Singapore’s Prime Minister noted that fertility rates have been declining around the world.
Singapore:
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Friday urged Singaporean married couples to have children in the Year of the Dragon and assured them of the government’s support, as many Chinese families consider children born in the Year of the Dragon to be “especially auspicious”.
Li said in his annual Lunar New Year address that the dragon is “a symbol of power, strength and good luck.”
The Prime Minister, who celebrated his birthday on February 10, said: “For young couples, now is the best time to add a ‘little dragon’ to the family.” Mr. Li was born in 1952 and is born in the year of Dragon.
Channel News Asia quoted Mr Lee, 72, as saying: “We will build a ‘Singapore for families’ and continue to support your marriage and parenthood aspirations.”
He said support for baby care and work-life harmony had been “stepped up” to help parents through their children’s formative years, adding that government-paid paternity leave had recently been doubled from two weeks on a voluntary basis. to four weeks.
The Prime Minister said the measures would “ease the burden on parents, but they are only an enabler”.
“Ultimately, couples will decide whether to have children for their own reasons. I hope more will decide to go ahead and have children, and I’m sure they will find parenthood a very rewarding and fulfilling journey,” he added. He hopes his encouragement “will prompt more couples to try for a baby”, although he admits “the decision is very personal”.
The prime minister also said families should celebrate the Chinese New Year as they would the Chinese New Year.
“Families are at the heart of our society. Our families give us unwavering strength and support, cheer us on in our triumphs and support us in our adversities. They are central to our sense of identity, belonging and purpose. component. Through our families, we pass down our aspirations and values from generation to generation,” said Lee.
“An important part of family life is having and raising children. For parents, bringing children into the world and watching them learn and grow, reaching milestone after milestone and growing year by year, is a wonderful experience. Very happy thing.
He said: “Grandparents share this joy just like me. We love and care for our grandchildren, help our parents raise them, and play our part in this journey filled with happiness, purpose and love. “
Singaporeans will celebrate the Chinese New Year this weekend (February 10 and 11) and will have an extra day off on Monday, replacing all celebrations on Sunday.
The Prime Minister also noted that fertility rates have been declining around the world, particularly in “developed societies” such as Singapore.
Singapore’s total fertility rate hit a record low of 1.05 in 2022, lower than the record of 1.1 set in 2020 and the record of 1.12 in 2021.
Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Minister Indranee Rajah told Parliament in February 2023 that the decline was “partly due to the Lunar Year of the Tiger, which is typically associated with lower birth rates in China”.
Lee observed that each generation has different aspirations, with many young people prioritizing career advancement, spending quality time with their partners and pursuing other interests.
“Even couples who want children may put off starting a family because they don’t realize that things are getting more difficult as time goes on,” he said. “That’s all understandable. But I still want more “More Singaporean couples are deciding to have more children, and have them earlier!” He said: “As we enter the Year of the Dragon, let us continue to move forward with optimism and determination. I wish all Singaporeans good health and a happy Chinese New Year.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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