Planner Who Spoke About ‘10 Million Population’ Said It’s Not a Goal But a Planning Parameter

We have Jamus Lim to thank (or blame, depending on your perspective) for bringing up the issue of a minimum wage in Singapore.

But he’s not the only opposition member to bring issues back to the light.

Dr Chee Soon Juan also brought back the population issue to the forefront of Singaporeans’ minds.

Namely, the ten million population.

For those who have no idea what I’m talking about, you might want to refer to this article for an extensive (but easy to understand, I promise!) recap:

Simply put, the SDP said the PAP is planning for a “10 million population”.

PAP says its #FakeNews.

SDP says impossible because DPM Heng Swee Keat cited Liu Thai Ker, a former chief planner, in a ministerial dialogue, saying Singapore needs a population of 10 million in order to remain sustainable economically.

Well, there’s now a new development in this saga.

Planner Who Spoke About ‘10 Million Population’ Said It’s Not a Goal But a Planning Parameter

On 17 Jul 2020, Liu Thai Ker himself took to the media to explain the “10 million population” remark.

In an interview with Lianhe Zaobao, Mr Liu said the comment on the “10 million population” was his own personal opinion.

He added that the 10-million figure isn’t a goal; it’s actually a planning parameter for the “worst-case scenario”.

“In case of reaching 10 million, we are prepared.”

What He Means

Liu Thai Ker is Singapore’s former chief planner of the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore (URA) and the former chief executive officer of the Housing Board.

Basically, think of him as the guy who decides on what and where to place buildings in Singapore, just like a player in a city-building sim.

Back in 1991, when he led URA to develop a Concept Plan, he had planned for a 5.5 million population in 100 years’ time and developed a gameplan to achieve the goal of accommodating all of the people accordingly.

In 2020, Singapore now has 5.85 million people. That’s way earlier than 2091.

Learning his lesson, he went ahead and did some calculations and came to the conclusion that Singapore might have a 10-million-strong population in the future.

So he started telling urban planners here that they should start planning for one, instead of finding themselves needing to accommodate 10 million people when they’re not the least bit ready.

“If you don’t make preparations now, when you need more expressways and MRT lines, where will the land come from?”

If the 10 million population really happens, he pointed out, planners starting to plan now will make sure people’s lives won’t be “adversely affected”, nor will the cost be that heavy.

Mr Liu’s motto, according to this interview, is: “if the economy grows and population grows, we need to be prepared for it.”

See The Positives Of Foreign Talents

Other than a 10 million population, Mr Liu also has another unpopular opinion he wants to share with Singaporeans.

Don’t just think negatively about foreign talents; think about the positive side too, he urges.

He believes that the government cannot completely control population growth as it’s dependent on “rapid economic growth”.

But, he added, as long as the government is “clean and effective”, and the economy do well, more jobs will naturally be created.

He had also once also said that Singaporeans are educated under the same education system and tend to think alike, and having foreigners come into Singapore with fresh ideas is not a bad thing.

Now that you know about the new development in the 10-million saga, you might as well just watch our video on how WiFi routers work and how you can make them fast even at home: