Albert Winsemius
By Ong, Christopher written on 2009-02-11
National Library Board Singapore
Comments on article: InfopediaTalk
Dutch economist Albert Winsemius (Dr) (b.1910, Netherlands d. 1996,
The Hague, Netherlands) was an economic advisor to the Singapore
government for almost 25 years. During that time, he contributed
greatly to Singapore's economic development. He was given several
monikers by the local newspapers, such as "Singapore's Dutch
Uncle", the "Republic's economic guru", the "Dutchman behind
Singapore Inc", and the "Father of Jurong".
Early Life
Born in 1910 to a father in the cheese wholesale business, the
young Winsemius soon became involved in the cheese industry,
working as a cheese maker after school each day. However, the
teenager soon realised, in his own words that, "working with your
hands usually doesn't pay too well", and moved on to being a cheese
salesman. Later, Winsemius decided he needed a university
education, and at the age of 26, applied to Leyden University to do
law as he thought that it was the easiest subject. However, he
discovered he had to pass an examination in Latin, and skipped it,
and thus failed to meet the entry criteria. He then applied for
Delft University but was rejected because he was found lacking in
his secondary school mathematics. Finally, he applied to Rotterdam
University. At the time, in order to make ends meet, Winsemius had
a job in The Hague, Netherlands, and so he told the dean of
Rotterdam University that he would not be able to attend lectures.
Despite having his own reservations, the dean allowed Winsemius to
enrol in the school. The rest is history as Winsemius went on to
become a leading economist.
One of his first jobs upon graduation just before the advent of
World War II, was to be the price controller for the Netherlands.
His main role was to freeze prices during food shortages. He
remained in the job until 1943. After the war, he worked at the
Ministry of Finance as the country's director-general of industrial
development. There, his role was to repair the economy, which had
been damaged by the war. From time to time, he also carried out
assignments on behalf of the World Bank. Thus, he began to build
his growing reputation as an expert in the field of Developmental
Economics.
Contributions to the Republic
In 1960, a year after Singapore gained its independence, Winsemius
was asked by the United Nations to visit Singapore as part of the
United Nations Development Programme team. They were tasked with
conducting a survey to assess the Republic's potential for
industrialisation. Winsemius arrived on 5 October 1960, and made
his first report to the Singapore government the following year,
advising them that Singapore's success was dependent on the
elimination of Communism. He also suggested that the statue of Sir
Stamford Raffles remain. In a tribute penned by Minister Mentor Lee
Kuan Yew after Winsemius's death, he wrote "... investors wanted to
see what the new socialist government in Singapore was going to do
to the statue of Raffles. Letting it (the statue) remain would be a
symbol of public acceptance of the legacy of the British and could
have a positive effect".
Thereafter, Winsemius became the Chief economic advisor to the
Singapore government in 1961-1984. He worked closely with
Singapore's first generation leaders including Lee, Dr Goh Keng
Swee, and Mr Hon Sui Sen. He would visit twice yearly during his
term as an economic advisor, about 3 weeks each time, and would
also get regular reports from the Permanent Secretary of Ministry
of Trade and Industry. Winsemius was called upon again in 1965 when
the economy suffered from the aftermath of Singapore's separation
from Malaya, as well as from Malaya's confrontation with Indonesia
from 1963 to 1965. During that time, he recommended Singapore to
re-open barter trade with Indonesia, and to share a common market
with Malaysia. However, the latter proved to be implausible. He
also advised that Singapore should look to get more investment from
abroad, and improved its ties with the West so that it would have
access to their markets.
His advice on industrialisation saw the emergence of
high-technological industries such as the production of electrical
components by the end of the 1960s. Another significant landmark in
Singapores industrialisation history was the construction of the
industrial town of Jurong. In 1970, Winsemius then envisioned the
next lap for a newly industrialized Singapore; that the Republic
would be a fully developed industrialized nation within 6-8 years
and should hence start preparations for making inroads into
exporting brain services. Thus, he advised the government to invest
money in a new university or technical institute, instead of using
governmental funds to build more factories.
Winsemius played the role of advisor for nearly 25 years until
December 1983. He was credited for Singapore's establishment as an
air and sea transport hub, and the development of Singapore's
public housing and the financial sector. For his contributions, he
was awarded a Distinguished Service Medal in 1967, and in 1976, was
bestowed the National Trades Union Congress' highest award, the May
Day Gold Medal of Honour. In 1970, the then-University of Singapore
also awarded him with an honorary degree. In 1997, he was
posthumously honoured with the establishment of an Albert Winsemius
Professorship at Nanyang Technological University.
Winsemius died of pneumonia on 4 December 1996. He passed away in
the Hague, the Netherlands. He was 86 years old then. He is
survived by his wife, 2 daughters, a son and 8
grandchildren.
Family
Wife: Aly Winsemius-Schreiber
He had two daughters and a son. One of his daughters, Ankie
Averink, worked for the United Nations. She was once called upon to
decipher his handwriting for the survey report that he did on
Singapore in 1961.
Author
Christopher Ong
