PRIME MINISTER LEE HSIEN
LOONGS NATIONAL DAY RALLY 2004 SPEECH, SUNDAY 22 AUGUST 2004, AT
THE UNIVERSITY CULTURAL CENTRE, NUS
OUR
FUTURE OF
OPPORTUNITY
AND PROMISE
I
Tribute to Goh Chok Tong
1
Friends and fellow Singaporeans, I've known Mr Goh Chok Tong
for a very long time, more than 25 years.
We first met in 1978. It
was not long after he entered politics.
We met socially and I remember he was explaining to me how he
was consciously staying away from making speeches on shipping
matters because he was from NOL (Neptune Orient Lines) and he wanted
to broaden out and talk about other subjects.
Soon after I met him, I went away to the
US
to study. When I was
away, I needed to make a presentation on
Singapore
Know Your World and wanted something to show the Americans
what
Singapore
was like. So, I asked
Mr Goh and he sent me some slides of activities in Marine Parade, a
kite-flying competition, something you won't find in
America
and it added something to letting the Americans know us.
I came back from
America
after two years in the SAF (Singapore Armed Forces).
He was my minister. I
would brief him regularly. Then I entered Cabinet and he was a
colleague and then, he was the Prime Minister.
2
When Mr Goh took over from Mr Lee Kuan Yew as PM, many people
wondered how he would work out because
Singapore
had had only
one PM
ever since it was independent, in fact, ever since before it was
independent. What would
the new PM be like? Would
he be his own man? What
mark would he put on
Singapore
? All this uncertainty
was soon dispelled. Chok
Tong established his own style, milder, gentler, consultative and
inclusive, but firm and clear.
He built his own team. He
retained key members from his own generation to help with the
transition. He brought
in new and younger ministers and he got good men and women to work
with him and formed a strong team.
And I'd just like to mention two of the people who kept on
and stayed with him. One
is Mr Dhanabalan, who had actually gone into the private sector
after the transition was completed and came back in again when I was
ill with lymphoma in 1992 and took over from me in MTI (Ministry of
Trade and Industry) and looked after MTI for one year, one crucial
year, and helped out at a very difficult time.
And the other one is Dr Tony Tan, who also went out after the
transition into the private sector, but came back in 1995 because
Chok Tong asked him to help run Mindef (Ministry of Defence) for two
years. And he stayed
for nine years and now, he's staying for another year to help me out
with my transition. So,
I owe them a thank you.
3
Chok Tong launched new policies to take
Singapore
forward. Some were
popular policies, like Edusave and Medifund.
Everybody liked them. Some
were difficult but necessary policies.
We had to cut the CPF (Central Provident Fund), we had to
raise the GST (Goods and Services Tax), not popular, but we had to
do it and Chok Tong sold these policies and persuaded people to do
it. Many things were in
foreign policy. He
travelled, he made friends with foreign leaders, he established
contacts, gained their respect and made use of these links for our
advantage, for example, establishing many free trade agreements with
important trading partners and I should just mention one, the US
free trade agreement because that one was born on a golf course.
One evening after dinner, he persuaded Bill Clinton to play
golf in
Bandar Seri Begawan
at night and over 18 holes, a free trade agreement was born.
So, that means he's telling me I should play golf.
4
Chok Tong established his own connection with Singaporeans,
not high-flown oratory, but sincere, direct, personal.
He made people feel comfortable and listened to.
He persuaded people to accept tough decisions.
He explained highly-sensitive issues and defused them and so,
when we had dialogues discussing very difficult things, I was always
very comfortable sitting next to him because I knew that no matter
how difficult the subject, how awkward the question, how
uncomfortable the audience, he would be able, with a soft turn of
word, with a joke, with a nice question back, to put the audience at
ease and get his point across.
And that's why when you see the pictures of me sitting next
to him on a dialogue, I'm always smiling.
But following him on the National Day Rally all by myself
here, well, that's a different show altogether.
But Chok Tong won the support of voters and the respect and
the affection of Singaporeans and brought us all closer together as
one people and, for that, I think we all thank Chok Tong.
II
Entering politics and becoming PM
5
I owe a personal debt to Goh Chok Tong.
I didn't plan to enter politics or to become PM, but he
brought me in. He
guided me and supported me and especially over these last 14 years
when I was his Deputy PM (DPM) and since coming in, politics has
engaged all my energies and abilities.
It's what they call a 24/7 job, there's no running away from
it.
6
I've been part of a team dealing with many issues, big and
small, and I've learnt much from the previous two PMs, especially
not just to focus on policies but on how the policies impact people,
the lives of individual Singaporeans, what does it mean, how does it
hurt, where can we help. So,
I've always paid a lot of attention to my MPS cases, my
Meet-the-People Session cases.
Nine out of 10 are routine, but always keep my eye open for
that last tenth one where the policy has gone wrong, the
implementation is not right or maybe the policy is wrong and has to
be changed and we have to do something, intervene and put it right.
I won't tell you which ones otherwise you will all come and
look for me. But I have
red stickers on my table so when such a case comes, I put a red
sticker and I see to it personally.
I've learnt that not all problems can be solved, but some can
and must and when you do solve one of these, it really gives you a
high and it gives my helpers a high too.
It makes my evening worthwhile and then the next time you
come back for the MPS, chuffed up, enthused, energised and we try
again. And when you
have a long case, well, we sit patiently and we wait.
7
It's a big step from being DPM to being PM.
It's not just working out policies or managing the economy.
It's really uniting all Singaporeans, making sure everybody
knows and feels that we are on the same venture together and
building our nation and making each generation of Singaporeans feel
proud to be Singaporean, proud to carry that pink IC and that red
passport wherever we go.
III
Singapore
at a crossroad
8
It's a unique challenge leading
Singapore
now, in 2004, because
Singapore
is at a crossroad. It's
a different world out there. It's a post-Cold War world.
What does that mean? It
means there's one hyperpower, the
United States
. There's no two
superpowers, it's not a multipolar world, it's one hyperpower.
China
is rising,
India
is opening up,
Southeast Asia
is also growing in transition, but reasonably optimistic overall.
And one major reality out there is the war on terrorism which
is going to continue for a long time to come.
9
In
Singapore
, this is not just a change of the PMs.
It's a generational change to the post-independence
generation. It's a
different generation of Singaporeans, different from the group which
fought for independence, different from the group who grew up with
independence in the immediate post-independence years who
experienced the transformation, saw how Singapore changed, saw the
effort and the passion which went into building Singapore, which
went into achieving what we have and wanted to pick up and run and
carry on with the job. Now,
it's a new generation and it's got to take
Singapore
another step forward, another level higher.
IV
A fresh, bold approach
10
To do that, we need a fresh and bold approach.
We've been successful, wildly successful.
Otherwise, we wouldn't be sitting here today.
But we can't stand still because the world is changing, our
people are changing and so must
Singapore
and so must the way we govern
Singapore
.
11
To succeed, we have to balance between continuity and change,
keeping what is still working and good and strong in our system,
which is a lot, and changing the part which is obsolete, discarding
the part which is no longer relevant, inventing new pieces, new
ideas to deal with new problems and to take advantage of new
opportunities and to develop new strengths and strategies to thrive
in a different world.
12
We can never afford to be satisfied with the status quo, even
if we are still okay, even if our policies are still working.
People say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".
I say, if it ain't broke, better maintain it, lubricate it,
inspect it, replace it, upgrade it, try something better and make it
work better than before.
13
I was a member of Chok Tong's team and I contributed to many
of Chok Tong's policies. These
are sound policies, but we must always be prepared to look at them
again, we must never be trapped by what we have and we must update
them and conceive new ideas to go ahead.
And this is true not just of the government but also of
Singapore
, also of society.
14
The Ministry of Education recently did a survey of CEOs and
employers. They wanted to know how the employers looked at the
output from our schools, looked at the young generation of people
who are coming out from school, universities, working, what are
their strengths and weaknesses.
And they made many observations, but it boiled down basically
to one key point which I think we know at the bottom of our hearts,
sometimes we don't articulate it, and it is this we are so
capable, we are so efficient, we are so comfortable that we stick
with what we have tried and tested and found working and we are
reluctant to take risks and try new things.
And that is a weakness.
It's a weakness which we have to overcome.
15
The key to overcoming this is a mindset change.
We have to see opportunities rather than challenges in new
situations, we have to be less conventional, we must be prepared to
venture and you've got to do this as individuals, we've got to do
this as a government and I think we have to do it as a society.
Let me give you some examples of what I mean.
As individuals, let me give you a personal example because
this is something which is true of all of us and me, too.
16
One day recently, I was coming back to
Singapore
Changi
Airport
, Arrival Hall, immigration counters.
The security officer said, "Walk through".
I said, "No, let me queue up and see what it's
like". So, I came
in. There are about
eight counters, right? "All
Passports", "All Passports", "All
Passports", "All Passports". The last two say
"Singapore Passports Only".
What shall I do? The
"All Passports" counters were all empty.
The "Singapore Passport" counters had a long queue.
So, I looked at this -- this doesn't make sense.
Why is everybody doing that?
They should go across. Then,
I thought of it more, I thought maybe, they know something I don't.
So, I joined them at the "Singapore Passports"
counter. I stood there
for 30 seconds. I said,
"This doesn't make sense", went across, sailed through.
The girls smiled at me, beamed, offered me a sweet.
So, I think the pressure to conform, to go with what we're
comfortable with -- he's doing it, let's do the same -- it happens
to all of us. I think
it's something we have to combat.
Nobody is there, let's go there first, see what happens.
So, that's on the individual level.
I am sure you have examples, but I will just stick to myself
today.
17
As a government, we have to rethink all our problems, big and
small. Nothing should
ever be set in stone. We've
made big changes recently. The
GST changes is a big one. The
CPF cut was a big one and now, we are working on wage reform. That's
another big one which will take some time and this will have a
significant impact on our future.
So, we've got to change our policies or look at our policies.
We've got to support entrepreneurs.
We've got to support Singaporeans being spontaneous, being
unconventional. We
should not put obstacles in their way.
We should help them to succeed.
18
Let me give you one example.
These are the Duck and Hippo Tours.
You know what's a Duck Tour?
It's a boat with wheels where you take a ride, you go into
the harbour, you sail around, you come back.
The Duck took two years to get a licence -- nearly died.
Very difficult because they went to the LTA (Land Transport
Authority). LTA says,
"Your duck has a propeller, how can it be a car?"
They went to the MPA (Maritime and Port Authority of
Singapore). MPA says,
"Your duck has wheels!"
So, ding-dong, it took two years.
Eventually, we sorted the problem.
The Duck became a success.
So, came the Hippo. The Hippo is a bus with no top, okay?
So, you sit on top, you drive around.
It's just like in
London
or one of the other Western cities. Question
-- Is the Hippo a bus? A
very important question because if it is not a bus, it is not
allowed to stop at a bus-stop.
So, that one we did better.
Six months, we solved the problem.
I think we have to do better than that.
19
We also need, as a government, to encourage participation and
debate. We have opened
up over the years. We've
got the Speakers' Corner. We've
allowed a lot more discussion.
If you read the newspapers, what the newspapers write, the
columnists, the Forum Page writers, the degree of debate is much
more than we used to have, or in Parliament.
But I think we can go further.
20
So, there are two things we are going to do. One, for indoor
talks, we are going to do away with licensing.
Right now, if you are going outdoors or indoors, if you want
to do a talk, you need a Public Entertainment licence.
Usually, it's approved, it's not a problem, but once in a
while, you are slow or the police have reservations, they say,
"No", but it's very rare.
So now, we've decided we are going to exempt indoor talks
from licensing requirements unless they touch on sensitive issues
like race and religion.
21
The second thing we're going to do is to open up the
Speakers' Corner where you can go and make any speech you like and
we are going to say, "Well, if you want to go there and have an
exhibition, go ahead". Once
in a while, Think Centre says they want to go to the Speakers'
Corner and they want to plant 100 flowers there, let the 100 flowers
bloom. Well, I think go
ahead. They want to
water the flowers, go ahead. They
want to turn the flowers down, go ahead.
I mean, free expression as long as you don't get into race
and religion and don't start a riot.
It's a signal speak, speak your voice, be heard, take
responsibility for your views and opinions.
22
As a society also, we have to be forward-looking.
I asked some young people what they would like me to say
tonight and one of them said this "Be forward-looking.
Don't let elders deter you by saying it cannot be done or
scare you with war stories".
Maybe, I was telling him war stories because I know him.
I agree that you shouldn't be scared by your elders, but I
think you should listen to them, think carefully what their lessons
mean in this new day and age and then use those lessons to avoid
unnecessary mistakes and solve problems our way today.
But we have to be prepared to accept the diversity of views
and to listen to the debate and to have this discussion, always with
a view to moving
Singapore
forward.
23
Let me give a controversial example.
It's quite a controversial one.
Some people told me, "Don't raise it, its your first
rally speech, very dangerous", but I'm going to do it anyway.
It's to do with the casino.
24
We've said, "No'' to the casino for a very long time.
I've said "No" to the casino for a very long time.
In 1985, we had a recession.
I remember the late Mr Teh Cheang Wan wanted the casino,
argued for it. We said,
"No". We
didn't proceed. This
time round, we had the ERC (Economic Review Committee).
The Subcommittee has put up the proposal for a casino.
On the ERC, I said, "No", a majority of the members
said, "No". We
didn't recommend it.
25
But the subject didn't die and we have to reconsider because
the argument comes up, the situation changes.
26
Why is the situation different?
Because there are "cruises to nowhere", more and
more cruises to nowhere. Some
don't even cruise, some anchor nowhere.
You can go to Batam. I'm
told there are 13 down there. I
haven't been there, but Wong Kan Seng has been.
He told me it was by accident, and Singaporeans go there.
So, Singaporeans are already doing this, right?
27
Then you want tourists. There are millions of tourists
because the Indians have money to spend, the Chinese have money to
spend. Every tour group
to
Singapore
goes to Genting.
Macau
is opening up. Now,
they have broken the monopoly, new operators, more shows, more
games.
28
If we want to grow our tourism traffic and double the number
of tourists to Singapore, we don't just want them to come here
because of gambling, but if gambling is one of the things they want
to do, then maybe we should allow them to do that in Singapore, find
some way to do that and if, as a result of that, I get, over 10
years, double the traffic volume, I think we should think about it.
29
So, MTI has come with a new proposal, not just a casino, but
an integrated resort, entertainment centre.
So, you have shows, you have family entertainment, you have
food, restaurants, art, all sorts of things and in the middle, of
course, you also have this place.
30
Should we say, "No"?
Well, I think we should take a deep breath and think about it
carefully. I know many Singaporeans have expressed concerns and very
strong concerns and the religious groups particularly have very
strong views and their objections are not irrelevant.
They are valid objections.
It's because of these objections that for so long, we haven't
done this. But I think
we shouldn't just say, "No".
I think we should consider - can we have the casino and
still contain the social problems?
Let's study it. Let's
see if there's some way to do it.
31
So, I think what we are going to do is to request for
proposals. Let's put
out to say we are going to impose the following restrictions:
Singaporeans below a certain income, you don't go.
I mean, if they want to travel all the way to Batam, that's
them, but we will not make it easy for people to go broke and ruin
their families in
Singapore
. But if a millionaire
wants to bring another millionaire friend from
China
or
India
, I don't think I should say "no" to him.
It may help lessen my other taxes.
So, I think we will find a reasonable restriction, draw a
line, call for the proposals, test the market.
Let's see what proposals come in.
If it makes sense and people think that this is worth doing
commercially, we make a judgment, we proceed.
If it's not worth it, not worth the downside risks, then we
will call it off.
32
We will consider all views before deciding.
Finally, if we decide against it, then I think we will have
had a valuable debate in our society, a valuable discussion and sent
a strong signal that we are prepared to discuss all sorts of things
and reopen long-settled issues.
But if we decide to proceed, then the final solution which we
implement will have to address the valid concerns which Singaporeans
have raised. So, it's
not black and white. I
mean, it's looking for an appropriate middle way where we can have
our cake and also eat most of it.
33
Increasingly, the world is going to be like that.
China
opened up. Deng
Xiaoping said, "When you open the windows, the flies will fly
in". So, you can't
close the windows, you'll just have to have a fly-swatter, a
fly-trap, have one of these UV lights to zap them, but keep the
windows open and keep your interior as clean and as hygienic for
your own people as possible. And
I think that's the attitude we should have.
V
What are our priorities?
34
So, with such a framework, with such an approach to our
problems, what are our priorities?
There are many, but tonight, I would like to list just five
of them.
35
Firstly, external relations, making friends with other
countries and protecting our interests overseas.
Secondly, building the economy, creating jobs, helping wages
and incomes to go up, pressing on with upgrading, looking after
those who are affected by this.
Thirdly, engaging the new generation.
Fourthly, educating, investing in our young so that they are
not just learning to make a living for themselves but also
developing their character and their emotional roots in Singapore
and discovering their strengths and achieving their potential; not
just for a few, but for every child and also to get them to learn
their mother tongues. And
the fifth one, I put it last, but I'm sure you won't forget it, has
to do with more babies. But
let me start with external relations even though I think for many
Singaporeans, the economy is at the top of your minds.
VI
External relations
36
One thing which isn't going to change is our approach to
external relations. We
seek to be friends with all countries, and especially with our
immediate neighbours and the major powers.
We pursue win-win co-operation with all countries who are
willing to co-operate with
Singapore
, but that doesn't mean that we can always accommodate the views or
the positions of other countries.
When our vital interests are at stake, we must quietly stand
our ground. As Dr
Habibie said, I'm sure youll remember,
Singapore
is a little red dot. If
we don't defend our interests, who will?
This approach has earned us respect internationally and a
network of good relations with many countries around the world.
37
From time to time, we are put to the test.
As a small country, we can't afford to flinch.
When Michael Fay was sentenced to caning for vandalism, Bill
Clinton as President wrote to our President on his behalf.
But we couldn't remit his sentence of caning.
All we could do is to reduce two strokes.
From six, we went to four.
If this were a Chinese punishment, wu
shi da ban (fifty floggings with the stick) would become si
shi wu da ban (45 floggings).
And people in
Asia
noted our stand. When
PM Mahathir of
Malaysia
pressured us to change the water agreements, we stood firmly by our
legal rights. We gave a
full public explanation of the negotiations with
Malaysia
why we were justified in international law and we were prepared
to go to any international tribunal.
But we still do our best to maintain good relations with the
US
and with
Malaysia
and, in fact, our relations with these two countries, I think, are
good.
38
Our closest neighbours are
Indonesia
and
Malaysia
. They will always be
of special importance to us.
Indonesia
is holding its second round of the presidential elections soon.
Malaysia
has a new PM. I've
known PM Abdullah Badawi for many years already and under him, our
relations have taken a fresh start and I look forward to working
with PM Abdullah Badawi to strengthen our bilateral relations
further. I was very
grateful that after I was sworn in, the next day he gave me a call
to congratulate me and to wish me well.
So, I said I look forward to working with him.
39
We have broad relations with
China
for many years since the visit of Deng Xiaoping to
Singapore
he was then the Vice-Premier in 1978. And we want to deepen
these relations for the future.
Unfortunately, our ties with
China
are currently under some strain after the Chinese reaction to my
recent visit to
Taiwan
.
40
I've seen letters to the press Straits Times, also Zaobao,
also Berita Harian which show they understand the Government's
position and I am grateful for the support they've shown the
Government. But
nevertheless, tonight, let me explain why I needed to visit Taiwan,
why Singapore is not changing its one-China policy and why I've
become more worried about the cross-straits situation after my
visit.
41
Why did I visit
Taiwan
? Because the
cross-straits situation is the most serious security problem in the
region, the most dangerous problem.
Economically,
China
and
Taiwan
are getting closer together. They
say half-a-million Taiwanese work in
China
, but politically, the two are drifting apart.
China
has made it very clear that if
Taiwan
moves towards independence,
China
is not going to stand idly by and war may be inevitable.
42
In this current, very tense situation, I will have to make
some very difficult judgment calls as PM.
I wanted to understand the thinking of my friends and
contacts in
Taiwan
. Some of them
are now key leaders on both sides, on the Pan-Green side and on the
Pan-Blue side. I needed
to sense the shifts in the tone and texture of Taiwanese society.
Only then can I make an objective assessment with conviction
and knowledge. You've
got to talk to people, feel them, sense their mood, their body
language, the atmosphere in the society and I can't get this feel
just by sitting in my office surfing the Internet, reading reports,
even secret reports, or watching CNN or CNA. Its not possible.
You have to be there.
43
If other countries are going to take
Singapore
's views and assessments of the cross-straits situation seriously,
then they've got to view us as informed, impartial and balanced.
If
Singapore
can help in some way to prevent miscalculations by some key players,
then we are going to do our utmost to do so.
We are small, we are not influencing the events, but we can
provide some inputs to help the key players avoid mistakes and
misjudgments.
44
Why did I go in July? Because
Chok Tong had told me that the handover would be in August and so,
July was the only window for me to go before becoming PM.
45
The Chinese have protested that my visit to
Taiwan
was contrary to
Singapore
's one-China policy. But
Singapore
has always observed the one-China policy.
We took this position right from our independence in 1965.
In 1971, we voted for PRC's admission into the UN to take its
UN seat. In October
1990, we established diplomatic relations with
China
. By then,
China
understood
Singapore
's position on
Taiwan
, that historically, we have unique and important interests there
which continue to be vital to our security today.
46
Two years after we established diplomatic relations with
China
, I visited
Taiwan
in 1992. I was then
already DPM. So, my
recent visit to
Taiwan
is not my first one under these circumstances, it's my second one,
and it doesn't contradict our one-China policy.
Nor can it be seen as emboldening
Taiwan
independence elements. This
makes no sense because the Taiwanese know too well that we stand for
one
China
and are opposed to
Taiwan
independence. Indeed, we are very worried by the growth of
Taiwan
independence forces.
47
Singapore
's one-China policy will not change. A
move by
Taiwan
towards independence is neither in
Singapore
's interests nor in the region's interests.
If
Taiwan
goes for independence,
Singapore
will not recognise it. In
fact, no Asian country is going to recognise it.
Nor will the European countries.
China
will fight. Win or
lose,
Taiwan
will be devastated. Unfortunately,
I met only very few Taiwanese leaders who recognised t, his reality.
The problem is that
it's not going to be just
Taiwan
which is going to be damaged. It
will be a grave setback for the whole region.
Our hope for
China
to emerge peacefully and for the region to prosper through
investments and trade and tourism will be shattered.
48
In any case, I think it would be the height of absurdity for
Singapore
to want to quarrel with
China
over the question of
Taiwan
because the cross-straits issue is not a permanent problem.
It will be resolved sooner or later either sooner if
matters come to a head when Taiwan amends its Constitution, or
later, eventually, if the situation evolves peacefully over two or
three decades, China continues to grow and Taiwan's economy is
progressively integrated into China's economy.
The process is inexorable; there can be no other final
outcome.
49
I came back from
Taiwan
more troubled than before I went because the ruling party, the DPP,
is preoccupied with domestic politics. Their immediate priority is
the upcoming Legislative Yuan elections