Aging Population (Zi Yuan)

3 things I learnt
That plans may backfire
Proper family planning is important for a country
A country can only become prosperous if the population is at a sufficient number
2 perceptions
Government is trying to help maintain the population
People do not want or want babies
1 question
Why do people not try to help the government

Lights of Legacy, Brighter Singapore (Yi Ting)

  CHINGAY - an annual street procession held in Singapore as part of the Lunar New Year celebrations.

  The first Chingay Parade held in Singapore was on the 4th of February, 1973. It was initially suggested by our late Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew to stage a Chingay parade similar to those held in Penang. His purpose was to create a festive mood for all Singaporeans. This was because the ban of firecrackers in Singapore, due to the deaths and injuries caused by its fatal explosions, since June 1972  had led to the absence of traditional firecrackers, which is a customary New Year practice to drive away evil spirits and also for simply celebrating the Lunar New Year, causing unhappiness and reduced public enthusiasm for the occasion. Thus, with all the noise and gaiety of Chingay, the ban of firecrackers was compensated.

  Today, Chingay has become a uniquely Singaporean Lunar New Year Tradition, held during the first weekend of the Lunar New Year. This annual street extravaganza is now a national festival that
epitomises the dynamism of Singapore's vibrant and multicultural society, and is celebrated by Chinese, Malays, Indian and Eurasians alike.In addition, This national event is the largest street performance and float parade in Asia.

  This year marks the first year towards Singapore's next 50 years and hence, Chingay 2016 is aptly themed,"Lights of Legacy, Brighter Singapore". Singaporeans from diverse backgrounds will come together to celebrate the core values, which were advocated by the Founding Prime Minister and other Founding Fathers, which also are important to Singapore as we take the first step towards SG100. These five core values include:

1) Racial harmony and social cohesion, including inter-religious harmony;

2) Building a warm and caring community;

3) Having resilience as a nation;

4) Every citizen adopting a can-do Singapore spirit, for example, we should confront, have courage, and get things done;

5) Upholding high moral values, such as integrity, honesty, fair-mindedness, and prudency.
In Chingay 2016, these values will be brought to live. Quoting PA Chief Executive Director Mr Ang Hak Seng, "Chingay 2016 represents the first step towards SG100, as we celebrate the Singapore Spirit and our shared values that have transformed us from a fishing village into a modern metropolis. We celebrate these values that have brought us this far, and will take us into the future with confidence.". 

  Based on my personal observations and understanding of the annual Chingay parade, I feel that the parade's original main focus and purpose, of simply celebrating the Lunar New Year, has been lost over the years. This year's Chingay parade carries the purpose of marking the start of our nation's next 50 years, with the illuminated opening act of  "Voyage SG100". But how and why has the purpose changed since the first Chingay parade in Singapore?

  Firstly, as our nation grows, we gradually learn to understand and include our diverse society of different races and religions which will be included in our range of national events and activities. In this case, Chingay slowly grew from a Chinese-centric parade, to the Chingay as of today, where the floats designed, performers participating and performances included in the parade include people of different age, race, language, religion and creed. This allows multi-cultural Singapore to come together and celebrate as one, whether we are one of the 8000 performers enjoying ourselves as we perform with pride, or one of the 10000 audiences sitting comfortably in our seats as we watch the spectacular show. Also, as our parade grabs global attention and recognition, we also include international acts in our parade, such as the Eurasian Association and the Everlasting Illuminating Passion with Awa Dance with the SJ50 float, both as of Chingay 2016. In addition, for the first time in Chingay's history, the Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO) has collaborated with 30 religious groups to present an item at Chingay 2016, called "Because We Are Different, We Are One", taking on a special meaning as the racial and religious harmony we enjoy today was forged through trials of fire, something we must never take for granted. This item reinforces the important message of mutual respect and universal brotherhood. Thus, due to Singapore's multi-cultural society and with the Chingay parade being a national event, the team of organizers has to support the idea of an 'inclusive society' by including performances featuring people of all walks of life. Gradually, the participants audience is no longer just the Chinese, but everyone. Therefore, the purpose and main aim of the Chingay parade changes from celebrating Chinese New Year, to themes related to the nation instead, allowing it to be relatable to all national viewers of diverse backgrounds, and to reflect our multi-cultural heritage to foreign viewers.

  Secondly, as the number of people in Singapore who have experienced celebrating Lunar New Year with firecrackers decreases, and as those who have experienced celebrating Lunar New Year with firecrackers gradually learn to accept the ban, people are no longer angry, affected or concerned about the ban of firecrackers in Singapore. Thus, the focus on compensating the absence of firecrackers eventually fades away and the purpose of Chingay focuses mostly on the appropriate national affairs that year, or simply just to reflect our multi-cultural nation. However, some parts of the parade will still suggest the idea of celebrating the Lunar New Year, such as the 'flying dragons' and firecrackers.

  Therefore, I feel that things change as time passes, and we have to adapt to new changes and accept our differences, so the purpose of the Chingay parade changes over the years to appeal to people of all walks of life.

  Whether it is to make up to the absence of firecrackers for the Lunar New Year or to set a mark to our nation's first year to our next 50, I believe that the organizers have successfully fulfilled the respective purposes. However, I can only be certain about the successful purpose fulfillment of this year's parade as it is the only one that I have ever witnessed. Chingay 2016 is themed "Lights of Legacy, Brighter Singapore". The lights used at Chingay 2016 signify the wisdom of out founding fathers leading Singapore towards a brighter future. "Lights of Legacy" is represented by the sky lanterns illustrated by residents pledging their support towards upholding values such as resilience, social harmony and integrity. These sky lanterns were part of the parade finale. Thus, the first half of the theme suggests the continuation of upholding our Founding Fathers' core values and learning from the wisdom of them who have brought Singapore this far. "Brighter Singapore" is represented by the lighted cubes and the opening and finale items of the parade. The cubes are decorated by children and youths, depicting our ideal Singapore in 2065, and are later signed by friends and family members to show their support for the youths' aspirations for the future of Singapore. The opening and finale performances of  "Voyage SG 100" and "Lights of Legacy, Brighter Singapore" respectively, signify that our nation's progress so far can only be sustained if we are a caring community, where no one is left behind, as 800 out of the 3000 performers of these two items are youths. Thus, "Brighter Singapore" suggests that unity improves our nation as our nation progresses.
  Our multi-cultural society is an evidence of our nation's progression, thus people of all walks of life was included in the performance. This society also proves the work and effort made by our Founding Fathers to make our nation an inclusive one, where no one is left out, for the past 50 years of Singapore history. This supports the second half of the theme "Brighter Singapore", where unity is strength, when we come together as One People, One Singapore. This also suggests the marking of our nation's next 50 years as a multi-cultural society is the result of the efforts of our Founding Fathers since 50 years ago. Additionally, as an audience, I could see the bright smiles on the faces of the performers as they presented their stunning performances to us. This shows the joy in our multi-cultural society and success in our Founding Fathers' nation-building efforts. Thus, this also shows that we, the new generation, must continue on the legacy of their wisdom and high values to build a better Singapore, support the theme "Lights of Legacy, Brighter Singapore".

  I have seen many student volunteers involved in the Chingay parade this year. A group of my
friends are involved in as performers and I have seen many teenage students at where we, audiences', were seated at. This adds on to the point of a caring community as not only adults are involved in this major national event. Hence, this also proves the second half of Chingay 2016's theme "Brighter Singapore".

 

The "Lights of Legacy, Brighter Singapore" float at the finale of the parade has left a deep impression on me as it has strongly promoted "Lights of Legacy", displaying the five core values beautifully on the light-bulb-shaped float. This allows us the younger generation to understand these values and start living by them, because honestly, if it wasn't for this year's Chingay parade, I would have never known about the existence of these core values advocated by out Founding Fathers.

  I think that another way they have stressed on the theme is by including the LED light bulb into our
goodie bags. This leads us to having a deep impression on the theme "Lights of Legacy, Brighter Singapore" as we can relate the light bulb to the first half of the theme, which leads us to recalling the whole theme and finally link it to the mark of Singapore's next 50 years.

  Due to the above factors, explanations and personal thoughts, I conclude that the organizers have successfully fulfilled the purpose of setting a mark to our nation's next 50 years with this year's Chingay parade, by linking most of the performances to the theme, which reflects the message of  "Voyage SG 100".

  This year's Chingay parade was the first one for me as an audience and it had left a really deep impression on me. I enjoyed the performa
nces a lot. Chingay parades to come are definitely not to be missed! I am extremely grateful and thankful for this great opportunity to watch the Chingay parade NE show for the first time, especially when it is on the year where we first step foot as a nation to our next 50 years.

  I hereby wish all Singaporeans to carry on the LIGHTS OF LEGACY of our Founding Fathers and to strive and work hard for a BRIGHTER SINGAPORE. VOYAGE SG 100!





(photo credits to all rightful owners of the images)

Lights of Legacy, Brighter Singapore (Zi Yuan)

I think that the purpose of Chingay is to let Singaporeans know about the values that our founding fathers believed in. The purpose of the first Chingay is to keep the spirit of Chinese New Year as firecrackers had just been banned. On 4 February 1973, the first Singapore Chingay parade was held partly as a result of the ban on firecrackers a year earlier in 1972 as a result of fire hazards. This ban was viewed unfavourably despite the safety issues involved. Some people felt that the ban would result in a much dampened festival mood for the Chinese New Year period. To address this issue, the People's Association and the Singapore National Pugilistic Association jointly organised a street parade from Jalan Besar to Outram Park featuring the signature floats, acrobatic acts, lion and dragon dances, stilt walkers, and the like, to bring back some cheer to the general public.
Now Chingay is no longer only a parade to celebrate the Chinese New Year. It has become a parade to entertain and educate people. The organisers have definitely fulfilled the purpose because the audience were all captivated by the performances and floats. We also learnt about the values that Singapore's founding fathers wanted to promote. Chingay has changed over the last 43 years from a small parade to a large-scale event that is aired all around the world.
Chingay became a multi-cultural parade from 1977 when Malay and Indian groups started joining in the performances, which was to mark a major precedent in the overall flavour of the parade into one which has become largely multi-cultural in character, despite the continued presence of traditional Chinese acts such as lion dances and stilt walkers to this day.
Chingay became an international event in 1987 when a group from Japan participated for the first time with their float sponsored by The Straits Times.
Therefore, Chingay has been very successful and our founding fathers had great vision to be able to see that Chingay would be accepted by the Chinese over the ban of the firecrackers. From a small scale event for the Chinese to an international event for all races in Singapore, Chingay has definitely been a success. The purpose of Chingay has been fulfilled as Singaporeans have definitely known about the values that our founding fathers believed in.

Aging Population (Yi Ting)

3 things I found out:
1) China's one child policy was implemented in the year 1979, was eased in 2013, and ended in 2016.
2) Singapore's two child policy was implemented in 1972, and ended in 1987.
3) Both policies were implemented to reduce the countries' high birth rates and slow the population growth rate.
2 perceptions I have gained:
1) We should think about the long-term consequences instead of focusing solely on achieving the short-term goals. In this case, in order to quickly decline the nations' populations, the child limit policies were made, causing the population to decrease too much and too rapidly.
2) Although more effort may be needed, the government are able to think of ways to slowly rid the negative impacts of their initiatives. In this case, after realizing the sudden and rapid over-decline in the nation's population, the Singapore government came out with the "Baby Bonus" plan to encourage more child births to increase the youth of our aging population.
1 question I have:
1) What other actions are taken by the Singapore government to tackle the aging population?

Eco-systemic Tensions (Yi Ting)

  As a nation strives to grow quickly economically, there are bound to be side effects that comes along with it. An example of one of the Eco-systemic Tensions is education. In this blog post, I will be sharing my opinions about this side effect on the rich and the economy, and vaguely about how it consequently affects one's health, mostly or entirely in the Singapore context.
  The rapid economic progression results in a bigger and richer upper class. Due to our naturally 'kiahsu' (Hokkien term, meaning: afraid of losing) nature, almost all parents will want education for their children in maximum quality and quantity (in other words, the best education for their children), so that their children will grow up to be outstanding and successful in all aspects of life in future, especially career-wise. High-income families have the most ability to do so, causing their children to eventually fall 'victim' to what appears to be beneficial to them.
  With the high level of wealth possessed by the parents of the high-income families, they are able to hire top-notch private tutors to give their children extra tuition classes on almost all subjects so that they will be far ahead of their peers. Also, to build a strong foundation for their children, these children will be sent to elite primary schools. In order to achieve a higher possibility of getting into these primary schools, parents may even buy a property within a 1km radial distance from the school. Apart from academic education, most parents will also send their children to be educated on extra activities such as music and sports. All these will lead to immense amounts of stress in the children due to their packed schedules, allowing them hardly any rest, and also the loads of knowledge they need to absorb and the uncountable work and revision to be done, causing the children to be extremely pressurized.
  Other than providing the children with these material 'needs', the high social statuses of the parents and them talking about the great achievements of their friends or relatives also pressurizes the children as they will stress themselves to work extremely hard to be as successful as their parents so as to not let them down and cause the lessons spent on them to be wasted, and also not to let them 'lose face' or be speechless about their lack of achievements when chatting with their friends of equal statuses about their children's achievements, future plans etc. This adds on to the already very 'jialut' (Hokkien term, meaning terrible) amount of stress suffered by the children.
  On the surface, outsiders may feel that it is a luxury for these children to be receiving such excellent education, giving them promising futures. However, these children are actually 'victims' of the stress and pressure caused both directly and indirectly by their 'kiahsu' parents. The high level of stress experienced by these children may lead to psychological illnesses, such as depression and anxiety disorders, and also physical illnesses, such as gastrointestinal problems and those caused by obesity.
  Therefore, I feel that with the younger generation of rich people suffering from illnesses caused by stress, their bodies will fail them and may cause natural deaths or serious body failures that prevent them from working and gaining an income. Also, with their lives evolving solely around education and education-wise competition as children and youths, they will feel the lack of point of living, causing them to commit suicide even before reaching adulthood. Even if they grow into adults, their lives still solely evolve around earning money and work-based competition,causing them to attempt suicide as well, or just simply death or body failures due to stress. This causes the bigger and richer upper class to decrease, which gradually leads to an economic downfall.
  As the saying goes, "slow and steady wins the race". I believe that a slow economic progression that stabilizes will be much more efficient than a rapid economic progression which will eventually lead to economic failure.
  In conclusion, I feel that these major decision makers should think thoroughly about the consequences and implications to come before making major adjustments to and taking major action on the society, in order to minimize, or even prevent such Eco-systemic Tensions.

Lights of Legacy, Brighter Singapore (Ji Yin)

As a result of the ban of firecrackers in 1972, people's association decided to organise a street parade on the 4th February 1973 in order to satisfy the dampened festive mood from the banned firecrackers. This was how it all started. Since the Chingay Parade was so well received by the public, this has been carried on since and celebrates its 44th anniversary this year.

The theme for this year's Chingay Parade is "Lights of Legacy, Brighter Singapore", celebrating the legacy and wisdom of our founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, and pledging our support and live by the four core values: Racial Harmony and Social Cohesion, Caring Community, Resilience as a Nation, Can-do Singapore spirit and Uphold high moral values. The theme suggests that Singapore would be brighter, more successful in the future. It might also be a metaphor for the lights at the Chingay Parade.

The first Chingay Parade was not only to bring the festive mood back after the ban of firecrackers but also toward off evil spirits and in other countries, to celebrate the birth of Chinese deities. The main audience of Chingay Parades were Chinese. Starting from 1976, Chingay Parade took a multicultural flavour and is enjoyed by the Malays as well as Indians and Eurasians. On one of the floats, it says "Because We Are Different, We Are One". Here in Singapore, age, race, language, and creed are no barriers. We celebrate as one Singapore, together.

I think the organisers have successfully fulfilled this purpose. The Organisers have successfully made people of all ages, races, languages together to enjoy the Chingay Parade, and as could be seen in the photos, the Chingay Parade was beautifully brought together by performers. Everyone enjoyed themselves watching the Chingay Parade and that was what mattered the most. As a fellow Singaporean watching the Chingay Parade I felt very proud of my country, which was why I felt the organisers have successfully fulfilled this purpose.

"Regardless of race, language or religion to build a democratic society based on justice, prosperity and progress for our nation". I feel that we should accept everyone of all races and most importantly remember the four core values and make Singapore a brighter place for everyone together.

Lights of Legacy, Brighter Singapore (Joan)

Dating back to 1972, due to the ban of firecrackers as a result of fire hazards, the first Chingay parade in Singapore was held on the 4th of February 1973 by Mr Lee Kuan Yew to bring back the  festive mood during the Chinese New Year period. 

The theme for Chingay 2016 "lights of legacy, brighter Singapore" as shown in the picture above, suggests that Chingay 2016 will be the brightest over the last 43 years history of Chingay parades and with the biggest full-scale illuminated show. Chingay 2016 represents our first step towards SG100 after our 50 years milestone. Our nation progress with the 5 core values fostered by our founding fathers and exhibited by our pioneer generation which are Racial Harmony and Social Cohesion, Caring Community, Resilience as a Nation, Can-Do Singapore Spirit and Uphold high moral values. I think that the purpose of Chingay 2016 is to celebrate as one nation the core values that have brought us from a Malay fishing village to a prosperous and modern Singapore we are living in now and create a brighter future for Singapore and to bring different races, religions and people of all walks of life together.

The first Chingay parade was started as a compensation for the ban on firecrackers which is a Chinese New Year practice to drive away evil spirits with its noise and it involves only the Chinese performing to welcome the new year. However, the Chingay parade now involves people of different ethnics and religions to celebrate the diverse culture and a cohesive and harmonious society that we are living in. The racial harmony we have today cannot be taken as granted as at our 4th year after independence, 2 racial riots happened and the Chingay parade is a good time to remind ourselves that the harmony is hard to come so we should cherish it. 

These changes were made to let everybody living in Singapore feel accepted and that Chingay is also a unique platform in which all religions and races can come together to show other countries our spirit of racial harmony and our multicultural society. Also, performers from overseas travel to Singapore to celebrate and take part in Chingay to usher in the Chinese New Year which not only the Chinese can celebrate but everybody regardless of race, religion and language. This too can strengthen the bonds between Singapore and our overseas friends. With vibrant floats, and performers of different races in their traditional costumes and many more performances, this yearly street parade has truly becomes a uniquely Singaporean tradition. 

I think that the organisers have successfully fulfilled the purpose as Chingay 2016 is the first year to introduce a joint performance by 30 religious organisations and groups. This will give Singaporeans  a sense of pride that Singapore is a nation that has inter-racial and inter-religious harmony. Also, from the item shown above "Because We Are Different, We Are One", it is a reminder that the racial and religious harmony that Singaporeans enjoy today was forged through trials of fire and to reiterate something that we should not take for granted. The organisers have effectively brought together 30 religious organisations and groups and that people with different races and religions come together as one family to perform and forge friendship and care. Thus, the core values of Racial Harmony and Social Cohesion and Caring Community have been shown. Representing 'Lights of legacy', the organisers had Singaporeans from all walks of life to customise 7500 sky lanterns with their wishes and hopes for Singapore's future. Representing 'Brighter Singapore', the organisers too had children and youths to show their ideal Singapore in SG100 as they pledged to ensure a brighter Singapore. 

As we walk the journey towards SG100, without forgetting the 5 core values fostered by our founding fathers and pioneers by taking them into our hearts and instilling them into us to create a brighter Singapore and become a more united and caring nation as ever. 

Lights of Legacy, Brighter Singapore (Shalyn)

Chingay 2016 represents Voyage SG100, which is our first step towards SG100 after the SG50 celebrations last year, where Singaporeans from all walks of life come together to celebrate this milestone for Singapore and the core values that are important to us. These values have made us who we are today, once from a fishing village, to a modern metropolis. Chingay 2016's purpose is to bring us into the future with confidence, as we look back at all of these values that made us uniquely Singaporean.

Picture Source: http://www.nas.gov.sg/blogs/archivistpick/the-first-chingay-street-parade-1973/

The first Chingay was celebrated on 4 Febuary 1973, when the People's Association (PA) teamed up with the Singapore National Pugilistic Federation for a grand show. It was the Year of the Ox. It depicted aspects of the Chinese culture-dragon and lion dances, martial arts and street opera. The first Chingay was so well received that the PA made it an annual festival. Ever since then, many changes have been made to this event. 

The first Chingay had only a few chinese performances, but now, there are so many various different kinds of colourful performances. These performances are performed by many different people from diverse backgrounds. Ever since the first Chingay, the festival has reached out to many different races-Malay, Indian, etc and not just the Chinese. Chingay 2016 has also evolved to be more than just a local event. This year, 14 international groups from 9 countries are also participating in this event, letting the audience experience the dynamsim of different cultures even beyond Singapore. 

These changes were made to let everybody-regardless of race, language or religion to come together to celebrate this event, to usher in the new year. It bonds all of us together, as one Singapore. It also encourages racial harmony and to learn and understand everybody's different cultures.  Involving other countries will help us strengthen our ties with other countries as we celebrate this event together. This shows that this event is accepted by all, and it means that you do not necessarily need to be a Singaporean to attend and share the joy of this festival. With different people participating in this event, we get to appreciate the meaning of Chingay more, and we can even get to meet new people from countries even beyond Asia.

I feel that the organizers have successfully fulfilled their purpose. As you can see in the picture about the Post Office Saving Bank, the title of the float is "Building Stronger Communities". This can be depicted in the future Singapore. We will build stronger communities, without forgetting our core values. By enforcing these communities, we will have a stronger connection with different people. When we are all connected as one, we become one Singapore. For the future years to come, for the future Chingay festivals to come, Singapore will become stronger, and our future will be brighter. When we celebrate SG100 in the next 50 years, we will look back and think about the core values which shaped us, and the core values that are instilled in us. 

Aging Population (Ji Yin)

3 things I learnt:

- Singapore implemented the two-child policy in 1972 while China implemented the one-child policy in 1979.

- Both Singapore and China has abolished this policy.

- Both Singapore and China implemented this policy due to an aging population 

2 perceptions I gained:

- One of a disadvantage of this policy is a drastic drop in population

- One advantage of this policy is that it keeps the nation young

1 question I have:

- How long would it take to balance out our aging population?

Aging Population (Shalyn)

3 things I found out:

• Compared with countries in its income group (the middle fifth of all the countries in the world), China’s crude birth rate of 12 (the number of live births per 1,000 people each year) in 2013 is significantly lower than the group’s average of 19.
• The 24,037 marriages in 2014 involving one Singapore citizen was the most since 1997.
• The one-child policy came about after a rapid growth in the Chinese population in the 1950s and 1960s. It was strictly enforced in urban areas, with reports of forced abortions, sterilisations, as well as heavy financial and social penalties for those who transgressed the one-child law.

2 perceptions I have gained:

• Child policies may work well sometimes, but when it is stretched too far, parents will start to stand their ground about the difficulties in raising children, etc.
• The call for more children was announced because of an increase in the number of adults who do not marry and couples who postpone having children. Thus, these married couples will have to make up for this by giving birth to more babies to maintain the birth rate, while the government tries to get more people to marry.

1 question I have:

• Why do we still need so many children to balance out our aging population?

Aging Population (Joan)

3 things I found out

1) Singapore started the two child policy in 1972 while China started the one child policy in 1979

2) Similarly with Singapore, China too has an aging population thus the government removed the policy recently

3) In Singapore, a lot of incentives were given to married couples so that they will want to give birth. A good example of an incentive is the Baby Bonus

2 perceptions I have gained 

1) Policies are made with short term goals, in this context, controlling the population by restricting people to give birth to only an amount of children. However, the policies may have long term implications thus making it hard to reverse the problem.

2) Being a relatively fast growing country, there are always tensions caused in different areas such as education, family, infrastructure, economics and health by the decisions made by the government 

1 question I have 

1) How long will it take to balance out the aging population and the amount of youths and working citizen in Singapore? 

Group Poster

against one child policy

Eco-Systemic Tensions (Shalyn)

Every country wants to grow quickly economically. There is no doubt that Singapore also has a mission on becoming more successful. Over the years, Singapore has been growing and developing rapidly as a country ever since we were a fishing village. We have been becoming more and more successful, with our strong currency. This leads to having hierarchical social categories. The upper, middle and lower classes. When these different classes try to attain the same type of education, infrastructure, health care, etc, problems may arise.

For example, getting health care for the people might differ for each class. The upper class will not have any problems on treating their illnesses as they can afford the expensive treatments, vaccinations, medication for prevention and even afford for better technological facilities, thus having better health.

 However, for the middle and lower classes, they may not be able to afford for such facilities due to their lower income. Firstly, this is unfortunate and unfair for them as they cannot have the benefits of these vaccinations and prevention of diseases, Because of this, they might fall ill more easily and are more prone to deadly diseases and viruses. When they are sick, they will not be able to afford the medical bills for hospitalisation or for the medication. This puts them in greater risks at not being able to recover and if they cannot afford medication to treat deadly diseases like cancer, their lives will be in danger. 

However, with regards to the problem for the middle and lower income, the government has integrated some schemes to help the needy. There are government subsidies of

80% when a patient is hospitalised and has chosen a Class C ward. People can also receive subsidy when visiting GP clinics. The government has also built polyclinics, with medical fees that are cheaper than the clinics. For the middle or lower income, the government has set up the Community Health Assist Scheme which lets them receive subsidies on medical and dental care at participating GPs and dental clinics near their homes. There are also the Medisave. Medishield and Medifund which also aids in providing the needy with more affordable and better health care. Last but not the least, there is also a Medical Fee Exemption Card for the unemployed, needy, low-income households and people with disabilities. 

Eco-Systemic Tensions (Joan)

Singapore has been growing rapidly economically since independence in 1965. Singapore is ranked number one as the costliest city because of our strong currency and rising price inflation. With this quick progress, this can result in a bigger and richer upper class. In terms of family, the richer class will have lesser children compared to family living in poverty as the poor have this mindset that if they give to a lot of children, at least one of them will success and improve their life's when he grows up. however, due to the high cost of living in Singapore, married couples give birth to lesser children as a lot of money is needed to raise a child.

Singapore is a prosperous city but we have a low birth rate and that our population is aging. It is also estimated to have 900k elderly citizens and 1.9m working citizens in the year 2030. Tension arises when we have a big richer class however due to the rapid growth and high cost of living our birth rate stays low. Also, Singapore's life expectancy is one of the highest in the world. With increasing life expectancy and low birth rate, we face the prospect of a shrinking and ageing citizen population and workforce. More citizens will be retiring and singapore has fewer people entering the working-age band, our workforce will decrease significantly as we have lesser manpower. In addition to worsen the problem, the young generation are more educated thus they can choose to leave Singapore and work at other cities. 

However, the government is trying their best and giving incentives to married couples to increase our birth rate and balance out the old-age ratio. 

Prosperity vs Happiness (Ji Yin)

Being a relatively prosperous country, are we  a happy country?

Singapore has a happiness of 39.8 and ranks 90 out of other countries analysed. That is rather low compared to the other countries. Being a relatively prosperous country, we are not happy. In my opinion, the main reason might be due to stress and pressure. Since Singapore is a relatively prosperous country, we have to work hard to maintain it. The harder we work, the more stressed we get, thus resulting in such a low score in our happiness index. Another reason might be because of Singapore's competitive spirit. Singaporeans tend to be very competitive, whether it's a competition, our examinations, we want to be the best in everything. When we don't win, we would be very displeased, thus resulting in a low score in our happiness index. Lastly, I think Singaporeans are always discontent with what they have. Most children of our generation are unaware of how fortunate we are to live everyday knowing that we would not die of hunger. Instead, Singaporeans are always complaining about the tiniest detail. These might be some of the reasons why Singaporeans are not happy.

Does being rich means happy?

I cannot lie that I have never dreamt of being rich. But besides buying the things I desire, I don't think money means happiness. Singapore is a prosperous country, yet we're not happy. After all, all of the best things in life cannot be bought. Like love, friendship, and laughter. Some might be poor, but content with what they have, and that makes them happy. In my opinion, happiness is a different definition to everyone. To some happiness might be money, to others happiness might be being loved. To me, happiness is not wealth, but laughing with my friends, having a meal with my family, and doing a good deed. Does being rich means happy? In my opinion, no.

Prosperity vs Happiness (Zi Yuan)

Singapore has been a very successful business society, but that the relationships among its community members need to be better groomed. According to data by theglobalist.com, In terms of GDP per capita, Singapore is the third richest country in the world. However, the relationship between people is much less stellar than their GDP per capita. However, Singapore has a happiness index of 39.8 and ranks 90 out of the other countries analysed. This is despite the fact that Singapore is a prosperous country. This shows that Singaporeans may be rich monetarily, but they are not happy. Singaporeans complain a lot and about anything and everything. So, it is a fact that Singaporeans are not happy. Therefore, I can conclude that Singaporeans are rich but unhappy.