In giving this dose of reality, Mr Lee also strived to assure his youthful audience that their goals and aspirations can come true in Singapore. -- PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO Bhutan has a yardstick for measuring success which some youth here yearn to have in place of Singapore's relentless pursuit of economic growth.
It was a longing that struck a chord in Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday, but he was quick to explain why Bhutan's Gross National Happiness index was not suitable for Singapore.
'We are one small island in the middle of a very turbulent South-east Asia. You have to watch your GDP (gross domestic product), because if you are poor, you will be weak; if you are weak, something will happen to you,' he said.
He gave this gentle warning to graduate student Chong Kwek Yan, 25, who posed the question at a dialogue Mr Lee had with 150 students and professionals.
The Prime Minister then set out for his audience of 17- to 35-year- olds the overriding challenges facing Singapore in the short, medium and long term.
In the present economic crisis, Singapore's most urgent concern is to keep the economy humming along and to look after the low-income earners.
In the medium term, it needs to focus on how to produce enough Singaporean babies and attract foreign talent. For the long term, Singapore has to renew its political leadership and build up a sense of identity.
But in giving this dose of reality, the 56-year-old Prime Minister also strived to assure his youthful audience that their goals and aspirations can come true in Singapore.
The 80-minute dialogue, an annual event, was organised by the National Youth Council.
Although political issues such as political expression and succession held sway at the start of the session, many were also anxious over what they see as the high cost of living here.
Ms Sonia Ong, 26, director of a public relations firm, said the maid levy and heavy taxes here were making her wonder whether she might be better off in Hong Kong.
Mr Lee pointed out that total taxes here, at 15per cent of GDP, were 'very, very low'.
'For nearly everybody in this room, if you were in Hong Kong, you would pay more tax than you would personal taxes.'
He added: 'The trouble is our taxes come in places where you notice...so you drive less or think about whether you really need a maid.'
Indeed, owning a car has become too costly, especially for the middle class, some felt.
But Mr Lee was swift to point out that in charging drivers for using rather than owning a car, ownership has become much cheaper, which is why so many more cars are on the road.
He also highlighted how the middle-income group is also benefiting from government policies which help ensure that its earners' wages go up yearly.
On economic competitiveness, he cautioned against going down the road of Germany, which had a generous welfare scheme that gave workers six weeks of vacation. The result was that factories moved to former communist countries such as Hungary and Romania. Similarly, Singapore faces a region in which people in India, China and Vietnam are working harder. 'If we want to sweat less, are we going to be up there?' he said.
Mr Lee agreed with lawyer Leon Yee, 32, who noted that, unlike Singapore, Hong Kong can more immediately tap a Greater China hinterland.
Mr Lee said: 'That is a reason we need to work harder, because we don't have China next door which can rescue us, help us or defend us.
'We are Singapore. We are one country on our own.'
chinlian@sph.com.sg
When some of you are wondering why you need to work so hard, the answer is in the article above. We've discussed many times, Singapore has nothing except human resource. In order to survive as a nation or as an individual, we've to build up our human resource. On the other hand, Bhutan has very different goals. Do read up about this very interesting and beautiful country. The country measures success by looking at the gross national happiness instead of gross national product. Find out why they want to use such an index and how they can do it? Bhutan has always been an exotic country I really want to visit. I guess next June's travel destination is decided...
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