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