Population problems, family policies, and the naturalization of differentiated deservedness

Abstract

In February 2013, the PAP government released a Population White Paper, in which it projected an increase in Singapore’s population from 5.3 million in 2013 to 6.9 million by 2030 (National Population and Talent Division, 2013). The reactions were immediate and negative. Singaporeans, in blogs and various online media, expressed anger and indignation – criticizing the government for ignoring the negative effects of immigration; for favouring certain migrants over ‘true blue Singaporeans’; and for generally ignoring people’s unhappiness about the pressures that have arisen in recent years over high costs of living, crowded and inadequate infrastructure, and certain angst over the erosion of Singaporean identity. Within the Parliament itself, there were rare displays of dissent. Many began to argue that the government should focus energies on trying to address the low fertility problem that has ostensibly led to the need for high rates of immigration.