Singapore economy would fail without foreigners: Lee

Closing the doors to foreign workers would tank Singapore’s economy, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong cautioned on Sunday as he sought to allay concerns of the countrymen on the “tough issue” of immigration ahead of the general elections expected to be held next month.

Singapore is at a turning point, Lee said, adding “Soon, I will be calling elections, to ask for your mandate to take Singapore into this next phase of our nation-building.” 

A number of issues including the increasing presence of foreigners, estimated at more than one million in over five million population, is among the political and economic issues likely to be raised at the elections.

General elections are expected within a month as political parties, including Lee’s Peoples Action Party, have started announcing their candidates for constituencies.

The PM highlighted the role of foreigners in the economy of the <g data-gr-id="16">city state</g>, saying there are no easy choices and every option carries a downside and some pain of tanking the economy.

“Closing the doors to foreign workers would tank the economy. Companies would not have enough workers and some would close, meaning jobs lost. Foreign workers are also needed to build homes (mostly working in the construction sector),” the Channel News Asia quoted Lee as saying.