What do you think about WP chief Pritam Singh saying that there is room for fair comment on population numbers?

I think the more appropriate question to ask here is

"How does PAP determine PR quotas / EPs and SPs?"

Not everyone who applies for PR would be conferred one hence I feel getting them to reveal the algorithm would be enlightening. Or instead, I'd manage the foreigner's population based on a % of the working force i.e. foreigners 25% of working force (EPs-5% SPs-5% work permits - 15%). This will ensure that the given number of foreigners at any one point of time is controlled.

I doubt there is a fixed number in terms of 'population number'. Its like a bank account, when you work (akin to generating the economy) you earn money. No one can guess how much their accounts would be after 10 years, but one thing people do know is that their money will grow. In order to keep the economy going, I would say the population has to be refreshed (especially given the constant decline in terms of birth rate) and with that, growth.

It's always a matter of balance where on one hand, some citizens mention the lack of amenities but on another, if amenities are built without demand, it'd be a white elephant and not fully justify the purpose it was supposed to serve in the first place. The effect of the inbalance of population, specifically the younger generation due to declining birth rates can already be seen from ther merging of schools. Imagine what would happen if population were to decline? Reduced frequency for public transport services? Reduced food establishments?

Hence, as aforementioned, a balance between population growth and economic growth is key

Workers' Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh has questioned if Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) chief Chee Soon Juan's comment on population numbers should be labelled a falsehood.

He added that there should be room for fair comment on the population target that Singapore is aiming for, since ministers have alluded in the past to the possibility of a larger population size.

Mr Singh made the remarks during a morning walkabout in Punggol West with the party's candidate Tan Chen Chen, one day after the ruling People's Action Party said a key plank of the SDP's election campaign is based on a false claim that the Government plans to raise the country's population to 10 million.

The PAP added that the honourable thing for SDP chief Chee Soon Juan to do would be to admit that his party's campaign was based on a falsehood, withdraw it, and apologise to Singaporeans for misleading them.

In the SDP's Four Yes, One No campaign, the opposition party had pledged that one of the things it would do if elected would be to say "No to 10 million population".

Weighing in, Mr Singh said the matter "seems to be an issue because of the nature of Pofma and the nature of falsehoods and how do we describe a falsehood".

Referring to the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma), he noted that the law defines a falsehood as a false statement of fact.

He acknowledged that Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan had said that Singapore was not even going to reach a population of 6.9 million.

Source: The Straits Times