SINGAPORE (Dec 31): Against the backdrop of the lifestyle of the ultra-rich depicted in the 2018 hit movie <i>Crazy Rich Asians</i>, a gaping inequality between the haves and have-nots has been at the centre of a raging conversation in Singapore this past year.

And it will likely continue to be so in 2019 and beyond.

In a nationwide survey by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) in partnership with the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), researchers found that social class boundaries tended to be more salient than gender, racial and religious boundaries in Singapore.

The survey, which asked some 3,000 Singapore citizens and permanent residents about the nature of their social ties, was released at the end of December 2017

Researchers behind the survey said more effort could be made to encourage Singaporeans from different school backgrounds and housing types to mix.

The gravity of the national conversation on social inequality was not lost on Singapore’s political leaders. In his speech during the debate on the President’s address on May 16, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the city state must ensure “there are no rigid class distinctions or barriers that keep good people down” and outlined government efforts to support social mobility and meritocracy, such as keeping the education system open.

Associate professor Tan Ern Ser, a sociologist at the National University of Singapore (NUS), believes that some of the social inequality issues that could emerge over the next year include the continual disruption of the economy, wage stagnation, job loss and reemployment of seniors.

“Singapore has passed the phase where most people feel they are doing better than before, and living the Singapore Dream,” says Tan.

Are more Singaporeans falling through the cracks? And what can Singapore do to alleviate the challenges associated with social equality? Find out more in The Edge Singapore Issue 863 (week of Dec 31), available at newsstands now.

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