Singapore will wither if society is rigid and stratified by class: PM

Singapore

SINGAPORE'S politics will turn vicious, its society will fracture and the country will wither if it allows widening income inequalities to create "a rigid and stratified social system", Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong warned on Monday.

"The issues of mitigating income inequality, ensuring social mobility and enhancing social integration are critical," he said in a written reply to a parliamentary question from Gan Thiam Poh (Ang Mo Kio GRC). "This is why this government will strive to keep all Singaporeans - regardless of race, language, religion or social background - together."