Dr Winsemius - Architect of Modern Singapore

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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,^[1] and was to play a major role in the formulation of Singapore's national economic development strategy.

In 1960, Dr Winsemius led the United Nations team to examine Singapore’s potential in industrialization. At that time, Singapore had just attained self-government and was facing high unemployment and growing population. He presented a 10-year development plan to transform Singapore from an entrepot trade port into a centre of manufacturing and industrialization.

His first emphasis was on creating jobs and attracting foreign investment. Labour intensive industries, such as the production of shirts and pajamas, were expanded. He also encouraged the large-scale public housing programme, believing that it would bolster the country's image, thus attractive to investors. One of his earliest pieces of advice was not to remove the statue of Stamford Raffles as it was a symbol of public acceptance of the British heritage and could alleviate concerns that investors have toward a new socialist government. With his help, Singapore attracted big oil companies like Shell and Esso to establish refineries here.

During his term as Chief Economic Advisor from 1961 to 1984, Dr Winsemius worked closely with Lee Kuan Yew, Goh Keng Swee and later with Goh Chok Tong. He visited the country two or three times a year to review economic performance indicators and to discuss macro-economic strategy with government planners. In the 1970s, Singapore was upgrading its industrial capacity to use higher technological methods, including electronics. He personally went to persuade large Dutch electronics companies like Philips to set up production plants in Singapore. He also proposed that Singapore could be developed as a financial centre, as well as an international centre for air traffic and sea transport. Over the next twenty years, these predictions proved to be accurate.

Dr Winsemius retired as Singapore's economic advisor in December 1983, at the age of 74. He was then quoted saying, "I leave with a saddened heart. It (Singapore) has become part of my life, more or less. It can do without me. It could do without me years ago. But it became part of my life. So I will shed a few tears, imaginary tears." Singapore was a country he regarded almost as home.

For his contributions to Singapore's economic development, he was conferred several honours. In 1967, President Yusof bin Ishak awarded him the Distinguished Service Medal. In 1970, he was conferred an honorary degree by the National University of Singapore. In 1976, he received the National Trades Union Congress' May Day Gold Medal of Honour.

Dr Winsemius died in the Netherlands on December 4, 1996. In a letter of condolences to his family, Lee Kuan Yew wrote: "It was Singapore's good fortune that he (Dr Albert Winsemius) took a deep and personal interest in Singapore's development. Singapore and I personally are indebted to him for the time, energy and development he gave to Singapore. I am proud to have known him and to have been his friend."

When asked about his life as an economist, Dr Winsemius once said, "There is quite a lot of satisfaction, perhaps not like that of, say, an architect who can look at something and say, 'I made it'. But there is that satisfaction in knowing that you have contributed to the well being of people you don't know..."

In 1997, Nanyang Technological University established the Albert Winsemius Professorship as a lasting tribute to Dr Albert Winsemius for his significant contributions to the economic development of Singapore.

Source: Wikipedia

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By Rachel Tan

Singapore's economic architect was right about building the port, right about the industrial push, and right again about turning the country into a financial hub. But a fish once proved him wrong. RACHEL TAN reports

DUTCH economist Dr Albert Winsemius had an "annoying habit of being correct".

Well, nearly always.

A fish he caught in the Singapore river in 1993 proved him wrong.

Dr Winsemius had pushed for the then polluted river to be turned into a highway because he felt it was beyond saving.

Singapore leaders disagreed.

Former health minister and friend, Mr Howe Yoon Chong, took a 'bet' with him that the river was still alive. A fishing trip was arranged and Dr Winsemius had to eat his words.

Mr Howe related what Dr Winsemius, who had a wry sense of humour, said: "One garoupa had sacrificed himself... to be caught to show to me that the river can be cleaned up and I was wrong."

The economist's daughter, Ms Ankie Aeyelts Averink-Winsemius, 57, added it was a family joke that divers planted the fish.

A professorship at the Nanyang Technological University has been named after Dr Winsemius.

Mr Howe spoke of how the man, who only learnt about Singapore in his 50s, yet grew to love it deeply. He first came to Singapore in 1960 on a United Nations mission to "find out how this godforsaken place could be fished out of this morass".

He drew up plans to transform Singapore and became its chief economic adviser for the next 25 years. He worked for Singapore without being paid.

"All his trips here were totally out of (his) pocket and pilgrimages of love," said Mr Howe.

Even till he died from pneumonia last December, he kept up with Singapore's developments through newspapers and official reports.

Mr Howe believes Dr Winsemius, who had survived two world wars, empathised with the Singapore leaders who were building the country.

DR Winsemius made Singapore a second home for his family. His daughter Ankie Averink-Winsemius was the first to be roped in.

Then working on a separate UN project, she was called to "decipher his handwriting" for his survey report on Singapore in 1961.

"His handwriting was so atrocious no one could understand it," she quipped.

Over the years she and her mother accompanied Dr Winsemius on his regular trips to Singapore and the region. She still visits yearly.

"We become Singaporeans for those short periods then," she said.

Two of her three children have worked here briefly and her daughter Jolijn, 25, met her fiance here.

The above article was first published in The New Paper (March 20, 1997).

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SUMMARY

He was a Dutch Economist who was Singapore's long-time economic advisor for his invaluable contribution to its development. He was a foreigner, who had faith in Singapore and believed strongly in the fact that it had a future, at a time when not many people did.
Dr Winsemius' first impression was anything but hopeful. "It was bewildering," he remembers. "There were strikes about nothing. There were communist-inspired riots almost every day and everywhere. In the beginning one has to very careful about passing any judgement - one does not know the country, one does not know the people, one does not know the men and women who are trying to steer this rudderless ship. But after a couple of months the pessimism within our commission reached appalling heights. We saw how a country can be demolished by unreal antitheses. The general opinion was: Singapore is going down the drain, it is a poor little market in a dark corner of Asia."
Within a year, on 13 June 1961, the Winsemius team offered Singapore a development plan. The final assessment was written by Winsemius personally: 'Expectations and Reality' was his motto. This was permeated with an emotional appeal for unity, a passionate warning that time was running out if Singapore was not to sink away into the mud. The gloom was not completely unrelieved, there was one bright spot on the horizon: "In our opinion", wrote Winsemius, "Singapore has the basic assets for industrialization. Her greatest asset is the high aptitude of her people to work in manufacturing industries. They can be ranked among the best factory workers in the world."

a) During his younger days

He had been a cheese salesman in his younger days and understood the importance of salesmanship and marketing strategy.

b) Contributions to Singapore

He firstly wanted to create jobs and attract foreign investment. Labour intensive industries, such as the production of men’s and women’s wear, were expanded. He encouraged the large-scale public housing programme, as he strongly believed that it would boost the country's image, thus attracting investors. He advised that the Sir Stamford Raffles statue should not be removed, as it was a sign of the British heritage. With his help, big oil companies such as Esso and Shell set up their refineries here in Singapore.

From 1961 to 1984, as a Chief Economic Advisor, Dr Winsemius worked closely with Lee Kuan Yew, Goh Keng Swee and Goh Chok Tong by visiting the country two to three times a year to check on the economic performance indicators and to discuss macro-economic strategies with the government planners. During the 1970s, Singapore was upgrading its industrial potential to use higher technological methods, including electronics. He personally persuaded Dutch electronics companies such as Philips to set up plants in Singapore. He also considered the fact that Singapore could be developed as a financial and an international centre for air traffic and sea transport. He managed to fulfill those dreams of his, over the next 20 years.

Upgrading

The Separation in 1965 marked the beginning of the second phase. The Housing and Development Board (HDB) started with an enormous building programme, under the leadership of Mr. Howe Yoon Chong. "This was very inspiring, people could see what was being achieved.

On Sundays fathers and mothers showed their children in what kind of new dwellings they would live presently. In that same period the government succeeded in interesting, just as had happened in Holland fifteen years earlier, big oil companies like Shell and Esso in establishing refineries in Singapore.
The third phase was that they started as soon as possible with the upgrading. Singapore became very active in promoting education for technical jobs, especially for the electronics industry. In the beginning it was quite a difficult job for me to convince people at the top of the big Dutch electronics company Philips to set up production plants in Singapore. Doctor Winsemius went to Eindhoven, where the headquarters of Philips are situated, to warn them: you have to hurry, I told them, otherwise there is a very real danger you will be too late and then you will be sure to miss the boat in the growing market of Southeast Asia.
The result is that Philips is now one of the big investors in Singapore and is doing a very fine job here.
The fourth phase was to make Singapore an international financial centre. Formerly the young state was bound to the English pound sterling. I knew a Dutchman who had lived and worked in Singapore; he was an employee of the Bank of America in London at that time. I visited him and told him we wished to transform Singapore into a financial centre for Southeast Asia within ten years. He told me it could be done in three or four years. He took a globe and showed me a gap in the financial market of the world. Trading, he explained, starts at nine o'clock in the morning in Zurich in Switzerland. An hour later London opens. When London closes, New York is already open. After closing time on Wall Street, San Francisco on the American west coast is still active. But as soon as San Francisco closes, there is a gap of a couple of hours. This gap can be filled by Singapore, should the government not shun taking some drastic measures - such as cutting its links with the British pound.

Shaping Singapore

He helped shape Singapore to move away from Entrepot trade into manufacturing and industrialisation, to attain full employment, higher standards of living and to transform itself into a financial centre for Southeast Asia.He also aided Singapore to become an international centre for air traffic and sea transport. And his plans were fulfilled within 20 years.

His later years

Dr. Winsemius was awarded the Distinguished service medal in 1967. In 1970, he was given an honorary degree by the University of Singapore. In 1976, he received the National Trades Union Congress' May Day Gold Medal of Honour.
He retired at the age of 74 in 1983 shedding a few tears, as he regarded Singapore as his own home. He passed away at his home in Holland on 4 December 1996

His Accomplishments

1967- He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal President by Yusof Ishak.

1970 - He was conferred an honorary degree by the University of Singapore.

1976 - He received the National Trades Union Congress' May Day Gold Medal of Honour.

His Retirement

Dr Winsemius passed away in December 1983, at the age of 74.

This is what he said when he left.

"I leave with a saddened heart. It (Singapore) has become part of my life, more or less. It can do without me. It can do without me years ago. But it became part of my life. So I will shed a few tears, imaginary tears.“
He regarded Singapore as his own home.

Bibliography

Information extracted from these following sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Winsemius
http://ourstory.asia1.com.sg/dream/lifeline/win3.html
Www.ntu.edu.sg/.../Albert+Winsemius.htm

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This biography says:

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Photograph of Stamford Raffles.

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Photograph of Goh Chok Tong.

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Photograph of Lee Kuan Yew.

That biography says:

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fun city: It was Albert Winsemius who argued that Pulau Blakang Mati, renamed Sentosa, be kept for recreation. It is now the site of one of the two upcoming integrated resorts which, together with the F1 night race and Singapore Flyer, is expected to grow the tourist industry to 15 million visitors by 2015.

Source: PETIR (PAP Newsletter)

Hitman+ SG

????!!!!!he sounds like he was one of the pillars of spore or initiator of progress.without people like him ,spore probably would ended up speaking thai and selling bbq sotong for a living.

Hitman+ SG

????!!!!!he sounds like he was one of the pillars of spore or initiator of progress.without people like him ,spore probably would ended up speaking thai and selling bbq sotong for a living.

angel7030 SG

????!!!!!he sounds like he was one of the pillars of spore or initiator of progress.without people like him ,spore probably would ended up speaking thai and selling bbq sotong for a living.

sometime selling sotong and men briefs on the street is better than having so much foreigners and disparity of the elites and poors. If you will to ask me, i would said that as long as we are happy, living within a moderate lifestyle for all, peoples be motivated to strive for the best with the country. So, without Winemius, we could be better off, because there might be no LKY, no PAP and certainly, no high cost of living here.

In conclusion, try to look at thing from a different perspectives, my former humanity teacher always asked me, there are great thinkers and peoples in this world, without them, do you think that the world will be a better place to live in??