintain economic growth in the next 10 years, the prime minister said, adding to achieve 2 percent productivity growth a year may be difficult but this is the only way that Singaporeans can continue finding good jobs and having opportunities.

In a 25-year horizon, PM Lee pointed out Singapore must solve the issues of aging population and declining birth rates. The number of citizens aged 65 and above in Singapore is increasing rapidly. The figure may reach 900,000 in 2030 from 440,000 today.

Ageing society will cause problems on social services and healthcare, economic prosperity as well as defense of the country. PM Lee said the population could keep younger if the country can increase its total fertility rate from 1.2 to 1.5.

However, the biggest of the three challenges is to forge a common identity among Singaporeans, said PM Lee.

The prime minister said Singapore needs a strong sense of identity and nationhood in the next 50 years just as the country needed good policies in the past five decades. The government is tackling with these challenges, but all these plans depend on good leadership.