Deep divisions of US, UK must not take root in Singapore: Lee Hsien Loong
The kind of deep divisions in society that were exposed by the recent US elections and Brexit must not be allowed to develop in Singapore, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
“You have to work together, you have to work hard, the government must have policies which generally will be working for people,” said Lee, who conceded that there is no “magic formula” to prevent such sentiments.
“At the same time, we have to develop a sense of identity and togetherness within Singapore so that you don’t have a deep divide within the society.”
According to a Today report on Monday (21 Nov), Lee noted the deep dichotomy in the US between Democrat and Republican states, and the disparity between London and other English cities in terms of education and income.
“The changes induced by globalisation, the Rust Belt problems, the uncertainty of jobs, these are real problems, which people feel. You have to address them, you have to make people not only deal with the problems but make people feel that their concerns have been heard and have been attended to,” said Lee, who was speaking to Singapore media on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Peru.
Noting that comparisons have been made to the 2011 General Election in Singapore, which saw anger among Singaporeans over immigration policies, Lee said that there is a “massive difference in scale” compared to what happened in the UK and the US.
The Prime Minister added that social divides cannot be allowed to widen, because rebuilding these bridges will be very difficult.
Asked if the authorities will implement policies to redistribute wealth more equally within society, Lee pointed to government schemes like Workfare and the Pioneer Generation Package, as well as basic schemes like healthcare and the Housing and Development Board’s home ownership programme.
Lee added that spending in such schemes have gone up considerably compared to 10 years ago.
“I think the spending, the welfare scheme, the social safety nets is one part, but the self-reliance and giving people the ability to look after themselves and investing in people, I think that is another very important part,” Lee said.
