Participants at this dialogue wonder if they would feel like a stranger in Singapore. Of course! It is coming and prepare for it, if you can - you can't.
I look at my family. It started with my parents 2; then 3 of us; we got married and take made 6 + 2. Only 4 grand children. So it number sequence it looks like this: 2, 5, 8, 12 and now 10 because our parents are gone. So eventually we will have 4 young to 6 old. I think we are doing better than many when compared to my dear old friend from childhood. His goes 2, 7, 10, 13 because two of his siblings are single.
The last number is most critical. Up only 3! They have moved from 13 to 12 this year when one parent passed away. Tough for the third generation. They are looking at 3 supporting 9. And I have omitted the in-laws which could make the picture gloomier especially if they were parents of an only child.
They are not going to be able to look after their parents, grand parents and also have children. The burden gets heavier and harder to solve. Their shoulders are only this broad. Be thankful that they don't run away. Let's see how the faster ageing Chinese society up north deal with this.
Singaporeans will realize that the less painful route is to have foreigners top up our numbers; be prepared to getting used to feeling like strangers here as deaths reduce our numbers. We don't need the SAF to defend us as it would die out on its own. All our enemies need to do is to wait for us to die off. To help the process and it is palliative for us too, they can export some of their best here as advance parties. I blogged about this before but I am too morose to look for and link back :-(
By the way we will need foreigners big time to preserve our real estate values. This will be key to persuading the population to accept more foreigners. People ignore the link between demographic and property prices because most see the trees but not the forest.
Never assume that in future foreigners want to come because as we age, we become a less attractive destination. Therefore the demographic profile must stay in an attractive hip shape at all times. If we lose that, we are done for. Unfortunately the government ability to explain and convince voters about this is pathetic.
I think as long as we give making $$$ our highest priority. As long as we have this attitude of wanting it now at the expense of tomorrow the curtain will fall for us. Don't we realize that our high standard of living comes from mortgaging away our future? Nobody is attacking us. We are killing ourselves. That is the price of front loading our lifetime expenditure and worse using it to keep up with the Joneses.
My kids will read this and eventually we will talk about it. If not, I will take it to them.
If the world is generally ageing, as it is, wouldn't we still be hip when we age - as a place that's cool for all those many older people? Esp if we were geared to such pple, instead of a shrinking younger crowd?
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