Gov't has to adjust to be acceptable, responsive to people: PM Lee

With the rise of the middle class in Asia, governments have to adjust to population pressures, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

As Singapore's population becomes more educated and assertive, there will be more challenges, he said at an hour-long dialogue session at the CEO Summit on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), reported Channel NewsAsia.

"We are a tiny little island; we need facilities, we need bus stops, we need to put childcare centres, we need to put community hospitals in different parts of the island," he was quoted as saying.

But when these facilities are to be installed, residents will make requests for the facilities to be built elsewhere because it could affect their property value or add noise to the area, he noted, adding that he does understand such sentiments.

The Prime Minister also noted that such problems are not unique to Singapore, with China facing similar issues with where to build petrochemical plans and government projects.

"The nature of the government will have to adjust in order to be acceptable and responsive to these pressures in the population," he was quoted as saying, as he pointed out that government will have to "find their own way forward".

At the same dialogue, the PM also said that Singapore is very much tied to the rest of Asia. He said if China's developments and relations with the rest of the world remain on track, Asia will do well in the next 10 years and beyond.

To leverage on what's happening worldwide, Singapore must continue to build-up knowledge-intensive industries and attract talents, he added.