The Rhetoric
“We want to make sure that all Singaporeans benefit from our success. As we forged ahead, nobody should be left behind…This will be a land of opportunity for all.”
– PM Lee Hsien Loong, Straits Times, Feb 19, 2005The Reality
“Monthly incomes for households in the bottom 20 per cent fell 3.2 per cent a year, from $933 in 1998 to $795 in 2003.”
– Straits Times citing the household expenditure survey, Jun 18, 2005“Seven in 10 polled were not aware of any financial assistance schemes, although more than half of them said they had faced financial hardship in the past year. Almost 16 per cent of the respondents, all living in one and two-room flats, had family members who often went hungry.”
– Straits Times citing a poverty survey conducted by Social Development Feedback Group, Jan 29, 2005