Former foreign minister George Yeo said it is good to plan for a bigger population.
If you plan for more and we don’t reach that number, then Singapore will be very spacious.
He was responding to comments by Liu Thai Ker, the former chief city planner who believes a 10 million population is not “a ridiculous number”.
Liu believes a larger population is important for economic growth.
We must be prepared for possibly faster economic growth to stand tall among them [neighbouring countries].
And to do so, we must accept population growth.
He said that 10 million is a parameter, not a target. He is certain we can accommodate that many people without being overcrowded.
These rich people can say things like that because they do not take public transport everyday. What do they know about the crowd during peak hours and public holidays? If the population increases so much, who are the ones who will suffer and squeeze with each other in the train? It is us, not them!
