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 Words in the News
INTRO 
 Worried that falling birthrates may damage Singapore's economic success, the Prime Minister encouraged citizens to have more children. BBC reporter Clive Myrie reported.
IN FULL 
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Baby

24th August 2000

Singapore's baby shortage

NEWS 1 
 AudioListen to the first part of the report
  This isn’t the first time Singapore’s leaders have asked citizens to go forth and multiply for the good of the nation. In the early ninteen-eighties, the then prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, not a man to mince his words, said it was the duty of every Singaporean to do their bit and it was important the well educated had as many babies as the less educated to maintain economic standards. The elitist undertone smacked of eugenics and the comments caused a stir. Now the current Prime Minister, Goh Chok Tong, in trying to address Singapore’s declining birthrate, has shied away from similar language but nonetheless made it clear that the island state’s population was shrinking to unacceptable levels.
  AudioListen to the words
WORDS 
 

go forth and multiply - expression from the Christian Bible meaning 'go and have children'

the then Prime Minister - the Prime Minister at that time

to mince his words - if you don'tminceyour words then you are direct, you say what you mean

elitist undertone smacked of eugenics - the suggestion that well-educated people should have as many children as less educated people is compared in a negative way to the to the study of how to improve the human race by carefully selecting parents (eugenics)

caused a stir - caused discussion and opposition

shied away from - did not want to get involved in, wanted to avoid

shrinking - if something is shrinking, it is getting smaller

NEWS 2  AudioListen to the second part of the report
  Singapore is one of the most prosperous countries in the world and the fear, of course, is that falling birthrates might lead to a skills shortage. As well as the baby bonus scheme, Prime Minister Goh says his government is to encourage more immigration as a way of bringing in more talent and he cited America as a country whose economic strength was based on letting in skilled foreign workers.
  AudioListen to the words
WORDS  

prosperous - financially successful

shortage - when there is not enough of something there is a shortage

baby bonus scheme - plan or system with money or other incentives for couples that have children

cited - if you use something as an example you cite it

   
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