MINISTER CHAN CHUN SING IGNORANT OR BANKRUPT OF FRESH IDEAS?

Man, this CCS either gets a foot in his mouth or he is spewing half truths which becomes yet another foot in the mouth when he gets exposed by social media.

Singapore could turn its dismal total fertility rate (TFR) of 1.2 around, as Nordic countries managed to do – if it accepts women having children out of wedlock, but are we prepared to do that? These are social choices that we have to make for ourselves.

What? He expects us buy the crap that horny Nordics are producing children left and right just because society accepts children out of wedlock?

In truth that is only one factor in many. The biggest factors are:

1. Social Spending that makes it easier for women (and men) to have children and careers at the same time. That is to say they did not have to give up one or the other. What does social spending there comprised of? Free day care facilities, home visits from social workers, free or almost free healthcare and education.

2. Social Transfers which means Nordic citizens are insured against health and pensions plus a whole range of other stuff like out of work benefits, survivor benefits. It means they face far less social risks than Singaporeans. That ultimately means they do not have to work the long hours demanded in Singapore in order to keep the head above water. This also means much better work-life balance especially when it comes to parents spending more time with children and with each other.

Bottom-line – if you worked Singaporeans to the extent the local labour force is exhausted (hence the FT influx) and then make them face all sort of social risks because the govt eschew social spending. If that is not enough, the govt depletes CPF with low interest rates and high real estate. How the heck can the government expect Singaporeans not be stressed and to have more children.

These minsters are either ignorant or willfully bankrupt of ideas and that’s from being themselves brainwashed by their own “Hard Truths”.

Chris Kuan