1/09/2015

Dr Goh Keng Swee resurrected


A forummer Edmund wrote this, (full article in TRE under the title, ‘Dr Goh did warn about dependence on FTs for growth.’)
 

‘Yes, Dr Goh did warn about Singapore’s dependence on FTs for growth way back in 1972. At the time, he was speaking in his personal capacity at a symposium.
He had previously discussed and sought the advice of his adviser, Dr Albert Winsemius. Their views were similar. So, Dr Goh felt that it was his duty as a Minister to air his views as a common citizen.
 

He warned that if Singapore was too obsessed with the rapid growth, this would result in a state where it would be out of control (not sustainable and probably irreversible).
Dr Goh asked then, “To be precise, at what point should we stop importing foreign workers and cease to encourage foreign entrepreneurs and capital to come into Singapore?”
 

“Because of our limited land area, industrial expansion together with population expansion that goes with it, will produce overcrowding to increasingly uncomfortable limits,” he added.
 

How prescient Dr Goh was in his prediction back in 1972. Some 40 years later, Singapore is exactly in the situation Dr Goh has described – “overcrowding to increasingly uncomfortable limits”…..’
 

Goh Keng Swee might not say anything about jumping out of his grave, but by revisiting what he said, his warning of the future, ie today and forward, is as good as him standing up to talk to the Singaporeans to heed his advice. What he said in 1972 is very relevant today and the seriousness of his thoughts about the consequences is there for all to see. Only fools will ignore his wisdom and that of Dr Winsemius. Our children will pay dearly for ignoring Dr Goh’s warning.
 

Yes, Dr Goh Keng Swee has stood up again. Ignore his words at your own peril. The problem is that his advice and warnings have been ignored for the last few decades and the problem is now so huge and intrinsic that it cannot be reolved. We will all have to live with this self inflicted problem. The only way to avoid the problem blowing up in our face is to kick it down the road. Keep inflating the population to have fictitious growth and ignore the consequences, don’t look at them, don’t talk about them.
 

The govts in the future will have to face this problem squarely and would have to take very drastic actions to save our country and future from an implosion.

Kopi Level - Blue, thank you.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

"The govts in the future will have to face this problem squarely and would have to take very drastic actions to save our country and future from an implosion."
RB

If there is implosion, how much worse can it be than what is already happening now, with 70-80% staff of TTSH being Pinoys, and with one even threatening to kill Sinkies?

Anonymous said...

With Sinkie fertility rate below replacement level, and no enough decent numbers of Sinkies to do the jobs at TTSH, there is an implosion of Sinkies already.

So things cannot get any worse. It can only get better with more new Sinkies, and PAP is doing precisely just that. Hahahahahaha.

patriot said...

I think Lee Kuan Yew knows it too.
His Vision of a Remerger, as I had commented days earlier, is exactly a question of sustainability.
I wish it to happen in my lifetime, there is however the Possibility that it may drag for some decades . Till then, Sinkies will have to squeeze their balls and bear with the shit. The Able Ones will live life of plenty here or anywhere.

patriot

b said...

I think there should be some form of free movement between small states like sg, brunei, nz etc.

Goh said...

Importing foreign talents will naturally make the place crowded one days.Matter of time.No need seek advise from any advisor.
10 years old kid oso know.

But he is my idol and hero.
Not becos of same surname, but
because he dare to cheong.
Cheongster motivated me to work harder.
But Cheongster should have foresee increase in scandals today where many local talents lost their jobs and not much on overcrowding.

He should have help to propose to legalise polygamy in those days.