百汇广场
This is a very special year for Singapore. First, we are
celebrating the 54th anniversary of Singapore's independence. Second, we are
commemorating the 200th anniversary of the British East India Company setting
up a trading post in Singapore. Third, we are also reflecting on our
pre-colonial history, which stretches back 700 years to the 14th century.
To help Singaporeans understand the significance of the
three events, we have two new books and an enchanting multimedia show,
choreographed by Ms Beatrice Chia-Richmond and Mr Michael Chiang, called The
Bicentennial Experience, at Fort Canning Centre.
Our eminent historians Kwa Chong Guan, Derek Heng, Peter
Borschberg and Tan Tai Yong have written an excellent book, Seven Hundred
Years: A History Of Singapore. Former British high commissioner Scott Wightman
and I have co-edited a smaller book, 200 Years Of Singapore And The United
Kingdom.
TEMASEK, MELAKA AND JOHOR
What lessons or wisdom can we learn from the review of our
pre-colonial history?
We learn that Singapore had been settled twice before the
arrival of the British. In the 14th century, there was a kingdom on the island
called Temasek. It was an autonomous port-city. Temasek thrived on trade and
had good economic relations with the Srivijaya empire (based in Sumatra) and
the Majapahit empire (based in Java), as well as with China and India.
In the 15th century, Temasek lost its autonomy and became
part of the Melaka Sultanate. Melaka was the dominant maritime power in the
Strait of Malacca.
When Melaka fell to the Portuguese in 1511, the Sultan of
Melaka fled to Johor and established a new sultanate there. Singapore continued
to serve the Sultan as a naval outpost and as a centre for trade. The Sultan of
Johor was killed by his own noblemen in 1699, and this led to a civil war and
the decline of the sultanate. Since Singapore's fortune was tied to that of the
Johor Sultanate, it also declined into insignificance.
LESSONS LEARNT
What lessons can we learn from Singapore's pre-colonial
history?
The first lesson is that contrary to the British narrative,
the history of Singapore did not begin in 1819.
The second lesson is that Singapore had always played a role
in the maritime trade of South-east Asia and in the East-West trade between
China, India and the West. This was and still is the reason for the existence
of Singapore.
To maintain this position, we must always have the region's
best seaport, best entrepot port, best shipping hub and best international
maritime centre.
The third lesson is that Singapore has to be even more
integrated into the region. Our pro-Asean policy, our substantial investments
in Asean countries, the help we extend - by government, private sector and
civil society - to other Asean countries and their peoples are all laudable.
We can and must do more. We should encourage our students to
learn an Asean language and go on exchange programmes to the best Asean
universities.
We should encourage our tourists to visit Asean countries.
Professor Linda Lim from the University of Michigan has called on Singapore to
return to the region. My reply to Prof Lim is that we have never left the region.
However, in a recent survey of the 10 Asean countries,
Laotian students topped the list as being the most knowledgeable about Asean
and the most pro-Asean. Singapore students came in last as being the least
knowledgeable about Asean and the least interested in Asean.
The Singapore Government's pro-Asean policy must be shared
by the business community and by our civil society and young people. This is
especially important at a time when certain countries in the West are turning
inward. In this increasingly uncertain world, Asean is a bright spot. I think
this is the wisdom behind Prof Lim's statement.
BRITISH RULE AND JAPANESE RULE
The British ruled Singapore from 1819 to 1942 and from 1945
to 1963 - a total of about 140 years. Japan ruled Singapore for 31/2 years from
1942 to 1945. I must say in all frankness that Japan left no positive legacy in
Singapore, except to show us that the British were not a superior people and
had no right to rule over us.
Unlike the Japanese, the British did leave us with a positive
legacy.
In my book, I described British rule as 60 per cent good and
40 per cent bad. The good things are well known.
What were some of the bad things? The British were racists
and treated us as second-class (Eurasians) or third-class citizens. The British
promoted the smoking of opium in Singapore. There was neither democracy nor
human rights in colonial Singapore. The British did not diversify the economy
and were unable to generate enough jobs for our young people. Most egregious of
all, the British failed to defend Singapore against the Japanese invasion.
However, unlike other colonial masters in South-east Asia,
the British did leave us with a positive legacy. This includes the English
language, the free port, free trade, open economy, good infrastructure, the
rule of law, a good civil service and police force, town planning, public
hygiene and modern medicine, a belief in science and modernity, and an
appreciation of nature and natural history.
THE STORY OF SINGAPORE
Many former British colonies have squandered their British
legacy and are stuck in the Third World. In the case of Singapore, our
political leaders took the brave step of accepting our colonial past and
building on the British legacy.
In almost every sector, the Government of independent
Singapore has improved on what the British had left us. For someone like me,
who is in his 80s, what we have achieved in the past 54 years is nothing short
of a miracle.
As a first-generation diplomat, I am proud of Singapore's
high standing in the world and the success of its diplomacy. I can understand
why Israeli-Palestinian video blogger Nuseir Yassin, also known as Nas, has
described Singapore as an "almost perfect country".
A VIEW FROM MEXICO
I recently met a group of 28 university students from
Mexico, who had spent a week in Singapore. I met them on the eve of their
departure for home.
At the end of our dialogue, one of the teachers asked each
student to think of a word to represent their impressions of Singapore. Several
chose the word "innovation". The other words were "clean",
"honesty" and "harmony". The last student said,
"utopia".
I thanked all the students for their favourable impressions
of Singapore. I told them that although we have done well, we are not perfect
and there are areas which need improvement. My answer to Mr Nicholas Walton,
the author of Singapore Singapura: From Miracle To Complacency, is that far
from being complacent, the leaders of Singapore are paranoid, constantly worrying
about threats to our security and prosperity.
MY WISH LIST
I have a wish list for the future of Singapore.
First, on the economy. I would like to see our economy
continue to grow at a sustainable rate, focusing on knowledge-intensive and
creative industries, green technology, green finance and other environmentally
friendly business. I would like to see Singapore become one of the world's
leading incubators of inventors, start-ups and innovators. I am confident that
Singapore will succeed in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, but we should take
care of workers who will be displaced by the revolution in manufacturing,
retail, banking and other sectors.
Second, on the environment. We should be bolder in our
efforts to make Singapore a clean, green, liveable and delightful city. We
should progressively replace our existing buses, taxis, government-owned and
private vehicles with electric vehicles. We should promote the wider use of
solar power and the building of more net-zero energy buildings. We should
impose a tax on bottled water and single-use, non-biodegradable plastic. We
should emulate the example of Japan, South Korea and Taiwan in the recycling of
waste.
Third, on equality. We should reduce the number of
Singaporeans living in absolute poverty - mostly the elderly poor - to zero.
We should have the courage to follow the international best
practice and set the poverty line at 50 per cent of our median income, which
would be $2,200, and ensure that our workers earn wages above the poverty line.
The Government should ensure that workers under the Progressive Wage Model and
the Workfare Income Supplement earn wages above the poverty line.
Fourth, on justice. We should raise the retirement age to 70
because most Singaporeans enjoy good health up to the age of 70, and combat all
forms of ageism in Singapore. We should raise the percentage of our disabled in
employment, from the current 5 per cent to 40 per cent. We should accept the
LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community as full members of the
Singapore family and end all forms of discrimination against them.
Fifth, on democracy. We should have an ombudsman to enhance
transparency and accountability. We should accept the right of all citizens,
including intellectuals and artists, to hold alternative or dissenting views.
We should strengthen the culture of respecting different points of view,
including those with whom we disagree. This is the essence of democracy.
MESSAGE FROM THE BICENTENNIAL EXPERIENCE
At the end of The Bicentennial Experience, visitors were
asked to vote on which of the following three options was most important to
Singapore: (a) openness, (b) multiculturalism, and (c) self-determination.
By a big majority, the choice was self-determination. The
message is clear. Singaporeans do not wish to be ruled by Johor, London, Tokyo
or Kuala Lumpur. They want to be the masters of their own destiny.
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