By Fiona Chan Deputy Political Editor, The Straits Times, 4 Dec 2014
SINGAPORE'S Government has responded to a commentary in The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) by opposition politician Chee Soon Juan, saying he has been "dishonest" to claim that Singapore's system is a failure or that the state has not acted to tackle issues like income inequality.
Even as the income gap in Singapore has widened, low-income citizens have access to high- quality education, health care and public housing, Singapore's consul-general in Hong Kong, Mr Jacky Foo, said in a letter to WSJ on Tuesday.
Also, their wages have been going up in the last 10 years, he added.
Mr Foo also said that while Singapore's model "is not perfect... it is dishonest of Dr Chee to claim that it has failed, or that we have done nothing".
Dr Chee stated in his commentary, which was published over the weekend, that Singapore's economic success has "wrought havoc" on values such as freedom, compassion and equality, leading to "Singaporeans' disenchantment with the current system".
The secretary-general of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) called for an "alternative vision" for the Republic, in which "the wage structure should ensure that the working poor don't see their real incomes shrink even as the number of billionaires rise".
In his response, Mr Foo noted that the real wages of low-income Singaporeans have risen by 10 per cent in the last 10 years, "unlike the stagnation often seen elsewhere".
He said that while income inequality has also increased in many countries, Singapore families earning just $1,000 a month can afford to own a two-room flat.
Eight out of 10 households in the bottom one-fifth of Singapore society own their own homes, with an average net housing equity of more than $200,000 each, he added.
Mr Foo also addressed Dr Chee's criticism of government- linked companies as being the "prime drivers of growth" in Singapore's economy. Calling the charge "absurd", Mr Foo said such companies, including Keppel Corp and Singapore Airlines, make up just 10 per cent of the economy.
"Privately owned small and medium-sized enterprises employ seven in 10 Singaporeans and enjoy the bulk of government support," he added.
On Dr Chee's claim that Singapore lacks a democracy, Mr Foo said Singapore elections are "free and fair".
"Every time Dr Chee and his party have contested, Singaporeans have rejected them," he said.
"He might do better to take the interest of Singaporeans to heart, rather than pander to the editorial tastes of the Western media."