Straits Times Forum 31 Mar 09;
I REFER to last Wednesday's report, "Pack them in, build them up".
Any expert who thinks it is a great idea to keep on increasing the population of Singapore should spend a week or so living like the average Singaporean and not just stay in prime, low-density neighbourhoods which are 10 minutes from the centre of the city.
It is not right to compare Singapore to other major cities; the packed-in residents of New York, Tokyo or London can simply take a drive to the countryside on the weekends to 'get away from it all'.
Singaporeans who want to do the same will have to travel to another country - Malaysia - and suffer long delays to leave and enter. So much for de-stressing.
I thought our aspiration was for a Swiss standard of living, not a Hong Kong manner of living. The Hong Kongers are "richer" than us in terms of the value of their properties, but poorer indeed in terms of their quality of life.
Unlike many policies which can be corrected if shown to be wrong, it will not be easy to reverse the population if the policy is shown to have taken the country down the wrong path.
Singapore still has an enviable lifestyle. It might not be the case when it becomes over-populated.
Cheah Swee Keat
