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SINGAPORE: Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong says the government may refine the top-ups for the Workfare Income Supplement scheme to help lower-income Singaporeans.
The scheme provides monetary incentives for older low-wage workers to find jobs and stay employed. It also helps them to contribute to their CPF.
Speaking to a local English daily newspaper, Mr Goh said income inequality will be an increasing challenge for Singapore.
The government can help narrow the income gap through practical measures, he said.
Mr Goh said one way is through housing. He pointed out that the difference in income between someone who lives in a 5-room flat and a two-room flat dweller is 'quite wide'. But the difference in floor space between a 5-room and a 2-room flat is not that wide.
Mr Goh also touched on liberal democracy. He said as Singapore develops, he believes Singaporeans will want the country's politics to be more liberal.
But Mr Goh said Singapore cannot follow the model of liberal democracy practised in some big countries which allows for unregulated public protests.
He said Singapore is a small country and the whole place will come to a halt if there is a big demonstration in the city.
For a large nation, the rest of the country continues producing, even if there is a demonstration in the capital.
Mr Goh raised the possibility of Singapore having designated areas for people to demonstrate in what he called a managed kind of freedom. - CNA/ir
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