Singapore is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its independence in 2015.
It reminds us about how far the little red dot had achieved since it was established as a trading base by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1819.
Modern Singapore started in August 9, 1965. Singapore became a fully independent and sovereign nation on separation from Malaysia.
A descriptive protrait of a country life by Dr. Henry A. Kissinger, former US Secretary of State epitomized the situation, is as following.
“Circumstances could not have been more daunting. Located on a sandbar with no natural resources, Singapore had in the 1950s a polyglot population of slightly over a million (today, closes to 5.5 millions), of which 75.4% was Chinese, 13.6% Malay and 8.6% Indian. No one had previously considered Singaporeans as a nation: They were the residents of a colonial port city, many of them recent immigrants whose only common ‘national’ experience was foreign rule.”
A Trip down the Memory Lane of Singapore in the 1960s
More Memories of Singaporean Experience
With population size, many, many times smaller than its neigbouring countries, Malaysia and Indonesia, it did not have economy of scale for viable local market but had to rely on external trade.
Singapore success stories could not be possible without the extraordinary contributions by Pioneer Singaporeans, led by our 1st Prime Minister Mr. Lee Kuan Yew and its capable & equally hardworking ministers & civil servants.
Mr. Lee turned the absence of national resources into an asset by defining Singapore’s comparative advantage as intellectual excellence and superior performance. He exhorted Singaporeans to consider themselves not only a distinct nation, but one capable of greatness. Mr. Lee’s legacy is too numerous to mentioned here. To know his gigantic and great contributions to Singapore, starting 1950, get an appreciation of it by reading one or more of the 20 volumes, “The Papers Of Lee Kuan Yew, Speeches, Interviews & Dialogues”.
Press Releases
It will be difficult to recognize all the exemplary works done right by key players in that era in one post. My apologies if your names or pioneering ancestors’ names are left out for mention.
Encik Yusof bin Ishak was the first President of Singapore, serving from 1965 to 1970. Encik Yusof was well known both as a journalist and the founder of the Malay newspaper Utusan Melayu (UM) prior to becoming head of state of Singapore.
Mr. Goh Keng Swee, former Deputy Prime Minister was a key member of PAP Government. In his times, he held various ministerial portfolio, such as Finance, Defence and education.
1) He initiated the setting up of Economic Development Board (EDB) and the development of western part of the main island, a swampy land called Jurong for industrial development use. His focus was to attract foreign multinational corporations and local businesses to invest in Singapore, with incentives for locating there. Mr. Goh admitted that the Jurong project was “an act of faith and he himself jokingly said that this could prove to be Goh’s folly”. Nonetheless, he also felt strongly that “the only way to avoid making mistakes is not to do anything. And that … will be the ultimate mistake. It was a big gamble but ultimately brought great success for Singapore, from under-developed to industrialized nation and provided valuable employment to mass population.
For special mention: Dr. Albert Winsemius (1910–1996), a Dutch economist, was Singapore’s long-time economic advisor from 1961 to 1984. He led the United Nations Survey Mission to Singapore, and was to play a major role in the formulation of Singapore’s national economic development strategy.
2) To strengthen Singapore’s military and domestic security capabilities, Compulsory National Service (NS) was initiated by Mr. Goh when he was Singapore’s first Minister for the Interior and Defence. The NS (Amendment) act was passed on 14 March 1967, as the Singapore government felt that it was necessary to build a substantial military force to defend itself. The military leadership was led by Winston Choo, who was the first Chief of Defence Force of the Singapore Armed Forces from 1974–1992 and held the rank of Lieutenant-General.
3) Mr. Goh was also responsible for projects that sought to improve Singaporeans’ cultural and leisure life, such as the Jurong Bird Park, the Singapore Zoo and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. He backed the construction of the Kreta Ayer People’s Theatre in his constituency as a venue for Chinese opera performances.
Mr. Sinnathamby Rajaratnam, better known as “S. Rajaratnam“, was a Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore from 1980–85, a long-serving Minister and member of the Cabinet from 1959–88 and a short story writer. He was one of the pioneer leaders of independent Singapore as it achieved self-government in 1959 and later independence in 1965. He devoted much of his adult life to public service, and helped shape the mentality of Singaporeans on contemporary issues. Mr. Rajaratnam was Singapore’s first foreign minister, following its abrupt independence in 1965. During his tenure as foreign minister, Rajaratnam helped Singapore gain entry into the United Nations and later the Non-Aligned Movement in 1970. Rajaratnam was a strong believer in multi-racialism in Singapore, and when drafting the Singapore National Pledge in 1966 just two years after the 1964 Race Riots, he wrote the words “One united people, regardless of race, language or religion.”
Mr. Hon Sui Sen was a politician who served as the Minister of Finance of Singapore till 1983. He played a major role in the formulation of Singapore’s national economic development strategy. He was the first Chairman of the Economic Development Board (EDB) and also chairman of Development Bank of Singapore (DBS). Mr. Hon also played a major role in the development of Singapore’s tourism industry, beginning with the transformation of Pulau Blakang Mati, a previously fortified island off the southern coast of Singapore, into a resort destination under the new appellation of Sentosa Island.
Mr. Lim Kim San. former Chairman of the Council of Presidential Advisors, held many illustrious careers in Government, Public and Private Sectors.
1) He was credited for leading the successful public housing program in the Southeast Asian city-state during the early 1960s, which eased the acute housing shortage problem at that time.
2) Mr. Lim was Chairman of the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) for 15 years until 1994. Under his stewardship, Singapore became the world’s number one container port.
3) He also served as the Executive Chairman of Singapore Press Holdings (SPH). Under his chairmanship, Mr. Lim transformed the company into a corporate giant.
Mr. Edmund William Barker, often referred to as “E. W. Barker” was a politician and lawyer from Singapore. As Minister for Law, he drafted the Proclamation of Singapore of Singapore in 1965, announcing Singapore’s separation from Malaysia. During his 25 years in Parliament, Barker also served as the Minister for National Development (1965-75), Minister for Home Affairs (1972), Minister for the Environment (1975-79), Minister for Science and Technology (1977-81) and Minister for Labour (1983). Mr. Barker held included being the first President of the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) from 1970-1990.
Mr. Ong Teng Cheong, Singapore’s first elected President was noted for the following:-
1) Mr. Ong, as the Minister of National Development, pushed for the development of the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRT), the largest construction project in Singapore’s history. During his tenure , Mr, Ong was a proponent and advocate of the Mass Rapid Transit system. He later became the Second Deputy Prime Minister in 1985.
2) Mr. Ong , as former Secretary General of the National Trade Union Congress (NTUC), was credited to “working actively and forcefully in the interests of the unions “. In return, the unions co-operated with the “government’s core industrial relations strategies”.
Mr. Howe Yoon Chong was a Minister in the Cabinet of Singapore and a member of parliament for Potong Pasir from 1979 to 1984. He was key in developing Singapore’s infrastructural and financial framework, including the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system, Singapore Changi Airport and public housing. In 1984, during his term as Minister for Health, to address issues raised by a greying population, he made the controversial proposal to raise the age for the withdrawal of Central Provident Fund (CPF) savings from 55 to 60 years in order that Singaporeans might have more money to live on in their old age.
In a letter of appreciation to Mr. Howe on his retirement, the then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew said he was indebted to Howe for the devoted work he had put in for the people. Mr. Lee also predicted that when workers in their 20s and 30s reached their 60s, they would see how difficult it was for children to stretch their salaries to support aged parents. They would then be grateful to Howe for the furore he had stirred by the report on the problems of the aged.
After leaving politics, Howe returned to DBS as chairman and CEO in 1985 and served until 1990. In 1991, he helped to set up a managed fund, the Mendaki Growth Fund, for the Malay self-help group Mendaki, the Council for the Development of Singapore Muslim Community
Dr. Tony Tan Keng Yam is the seventh President of Singapore, in office since 2011. He served as a Member of the Singapore Parliament from 1979 to 2006 and held various ministerial portfolios, including defence, finance, Arts, trade and industry. He was credited for his role as a visionary architect of Singapore’s university sector. Dr. Tan was the first Vice Chancellor of the National University of Singapore (NUS). He had long and illustrious career both as a leader in the Singapore government and in the business sectors, notably Overseas-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC). It was reported that he declined an offer of make-up pay, which compensated ministers for a loss in salary when they leave the private sector. Dr. Tan declared, “the interests of Singapore must take precedence over that of a bank and my own personal considerations”.
Dr. Tay Eng Soon, contributed greatly to the moulding of technical and polytechnic education in Singapore as Senior Minister of State (Education). He spearheaded the Gifted Education Programme in 1981, set up Singapore’s fourth polytechnic, Nanyang Polytechnic and established the Singapore Open University Degree Programme in Singapore Institute of Management (SIM).
Mr. J. Y. Pillay, currently the Chairman of the Council of Presidential Advisers, was a top civil servant and entrepreneur. He is one of the pioneers who helped build the Singapore economy after its separation from Malaysia in 1965. His most significant contribution was building Singapore Airlines into a world-class carrier. He served as Chairman of Singapore Airlines from 1972 until 1976.
In the technological era, some enterpreneurial Singaporeans have made us proud by being the first in the world, to introducing innovative products in the IT computer market place.
- Mr. Sim Wong Hoo is the founder, CEO and Chairman of Creative Technology, a designer and manufacturer of products for personal computers and personal digital entertainment devices. Creative is notable for products such as the SoundBlaster audio add-on card in computer, the de facto standard for consumer audio on the IBM PC compatible system platform. His company has also created the Creative ZEN range of audio and media products.
- Mr. Henn Tan, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of Trek 2000 International. is known as an inventor of the ThumbDrive, a USB flash drive, which phased out the floppy disk and revolutionised the portable media storage industry. He is a holder and inventor of numerous patents worldwide.
The above individuals’ achievements have inspired a whole new generation of young singaporeans to aim for “The Silicon Valley Way”. A place is set aside called Blk71 in Ayer Rajah Estate, as the the heart of Singapore’s technology start-up ecosystem. It is the world’s most tightly packed entrepreneurial ecosystem. Blk71 has built up a strong innovation and entrepreneurship community, where entrepreneurs, investors, developers and mentors within the interactive digital media space are within close proximity to each other. Blk71 is home to more than 100 start-ups, venture capital firms and tech incubators. It is also located near other technology hubs within Singapore, including the Fusionopolis, Biopolis and National University of Singapore (NUS).
The fast pace and advancement from 3rd world to 1st world economy were helped by state and local entrepreneurs, with government-linked companies (GLCs), banking and property family business firms and organizations taking the leading roles. The government’s intention and commitment are to develop the private sector as the engine of growth. Since then, many of the 500 or more GLCs have been divested itself if they are not directly involved in national security.
Many philanthropic foundations, cooperatives, civic and voluntary welfare organizations also played their parts to provide services to cushion the stress and strains that singaporeans had to endure and rise in this fast pace economy landscape.
For 170 years, one of Singapore’s oldest and most prominent philanthropic foundations, The Ngee Ann Kongsi, has embraced the philosophy that education can change the world. Founded in 1845 by a group of prominent Teohew members from Guangdong province in China, the forefathers brought with them a spirit of camaraderie, self-help and the selfless practice of paying it forward by helping those who are less fortunate. Total amount contributed towards the education (from primary, secondary & special education schools, to tertiary institutions and Scholarships & Bursaries) in Singapore since 1965, amounted to $341 million. Members of the Kongsi, which translates to “company” in the Chinese language, commemorate the 170th anniversary of The Ngee Ann Kongsi, which coincides with the celebration of 50 years of nation-building in Singapore.
Mr. Runme Shaw, a film magnate, set up the philanthropic Shaw Foundation in 1958. The foundation’s main purpose was to “return” his company’s profits to society. The Shaw Foundation donated millions of dollars to many charitable organisations and causes.
Another charitable foundation in Singapore is Lee Foundation. It is created to aid “the advancement of education, medicine and cultural activities; helping the poor; and assisting victims of fire, flood and famine”, It also funded other philanthropic work. It was founded in 1952 by philanthropist and businessman, Mr. Lee Kong Chian. Since its creation till 2009, the Foundation donated S$400 million to various causes, regardless of race, language, religion, nationality, and geographical location. Seventy-five percent of that amount went to education. Notable contributions included a $60 million donation towards the building of the new National Library in 2003, a $50 million donation to the Singapore Management University in 2004, and a $30 million gift to the National University of Singapore in 2005.
Some successful businessmen families also contributed generously to the needs of Government fully funded hospitals. For example, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH), a 590-bed general and acute care hospital, managed by Alexandra Health, opened in June 2010. It serves more than 700,000 people living in the northern sector of Singapore. The hospital has been named KTPH, to recognize the significant contribution of $125 m ($100m upfront and another $25m over the next five years) by the Estate of Khoo Teck Puat.
In 1964, racial tensions were apparent in the island. Two racial riots happened within weeks in July of 1964, rocked the nation. Community leaders gathered and grouped themselves to visit the kampungs and bring food to the people affected. These unsung public spirited leaders were instrumental in easing the fears of the people and helping to restore calm, and confidence in the people. They were the first of the Goodwill Committees formed, to deal with the concerns of the residents directly. These groups came under the Prime Minister’s Office. They were later formalised as Citizens’ Consultative Committees (CCCs). They helped to bring municipal services to the constituencies and improve the lives of the people. In 1993, the CCCs were brought under the People’s Association and were later given more responsibilities. They had to manage and disburse funds for the grassroots organisation which they still do today. They are at the apex of all grassroots organisations. A vital bridge between the people and the Government, the CCCs plan and lead major grassroots activities within the constituency, oversee local assistance programmes, and organise major fund-raising projects and national campaigns. The CCC’s function, a communication channel and a vital link between the people and the Government, remains as crucial as ever.
For Singapore to prosper and grow, there must be continued presence of capable and visionary leaders, headed by the Prime Minister of the country. Singaporeans have entrusted their future well-being by voted in People Action Party (PAP) for each and every successive election without fail.
Mr. Goh Chok Tong became Singapore’s second Prime Minister on 28 November 1990, succeeding Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, and served in the role until 12 August 2004. He introduced several major policies and policy institutions, including Medisave and five elements of Total Defence (Economic defence, Psychological defence, Social defence, Civil defence and Military defence).
The Internal Stability is an important foundation for national cohesion, harmony and tolerance. A stable society, held together by a common national focus, reinforces the security of Singapore. It was severely tested during the period under Mr. Goh’s administration although Singapore became stronger and more prosperous after that.
Notes: During that time, Singapore experienced several crises, such as the 1997 Asian financial crisis, threats of terrorism including the 2001 Singapore embassies attack plot by Jemaah Islamiyah, the 2001-2003 economic recession, and the 2003 SARS outbreak.
On 12 August 2004, Mr. Goh stepped down as Prime Minister and began service as Senior Minister (till 2011) in Mr. Lee Hsien Loong’s Cabinet. On 20 August 2004, Mr. Goh assumed the post of Chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
Mr. Lee Hsien Loong is the third and current Prime Minister of Singapore.
In 1985, Mr. Lee chaired the government’s Economic Committee, which recommended changes to established government policies to reduce business costs, foster longer-term growth and revive the Singapore economy, which was experiencing a recession at the time. The committee’s recommendations included reductions in corporate and personal taxes and the introduction of a consumption tax.
In November 2004, Mr. Lee sparked a national debate when he revealed a proposal to build two Integrated Resorts (IRs) which are holiday resorts with casinos. Six-month consultative period was set aside for many sections of the population to voice their opposition to the casinos. A final approval was given and licenses awarded to Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa. Both began operations in early 2010, and by 2013, were the more profitable casinos in the world. Safeguards are introduced specially to mitigate casino gambling impact on Singaporeans. Today, the IRs are positioned as distinctive world-class developments with a comprehensive range of amenities such as hotels, convention facilities, entertainment shows, theme parks, luxury retail, and fine dining.
Singapore Success
Singapore destiny was not pre-determined by Lucky stars alone. We are fortunate to have capable & honest leaders, who practiced “thinking out of the box” to tackle near impossible tasks at every stage of nationhood. To appreciate the scope and impact of their decisions & “Whys”, listed below are some of the situations faced and the solutions taken to overcome and to rise above them (and always taking Singaporeans’ welfare & best interests into account).
[Not all these are popular with the people although the tasks were necessary , to move the country forward at each critical point/stage of development.]
- Changed the declining old economy of trading to labour-intensive industries such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, textiles, to name a few. The low tech products were exported on a quota to Europe, Britain, America, France and Japan.
- To make ourselves a first-world oasis in a third-world region and to be relevant to the developed world, more higher value-add manufactured products, petrochemical industries, ship building & port services were introduced into the must-do list. The decision and steps taken were to develop the world-class infrastructure for them, as a base for their operations, produce some goods and services to export back to them or export into the region. Difficult but not impossible because you could get Japanese, British, Americans etcetera, to build the infrastructure.
- To get the population to move from third-world behaviour to first-world behaviour, Singaporeans were encouraged to change habits, daily habits, language habits, motivations, etc through educating them with many many campaigns and disincentives. Singapore was known then as a “Fine” and “Nanny” city, through campaigns such as “no chewing gun”, caning if you vandalised, got fine if you littered and many other exotic methods of disciplining a population. The world found us a source of amusement. And it is still a work-in-progress. The recognition by our leaders is this, “If Singapore is not relevant to the countries that could generate wealth, for the country and its people, then Singaporeans would suffer.”
- To facilitate transition from various races speaking different languages or dialects, into communicating with a common language, a decision was made for all our people to learn their own mother tongue and English, full stop. They soon discovered that the best jobs went to people who had a command of English and also kept their mother tongue for cultural and other purposes. So gradually, Singaporeans changed and learning become easier with time.
- To move forward and upwards, the city state was evolved into arts & culture and better living environment, to attract foreign talents in finance, microbiology (Life Science) R & D, ICT and high valued tech. sectors. We had also increased a high number of permanent residents and foreign workers into our midst, to construct and build commercial & residential buildings, MRT and industrial plant infrastructures and to provide services in F&B & other sectors.
[With the increase in resident population size, it is a constant challenge to continue to improve and upgrade our transportation systems, living & amenity infrastructures for all.]
Singapore Spirit
Under former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, we wanted to be a rugged society.
Under Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, we became a more gracious society.
Under our current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, we are striving to be an inclusive society.
This year’s SG50 celebration will showcase the Singapore Spirit and the appreciation of pioneers, young and old Singaporeans’ contributions toward nationhood.
For the country to remain successful for the next 50 years, we are reminded often by our leaders, not to take its achievements for granted.
The following are extracts of the views expressed by Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, 1st Prime Minister of Singapore, in his various speeches to the media in the 1980s.
We live by a set of values which promotes education, thrift, hard work and achievement: all this explains our quick development. Our progress would have been less spectacular without these fundamentals. The problem today is whether these assets are not going to disappear as we become more and more Westernised and orientate ourselves towards a consumer society. The family is becoming less important in our society. television, tourism constitutes just as much of a challenge. We must avoid throwing our past overboard as it is so rich.
One of the driving forces that made Singapore succeed was that the majority of the people placed the importance of the welfare of society above the individual. Our problem is we are so young a society. By switching into English in the last 20-odd years, we’ve changed the curriculum, the textbooks and with it the philosophy that is inculcated into the children. They are reading more and more American magazines or British textbooks, which instil the belief in the rights of the individual. The supremacy of the human being against all else, except in times of war, when his individual rights are overcome by the needs of the state. Otherwise, the state and the individual are put on par. I think if we move away from that towards individualism, we become a different society. I’m not sure that the end result will at all be favourable to us.
Singapore should build on the tripartite relationship between the Government, unions and employers, as it is one of the country’s biggest selling points to foreign investors.
To strengthen Singapore Spirit and to keep the country strong brand, private sector, schools and the Government need to work together to reinforce our nationhood principles, which are the basic building blocks to achieving these aims.
[The work is never a done deal and it will always be a work-in-progress for the better. It is heartening to hear some students, from recent newspaper report, calling for schools to encourage more creativity and to advocate more tolerance between neighbours.]
Can Singaporeans create a national identity that we could all call our own?
Mr. S. Rajaratnam‘s reply to this thorny question is “We must first accept the premise that it is an act of faith that a national consciousness is desirable, possible and inevitable.”
[Can a wider knowledge of the violent aspects of Singapore birth as a nation, remind and unite the people (pioneers, young and old) to believe in our national identity and destiny?]
The hype over SG50 celebration year seems louder and more exciting with each coming day, with variety of activities and campaigns being underway, both official and unofficial.
[In the midst of enjoying the events and activities organized for the people, it is a wish of many Singaporeans that we should not take Singapore’s existence and good fortune for granted. As Ms Ong Sor Fern, the Straits Times writer puts it, “It is not an act of faith today, but an act of love that also needs to be nurtured by an act of will”.]
SG100, Singapore in 2065
Will Singaporeans mark the country 100th anniversary with much more excitement and jubilation than this year?
Social and Family Development Minister Chan Chun Sing has confidence that it could happen if youth in Singapore consider shaping the country before 2065, in a dialogue with 130 youth in Woodlands, last year.
To do so, they need to be aware of developments in the outside world, for Singapore is heavily affected by what happens elsewhere. Mr. Chan suggested they adopt the 4As, to help them to make sense of what they see and read: be aware, analyse the issues, apply the lessons learned from elsewhere to Singapore context and think of alternatives. Turning to a scenario, a severe global economic downturn impact to the country, the crisis may see Singaporeans lose jobs, which would affect whether the young could achieve their dreams and ambitions. This is why, he added, it was “important to keep abreast of events elsewhere, try to pre-empt their impact on Singapore and make sure we can ride the tide of the world and continue to succeed.”
Mr. Chan also made the point that people’s success depended not just on hard work and talent but also on opportunities they were given by society, and this was why those who are more successful should help those who are less successful.
I will leave the last words on the above to our visionary 1st Prime Minister Mr. Lee Kuan Yew (many considered as the Founding Father of modern Singapore). In his many speeches to the media and Singaporeans during the 1980s, he expounded the following.
[The advices still hold true even today.]
More productivity, less inflation. There is one way we can cushion the impact of imported inflation: By increased productivity, we can increase our earnings of foreign currency through more exports of higher value-added products compared to the the loss of foreign currency to pay for our imports. How do we increase productivity? First: by using more and better machines per worker. Second: by improved use of the same machines through closer cooperation amongst workers, and between workers and management, to increase the volume and the quality of production.
We have to go for whatever is small, clean and high value-added which one can find in an international market. Little small things which are clean and high value-added, high skills. They don’t have to be high technology, just high skill and high value-added. One of the problems of hi-tech is the demand we have found is very cyclical, and we can go up and down like a roller coaster. for instance in 1985, when we had our recession-there were many causes- But one cause was the sudden drop in demand for computer peripherals. It was cyclical. Suddenly it went down and the personal computers were unsold in America.
[Productivity and Innovation are still the key drivers to Singapore Success.]
Higher Standard in Education. The higher per capita equipment in say, petrochemicals requires higher-calibre and better trained students from the Institute of Technical Education College (formally called Vocational and Industrial Training Board), the polytechnics and the university. It will take many years for us to upgrade the quality of our workforce from skilled workers to technicians, from technicians to engineers, and from engineers to top managers. Until we have trained enough technicians, engineers and managers, the shortfall will have to be filled by expatriates: Japanese, Americans, and Europeans.
In 1987, our international trade is 270% of Gross National Product (GNP).
Education, as a foundation of socio-economic transformations, plays such a important role in modern Singapore, that every Prime Minister of Singapore had key goals for it’s Reform.
- Schools must be centres for questioning and searching within and outside the classroom
- Children must be continually pressed to raise questions and accept challenges, to find solutions that are not immediately apparent, to explain concepts, justify their reasoning…
Mr. Goh Chok Tong (1997) Thinking Schools, Learning Nation
- A follow up to Thinking Schools, Learning Nation, it introduced measures to allow for greater teacher autonomy, to promote a wider range of pedagogies and assessment, and a more student-centred, active view of learning
Mr. Lee Hsien Loong (2004) Teach Less, Learn More
In the HEAD Foundation Public Lecture on 26-February 2015: “Can Singapore’s Education meet the demands of Globalisation?” Professor S. Gopinathan Adj. Prof., LKY School of Public Policy, NUS highlighted the 3 Reform Transitions as follow.
1. Building a post-colonial system – social cohesion and skill-building issues
2. Building a system for an industrial economy
3. Building a system for a knowledge economy
Port City —Industrial City—Knowledge City—Global city/Smart City
Some of the key questions that need to be addressed are:
- How well has the Singapore system adjusted to the challenges of globalisation?
- Have we moved sufficiently from a ‘performative’ to a ‘knowledge’ building’ pedagogy?
[As the The triennial Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) test and reports had indicated, the highest performing education systems are those that are able to combine equity with excellence.
Notes:-
1. The most recent PISA scores published in 2013 by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) showed Singapore’s students came in among the top three in all of the test’s areas.
2. Due to need to have headcounts to sustain and to grow our economy, we have even today, people coming from China, India and other South East Asia Nations to work with us.]
What Is Restructuring? In short, restructuring our economy means attracting high-technology investments which will employ higher-trained manpower. In this way we get out of the trap of competing against other countries which much lower wages, working on low-technology machines, producing textiles, and simple electronics, products which face increasing protectionism in America and Europe. We must not blunder into wrong product lines, making the mistake of assuming that the future will be a replay of the past. It will not. What will stay relevant are the basic principles of making a society strong. Those societies, which are closely knit, will best ride out the storms.
In Singapore Jubilee Budget, announced on 23-Feb-2015 by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, he highlighted that the country being small, we could not achieve expertise and advanced capabilities in every area. We are well positioned to be amongst the leaders in Asia and globally in five growth clusters of the future:
Advanced Manufacturing, aided by new technologies such as advanced robotics and additive manufacturing.
Applied Health Sciences, such as developing new medical devices and better nutrition, and transforming health-care delivery to provide the best care in an affordable way. This cluster will help serve our social goals, but also develop economic leadership.
Smart and Sustainable Urban Solutions. There is growing demand in the world for Singapore’s expertise in water and waste management, transport and urban planning. We must also develop new solutions to overcome our own physical constraints.
Logistics and Aerospace. We must entrench our position as a leading global hub, by investing in new technological platforms and in our air and seaport infrastructure.
Asian and Global Financial Services. Singapore is well positioned to serve the rapid growth of Asian finance, in areas such as infrastructure funding, structured trade finance and wealth management.
As for the nation’s next phase of development, he outlined major steps in four areas:
- investing in skills of the future; building a pool of highly skilled workers
- restructuring our economy by promoting innovation and internationalisation; helping businesses innovate and expand abroad
- investing in economic and social infrastructure
- strengthening assurance in retirement and enhance support for middle-income families; enhancing the social security network for retirement.
[Added Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob: “In today’s context where many countries are tightening their belts with austerity measures… we are fortunate that our Government through prudent management can increase our social spending instead.”
Sentiments expressed by some Economists on the 2015 World Economic Outlook: the global growth doesn’t gain much traction, due to uneven and slow growth by many countries (such as financial difficulties in some European Countries, slowing exports to Emerging Markets which are depending on the pace of reforms, China’s continuing tighter monetary policy, affecting lesser demands for oil and other raw materials).]
Without Security, All Is Lost. Our well-being and survival: the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). Because our population is small, the main forces of the SAF are reservists, not national service full time. Because the SAF is small, every soldier is capital intensive, equipped with the latest technology which our manpower can use and more important, can maintain. Because technology keeps advancing, reservist officers must upgrade their knowledge and skills. Commanding men and machines in the SAF is the same as managing men in a factory or a bank, requiring the same qualities of intellect, force of personality and example, managerial capacity and judgement.
We do not consider our neighbours in Southeast Asia to be threats to our security. There will always the differences in national interests and perceptions but, so long as the governments and leaders of Southeast Asia are rational, these differences will not be lead to armed conflict. The external threats to our security are likely to come from irrational and extremist forces, or from expansionist regimes backed by a big power.
[When living in peace, be mindful of danger]
The Challenge For Singaporeans. A younger generation of Singaporeans will soon take over the task that has fired the imagination and passions of my generation for the last 30 years. No challenge is too daunting or exhausting when you are young. We have accumulated for our younger generation more economic resources and organisational strength more than we inherited in 1959.
[Today, our current generation leaders have even more resources and accumulated wealth at their disposal, for use in nation infrastructure development & growth and Singaporeans’ welfare schemes.]
Provided Singaporeans never lose this team spirit, a sense of common destiny and dedication to each other’s well-being, there are few problems which cannot be solved, few threats which cannot be overcome or avoided.
Points to Note
- A fuller life for every Singaporean has become possible for the younger generation because every Singaporean has had equal opportunities to education, jobs housing, health and recreation. Opportunities are equal. Rewards depend upon performance, which is the result of opportunities combined with innate ability and sustained efforts. In our context, it means a person who reaches his best excellence in his job, or in his craft, or in his profession.
- A society, to be successful, must maintain a balance between nurturing excellence and encouraging the average to improve. there must be both cooperation and competition between people in the same society. The Singapore cooperation and competition have improved standards of life for all.
- We are building a society which offers equal opportunities to everyone regardless of race, language, religion and culture. We try to maximise everybody’s effort by rewarding in accordance with performance, not in accordance with wealth, status, descent or race. It has worked, fortunately.
- We have now achieved enough of the material basics of life to be able to give more attention to socio-psychological and spiritual needs. We must be match our economic progress with advances in the moral, ethical, and aesthetic dimensions of our lives. The established religions have an important role to play in our moral and spiritual development. And the government is completely neutral between the different religions. Singaporeans can decide for themselves.
- On Successor. I would think being a leader in ASEAN in the 2000 and beyond is a much more difficult business than being a leader in the 1960s. Because then they have only known privation, hardship and anything is a great improvement. But whoever runs Singapore in the year 2000 and beyond, they say, “So what! Where is my good life?” This and more. On the whole, I would think it’s is a much more difficult situation because the expectations are extremely high. The most important factor for leadership is the ability and will to lead, not be led, whether by opinion polls or pressure groups. Of course, it helps if a leader has a good constitution, strong nerves, a clear mind and iron resolve.
There is a younger generation that has not known real hardship. Some of them believe, perhaps sincerely, that Singapore needs an opposition. 1965 to 1981 were Singapore’s best years with the highest economic and social progress in her history. It was no coincidence that they were our year of political stability, blessed by no fractious, querulous, carping opposition in Parliament. In the next few years, they will learn that an opposition, if we are lucky makes no difference to good government. Unfortunately, they may well discover, a great cost, that if we are unlucky, like most developing or developed country, an opposition can make for confusion by raising false expectations of unattainable benefits from greater welfare spending.
The duty of leadership is to preserve the climate of confidence and discipline without which Singapore will wither away and die. The problem, facing new leaders is to build up trust. It cannot be transferred. It is being built up. It takes longer for a team to get new policies accepted, because they’re trying to establish a consensus.
The spirit of leadership is reflected in a quote from Mr. Goh Chok Tong, former Prime Minister of Singapore. “My mission is clear: to ensure that Singapore thrives and grows after Mr. Lee Kuan Yew; to find a new group of men and women to help me carry on where he and his colleagues left off; and to build a nation of character and grace where people can live lives of dignity and fulfillment, and care for one another — “PM Goh’s address to the nation,” Straits Times, 29 November 1990.
Remembering Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, Founding Father of Modern Singapore
To read about a case study on Brunei vs Singapore fortune, click tales of two city states.
Compiled by Reuben Ong
#Singapore Is Our Home
Writer’s note: In view that it is impossible to capture all insightful thoughts, interesting events and activities organized throughout 2015 in one seating, it is my intention to update this post, from time to time, when there is a need.
(References: “The Papers Of Lee Kuan Yew, Speeches, Interviews & Dialogues”, Wikipedia and local media & newspapers)
