- Title: SINGAPORE: Thousands attend May Day rally against Singapore population plan.
- Date: 1st May 2013
- Summary: SINGAPORE (MAY 1, 2013) (REUTERS) CROWD GATHERED FOR PROTEST AT SPEAKERS' CORNER PROTEST ORGANISER GILBERT GOH SPEAKING ON STAGE CROWD LISTENING T-SHIRT MOTIF REJECTING POPULATION PROJECTION OF 6.9 MILLION PEOPLE FOR SINGAPORE GOH SPEAKING ON STAGE CROWD APPLAUDING SIGN SAYING "SAVE SINGAPORE" TWO MEN WEARING GUY FAWKES MASKS APPLAUDING (SOUNDBITE) (English) GILBERT GOH, PROTEST ORGANISER, SAYING: "I think it speaks of the volume of patriotism that we have. We are a patriotic people. We want to say something against the policy. We are not against foreigners, really, trust me. But we are against the policy, the policy of bringing in extra millions of people without really consulting the people." SPEAKER ON STAGE PLACARD ASKING PEOPLE HOW THEY CAN AFFORD TO BUY PUBLIC HOUSING (HDB FLAT) IN SINGAPORE WOMAN IN CROWD WITH SINGAPORE FLAG PROTEST BANNER (SOUNDBITE) (English) 44-YEAR-OLD PROTEST PARTICIPANT, CHEE YEW CHONG, SAYING: "Just want to help to fill up the numbers. To send a clear message to whoever is in government that we are not happy to have overcrowding in Singapore." CROWD AT PROTEST PEOPLE WEARING PROTEST T-SHIRTS SPEAKER ON STAGE OTHER SPEAKERS SEATED ON STAGE (SOUNDBITE) (English) 38-YEAR-OLD PROTEST PARTICIPANT, EDMUND LOKE, SAYING: "We can make a difference by coming here to protest. It's a peaceful protest to let the government know that not everybody likes the way they do things over in Singapore. This country does not belong to them. It belongs to every Singaporean." PROTEST BANNER AGAINST 6.9 MILLION POPULATION PROJECT PROTEST BANNER READING "NO TO 6.9" PEOPLE SIGNING PROTEST BANNER TO PETITION AGAINST 6.9 MILLION POPULATION PROJECTION LADY SIGNING ON BANNER MAN SIGNING ON BANNER MAN'S FACE MAN WRITING "FOREIGNERS = MASTERS, SINGAPOREANS = SLAVES" ON BANNER
- Embargoed: 16th May 2013 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Singapore
- Country: Singapore
- Topics: General,Politics,Population
- Reuters ID: LVAA9QAAO60FNRM9OL5H9ALEOY85
- Story Text: At least 3,000 people gathered in downtown Singapore during a Labour Day rally on Wednesday (May 1), protesting the government's immigration policies and growing income disparities in the city state.
The rally is a follow up to one of Singapore's largest ever protests attended by at least 4,000 people in February against the government policies of the long-ruling People's Action Party (PAP).
The PAP-controlled parliament in the highly regimented city state had earlier in the year approved a white paper that said the island's population of 5.3 million could grow by as much as 30 percent to 6.9 million by 2030, mostly through foreign workers to offset a chronically low birth rate.
Critics say the island is already too crowded, with a population density exceeding that of rival Asian business centre Hong Kong.
They blame the flood of foreigners over the past decade for stagnant wages, crowded trains and rising prices that puts housing beyond the reach of the average Singaporean, and say further inflows would change the very nature of the island.
Protest organiser Gilbert Goh said the rally was not against foreigners but rather against the government's immigration policies.
"I think it speaks of the volume of patriotism that we have. We are a patriotic people. We want to say something against the policy. We are not against foreigners, really, trust me. But we are against the policy, the policy of bringing in extra millions of people without really consulting the people," he said.
The rally was held at Speakers' Corner in a park on the edge of Singapore's glitzy financial district -- exempt from strict controls on assembly in the city state.
Singapore, with a land area of 714 square km (275 sq miles), is one of the of the world's wealthiest countries with a per capita GDP of $50,000.
It has been ruled since independence in 1965 by the PAP, credited with transforming the island from a British colonial outpost into a global business centre with clean streets, an efficient civil service and the world's highest concentration of millionaires.
But Singaporeans who joined the protest said they are not happy with the effects of the increase in population caused by the government's immigration policies in recent years.
"Just want to help to fill up the numbers. To send a clear message to whoever is in government that we are not happy to have overcrowding in Singapore," said 44-year-old Singaporean, Chee Yew Chong.
"We can make a difference by coming here to protest. It's a peaceful protest to let the government know that not everybody likes the way they do things over in Singapore. This country does not belong to them. It belongs to every Singaporean," said 38-year-old Singaporean, Edmund Loke.
Participants at the rally were encouraged to sign on petition banners that reject the government's population projection of 6.9 million people for Singapore by 2030.
Protesters have also hit out at the rising cost of living and income inequality in the city state, which is among the highest in the developed world. Many Singaporeans struggle on an average monthly wage of about S$4,100 (3,300 U.S. dollars).
The cost of housing has doubled over the past decade and the cost of buying a car is among one of the highest in the world due to taxes aimed at curbing vehicle ownership.
The PAP holds 80 of 87 elected seats in parliament despite recent electoral setbacks, including a dip in its share of the popular vote to about 60 percent in the 2011 general election. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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