[1] It also justified immigration and presence of foreign workers as helping local businesses thrive and "create good jobs for Singaporeans".
The motion was passed in Parliament to endorse the PWP by 77 votes to 13 (the 13 opponents included all members of the opposition and three nominated MPs),[4] albeit after amendments made to leave out "population policy" and add focus on infrastructure and transport development.
[2][4] Inderjit Singh of People's Action Party spoke against the white paper and rebutted Minister of National Development Khaw Boon Wan's analogy of catering for guests to a wedding banquet.
[4] Citizens reacted to the PWP with shock and anger,[8][9] and this has led to the largest public protest ever organized in Singapore's history.
[14][15][16][17][18] Academics have also criticized the PWP as being "overly mechanistic, economically simplistic and astonishingly sociologically and politically naive".