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Challenges facing Singapore

As I live everyday in this small tiny island, I always observe that Singaporeans seem to be engulfed in a state of complacency: believing that the good and prosperous economy is always a given and enjoying the fruits of the economy without realising that our economy is one that is subject to the vagaries of the global economy and global, regional competition.

Singaporeans seem to be apatheic politically and apatheic socially, always asking government how it can do to better improve their lives without thinking that the whole country as a whole depends on each and every Singaporean.

Singapore is scare of natural resources and our most valuable resource is our people. We need talented people as well to continually innovate and be the drivers for our economy in the midst of increasing competition regionally and internationally. Singapore welcomes foreign talents, which will help us further grow our economy and create jobs for Singaporeans. However, the notion of ‘foreign talent’ is one that is sensitive to the locals as the primary impression this buzzword creates in the mind of many Singaporeans is the competition posed to the locals by the foreigners.

The region is developing very rapidly, Iskander Development Region is on the cards, Singapore faces real challenges amidst the increasing development of the region and the world.

Our youth is our future. Many of our youth seem to be indulging in life, living a bed of rose, without knowing hardship and some of them even contemplate migration once Singapore’s lifestyle is no longer comfortable to them.

As such, it is a sobering thought. Singapore’s most valuable asset is its people and the challenge is for its asset to realise life in Singapore is what they make out to be.

This is not the challenge Singapore faces, other key challenges include the increasing income gulf between the rich and poor and the ageing population.

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