The Singapore government unveiled a master plan on Sunday to double capacity at Southeast Asia's busiest airport, build a new waterfront city, move its massive port and relocate a military airbase to free up land for development.
The plan announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong follows mounting discontent in one of the world's wealthiest nations over an influx of foreign workers and expatriates blamed for a range of problems - from strained infrastructure to among the highest living costs in Asia.
In an annual National Day address, Lee sought to allay those fears, elaborating on a trove of long-term plans that appear intended to counter a growing voter backlash against the People's Action Party (PAP) that has ruled Singapore for more than half a century.
These include changes to Singapore's health-care and education systems, and the move of its port - the world's second-busiest hub for container shipping - to a new location in Tuas in western Singapore from 2027. That would free up land in Tanjong Pagar, next to the central business district, for a sprawling new waterfront city, Lee said.
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A new generation has begun to openly question the ruling party's wisdom, clamouring for more say in the country's direction.
Online forums bristle with criticism of government plans announced in January to lift the population of 5.3 million by as much as 30 percent by 2030, mostly through foreign workers to offset a low birth rate. This has sparked debate over how many people can fit onto an island half the size of London and how much the national identity will be diluted. Full story...
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The plan announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong follows mounting discontent in one of the world's wealthiest nations over an influx of foreign workers and expatriates blamed for a range of problems - from strained infrastructure to among the highest living costs in Asia.
In an annual National Day address, Lee sought to allay those fears, elaborating on a trove of long-term plans that appear intended to counter a growing voter backlash against the People's Action Party (PAP) that has ruled Singapore for more than half a century.
These include changes to Singapore's health-care and education systems, and the move of its port - the world's second-busiest hub for container shipping - to a new location in Tuas in western Singapore from 2027. That would free up land in Tanjong Pagar, next to the central business district, for a sprawling new waterfront city, Lee said.
(...)
A new generation has begun to openly question the ruling party's wisdom, clamouring for more say in the country's direction.
Online forums bristle with criticism of government plans announced in January to lift the population of 5.3 million by as much as 30 percent by 2030, mostly through foreign workers to offset a low birth rate. This has sparked debate over how many people can fit onto an island half the size of London and how much the national identity will be diluted. Full story...
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