Population Control Policy - Elites Intellectual - Not That Perfect

Singapore - once a British Empire Pearl of the East, has vastly develop through post-independent and separation period from Malaysia. The past 50 years the island has go back and fourth on its Population Control Policy thus to empower its grand leader vision to optimize the population vs market growth and its burst its elite intellectual group development mechanism. This tremendous headache continues as the country fail to reverse the policy as its population decline below the replacement level hence shrinking its number by time. to date, its a biggest challenge for the leadership though they still have the mentor and senior minister along with them.

 

Dawn of The Pearl

Size and composition of Singapore's population has been determined by the interaction of migration and natural increase. After independence in 1965, Singapore's government imposed few policy to curb the rapid population growth as a threat to living standards and political stability, as large numbers of children and young people threatened to overwhelm the schools, the medical services, and the ability of the economy to generate employment for them all. So, the bias policy started...for all the unskilled section:

- temporary residence permits for unskilled labor

- unskilled labor prohibited from marrying without prior official permission 

- unskilled labor women tested for pregnancy every six months

But this is not for the highly dedicated "elites":
- campaign to attract skilled HK professionals (Chinese cultural environment/ lower living costs)

- discourage emigration by local professionals and managers.

 

The Policy - Reducing the Birth Rate!!!

1. Abortion and voluntary sterilization were legalized (1970)

2. Population disincentives - raise the costs of bearing third, fourth, and subsequent children.(1969 and 1972)
3. No paid maternity leave for third and subsequent children (Civil Servant)
4. Progressively higher fees for Maternity Hospital Fees for each additional birth
5. Income tax deductions for all but the first two children eliminated.
6. Large families received no extra consideration in public housing assignments
7. Priority given for first and second child for enrollment to the most desirable primary schools
8. Voluntary sterilization rewarded by seven days of paid sick leave & priority in the allocation (housing and education)
9. Publicity campaigns urging parents to "Stop at Two" and arguing that large families threatened parents' present livelihood and future security.

I understand when the policy justified that it as a means of encouraging the poor to concentrate their limited resources on adequately nurturing a few children who would be equipped to rise from poverty and become productive citizens. So what happen next?? Fertility seriously decline below the replacement level after 1975.


NOT SO HAPPY ENDING...

But, the perfect policy seems to be a backlash and the government slowly reacted by (still working cautiously to defend its elite intellectual exclusive:

1. Give preferential school admission to children whose mothers were university graduates
2. S$10,000 to less educated women who agreed to be sterilized after the birth of their second child.
3. Social Development Unit as matchmaker for unmarried university graduates. (policies abandoned or modified for being ineffective in 1985)

Later in 1986, everything was reverse:

1. Slogan of "Stop at Two" was replaced by "Have Three or More, if You Can Afford It." in 1986.
2. Incentives for large families
3. Tax rebates for third children
4. Subsidies for daycare
5. Priority in school enrollment for children from large families

6. Extended sick leave for civil servants to look after sick children

7. Four years' unpaid maternity leave for civil servants.
8. Discourage "abortions of convenience" or sterilization after the birth of one or two children.

Despite these measures, total fertility rate reached a historic low. The government reacted in October 1987 by urging Singaporeans not to "passively watch ourselves going extinct" and to promote the joys of marriage and parenthood.

The country policy in the early year to curb the population is so effective that now, all of its citizen enjoy S$20,000 tax rebate for fourth children born after January 1, 1988 and till now, under the third Prime Minister, incentives is given to all married women with the 'baby bonus' scheme. MEWAH NYA ^^

Many people have different view on how LKY have run the country, for me his brain work like a magic, he develop a small island without any natural resource and lots of threat by its neighboring county early of the separation from Malaysia - but concurrently create a robust economy boom with his idea of intellectual class governing and making a path of direction for the country and the citizen to follow "obediently".

“We are going to have an intellectual class, about maybe three times as big as what you have now and that will give us the dynamism, the powerful engine to carry us forward faster.” 

- Lee Kuan Yew, 28th July, 2010

But after all this years, the side product is see from a dynamic and powerful economy of the island is it led by none other than his own son, PM Lee Hsien Loong, Singapore's "elite intellectuals" which are systematically undoing LKY years of hard work and the foundation upon which this country has arisen.

No need to mention the failure of the population control policy - Not That Perfect from a well known great man of The Pearl.