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In spite of a series of measures to encourage Singaporeans to go forth and multiply, there are still no signs of a rebound in the fertility rate. In my view, this is hardly surprising. Many young Singaporeans who have been exposed to Western culture have become rather self-centred and place money and freedom above everything else. The prevalence of such values has made boosting the national birthrate seem an unachievable goal. No government incentive, no matter how attractive, will have any impact on someone who cares only about raking in money or career advancement. He or she would not be moved even if the government offered to pay for all the expenses needed to bring up a child. The reason is simple. A newborn requires lots of care and attention, which means less time for the accumulation of wealth and for climbing the corporate ladder. For someone whose top priority is freedom, children will obviously get in the way. A child requires much care and guidance during the growing-up years. It is easy, for example, for a teenager to be led astray by bad company and misbehave. If he breaks the law, the parents are likely to be blamed too for allowing him to get out of hand. Very often, couples who can no longer get along stop short of taking their irreconcilable differences to court for the sake of their children. To some, it is obvious that the birth of a baby will be at the expense of their freedom. Few will disagree that younger Singaporeans have become more open. Some have even become rather casual about relationships. They have many boyfriends or girlfriends and break up just as quickly as they fall in love. Without a sense of commitment in a relationship, can we expect them to settle down and start a family? In the past, the head of a big household was well respected as only the rich could afford a big family. Now, many will wonder why some people have four or five children. To them, only fools would want to be burdened with so many children. If we cannot get Singaporeans to change the values underlying their thinking and behaviour, efforts by the government to encourage marriage and procreation are likely to be futile. Married couples should not see a bundle of joy as a bundle of trouble. It is a delight to hear a toddler utter his first unclear sound of “Papa” or “Mama”. It is an even greater joy to watch him grow. It does not matter whether you believe in traditional values or subscribe to Western ideas--getting hitched and having children is a duty for every adult. This is a precondition for the continuity of the human race. When a whole generation of people chooses to reject marriage and reproduction, human race will vanish from the face of earth with the demise of that generation. There are many ways to contain population growth. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about measures to raise the fertility rate. When people equate childlessness to happiness, when they care more about freedom, money and themselves, few incentives will be good enough to make them change their mind. We are likely to reverse the declining fertility rate only if people adopt a new and responsible attitude towards marriage and procreation. （The writer is a Junior College student. Translated by Yap Gee Poh）
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新加坡政府颁布一系列优惠措施，鼓励国民多生育。虽然开出的配套颇诱人，生育率仍没有回弹的迹象。在我看来，这实在不是怪事。 年轻一代的新加坡国民，很多受西方思想的熏陶，视个人为中心、金钱为一切、自由为上帝。也正因为这种价值观念，使得人口增长成了一个遥不可及的目标。 如果我金钱挂帅或事业至上，那么，无论政府所公布的措施有多吸引人，我都不会为之动心。即使政府能为我支付养育孩子的一切费用，我也不会为此而养育孩子。很明显，孩子一出世就需有人照料；也就是说，我赚钱的时间大大减少了，花在事业上的时间也少了。 如果我视自由为上帝，那么，孩子将是我追求自由的最大障碍。孩子呱呱坠地后，我就得好好照顾他。长大后，我也得指引他。稍微不留意，孩子便有可能误入歧途，做出一些为社会所不容的事。一旦孩子做出大逆不道的事，我便要受别人的指指点点。 有些时候，一些水火不容的夫妇没能闹上法庭，完全是因为孩子的缘故。很明显，孩子的到来是对自由的约束。 无置可否，现代的人思想越来越开放，对男女关系也没有前人那般看重。“旧的不去，新的不来”，“天涯何处无芳草，何必单恋一枝花”。这种随便放纵的态度，使得越来越多的情侣翻脸比翻书还快，最后不了了之。连相处都显得困难重重，又何来结婚生子。 以前的人，对一些大家庭的当家人心存敬意，因为只有富有的人才支撑得起一个大家庭的庞大开支。到了现在，很多人是会讥笑那些养育四五儿女的家长。在他们的眼里，只有傻瓜才会去养育那么多的孩子。 如果现有的价值观念无法得到修正，那么，政府的一切努力将只是徒劳罢了。 当然，孩子的降临不是来破坏一个家庭、不是来让人烦忧。看着孩子一天一天长大，听他叫一生含糊不清的“爸爸”、“妈妈”都是让人欢喜的事。 不管你是西方思想的拥护者，还是传统的东方女性，结婚生子对每个人来说都是一种责任。生儿育女是人类得以延续的前提条件。当一代人都选择不结婚、不生子时，人类将随着那代人的消逝而永远消失于地球。 要人口下降，方法可谓繁多。要生育率回升，方法似乎不多。当人们把少孩子多幸福当作一种不变的事实时，当人们考虑更多的是自由、金钱、个人时，所有的优惠措施将在这些思想观念面前显得苍白无力。 只有思想观念得以改变，明白身为人类一员所应承担的责任时，生育率回弹才能成为一种可能。 ·作者是一名初院学生
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