Singapore’s turbulent beginnings were crucial in forging our path to stability: SM Lee

The Straits Times

14 Nov 2024

Today’s Singapore may give the impression that the country has always been orderly and stable. But this was far from so. Our beginnings were turbulent. Like many other countries, we fought against ...

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But this was far from so. Our beginnings were turbulent. \nLike many other countries, we fought against ...</p>\n\n<a href=\"https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/singapores-turbulent-beginnings-were-crucial-in-forging-our-path-to-stability-sm-lee\">Source Link</a>\n\n</div>\n","source":"straits_highlight","html":"<!DOCTYPE html>\n<html>\n<head>\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Type\" content=\"text/html; charset=utf-8\" />\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width,initial-scale=1.0,minimum-scale=1.0,maximum-scale=1.0,user-scalable=no\"/>\n<meta name=\"format-detection\" content=\"telephone=no,email=no,address=no\" />\n<title>Singapore’s turbulent beginnings were crucial in forging our path to stability: SM Lee</title>\n<style type=\"text/css\">\na,abbr,acronym,address,applet,article,aside,audio,b,big,blockquote,body,canvas,caption,center,cite,code,dd,del,details,dfn,div,dl,dt,\nem,embed,fieldset,figcaption,figure,footer,form,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6,header,hgroup,html,i,iframe,img,ins,kbd,label,legend,li,mark,menu,nav,\nobject,ol,output,p,pre,q,ruby,s,samp,section,small,span,strike,strong,sub,summary,sup,table,tbody,td,tfoot,th,thead,time,tr,tt,u,ul,var,video{ font:inherit;margin:0;padding:0;vertical-align:baseline;border:0 }\nbody{ font-size:16px; line-height:1.5; color:#999; background:transparent; }\n.wrapper{ overflow:hidden;word-break:break-all;padding:10px; }\nh1,h2{ font-weight:normal; line-height:1.35; margin-bottom:.6em; }\nh3,h4,h5,h6{ line-height:1.35; margin-bottom:1em; }\nh1{ font-size:24px; }\nh2{ font-size:20px; }\nh3{ font-size:18px; }\nh4{ font-size:16px; }\nh5{ font-size:14px; }\nh6{ font-size:12px; }\np,ul,ol,blockquote,dl,table{ margin:1.2em 0; }\nul,ol{ margin-left:2em; }\nul{ list-style:disc; }\nol{ list-style:decimal; }\nli,li p{ margin:10px 0;}\nimg{ max-width:100%;display:block;margin:0 auto 1em; }\nblockquote{ color:#B5B2B1; border-left:3px solid #aaa; padding:1em; }\nstrong,b{font-weight:bold;}\nem,i{font-style:italic;}\ntable{ width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;border-spacing:1px;margin:1em 0;font-size:.9em; }\nth,td{ padding:5px;text-align:left;border:1px solid #aaa; }\nth{ font-weight:bold;background:#5d5d5d; }\n.symbol-link{font-weight:bold;}\n/* header{ border-bottom:1px solid #494756; } */\n.title{ margin:0 0 8px;line-height:1.3;color:#ddd; }\n.meta {color:#5e5c6d;font-size:13px;margin:0 0 .5em; }\na{text-decoration:none; color:#2a4b87;}\n.meta .head { display: inline-block; overflow: hidden}\n.head .h-thumb { width: 30px; height: 30px; margin: 0; padding: 0; border-radius: 50%; float: left;}\n.head .h-content { margin: 0; padding: 0 0 0 9px; float: left;}\n.head .h-name {font-size: 13px; color: #eee; margin: 0;}\n.head .h-time {font-size: 11px; color: #7E829C; margin: 0;line-height: 11px;}\n.small {font-size: 12.5px; display: inline-block; transform: scale(0.9); -webkit-transform: scale(0.9); transform-origin: left; -webkit-transform-origin: left;}\n.smaller {font-size: 12.5px; display: inline-block; transform: scale(0.8); -webkit-transform: scale(0.8); transform-origin: left; -webkit-transform-origin: left;}\n.bt-text {font-size: 12px;margin: 1.5em 0 0 0}\n.bt-text p {margin: 0}\n</style>\n</head>\n<body>\n<div class=\"wrapper\">\n<header>\n<h2 class=\"title\">\nSingapore’s turbulent beginnings were crucial in forging our path to stability: SM Lee\n</h2>\n\n<h4 class=\"meta\">\n\n\n2024-11-14 05:00 GMT+8&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/singapores-turbulent-beginnings-were-crucial-in-forging-our-path-to-stability-sm-lee><strong>The Straits Times</strong></a>\n\n\n</h4>\n\n</header>\n<article>\n<div>\n<p>Today’s Singapore may give the impression that the country has always been orderly and stable. But this was far from so. Our beginnings were turbulent. \nLike many other countries, we fought against ...</p>\n\n<a href=\"https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/singapores-turbulent-beginnings-were-crucial-in-forging-our-path-to-stability-sm-lee\">Source Link</a>\n\n</div>\n\n\n</article>\n</div>\n</body>\n</html>\n","isBrief":false,"type":0,"news_type":1,"symbol":"BK6519","symbol_name":"运输股","start_time":0,"source_url":"https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/singapores-turbulent-beginnings-were-crucial-in-forging-our-path-to-stability-sm-lee","article_id":"2483634098","we_media_id":null,"thumbnails":[],"rights":{"source":"straits_highlight","url":"https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/singapores-turbulent-beginnings-were-crucial-in-forging-our-path-to-stability-sm-lee","rn_cache_url":null,"customStyle":"","selectors":"body","filters":"","directOrigin":true},"url":"https://stock-news.laohu8.com/highlight/detail?id=2483634098","pubTimestamp":1731531600,"columns":[],"sourceInfo":{"source_id":"straits_highlight","name":"Straits Times"},"weMediaInfo":null,"summary":"Today’s Singapore may give the impression that the country has always been orderly and stable. But this was far from so. Our beginnings were turbulent.Like many other countries, we fought against our colonial masters – in our case, Britain – for the right to determine our own destiny. We eventually succeeded and achieved first self-government, which is internal, and then full independence.Along the way, we had to choose whether to have a left-wing and pro-communist government, or a democratic and non-communist government. It was a big political battle, especially as our population was majority ethnic Chinese, with strong ethnic and family ties to communist China.Fending off the communist threat was one of the reasons why Singapore merged into a new Federation of Malaysia. We saw that as our independent future. But in the Federation, we encountered another fundamental conflict of priorities – between multiracialism and racial equality on the one hand, and race-based politics and the dom","collect":0,"end_time":0,"defaultTopTitle":"straitstimes.com","property":[],"viewcount":null,"language":"en","relate_stocks":{"BK6519":"运输股","LU1981816686.USD":"EASTSPRING INV ASIAN MULTI FACTOR EQUITY \"A\" (USD) ACC","SGXZ58947870.SGD":"LIONGLOBAL SINGAPORE DIVIDEND EQUITY (SGDHDG) INC","C6L.SI":"新加坡航空公司","BK6523":"ESG概念","SG9999013478.USD":"利安新加坡股息基金","SG9999013486.USD":"LIONGLOBAL SINGAPORE DIVIDEND EQUITY (USD) INC A","BK6003":"航空公司","SG9999006266.SGD":"MANULIFE SINGAPORE EQUITY \"A\" (SGD) ACC","SG9999013460.SGD":"LionGlobal Singapore Dividend Equity Fund SGD","SG9999001127.SGD":"United Singapore Growth Fund SGD"},"translate_title":"新加坡动荡的开端对于打造我们的稳定之路至关重要：SM Lee","themeId":null,"isJumpTheme":false,"ttsUrl":null,"symbols_score_info":{"C6L.SI":0.9},"content_text":"Today’s Singapore may give the impression that the country has always been orderly and stable. But this was far from so. Our beginnings were turbulent. \nLike many other countries, we fought against our colonial masters – in our case, Britain – for the right to determine our own destiny. We eventually succeeded and achieved first self-government, which is internal, and then full independence. \nAlong the way, we had to choose whether to have a left-wing and pro-communist government, or a democratic and non-communist government. It was a big political battle, especially as our population was majority ethnic Chinese, with strong ethnic and family ties to communist China. \n\n\n\nFending off the communist threat was one of the reasons why Singapore merged into a new Federation of Malaysia. We saw that as our independent future. But in the Federation, we encountered another fundamental conflict of priorities – between multiracialism and racial equality on the one hand, and race-based politics and the dominance of one ethnic group on the other hand.\nTragically, this led to riots and bloodshed. The differences proved too stark to be reconciled and in 1965, Singapore was expelled from the Federation. So, independent Singapore was born. It was a complicated, unnatural birth, amid great political upheaval and strife. \nThe battles could easily have gone either way. But fortunately, in the end things turned out well for Singapore, and these circumstances established the founding ideals that continue to underpin our nationhood – to be independent and sovereign; to be non-communist and democratic; and to be multiracial and meritocratic, with equal opportunities for all regardless of race, language or religion.\n\n\n\nThis path that we took to get here – that started with these three fierce struggles against colonialism, communism and then communalism – was a crucial factor in Singapore’s development. Because of this experience, that generation of leaders and citizens knew exactly what was at stake, and they were determined to knuckle down and turn vision into reality. \n\nThat is why, if others try to replicate our recipe, or even if we ourselves were to traverse all over again the same journey and hope to come here again, we may not end up in the same spot. So first lesson is, we are path-dependent; the history matters.\nBuilding a high-quality government\nThe second lesson is, we paid close attention to building a high-quality government and high-quality institutions. We built up the public service. We kept government careers attractive and salaries competitive. We awarded scholarships to attract the best and the brightest in each cohort of graduating students. \nMost critically, we created a strong public service ethos, instilling in our officers a sense of mission: To serve Singapore to the best of their ability, and to make the country succeed.\n\n\n\n\nWe assembled a competent political leadership too. Some leaders excel at galvanising and rousing the masses in the excitement and fervour of the independence struggle. Others are better at organising the government and motivating the people year after year, in the patient toil of nation building. \nThankfully and exceptionally, our pioneer leaders were able to transition from one role to the other, and succeeded in both.\n\nMinisters do have to get re-elected. But because in Singapore they are likely to get re-elected if they deliver results, they know the buck stops with them. Hence, they have every incentive not to kick the can down the road, but to deal seriously with difficult problems. Hence also, we were able to get the right combination of politics and policy – a combination that worked for Singapore.\nThe whole system was organised on the basis of meritocracy, to maximise the talent that we had. We emphasised the rule of law, and built up an independent and impartial judiciary. \nPolicies were encoded in law where practicable, so that the Government could function transparently, rationally and predictably at all levels. \nWe zealously kept the system corruption-free, and implemented rules to keep money out of politics, and avoided political parties and leaders becoming beholden to political donors and lobbyists.\n\nThese key moves early on in our nation-building journey enabled us to build effective and efficient state institutions and agencies that delivered high-quality public services, while keeping the tax burden low. \nOver time, they also entrenched norms of behaviour and expectations in our society, for the Government and its leaders to uphold. And it enabled us to do the things right – on the economy, on social cohesion, on nation-building, on setting foreign policy. \n\n\n\n\n\nMore On This Topic\n\n \n\nSG60 a time for S’poreans to renew commitment to country: PM Wong\n\n\n\n \n\nA memorial that honours Singapore’s founders and keeps alive their ideals in our nation-building journey\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGetting policies right\nWe put a high priority on economic growth and development. Without growth, we would not have had the resources to do all the good things that we aspired to. \nWe adopted what was then a radical approach towards economic development. In an era when the conventional wisdom saw multinational corporations as evil exploiters of cheap labour, we welcomed them as a power for good, which brought technology, created good jobs and modernised our economy.\nWhen prevailing development models were based on import substitution and protection of domestic markets, we pursued export-led growth, minimised import restrictions, and forced ourselves to become internationally competitive.\n\nWe practised free market principles, without becoming purist or dogmatic. We believed that market forces were essential to allocate resources efficiently, and generate the impetus for development and wealth creation. \nWell-functioning markets also provided the discipline and the incentive for our people to work hard and to do well. But we were neither completely laissez-faire nor free market fundamentalists.\n\nThe Government played an active role: We developed a conducive, pro-enterprise environment. We ensured free flows of trade, capital and talent. We educated our people with marketable skills, so that businesses could count on a skilled workforce.\nAnd we built up a strong labour movement that worked closely with employers and the Government to improve the livelihoods and lives of workers, and achieve win-win outcomes. \nWe applied economic principles to social policies too, for example, controlling traffic congestion, pricing essentials like electricity and water, building public housing, designing welfare schemes, and even controlling access to casinos.\nWhere the private sector could not deliver the outcomes we needed, the Government was quite prepared to intervene directly. \nFor example, to develop industrial land, we set up a statutory board, JTC Corporation, and it developed industrial land and infrastructure. \nTo promote foreign direct investments – we did not believe they would just come to us themselves – we created a one-stop centre, the Economic Development Board, which became a model for other countries. \nWe even started companies, state-owned companies operating efficiently without subsidies, and profitable – a multiple contradiction in terms – but they exist in Singapore: Singapore Airlines, DBS Bank, Singtel and several others.\nBeyond the economy, we also went into building a cohesive society and a strong nation, because we are not just an economy, we are a nation state. A small one, no doubt, but we have to build ourselves up as a society and as a country. \nSo, as the economy grew, we made heavy social investments to improve Singaporeans’ lives. We built good education, healthcare, housing systems. Ninety per cent of our youth today leave school with post-secondary education qualifications. \nSingaporeans leave school ready to take up good, well-paying jobs, which are there and available for them. Our youth unemployment rate is very low. We enjoy good health outcomes, while keeping healthcare costs lower than most developed countries. Ninety per cent of Singaporeans own our own homes, mostly living in high-quality public housing.\nWe also forged a national identity out of the polyglot immigrant communities who had made their home in Singapore. We made English our common working language. We kept Malay (which is the lingua franca of South-east Asia) as our national language, and kept Chinese and Tamil as two other official languages.\nWe also introduced national service. All medically fit males serve either in the armed forces, the police or the civil defence at the age of 18, instilling in citizens a sense of duty to defend the nation. \nWe engaged in considerable social engineering, influencing people’s habits to foster values and norms that would work for Singapore. For example, we set ethnic quotas in public housing estates, to keep our public housing estates ethnically integrated and to pre-empt the formation of ethnic enclaves before it reached the tipping point and cascaded out of control. \nAll these strengthened our shared sense of identity – that we are all Singaporeans together, having more in common with one another than with ethnic Malays, ethnic Chinese or ethnic Indians elsewhere in the world.\nFinally, we pursued an active foreign policy, even as we provided for our security and defence. Small nations cannot determine the course of the world events, but we must not think that we have no agency. \nWe make friends wherever we can, including with the major powers. We make common cause with like-minded countries. We build up our credibility and value by being a reliable, trustworthy partner that delivers on our commitments.\nWe participate actively at multilateral institutions like the UN and the World Trade Organisation. For example, we led the recent successful negotiations for an international agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. We are also active in climate change discussions, which is an existential issue for a low-lying tropical island.\nAn effective foreign policy must be based on strengths at home. A nation will be taken seriously internationally only if it is cohesive and united internally, and its leaders and diplomats too. It must be able to defend and stand up for itself. \nBesides skilful diplomats, it must have soldiers who are willing to fight and die to defend the country. We have invested steadily in our security and defence, building up a modest but credible armed force based on national service, as I explained earlier.\n\nBut today’s strategic environment is much more challenging. It is tricky to maintain friendships with countries that are not friends with each other. \nEverybody declares that they will not force you to choose sides, far from it. But everybody wants you to be on their side and not the other’s. We do our best to take a consistent, principled position in line with our own long-term national interests. \nWhen we have to disagree with other countries, we will be open and honest about it, so that they can still trust us, and they can understand that we are doing this because of Singapore’s calculations, and not on behalf of somebody else.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMore On This Topic\n\n \n\n‘We do not take sides, we uphold principles’: Vivian on Singapore’s foreign policy approach\n\n\n\n \n\nAre Singapore’s best days behind us? A lot depends on global affairs\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nA system that works for Singapore\nFrom our early years of nation building to modern Singapore today – for more than 60 years now, because the PAP (People’s Action Party) took power before we became independent – successive PAP governments have performed well and delivered on our promises. That is why Singaporeans have put their confidence in us, term after term, 15 times in a row so far.\nThis reservoir of confidence and trust widens the Government’s political and policy space, enables us to think long-term, and lets us make politically difficult but essential moves. For example, to raise consumption taxes to pay for the growing healthcare needs of an ageing population, and to do so coming out from Covid-19. \nBut we are careful never to take the people’s support for granted. Nothing prevents Singaporeans from voting the ruling party out if we breach their trust, let them down, or fail to maintain the high standards that they have come to expect from us.\nSingaporean politics feels quite different from politics in many other countries. When I explain how it works in Singapore, they look at me as if I come from another world. But we have evolved and adapted our democratic political system and norms to suit our circumstances, and it has worked for Singapore. \nThe country is successful – there is high trust in government and society, we have rising incomes and standards of living, we have high-quality public services, stable politics, a strong international reputation, and a united, resolute people who stand together against the odds. \nThese assets have been built up over the long term, and during crises they prove their worth.\nFor example, during the Covid-19 pandemic. We were able to do the right things – enforcing safe distancing, treating Covid-19 patients, vaccinating everyone, protecting jobs, maintaining confidence. \nWe could do so only because people trusted the Government – both the public service and the political leaders. Also, people trusted one another and our society was united. Hence, we came through Covid-19 with relatively light casualties, livelihoods intact, and our social capital, public confidence and trust all strengthened. And for that, we will long be thankful.\nOpportunities and uncertainties in the years ahead\nBut Covid-19 will not be our last challenge. Existing problems never completely disappear and will keep coming back in different forms. That is the nature of government. \nYou do not write a thesis, graduate, and then move on to the next research problem. The problem comes back in a morphed form, but again, how do you survive? How do you earn a living? How do you upgrade standards? How do you meet expectations? How do you try to break the constraints and go beyond what seems to be imaginable?\n\nNew challenges will arise too. Externally, great power rivalry and the breakdown of multilateralism will certainly mean fewer opportunities for growth, and greater dangers of tension and conflict. \nDomestic issues like ageing, social mobility, income inequality, immigrants and foreign workers – none can simply be waved away, especially in a slower-growing, mature economy. \nPolitically, the compact between the Government and the population must be renewed in each generation, so that fresh teams with fresh ideas can deal with fresh challenges.\nThankfully, Singapore is in as good a position as any country, to deal with these inescapable realities. The country’s leaders, at all levels, feel a responsibility to keep our system working for as long as we can and beyond our own terms in office. \nAs stewards, they seek out and induct new talent to renew their leadership ranks, in order to have this responsibility handed on like an heirloom from generation to generation.\n\nSo far, we have made three top leadership transitions successfully. This year, a new prime minister took over from me, and I am very happy that the transition to Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has gone well. I hope Singapore will continue renewing itself, and rejuvenating our national project, for many years to come.\n\n\n\n\n\nMore On This Topic\n\n \n\nPM Wong’s challenge: Reversing the me-first instincts of Singaporeans\n\n\n\n \n\nNo room for dream hoarding in the new Singapore Dream","kind":"highlight","is_publish_news":true,"is_publish_highlight":false,"is_publish_live":false,"is_publish_wemedia":null,"editions":null,"column":"","sentiment":"0","news_tag":"","news_rank":0,"symbols":[],"gpt_button":0}}}