We Need Real Solutions, Not Fairytales

This is the first part of a two-part article by Nurhidayah Hassan nurhidayah@nus.edu.sg

The latest effort in getting Singaporeans to make more babies takes on an interesting form – a website showcasing a series of “fairytales” subtly warning its citizens to make babies, or else. Unsurprisingly, this government-backed project echoes the state’s usual brand of paternalism. The website leverages on pop culture humour and eye-catching illustrations targeting Singaporeans, especially women, to remind them of their roles in society. In refusing to address the stark gender bias in their policies and social campaigns, Singapore policymakers would find that their fairytales would not have happy endings.

When the website, The Singaporean Fairytale was published a few months ago, I had expected an online furore – girls and women up in arms, zealous online protests, government-slamming tirades on Facebook, bra-burning demonstrations….but all I got were cricket sounds. Sure, some of my FB counterparts (three to be exact) had expressed utter disgust at the vile rhetoric underlying this government-endorsed website, but other than that, the unified mortification I was waiting for never happened. Funded by the National Family Council, a consultative body under the purview of the Ministry of Social and Family Development, the website was the brainchild of four undergraduates from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication, NTU. Aside from being genuinely concerned, I was curious. Have Singaporeans readily accepted the marriage, family and fertility rhetorics so clumsily conceived by the government? For decades, the government has been propagating a multitude of pro-family campaigns, yet none has claimed success.  Perhaps if more women, men, mothers and fathers speak up, the government would finally hatch real solutions that can help the country overcome its demographics challenge.

Fairytales: Singapore Style

I will not argue that the Singaporean Fairytale website boasts illustrations which are definitely pleasing to the eye. But beyond that, there is nary a redeeming quality to rave about. Within this series of fairytales there is Snow White. Her enviable life is unequivocally enriched by her seven children.  And next comes Golden Goose, who cannot seem to lay anymore eggs because “her egg-making device was rusty and old”. Also not forgetting the Fairy Godmother, a jolly, single old lady who has nothing to rejoice about but her precious cats and designer bags. If these story lines tickle your fancy, there are 12 more “fairytales” parodied on this incredulous website.

Besides mutilating classic fairy tales well-loved by many of us, the unapologetic chauvinistic overtones signal a desperate attempt by the government in addressing the younger generation, “educating” them on the fertility issue in Singapore. More than half of the featured “fairytales” are directed at women, reminding them of their national responsibility in improving the country’s fertility rate.  While I cannot speak on behalf of other Singaporean women, I know this has to stop. Do not get me wrong. I am not a man-eating feminist. I am not even anti-government (on good days). In fact, I am a mother, a diehard Hugh Jackman fan and like many women I know, I dream about having it all. But, please, leave my womb alone. It is not national property.

As a public policy student, I understand many of the socio-economic challenges that Singapore, as an ageing society, faces. Amongst a wide range of issues, an ageing population puts a strain on the country’s resources. With a shrinking proportion of youths, the working population will not be able to sufficiently support the elderly. The government’s social policies have addressed these issues by raising retirement age, subsidising job training and by providing greater social safety nets for the elderly. However, the double whammy of increased life expectancy and declining birth rate has sent the government into a whirlwind of panic.

Manifesting this panic, the government recently released a contentious “Population White Paper”, detailing the government’s plans to increase the rate of immigrants at 15,000 to 25,000 per year, to overcome the issue of declining population. At this heightened pace, the proportion of immigrants will make up almost half the population. This revelation triggered waves of anxiety across the country. In 2012, Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s founding father, declared publicly that, “Like it or not, unless we have more babies, we need to accept immigrants.” His words sounded like a typical useless threat I would bestow upon my son, “Like it or not, unless you finish your vegetables, the Bogeyman will come.” Paternalistic and patronising, in true Singapore fashion.

The government’s pleas in getting its citizens to reproduce started since the 1980s. Our parents would remember contrived slogans like, “Have Three or More Children If You Can Afford It”, “Why Build Your Career Alone? Family Life Helps” adorned on posters and advertisements. Over the years, these pro-family campaigns took on varying tones and appear to be trial-and-error efforts. The latest offering in the form of “The Singaporean Fairytale” certainly looks like a last ditch attempt at getting Singaporeans, in particular, the women, to prioritise having families before their baby-making devices rot.