July 27, 2009
S'pore in a far better position to survive independently
I REFER to last Saturday's letter by Mr K. Kalidas, 'Revisiting merger'.
Singapore was expelled from Malaysia in 1965, chiefly due to its uncompromising stance on giving equal treatment to people of all races. To put it simply, Singapore's sovereignty was born out of principles and confidence. After 44 years of independence, the considerable economic gap is one of the many testaments to what a nation with strong principles and confidence can achieve.
Like an abandoned child left to fend for itself in an uncongenial milieu, Singapore in 1965 held little hope in the minds of almost all pundits. Despite seemingly insurmountable odds, Singapore survived and grew considerably, and became nimble and tough.
In human achievement, no civilisation, nation or city has had infant mortality rate drop as quickly as in Singapore. One top of that, no country with such diverse demographics has achieved the racial and religious harmony of Singapore.
China, with one-fifth of the world population, is the world's fastest-growing major economy. At the current clip, it is set to be the largest economy in the world by 2050. The Chinese have enormous brainpower but still model their developing cities on Singapore. This cannot be a coincidence. It is a strong indicator that Singapore has moved in the right direction and implemented the right policies.
Despite shifts in geopolitical tectonic plates and economic fundamentals, the Singapore of 2009 is no doubt in a better position than the Singapore of 1965 to survive independently for the next century. The key is to keep institutionalising what works and never waver on the very principles that created Singapore.
Singapore did relatively well, precisely because it stuck to its principles with confidence. Unless Malaysia adopts the same principles, it can never pose a challenge to Singapore's independence. The Singaporean Narrative, to use the term coined by Professor Kishore Mahbubani, is not a mirage, but a real possibility.
Tay Xiong Sheng
S'pore in a far better position to survive independently
I REFER to last Saturday's letter by Mr K. Kalidas, 'Revisiting merger'.
Singapore was expelled from Malaysia in 1965, chiefly due to its uncompromising stance on giving equal treatment to people of all races. To put it simply, Singapore's sovereignty was born out of principles and confidence. After 44 years of independence, the considerable economic gap is one of the many testaments to what a nation with strong principles and confidence can achieve.
Like an abandoned child left to fend for itself in an uncongenial milieu, Singapore in 1965 held little hope in the minds of almost all pundits. Despite seemingly insurmountable odds, Singapore survived and grew considerably, and became nimble and tough.
In human achievement, no civilisation, nation or city has had infant mortality rate drop as quickly as in Singapore. One top of that, no country with such diverse demographics has achieved the racial and religious harmony of Singapore.
China, with one-fifth of the world population, is the world's fastest-growing major economy. At the current clip, it is set to be the largest economy in the world by 2050. The Chinese have enormous brainpower but still model their developing cities on Singapore. This cannot be a coincidence. It is a strong indicator that Singapore has moved in the right direction and implemented the right policies.
Despite shifts in geopolitical tectonic plates and economic fundamentals, the Singapore of 2009 is no doubt in a better position than the Singapore of 1965 to survive independently for the next century. The key is to keep institutionalising what works and never waver on the very principles that created Singapore.
Singapore did relatively well, precisely because it stuck to its principles with confidence. Unless Malaysia adopts the same principles, it can never pose a challenge to Singapore's independence. The Singaporean Narrative, to use the term coined by Professor Kishore Mahbubani, is not a mirage, but a real possibility.
Tay Xiong Sheng
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