LKY talk, last part

Singapore must be the hub for the area. Singapore has the advantage in our location, so we have to make full use of that to prosper. In our negotiations, we always try our best to promote free trade agreements with all current as well as potential key partners everywhere. We have even been called the “Free Trade Champion”. Throughout our history, we always identify three key partners, to which we should put in the best we have. Our current key partners are Malaysia, Indonesia and the US. But there are two particular countries that we should keep in mind: China and India. Each has own advantages. They have great population. They have minerals and other conditions to develop. We can cooperate with them. But more important is that we have to move faster than others, because we do not have what they have. We cannot afford to trail others, because we will totally lose.

During the year 2005, we will have to move much faster than we did in the year 1965 (the first year of independence). And we have to keep moving faster and faster, through research, innovation and education.

About sense of ownership: In my opinion, each and every Singaporean owns a portion of the land. Our successful house ownership scheme has given accommodations to over 95% of the population. Those houses were not for rent. They were sold to our citizens. Singaporeans have their own houses to live in, their own private assets to keep and to pass to their children. I consider that as the ownership of the country that Singaporeans have.

Our policies are always for the favor of our people. Before putting forth a policy, we always have to think whether that policy will benefit the people or not, and if there must be some compromise, then we try our best so that our people will have to lose as little as possible. We have our more than 4 millions people to care for. They are our precious asset and we cannot afford to lose them. Every policymaker must think that way. We cannot follow the US style, and their continuous fight, not for people but positions. For every decision, we must have something to base on. Each country has own standard and morale. For example, in the past we did not allow gambling in Singapore, as I thought it was not necessary. We did not reach the state in which we had the surplus to consume in the casino. And I did not intend to make Singapore become rich by casinos. Now, things have changed. We have become more prosperous. Singaporeans are now able to afford to travel abroad quite often, and they have enough money to spend in casinos elsewhere. Therefore, we should reconsider having casinos here for those who want them, and also for promoting our tourism industry. We should be sensitive to changes, and adapt to them. Our cabinet is still divided, but I hope we will soon reach a mutual understanding.

However, ownership always goes with responsibility. We have to be responsible for what we own. We cannot take anything for granted. In the beginning we had nothing. Now we have something for ourselves. We have to remember, and treasure that.

ASEAN integration:

Some key features of ASEAN:

- Disparity: ASEAN countries are disparate.

- No intervention rule:

In the 60s, each country in the region has its own path. Sometimes they crossed, so we had to compete with each other.

Then: Technology bridged the differences. There emerged new powers, in the region as well as in the world. Competitions became tougher and tougher. We had to compete not only regionally but also internationally. Therefore, ASEAN emerged. The countries in the region should stand together to help each other, against the fierce competition from China. Each country has own advantage, so we can help each other. And we can also have some combined programs for the whole region. As member of ASEAN, we open markets for other members to welcome opportunities. We have long been cooperating with the US, UK and other countries, so why shouldn’t we cooperate with ASEAN countries. We cannot survive to stand alone. We have to work with others, because our resources are very limited.

About political competitiveness: We take Sweden as an example. The politics of Sweden became stagnation after the Social Democratic Party lost power. About political competitiveness, Singapore is very unique. In other countries, parties compete for power, and they try to win the votes by promising a lot to voters, but they soon forgot those promises right after they got the power. The promise of free medication has become sour in many countries, as it turns out that patients have to pay even more for additional expenses. In Singapore, first there was competition between Communist Party, PAP and some right wing parties. Then the Communist Party was cracked down, and the right wing parties were subsided. So there was only the PAP on the political stage. We become dominant, and we grasped the power. And we have been trying to keep the dominant role since then. Our goal is to win the people, because winning the people will secure our leadership role. Why have we been dominant for so long? The answer is simple: The oppositions cannot be compared with us, in terms of what they can offer to the people. We have more capacities to offer to our people, and they also agree with us. You may feel that there is a lack of competitiveness here, but I do not consider that as bad, looking at the life of Singaporeans and what we have brought to them since we first became the leading party.

In leading the country, we always have to keep in mind Singaporean Identity. Singapore is fragile and sensitive. We have had many conflicts, both in the region and in the world. We had some conflicts with Malaysia, and inside Singapore we also had conflicts between the Malays and the Chinese. Those conflicts remind us that Singapore is very fragile, and harmony is what we need the most. Stability should be worked on continuously. And PAP should change continuously. We need new blood and younger leaders. We should continue giving our people the best because the winner will be the one that helps people the most and the one that does what is good.

Some recent achievements of Singapore

- Overcoming the 1997 crisis successfully

- Singapore Dollar was sold much during the crisis, but there was no death for the currency, and we could survive the crisis.

- The lesson of SARS, the challenge we faced and overcame.

We have effective leaders, who can manage the path for Singapore well. So, is the shift of leadership in Singapore really essential ?