Singapore's DNA to be young city-state will enable
country to thrive
By Imelda Saad | Posted: 05
April 2010 2246 hrs
SINGAPORE: Singapore's DNA to be a young city-state is the
key that will enable the country to thrive.
Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean made this point as he addressed
more than 250 undergraduates at a forum on Monday.
The forum was organised by the National University of Singapore
(NUS) Student's Political Association.
It was an audience fit for the topic at hand - "Singapore - Forever
Young".
After 45 years of independence, Singapore is still a considerably
young nation.
But as DPM Teo pointed out, past successes do not guarantee future
achievements.
He cited the example of Ireland. He said that up to three years
ago, Ireland was known as the Celtic Tiger, just as Singapore is
known as one of the Asian Tigers.
But a period of excess and the global financial meltdown plunged
Ireland's economy into crisis.
And for Singapore not to suffer the same fate, it needs to reinvent
itself and adapt to changing environments.
Mr Teo said that just like an individual, being young for
city-states like Singapore is an attitude of mind.
The good news is that Singapore has five building blocks that give
the country strong foundations.
One is that there is a strong culture of education and learning
here.
"A strong culture of education and continuous learning keeps our
people young and relevant, no matter what their ages are," said Mr
Teo.
Complementing that is a culture of seeking knowledge, innovation
and ideas.
That's where Singapore's strategy to grow as an R&D hub in
areas ranging from electronics to pharmaceuticals comes to
play.
"If we are trapped in the industries of the past, we will become
the new 'rust belt', with old factories, making old products, using
old skills and technology," said Mr Teo.
"If we have to depend only on imported ideas, we will not be able
to climb beyond our current economic level to new heights, and will
eventually be surpassed and left behind," he added.
"To be 'forever young', we need to be at the forefront of knowledge
and innovation. (We need to be) creators and not just users of
ideas," said Mr Teo.
Singapore also needs to be a vibrant and sustainable global
city.
"Though cities only occupy two percent of the Earth's land area,
they consume over 75 percent of its natural resources. There is a
pressing need for sustainable urban development solutions," said Mr
Teo.
"Because of Singapore's unique circumstances, we have the
opportunity to be at the forefront of successful urban living -
which is connected, safe, sustainable and socially integrated,"
added Mr Teo.
Without any natural resources, Mr Teo said, Singapore must be a
magnet for talent and must rejuvenate its population.
"As a city-state, we have one big advantage over our competitor
cities. Our competitor cities have few tools to regulate this rural
inflow, while we can shape, with immigration controls, who comes to
Singapore," he said.
"So we have to get the setting right. But I've always been very
confident about our immigration policy, because we can get the
setting, we can adjust the setting. We thus constantly adjust the
tap so that we can bring in the people that we need to sustain
population and economic growth and dynamism, while maintaining our
social cohesion and stability."
And tying everything together is a strong and forward-looking
leadership.
Mr Teo called for leadership renewal, not just within the political
sphere but also the community. "We need active citizens who are
prepared to come forward to actively and constructively contribute
to making Singapore a better home for all of us."
The forum also featured a wide-ranging dialogue session with the
undergraduates. One recurring theme was the issue of Singapore's
vulnerability, it being a small city-state.
Mr Teo said it is possible for the country to fall if it is not
careful. He said as a small nation, the margin for error is much
less compared to bigger countries. And being trade dependent,
Singapore is also vulnerable to external factors.
He said that is why the country needs to create buffers in an
uncertain world. Mr Teo pointed to Singapore's reserves and strong
investment in defence as examples of big anchors that keep the
country stable.
He said: "So the question is: should all of you be so frightened
that all of you abandon ship straightaway?
"No, the answer is 'no'. What I'm trying to put to you is, you
should have a well-founded confidence in our own future.
"Why? Because even though we have vulnerabilities, we have anchors
against these vulnerabilities, and indeed we have many, many
strengths for the future."
- CNA/ir