3Q Blog - Releasing all Tensions

Singapore says NO to "Have more babies"

2008-09-04T08:04:00.000-07:00

“Have more babies” is what we constantly hear from the government. However, it seems that Singaporeans are not mercenary in nature and this consistent brainwashing has not been very much successful in churning out babies for Singapore.

I personally very much believe that I am not going to have any sexual intercourse in the near future, nor would I be giving birth in my lifetime despite the technological advancement. Therefore, I trust that I am truly able to provide an unbiased evaluation of this “have more babies” policy.

In today’s context of quality living, it is no longer a matter of just giving birth. The process of giving birth not only gives pain to the mother, but also brings about a series of financial burden to the couple all the way till the baby’s adulthood. Today, food can no longer be harvested from the backyard, nor can education be negligible or remain basic. Education is now much more expensive than before as the classroom is no longer bound by the four walls, but instead global. Bring this back to the topic, we can see that the government’s investment of $900 million dollars a year on pro-family incentives is merely peanuts. Given a $900 million dollars capital, it brings about a question on whether Singaporeans will fall for the trap and start a losing business.

Another consideration of this pro-family policy would be the contradictions and irony it displays. Between the 1960s and 70s, many policies were enacted to raise the cost of bearing more children. These were harsh policies of “population disincentives” which includes higher hospital fee, no priority in public housing assignments and desirable primary schools, together with the absence of maternity leave and income tax deductions, for the third and subsequent children. Many publicity campaigns were also held by the government to encourage couples to “Stop at Two” and to sterilize. In just a matter of 40 years, the government has completely changed its population policies to that of a pro-family one. This obvious contradiction has lost many of the people’s trust towards to government, as they raise doubts on whether it is really beneficial to bear more children. In fact, many women who are attracted by the current incentives would already be sterilized.

Unlike industrialized countries such as Sweden and Denmark, which are enjoying high fertility rates with the introduction of generous social benefits, Singapore is not exactly successful despite its pro-family measures. One of the many possible reasons as to why Singaporeans still refuse to bear more children despite the incentives might be the lack of proper child care services in Singapore. Many parents have shown concerns about the child care services in Singapore either through forum pages or blogs, relating incidents of child caretakers’ ignorance to the wellbeing of the child. In this globalizing and industrialized world, working parents are no longer free to take good care of their child throughout the day. Being responsible couples who understand that they are unable to trust child care services of Singapore, many chose not to bear more children. Instead of throwing in more and more money to the couples, the Singapore government should examine the quality of child care services in Singapore instead.

In conclusion, it is no doubt that the Singapore government is really putting in a lot of effort to increase the declining population of Singapore. However, there is an important need to examine the real reasons as of why couples refuse to give birth. It is very important for the government to place their ears to the ground and really hear the voices of the people. I believe that through proper revision of the government policies and through education, the total fertility rate of Singapore will eventually exceed the target of 2.1.

Democracy creates stability- Discuss

2008-06-22T03:15:00.000-07:00

Democracy is a system of governance which revolves around two ideologies that all members of the society have equal access to power and that all members enjoy universally recognised freedoms and liberties. In order to prove the claim that “democracy creates stability”, democracy would need to be able to ensure an absence of conflicts in a society when practiced solely.

Freedom and equality are the ideals in which democracy attempts to uphold. With emphasis on the protection of freedoms of individuals, individuals are both free from outside coercion and can act upon their own will. This would ensure the absence of conflicts upon any decision making processes, such as election of political representative, and therefore creates stability.

With the emphasis on equality among all individuals, there will be equal distribution of incentives, rights and power, such as equal distribution of wealth, voting rights and access to public facilities. Conflicts would therefore be resolved as there will be no need for competitions.

"No famine has ever taken place in the history of the world in a functioning democracy," - Democracy as Freedom. During a transition from a state of instability to a more stable state, stability is said to be created. Many countries which adopted democracy as a system of governance had improved tremendously in many areas- social, political and economic aspects. This trend can be observed from the fact that most of the countries with the highest level of human development are democracies, while most of the poorest are autocracies.

Democracy, however, is not to be claimed the sole factor to the creation of stability in a society. Democracy is not necessary for the development of a nation. This can be seen from Singapore and South Korea in which their rapid progress range from high levels of education to sound economic policies and not democracy solely. Therefore, democracy cannot be claimed to be the sole factor to the development, which is a form of stability to a nation.

Thomas Jefferson once said: “A democracy is nothing more than mob rule.” This is one example of the failure to uphold the ideals of democracy in which the rights of the minority and equality are compromised and only the decision of the majority is taken into consideration. Another example will be the fact that most democratic constitutions imply that power belongs to the citizens. This would results in a situation in which immigrants’ rights and also the true principles of democracy are compromised. When there is inequality and an absence of freedom, there are bound to be conflicts, leading to instability of the nation.

In conclusion, despite the fact that stability is created in many developing countries which practices democracy, there is no evidence to prove that democracy is the sole factor to this creation of stability. On the contrary, there have been evidences and case studies to prove otherwise. It is certain that the ideals and concept of democracy, when practiced to perfection, would create stability. However, of all the democratic governmentation practiced throughout the world, none has upheld its ideals, freedom and equality. This has led us to wonder if democracy revolves around false ideologies that we would never be able to practice.

Therefore, I believe that democracy is unable to create stability and would only at the most enhance the process of creating stability.

REPONSE TO "Singapore: Suicide Among Teenagers Increased- By Lee Hui Chieh"

2008-03-10T03:22:00.000-07:00

I am interested in this article as I had lost a friend due to suicide at an age of 12. I feel that suicide is a very serious problem faced by Singapore. In my opinion, the government is not doing enough to prevent suicide especially among teens.

Flipping the newspapers, I would always spot suicide cases. It really makes me wonder if the media is trying to blow up the severity of suicide cases or if suicide has already become the "norms" of Singapore.

Suicide would have severe implications ranging from economic impacts, social impacts to political impacts. The immediate effects of an increase in suicide cases would be the rise in death rate, causing severe social problems. Another impact would be a possible economic downfall - How many businessmen would dare to invest their fortune in a country with declining population? This would also result in socio-economic problems such as unemployment and poor living conditions. The fact that the government is unable to govern the nation would also result in negative political impacts such as loss of political influence internationally. As the nation goes down for a dive, more people might seek suicide as a solution, causing a vicious cycle.

I had noticed through the primary school education system that the government is trying to solve this major problem by creating hotlines, such as the National Hopeline Network, to help teens with psychological problems.

According to the article, two of the triggering factors in teen suicides are relationship problems and getting into trouble. I feel that solving the root of the problem would be more efficient than providing help after one has faced psychological traumas. I feel that schools should counsel the students upon making a mistake, instead of merely punishing them. This would allow the child to learn from their mistakes and realize the need to face the consequences instead of "running away". I also feel that schools should also educate the teens on dealing with relationship problems instead of just telling them to stay away from relationships. Get real. Schools should not ask teens to do the impossible. Parents should also play a role in monitoring the child's behaviour - "like loss of interest in their favourite activities and poor school results, is one indicator".

A good friend of mine, together with his whole family, commited suicide due to financial difficulties. If only the society had recognized the problem beforehand, such tragedy would not have taken place. As a friend, I had also failed to realize his plight even while enjoying the last meal with him.

As someone who had suffered the direct psychological effects of suicide, I recognises the effort put in by the Singapore government to solve the problem. Therefore, I feel that the increase in suicide cases is a failure of the whole society, not only that of the government. Together, we should show more concern to other individuals around us and provide assistance upon the problems they face before we regret it.

Word Count: 499

Newpaper Article: http://acr.hrschool.org/mainfile.php/0117/88/

Singapore: Suicide Among Teenagers Increased
An innovative study
conducted by three doctors examining suicide rates among teenagers It's not
stress over grades but friction with parents and breaking up with a boyfriend or
girlfriend that act as trigger

By Lee Hui Chieh

FRICTION with parents and breaking up with boyfriends or girlfriends are
the main factors that push Singapore's under-20s over the edge.

Not so stress over school grades. In only three of the 28 youth suicides
in 2001 was it a possible trigger, according to a study by three doctors. One
was a nine-year-old girl.

The figures debunk the popular perception that pressure to do well in
school is driving Singapore's young to the brink.

They also show that:*more boys than girls (16 against 12) commit
suicide*all jumped off high-rise residential blocks*almost half (13) were school
dropouts, and *three-quarters were aged between 14 and 19, with the youngest
aged nine.

But the figures do not indicate a trend, said Dr Daniel Fung, adding that
the annual average in the past five years is 20 youths.

Dr Fung, who presented the study at a recent Institute of Mental Health
(IMH) conference, said suicide is usually caused by a mix of factors.

'But from our study, academic stress wasn't a major reason. It's usually
relationship problems, especially with their parents.'

They could range from being reprimanded to being troubled by spats
between their parents, said Dr Fung, deputy chief of IMH's department of child
and adolescent psychiatry.

He identified these potential suicide sparks from coroners' reports,
which he studied with Dr Chia Boon Hock, a private psychiatrist, and Dr Lynn
Chiam of the National Healthcare Group.

The Samaritans of Singapore, which runs a help-line for troubled people,
agrees with the findings. A spokesman said: 'From our research, two-thirds of
the callers aged below 19 were troubled by problems with family members.'

Problems with boyfriends/girlfriends or peers came second (36 per cent)
and problems at school or work ranked third (24).

However, for pre-teens, friction with friends is often the main cause of
depression.

'A quarrel or losing their best friend can make them very sad and
overwhelm them,' said social worker Christina Appadoo, coordinator of Tinkle
Friend, a helpline for under-12s.

The final straw is not easy to spot, although there are tell-tale signs
of a teen near the brink, said counsellors.

Sudden change of behaviour, like loss of interest in their favourite
activities and poor school results, is one indicator. Those who have attempted
suicide and suffer from depression are also at higher risk.

But the must-not-ignore signs are when they write farewell notes, call up
friends to say goodbye, give away treasured belongings and behave secretively,
said Dr Fung.

An American professor, who has studied global teen suicide trends for 20
years, said most suffer from depression for six months to two years before their
deaths.

'Two main factors trigger suicides: getting into trouble, such as
cheating, and losing a boyfriend or girlfriend,' said Professor David Shaffer,
head of child and adolescent psychiatry at New York's Columbia University.

Prof Shaffer, who also spoke at the conference here, said if the signs
are spotted early, professionals can step in. It can be as simple as getting
teens to answer questions to test for depression.

But as many suicidal teens drop out of school, doctors here said the best
way is to teach teens, in particular, how to recognise the signs.

Said Dr Fung: 'Educating their peers is the most important because who
knows teenagers best? It's their friends.'

Posted on 2003-03-05