What is 6.9m going to be like in 2030? A 4 member family unit will mean 400,000 flats to house an increase of 1.6m people. This could mean two Tampines estates or equivalent land needed at least. And assuming 10% of these 400,000 households will be car owners that will be 40,000 cars on the road and more roads and parking spaces needed, and 40,000 more COEs.
If each household has a school going child, there will be 400,000 more school children running around, needing transport and schools. How many more polytechnic and university places are needed?
If each of these household is a two income family, 800,000 more jobs will need to be created.
If each family eat 4 eggs daily, 1.6m more eggs must be laid by the chickens, daily.
Just think about the consumables and multiply them by 1.6m, a lot more consumption will add on to the economic numbers.
And all this will be piled on to the already congested little islands we are living in.
Are these what we want, progress, growth, well being? Or it is all about congestion, inflation, competition, stress and strains, working and working and working for a little shoe box apartment? By then the size of flats will be determined by the hard realities around us, 6.9m will dictate your life and decide what kind of life you will be living.
Tomorrow (1 May) is the Protest Rally at Hong Lim Park, 4pm. Will you be there?
Chua Chin Leng aka redbean
* The writer blogs at http://mysingaporenews.blogspot.com/