Singapore must not let up on its efforts to maintain social mobility, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. As the society matures, class divisions will be harder to narrow and bridge, he cautioned.

PM Lee sounded the warning yesterday, saying that Singapore's politics will turn vicious, its society will fracture and the country will wither if it allows growing income inequalities to create "a rigid and stratified social system".

He said: "Every citizen... must have the opportunity to do better and move up in society, based on his efforts and talent.

"Nobody should feel that his social position is fixed based on his parents' income level or position in life."

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