Singapore is a safe place to live – but a sterile one too

But we should also be doing more to make our city-state more liveable and a more interesting and “romantic” place to live.
According to the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU), seven of the top 10 most liveable cities are in Australia, Canada and New Zealand. The other three are in Europe (Vienna, Helsinki and Hamburg).
Many big Asian cities are very modern nowadays, with modern skyscrapers and very good facilities. But in terms of liveability, none of them impressed the EIU judges.
For decades here in Singapore, we have been putting great emphasis on functionality, cleanliness and greenery.
What’s missing is the “romance” of Paris, Venice, Prague, Amsterdam, Florence, Buenos Aires, Kyoto or Istanbul.
Equally important, we Singaporeans must also reflect on whether we are living our lives a bit too seriously. Are we too concerned with minor issues at the expense of bigger ones – like general quality of life? We need to reprioritise our goals and purposes sometimes.
A government-wide approach is needed in this respect, just like we have in tackling the security issue.
Albert Ng Ya Ken
(From the Straits Times/ANN)