<< My understanding is that the "extinction" that Mr Lee is concerned about is that of home-grown Singaporeans - code for "people like me" - not the nation-state itself. >>

Pericles, it seems to be both, as I read it. Isn’t the article author suggesting that if < their country's future belongs to immigrants and workers from nearby China, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Indonesia >, Singapore may be facing the prospect of < cashing in its chips > ?

It doesn’t add up.

< About 35 percent of Singapore's workers are foreign-born and about 23 percent of all residents. >

So it has obviously had a pretty full-on immigration program for a long time. Are there any significant negative results of this in terms of Lee’s fears?

There don’t seem to be.

While his desire to keep Singapore under the control of real born and bred Singaporeans is understandable up to a point, I can’t see that this it is really that relevant to Singapore’s future.

And at any rate, how different are Chinese, Malaysian or Indonesian people from Singaporeans? And in what ways are they inferior or inherently likely to degrade Singapore’s quality of life or national status if they become residents there?

So if I were he, I'd appreciate the will of the people to have far less kids than they used to on average and make adjustments to the population via immigration. Simple really.

Incidentally, if anyone in Australia said that we should keep Australia for people like us – white Anglo Saxon original Australians (not original occupants of this continent, but the original race and culture of the country of Australia), they’d be immediately howled down as absolute racists!

You are right of course, Ludwig.

>>So if I were he, I'd appreciate the will of the people to have far less kids than they used to on average and make adjustments to the population via immigration. Simple really.<<

But that is exactly Mr Lee's concern. To "adjust the population by immigration" would require the topping-up process to include more non-Singaporeans. He clearly does not like this, and would prefer that "his" people make greater efforts to ensure this does not come to pass.

I was simply pointing out that your comment on Singapore's problem being that it is "overcrowded" was not at issue. As the author of the article points out:

"Today Singapore is a leading financial centre, is the world's easiest place to do business, is ranked number 8 in foreign exchange reserves, has the world's top-ranked education system, and is the world's least corrupt country. Economically Singapore is a miracle"

If indeed Singapore is by your measurement "overcrowded", then clearly a bit of "overcrowding" is patently not a bad thing

<< If indeed Singapore is by your measurement "overcrowded", then clearly a bit of "overcrowding" is patently not a bad thing >>

Oow hold on Pericles, I don’t you think we have enough information to make that judgement. Certainly not from that provided in the article.

Just because it is a great financial centre and top place to do business doesn’t necessarily mean that life is good for all, or that there isn’t a big gap between the rich and the poor, or that a considerable portion of the populace isn’t really doing too well. Or that overcrowding isn’t a big negative factor.

I don’t know about that sort of thing in Singapore. Do you?

Ahh fungus! Sheesh, do I HATE typos, especially after you spell- and grammar-check your post, read it and reread it and rererererererereread it.... and then post it………

……and come back some time later and read it on OLO and……….

Aaarrrgh… there’s a bloody immediately obvious absolutely stupid and totally impossible typo!! !!

Wouldn't matter if it was an occasional thing, but it happens sooooo damn often!!

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So…. to restate the offending sentence in my last post….

Oow hold on Pericles, I don’t think we have enough information to make that judgement.

RrrrrrrrrrrRRRRRGGGHHHHH!! !! !! !! ):>{

(end of dummy spit)

Singapore's greatest threat is from its own imploding birth rate??

Sure RIGHT!

And a man drowning in a QLD flood is in danger of dying of thirst.

There are 75million live births on this planet every year and that rate of growth is INCREASING because of vested interest parties like this author MAKING it happen with every evil greed intent they can muster.

ITS TIME to say NO to profiteers from overpopulation.

Find another way to make money or PERISH amidst the squalor of your own mortality.