Singapore | Updated today at 06:00 AM
By Andrea Ong
SENIOR Minister Goh Chok Tong on Saturday identified two additional challenges that Singapore now faces, on top of its perennial efforts to ensure inter-racial harmony.
These are: the widening income gap and the need to welcome foreigners.
Speaking to 300 students and parents at an Edusave award ceremony in his Marine Parade ward, SM Goh sketched out these challenges and called on the young to help the community tackle them.
On the issue of widening inequality, he said that Singapore 'emphasises inclusive growth'. 'Economic growth must benefit all members of the community. Otherwise, our community may be divided by differences in income levels within it.'
Meanwhile, Singapore's low birth rates and ageing population mean that the workforce has to be supplemented by foreigners, he said.
To help the country meet these challenges, young Singaporeans should demonstrate a 'love for the community', he said. 'Our young must not become too self-absorbed in their quest for personal achievement... and forget about contributing to the community they live in.'
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