by Ten Leu-Jiun

It was a sombre morning in the packed courtroom as the clock edged towards 10 a.m. The atmosphere, though calm, carried an undercurrent of anticipation.

Media personnel filled the public gallery, reducing the 45-seat quota available for the general public in a room designed to hold just 45 people.

While more than 10 others waited outside, hoping for an opportunity to gain entry to the court, many others had already left, seeing no hope of getting a spot.

All eyes turned to the bench as Judge Vincent Hoong entered the courtroom. The gravity of the situation contrasted with the calm demeanour of the participants.

Deputy Attorney-General Tai Wei Shyong (DAG Tai) rose to address the court, stating that the prosecution would proceed with five amended charges against former Transport Minister S Iswaran, and another 30 charges would be taken into consideration for sentencing.

It was a bombshell development—after months of declaring his intention to contest the charges, Iswaran had suddenly chosen to plead guilty.

Despite this shocking reversal, there was little outward reaction from those involved. Iswaran’s defence lawyer, Senior Counsel Davinder Singh, confirmed that his client would be taking “a certain course of action” and pleading guilty to the amended charges.

The court seemed almost routine in its reaction to the news. Without missing a beat, Judge Hoong stated that the charges would be read to the accused and then stepped down, leaving the courtroom less than 10 minutes after it had opened.

A female court clerk began reading the 35 charges, but her voice was barely audible beyond the immediate vicinity of Mr Iswaran. The former minister, whose calm expression never wavered, remained motionless as the charges were read. His stoicism only added to the surreal nature of the morning. For months, Iswaran had maintained that he would fight the charges in court—now, with hardly a change in demeanour, he was pleading guilty.

In the public gallery, some members of the public exchanged whispers, trying to make sense of the sudden turn of events. DAG Tai’s voice, soft and slightly unclear, added to the confusion for those trying to catch the full implications of what had just unfolded.

At one point, DAG Tai invited Mr Singh to step outside to discuss something briefly. As they returned, DAG Tai wore a subtle smile. Meanwhile, Mrs Iswaran, seated in the gallery, turned to her companion and smiled, seemingly at ease, as if the guilty plea was not the seismic shift it appeared to be.

Half an hour passed, and the reading of the charges finally concluded. When Judge Hoong returned to the courtroom, Iswaran confirmed his plea—guilty to the five amended charges. It was a moment many in the public had not anticipated, yet it was met with an eerie calm.

DAG Tai then began reading the Statement of Facts, a step in formalizing the proceedings. The courtroom remained composed, even as the prosecution laid out the details of the case, which included the acceptance of more than S$400,000 in gifts, including F1 tickets, luxury flights, and hotel stays.

Judge Hoong, showing no outward reaction to the dramatic turn of events, inquired when the charges had been amended. DAG Tai responded that the amendments had been made that very day—yet, once again, there was no visible surprise from the judge. The process moved forward seamlessly, with Judge Hoong proceeding to convict Iswaran without delay.

As DAG Tai concluded, he submitted that the custodial threshold had clearly been crossed, implying that a prison sentence was likely. Yet, even with this looming, the courtroom remained uncharacteristically composed, as if the bombshell of a guilty plea from a former senior minister was just another day’s business.

SINGAPORE: As of June 2024, Singapore’s total population reached 6.04 million, reflecting a 2% increase from June 2023, according to the Government’s latest Population in Brief report released by the National Population and Talent Division (NPTD) on Tuesday (24 Sept).

This notable rise in population is primarily attributed to a 5% growth in the non-resident (NR) population, which increased from 1.77 million in June 2023 to 1.86 million in June 2024.

The increase was observed across various pass types, including foreign workers across all categories, semi-skilled non-professional work permit holders, manager and executive roles, technician (non-PMET) workers, dependants, and international students.

Work Permit Holders contributed the most to this growth, followed closely by Migrant Domestic Workers, NDTD report added.

“Today, the foreign workforce constitutes about two-thirds of the NR population, while the remaining one-third comprises mainly migrant domestic workers, dependants, and students,” the report noted.

The report further highlighted that the increase in the NR population was primarily driven by growth in foreign employment from June 2023 to June 2024.

It emphasized that, given Singapore’s fundamental labour constraints, the foreign workforce complements the local workforce and enables companies to access a broader range of skills from the global labour pool.

Additionally, the annualized population growth rate over the last five years (2019-2024) was slightly higher than in the preceding five-year period (2014-2019), mainly due to post-COVID growth in the number of Work Permit Holders in the Construction, Marine Shipyard, and Process (CMP) sectors as companies resumed projects delayed by the pandemic.

citizen population: 3.64 million

The report also highlighted concerning trends among citizens, including a decrease in births and marriages.

The citizen population increased by 0.7% from 3.61 million in June 2023 to 3.64 million in June 2024, while the Permanent Resident (PR) population grew by 1.2%, rising from 538,600 to 544,900 during the same period.

In 2023, there were 28,877 citizen births, marking a 5.1% decline from the 30,429 births recorded in 2022.

This decline continues a downward trend, with the resident total fertility rate (TFR) dropping to a historic low of 0.97 in 2023.

The average number of births per year over the last five years was 31,100, lower than the 33,000 average recorded in the preceding five years.

Additionally, the median age of citizen mothers at first birth increased to 31.4 years in 2023, compared to 30.2 years in 2013.

The report noted that this decline may have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in economic uncertainty and disrupted marriage and parenthood plans for some Singaporean couples.

“The decline in TFR is also happening in other advanced societies, where more people are postponing family formation and having fewer children due to reasons such as the prioritisation of careers, shifting attitudes towards marriage and parenthood, and concerns about child-raising costs,” the NDTD report added.

Fewer citizen marriage in 2023

According to the report, the number of citizen marriages fell to 24,355 in 2023, a decrease of 1.7% from the previous year’s record high, although it remains higher than figures from 2019.

The median age at first marriage for citizen grooms and brides was 30.7 and 29.0 years, respectively, in 2023, up from 30.1 and 27.8 years in 2013.

The NPTD report noted that among the citizen population aged 25-49 years, there was a higher proportion of singles across almost all age groups in 2023 compared to 2013, a trend observed among both males and females.

Aging trend

A significant demographic shift is underway as the proportion of seniors in the citizen population continues to rise.

As of June 2024, 19.9% of citizens were aged 65 and above, compared to 12.4% in June 2014.

Meanwhile, 60.4% of citizens were aged 20-64 years, a decrease from 64.8% in 2014.

The number of citizens aged 80 and older has surged by approximately 65%, increasing from 85,000 in 2014 to 142,000 in 2024.

The report estimates that by 2030, around 1 in 4 citizens (24.1%) will be aged 65 and above.

Transnational marriages accounted for 36% of all citizen marriages in 2023

The report noted a noteworthy trend in marriages, with transnational marriages accounting for 36% of all citizen marriages in 2023, up from 33% in 2022. Despite fluctuations caused by COVID-19 travel restrictions, the proportion of transnational marriages has consistently remained above one-third over the past decade.

As of June 2023, there were 176,900 citizens married to non-citizen spouses.

Among the 28,877 citizen births in 2023, more than 1 in 4 were born to couples comprising both citizens and non-citizens.

The report remarked, “Many foreign spouses have lived in Singapore for years, often even before meeting their Singaporean spouses. They are now a part of our families and community. These transnational families add to the diversity and vibrancy of our population.”

Interestingly, the report highlighted that around 3 in 4 transnational marriages today involve citizen grooms and non-citizen brides, a trend that has remained stable over the last decade.

However, the profile of transnational families has evolved in recent years. Non-citizen brides are now older and have higher educational qualifications at the time of marriage.

The proportion of non-citizen brides aged below 25 decreased from 18.0% in 2013 to 6.5% in 2023, while the proportion with a university degree increased from 36.6% in 2013 to 47.4% in 2023.

23,472 individuals granted citizenship in 2023

The latest NPTD report further noted that in 2023, 23,472 individuals were granted citizenship, while 34,491 individuals were granted permanent residency.

The average number of new citizenships and permanent residencies granted per year over the last five years was 22,400 citizenships and 32,600 permanent residencies, slightly higher than the preceding five-year period, which recorded averages of 21,600 citizenships and 31,100 permanent residencies.