Buy house, then marry? Reverse that

'Singaporeans are very well-housed. But expectations may have become so high that you want a perfect home before you start a perfect family.

But these are sandcastles we build in our mind.

If choices are based on this kind of personal expectation or aspiration, there's very little the Government can do.

In the old days, some ministers used to say: 'Start a family when you feel like it. No need to wait for the perfect home.'

But people still wait.'

Easy to be single in Singapore

'In the past, the desire for marriage was strengthened by societal sanctions. The sanctions are gone.

So now, if marriage doesn't come through, people think: Never mind.

The Singapore family has also changed. A single person can always be attached to another family. And the single person may take care of the nieces and nephews far better than the parents.

So the nuclear family has extended to absorb not only the unmarried uncles and aunts, but also the maids.

It's interesting, the Singapore family dynamics. Kids deal with so many adults in their lives - some married, some not married, and some are foreigners.'

Work-life balance - is it an excuse?

'Everybody says the crux of the matter is work-life balance.

Really, it's for the youngsters to decide down the road: Do they want to put so much emphasis on their careers that they delay marriage to such a late age, or do they want to settle down a lot earlier?

This is a larger question this society has to face.

The Government has been emphasising this and trying to get the younger population to reflect on it. I guess the young people are reflecting, but they choose to do it their way.

So we have not seen much change in the marriage pattern.'

Managed parenting

'I was on the plane from Beijing to Singapore. There was this Singaporean couple with two kids. One was about seven and independent. The younger one was being tended to by the maid.

So the husband and wife didn't do any baby work.

It's very different in Manhattan, New York, where you see parents doing the work with no help.

I don't know whether it's Asian or very Singaporean, that you delegate the work to the domestic helper.

It's a managed approach.'

Ageing Singaporeans can be a highly positive force

'I am not that concerned about the ageing population partly because the Government has put in a long preparatory process over 20 years.

But it also depends on the older persons themselves. Since there will be so many more of them, how do they interact with each other and with the younger generation and the larger society?

If they take a very positive approach, re-engage society and contribute, it will be very nice.

They can be a very positive force on Singapore society.

But, of course, if they're all withdrawn and just complaining, that can be very disruptive.'

Baby deficit is a structural, deep-seated problem

'We have been working on this since the 1980s. But we haven't seen much improvement.

It goes to show that this is something that's very structural, deep-seated.

It affects people's lifestyles, choices and their valuation of the critical elements of their lives: career, procreation and all that.

In this balance of things, procreation has not been at the top of priorities.'

Island's economic space can support 6.5m people

'Singapore has the potential of holding an even bigger population than 6.5 million.

The Singapore economic space is far greater than the island itself.

Water is less of an issue because of Newater and other technology. And the economic foundations are becoming stronger.

This new era of economic growth requires a new level of manpower supply. Especially with people coming here for lifestyle services, medical treatment, entertainment - and soon for the integrated resorts and F1 race.

So I think 6.5 million is a good interim number to work with.

The Next Lap Committee in the 1990s chose to work with a 5 million target. But the carrying capacity of the island has increased and targets evolve depending on circumstances.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times on July 12, 2008.