Han Fook Kwang - A happier story to population woes

I just want to quote this from Han Fook Kwang's article on the above.

'For the glass half-empty brigade, they all add up to a future Singapore

that is shrinking and ageing and so will be increasingly reliant on new

citizens, permanent residents and foreigners to make up the shortfall.

 

This sobering view is the dominant narrative whenever Singapore's

population numbers are discussed.

 

So, what's the glass half-full version of the story?

Interestingly, it also borrows from economic theory.

 

Experts say there is a demographic dividend which countries reap when they

bring down their birth and death rates. With smaller families and fewer

young children to feed, more resources can be deployed to each individual,

resulting in better educated and more productive workers. Smaller families

also mean greater opportunities for women to work.

 

The result? High economic growth, provided, of course, the right social and

economic polices are implemented. In fact, the theory is that after this

round of benefits from smaller families, there is a second round to be

enjoyed when significant numbers retire with savings and assets that can be

invested to produce more growth....'

I must say that the experts that thought of reaping rewards from no

population growth really have no intellectual depth. How can there be

economic growth when there is no population growth? This is outrageous

thinking according to the one trick ponies. You want economic growth, then

you must accept population growth. And Singapore can only continue to grow

with growing the population to 10m.  But such one pony theory for stopping

the story at 10m is as far as their intellectual depth would go. For they

presumed that once 10m is reached, the story would end. No need to have

more economic growth, no need more population growth. To them it is a

static thing, with a good ending when 10m is attained.

While in the process of growing the population to 10m it is so easy to

stuff them in high rise housing blocks. But what would happen if they leave

their homes, all 10m of them? Now with half that population everything is

running to a stand still. What about more schools, hospitals, recreation

facilities, transportation network, jobs, water, energy, food, social

security etc etc. So easy to grow population to 10m and everything will

take care of itself meh?

Sorry, my intellectual depth also limited and cannot offer any solution to

a 10m population and when 10m is reached, and if the people want more

economic growth, the 10m would become 20m and on and on to 100m or else how

to sustain economic growth?

What do you think?