SMU Associate Professor of Law Eugene Tan observed that the role of futurists may not be fully appreciated by a populace worried about day-to-day issues. One such instance was the white paper forecasting that Singapore’s population would grow to 6.9 million by 2030. “The government never briefed Members of Parliament [about the white paper’s contents and potential impact]… The government ended up backpedaling. There were gaps in policy thinking and an apparent lack of empathy, especially over the real concerns Singaporeans had over immigration, national identity, property prices, infrastructure and transport adequacy,” said Associate Prof Tan. “You need leaders who can communicate well, who can lead from the front... Leadership is about what you have been doing pre-crisis. You can’t build trust and confidence during a crisis,” he added,