Smokescreens

or, what the blogosphere missed.

The big news in Singapore yesterday was not that a third blogger was charged with sedition; nor was it Minilee's vows to crack down on racist speech online, or his pathetic attempts to paint Singapore as a fragile Jenga block that would collapse from 3 bloggers few people have even read of; or even the somewhat promising but vague promises by Singapore's leaders to craft a more appropriate legislation for hate speech.

No. The big news was the report that Singapore's birth rate in 2004 was its lowest in history. Then, there is the revelation that 9 months after Minilee's "This is not just another baby bonus" parenthood package scheme (Harlow, you want upsize this?), the birth rates for May to July have increased by an earthshattering 3%.

Now, readers will know that I have little patience for people and bears of little brain, so do excuse my tone for the rest of the article.

1. Vivian Balakrishnan obviously knows more than we do. What on earth are citizen births, for instance, that he and the rest of the mainstream media continue to harp on? Singapore's Department of Statistics compiles figures for total live births and total live resident births.

2. Over the past 20 years, annual increase (when there was an actual increase) in births ranged from 15% (Dragon year effect) to 2%.

3. The 3% increase for May-July this year are hence insignificant and pathetic gains - contrary to Vivian Balakrishnan's attempt at brownnosing Minilee.

4. Our national propaganda press has been at it since last August, actually, reporting anecdotes of couples giving it a go after Minilee's 2004 NDRS, to surges in hospital visits by expecting parents. As with all Leninist states, reports of good news to the Dear Leader may be slightly exaggerated.

5. Note the figure for 1999-2001. Mr Peanut Goh's baby bonus plan was unveiled in 1999, causing an 8% spike in births (Minilee, this is the figure you MUST BEAT so that you won't lose your honour!). The downward trend resumed the very next year.

6. It's not this year's figures that we should be concerned about - stupid Singaporeans will breed because of the novelty of the parenthood scheme. It's next year and the following year that will give a clue to the effectiveness of Minilee's scheme.

7. Note this is the first year that the Malay birth rate has fallen below the replacement rate.

8. Note that the Malay proportion of the population has been falling even from 1990, despite their tremendously high birth rates then, compared to everyone else...

9. It is time for the government to cease recruiting, on a racial basis, immigrants from China and India, if they want to preserve the current racial fabric of Singapore.

10. At the time of independence, Malays counted at more than 30% of the population.

Sources: Singapore Hansard, Singapore Department of Statistics Population Trends 2005.