Top image: Joy Lai / RICE file photo
As news of the 6.04 million population found its way onto social media, the outpouring of frustration from Singaporeans was evident. While it sounds like a joyous affair for a tiny city-state battling declining birth rates and a rapidly ageing population, it also stirred deep anxieties about overcrowding, rising costs of living, and the pressure on already strained public infrastructure.
Singaporeans do feel the brunt of accommodating. Longer waiting times at hospitals and polyclinics, coupled with crowded and claustrophobic daily commutes, have taken a toll. The appeal of returning home to solitude, peace and comfort now outweighs the desire for a jaunt in town.
Despite the relentless crowds, Singapore’s population growth through immigration is often justified as the safety net keeping the country afloat. So why, then, are social media and forums filled with resentful comments and finger-pointing?
To get to the root of their displeasure, we speak to Singaporeans about why they feel the more might not be merrier.
“I feel less reassured [when there are more people]. I know we need foreign talent to fill certain jobs Singaporeans don’t want, so I’m not talking about blue-collar workers but white-collar workers. We earn peanuts, and expats earn tens of thousands a month. I don’t feel comfortable with that.”
— Sarah, 34
“Honestly, every time population growth is announced, we have to succumb to it. There’s really nothing we can do.
It’s become like a trend for us. More people means a higher cost of living and then, after that, fewer jobs. Even if we protest, they will tell us it’s supposed to be for the greater good. Crowded then so be it, we don’t go out lor.”
— Chen, 31
“Nowadays humans are already packed like sardines. We’ll need to squeeze more on the MRT, and the traffic on the roads will be more serious. Longer queues to see the doctor are expected. Is this even sustainable?”
— Nat, 35
“I tend to think [overpopulation is] quite a bad thing, but it’s high time Singaporeans have a proper conversation about it that doesn’t involve xenophobia. Our critique of it should be along the grounds of cost of living—housing or necessities—and the potential environmental impact of having to house a large population!”
— Ben, 29
“I don’t understand why Singaporeans are complaining when we’ve contributed to the low birth rates ourselves. The only reason why our country seems to be super welcoming to non-residents is that we need people to fill up the gaps in the workforce. You don’t like more people coming to Singapore? Then get to work and have more babies.”
— Jin, 51
“The people in charge are just sitting in their ivory tower with no idea how a normal citizen struggles. The only benefit overpopulation is giving us is the motivation for ourselves to do better and seek work and citizenship elsewhere.”
— Tino, 34
“Just this past week alone, several different friends waxed lyrical to me about retiring overseas—an inexpensive villa in Bali, a cottage in the Cotswolds, a condo in Malacca and so on. I think it’s because our generation has grown tired of jostling in big crowded cities and being cooped up in tiny flats.
We’ve been beleaguered by exorbitant mortgages and Singapore’s high cost of living, and the ‘six million population’ news is writing on the wall that it’ll only get worse. When we finally cash out our assets, we’ll be able to afford our dream homes in less cramped countries, and that’s exactly where we’ll be headed and not look back.”
— Vivek, 39
