SINGAPORE — Although there are political pressures to see to the short-term interests citizens may call for, some policy decisions have to be taken with a long-term view to ensure they remain sustainable, said Social and Family Development Minister Tan Chuan-Jin today (Dec 4).

He made these comments at a dialogue organised by the Singapore International Foundation, where issues related to immigration and Singapore’s ageing population were raised.

Responding to a question by British Council Director Roland Davies on the concerns thrown up by an ageing population in Singapore, Mr Tan noted that there are tensions when policies are made with the future in mind. This is because some immediate and popular needs such as providing more healthcare subsidies will have to take a backseat to ensure that the country’s shrunken workforce in the future can still afford healthcare budgets.

“We all would like our needs to be met today but we all know there are also future needs. How do we balance that? That is a political dilemma that every country faces and (Singapore) is not spared from that either”, he added.

President of the American Association of Singapore Glenn van Zuphen asked about the anti-foreigner sentiments seen in Singapore recently, which Mr Tan said is a common phenomenon seen in many other countries today.

Although there are calls to stop the inflow, he cautioned against taking an inward-looking approach as this could result in the country eventually losing its relevance and competitiveness.

“Curiously, while it may seem politically popular to champion this very populist line — and you see that in your respective countries where there are political groups who will play that very nationalistic card; it is always popular and easy to do and you all rally support — but you end up sometimes hurting your very same interests itself,” said Mr Tan. “I think for (Singapore) particularly, it will hurt us.”

Elaborating on the point to reporters on the sidelines of the event, Mr Tan pointed out the diverging concerns on this among Singaporeans. Some are troubled by foreigners taking away their jobs, but employers want more foreign workers to sustain their businesses.

Such tensions make the engagement process with stakeholders important so that policy decisions can be explained to them. This is particularly so between elections when there are no dynamics of “different parties jostling for influence” involved.