The S Factor

I think I have distilled the essence of my discontent in Singapore down to one overwhelming factor. SIZE.

Singapore is too small, home to a population that is too big, period. I think every single grievance I have of our red little dot can be attributed in some kind or form to this issue of size. Too small, too crowded, too fast, too expensive, too materialistic, too difficult, too much....the list goes on and I think size lies at the heart of the problems. Let me explain......

Singapore is currently already the 2nd most densely populated region in the world, according to this wiki list, and the most densely populated country. And this is before the population increases by another 2-2.5 million. Statistics aside, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that Singapore is too small for our comparatively gigantic population. Case in point, just take the MRT.

We always hear of the proverbial rat race in Singapore. Singaporeans lament about the impossibility to stop for a breather. But can we help it? I think in some way the relentless chase that we Singaporeans engage in with such fervor is more of a necessity than choice. The ironic thing is that the reason why many of our fellow "rats" are scrambling so desperately to get ahead is to finally be able to stop chasing. It is as if there is some fairytale ending at the end of the marathon, a promised land where everything will be better, an end that will justify the means, no matter how torturous the journey may be. By the way, FYI, the marathon is extended again and the marathon organizers are already thinking of shifting the finishing line. You run till you are 70 or older. Run on fellow rats.....

Some people will contend with my point of the end justifying the means. They will say that nowadays people are more concerned about the journey, not just the destination. The ones I am talking about belong to the older generation, younger Singaporeans are different. They have hopes, dreams, expectations about the life they want to lead. But that is exactly my point. When the promised land is little more than a facade, the journey painfully depressing, people will look for little conveniences, small perks to numb the pain. For instance, with the public transport system creaking under the sheer weight of the growing populating, people will look to private car ownership to provide some relief. Try going home after a long day of work using public transport. After 1 hour of sardine-packing on the trains and buses, you will quickly understand what I am saying. With car prices typically exceeding the average annual salary in Singapore, how can we stop running? Perhaps the only thing that still brings some satisfaction to the MRT commuter is the thought of the sucker stucked in his overpriced Toyota on the CTE with ERP gantry lights flashing above him. We can extend the same argument for property, children, parents etc. They are really relatively expensive here. All the more reasons for us to run faster and harder in this race. Necessity, not choice.

Size is central to this argument. Ever tried running in a marathon? When you are in the midst of the crowd that is pushing forward, it is impossible to go against the tide. This is the scenario we are in. The modest size of the economy, the scarcity of land and rescoures, the comparative undersupply of public goods all serves to inflate prices to an artificial high, from a global perspective. With the influx of immigrants adding to the crowd pushing forward, the momentum builds and fight to go against the tide becomes harder. To alleviate the problem, we need to either widen the road or reduce the number of runners, something the people-in-charge have not figured out. Flooding an already overcrowded economy with cheap labour is a cheap and brainless way to manage a country. To go the China or Indian way of "progress" just reeks of socialism. GDP increase does not translate into a better standard of living if it is achieved by increasing the hordes of slaves in your backyard.

So it is all bad in Singapore? Of course not. Singapore, like any other country, has it's good and bad. We have an exceedingly industrious, efficient and diligent population. We are traditionally more technically savvy than our global counterparts. We are cooperative and rule-abiding. Singapore ranks amongst the safest countries in the world. Kudos to the government for an education system that primes us for academic success probably anywhere else in the world. There is much good Singapore offers. But the fact remains that Singapore equips you to exceed everywhere else but here. From my personal experiences, Singaporeans are more valued overseas. Abroad, they are different, even extraordinary. Success comes easier for them out there, not because they tried harder or got luckier but simply because of what they are and what they represent, naturally. Over here, you are one of the many. Just another rat, from an oversized population in an undersized country.

In a world where everything needs to be in oversized proportions, seems like it is difficult to be truly contented if the oversizing happens only for one and not the other.