Keynote Address By Mr David T E Lim, Minister Of State For Defence At The Pre-U Seminar On 1 June 1999.


Singapore 21: The Road Ahead

RADM Teo Chee Hean, Minister for Education and 2nd Minister for Defence, Ladies and Gentlemen:

Singapore 21 is about Singapore as a Nation in the 21st Century.

The Singapore 21 report has been written, published, debated, endorsed - by Parliament, the Senior Minister, the Prime Minister.

The vision it spells out spans a wide panoply of ideas. It is like a full course dinner - where every course is a meal in itself! "Every Singaporean Matters" - we could discuss that for a week. And the debate on foreign talents has rumbled on for months. I'm sure that each of you would have read the report by now - your teachers would have seen to that. I hope the full course meal did not give you indigestion!

But why should it matter to you? How is it relevant to what you will do - today, this year or the next?

In the next half an hour, I would like to give you my reasons why I think Singapore 21 is important to you. I hope you will listen carefully. For whether Singapore will be a cohesive and vibrant society, a nation relevant to and well regarded by the rest of the world, or whether we will become a divided and contentious society, a backwater of no significance to anybody, will depend on how each of you respond to the ideas and the ideals put forward in this report.


3 Reasons why Singapore 21 is Important

Singapore 21 embodies five basic ideas which, taken together, chart a direction for the development of our society. Today, I put to you 3 reasons why these ideas, individually and collectively, are essential to your future.


Reason # 1: "Because building a nation is not just building the economy".

We have a pretty good idea how the economy is likely to shape up: more knowledge oriented, more technologically driven. We know that we will have to live with the challenges that this brings - a faster pace of change, and a wider field of competition. We know it means that we must keep current, engage in livelong learning, tune in globally, stay connected. It's going to be tougher, but we're mentally prepared to take on the tough - after all, it's exciting to live at the cutting edge with the best in the world.

We also know, sort of, the kind of society we want to become - more vibrant, more lively, more cosmopolitan. We want variety and choice. We want our lifestyles to be enriched by as wide a melange of experiences as we can immerse ourselves in. We want to be alive to the whole wide world of sensory and cognitive and emotional stimuli. We want to live full and exciting lives.

But a nation is more than these things combined. Accumulating material wealth does not completely satisfy us. And we can't fill up the emptiness just by creating a lively arts scene, or making our city look beautiful with flowers and gardens.

Building a nation is about building a people. This is what the S21 vision calls heartware. It's about relationships, friendships, family ties, emotional bonds. It's about binding a people together to transform a country into a nation, a place into our home. It's about caring about feelings and emotions as much as we care for physical and material well being.

There are 500 of you here today, about 1% of your cohort. In a few years, most of you would graduate with degrees which would make you internationally mobile and sought after. Many of you by then would have travelled or studied overseas. You would be able to choose where you want to work, live and play. What would make you want to make Singapore your home?

This is something you must begin to think about. The opportunities you now enjoy were made possible by your parents and their parents. They planted the trees which now give you shade. What will draw you back to Singapore, to plant trees for the next generation?

Many Singaporeans I've talked to who live overseas say that the thing they miss most about home is their friends and their families. Yes they miss the food. But in the end, it is the people factor - familiar faces, and warm emotions - that makes them think of home, and of wanting to come back home one day.

Those who say that the S21 Vision is just a repetition of well-worn slogans, have missed the point. For when Singaporeans come together and declare that every Singaporean makes a difference, it's an affirmation from the heart that people make the nation. Not the GDP, not the grand buildings, not the flowers by the roadside. Our people are what counts - what each one of us is, the relationships we form with each other, how we pull together as one body: these things determine the greatness of our nation.

Take a moment to think about this and make it personal. Do you agree that everybody matters; that every one deserves a chance, and a second chance, and a third? Do you agree that strong families are the foundation of our nation? Do you believe that we must nurture in every citizen a strong Singapore heartbeat? If you do, then you must act on these beliefs. For unless we act on them, they will remain words on a banner, fluttering in the wind for all to see, but none to care.

This leads me to reason number 2, which is:


Reason # 2. "Because building a nation is not just the government's job"

One of the 5 basic ideas in Singapore 21 is that everyone should be an active citizen. Some people might laugh at this idea - after all, there is no need to be active - why not let the government do it all!

But there are things that a government cannot do or should not do, that are best left to citizens to decide whether or not these things should be done, and whether or not they will be active citizens to get them done.

Take the care of the old and lonely. If every Singaporean matters, surely this includes the old. Surely, we must be concerned for their well being - both physical and emotional.

Should the government therefore not care for the elder members of our society, who are left alone at home because their sons and daughters have to go out to work, to earn a living? Why can't the government hire befrienders to keep such people company? After all, it's not a question of money - the government's money is just yours and mine combined. So, if we all think it is a good idea, we can hire some social workers to visit these old folks, to sit with them or sing to them, and make them happy. In fact, in so doing we would create some new jobs. It would be a neat solution!

But can it be done this way?

We have a core of social workers in Singapore today that are often unsung heroes and heroines. They work quietly, away from the limelight, helping to shoulder the burden of family problems, and helping those who have stumbled find their feet again. They are angels in our midst. But their numbers are few, and the lonely are many.

But even if we could find the numbers, should we be hiring friends for the friendless? Should we substitute love and concern for the uncared with money from our wallets? And how about the sick and infirm? Would we also pay for someone else to be their friend? Or the latchkey children? Or abused spouses?

A better way is for those who have the passion and the heart to help to take the lead. Get a few friends together. Make a commitment. Pay a visit, make a friend. This is far more sustainable and doable than for the state to try to hire and train ever more social workers. But such actions cannot be forced. It must come from the heart.

Let me relate a real-life story that I hope would encourage you to care for the elderly.

A lady came to see me at my meet-the-people session a few weeks back. Most times, people come to see me because they have problems. It took me a while to realise that this lady was different. She came to see me because she was concerned about an old woman who used to sell eggs, who did not come by to sell eggs anymore.

She told me that she had tracked the old woman down some 2 years ago, when she found out that the old woman was unable to work, because she had to look after her mentally retarded son. She had been visiting this old woman ever since, but just that morning, she had found the old woman locked in her house, unconscious. The police had responded to her call, but she did not know where they had taken her. Now she wanted me to find out. She was worried what might happen next to that old woman and her son.

There was no reason why this lady, herself in her late forties or fifties, should go out of her way to look after the old woman. She wasn't a relative, a neighbour, or a childhood friend. They only knew each other because the old woman sold eggs. And the only reason I can think of why this kind Samaritan came to see me is that she cared.

I hope that many of you will be like this ordinary lady.

In a society, there are many areas where the government and the people sector play different and complementary roles. Take for example the care of unwed mothers. Should we provide welfare for them? Give them housing? Help them raise a family?

At first glance, you might say that this is what a humanitarian government should do. Government should set aside funds to help those who fall into such unhappy circumstances.

But perhaps we should pause a moment to think this question over. If the government should do this, would we be encouraging young girls to bear children outside the protection and care of a stable family? We say that strong families are the foundation of our society. Would we not be sending mixed signals by encouraging young teens to embrace single parenthood?

I have no doubt that single mothers can love their children as much as anyone else. Many have become single mothers not by choice, but by circumstances. Some, tragically, are widowed. Others, unhappily, are divorced.

But these are different circumstances from choosing to be a single, unwed mother. If it is up to you to choose a model for young people, which would you pick? A family where the parents are ready and prepared to make a commitment to each other, and to take on the responsibility of bringing up a child? Or an unwed mother - herself perhaps not quite ready to face life alone, not quite done with her schooling, not quite prepared to for the responsibilities which come with parenthood?

Should we say to our youth that being an unwed mother is OK? That such a form of family is just as good, just as acceptable, just as desirable for our society?

The government has to balance compassion with discipline. Young unwed mothers do need help. They need our empathy, and our understanding. Many may have ended up in dire circumstances through ignorance, carelessness, or thoughtlessness. Perhaps a moment of passion, or madness, or both! They've made a mistake, but they deserve a second chance. But in finding ways to help them, we should not create support systems that encourage more young girls to behave like them. Because this would weaken the family, and demote the importance of personal responsibility.

What help society extends to unwed mothers would be better extended by the people sector than the government. In this way, we do not create an institutional endorsement of an undesirable behaviour. But when the people sector takes the lead, the individual and society come face to face. And together they will confront the pain and figure out how best to resolve it.

If issues such as these - caring about the aged, or thinking about how to help unwed mothers sound to you arduous, time consuming and overwhelming, then you have discovered the third reason why the Singapore 21 vision is important and relevant to your future.


Reason # 3. "Because a nation does not happen by itself"

It takes a lot of effort to build a nation. Many ideas are needed, many issues must be addressed. Each must do his or her part.

The Singapore 21 vision is a compass, not a blueprint. It points to a direction which many ordinary Singaporeans have collectively said they want to go in. The road ahead is full of promise, but it is not free of perils.

When we debated this in parliament, both the Senior Minister and the Prime Minister warned that our racial and religious differences could still divide us as a people. Traditions and cultures which date back hundreds and thousands of years have developed in all of us a type of social DNA which makes us think, reason and behave in particular ways. The jokes we laugh at, the stories which make us cry, the injustices which make us angry - these are not always the same from one culture to the next.

Some may ask what the fuss is over SAP schools or Madrasahs. To understand this, you have to recognise the deep feelings and desires in our respective ethnic communities to preserve and pass on their cultures and their ways of life. These are not trivial concerns. They require sensitive handling, which can only happen if we take the time, trouble and effort to listen to and understand the concerns, and to think over the solutions carefully.

We cannot pretend that we are a homogeneous people when we are not, and unlikely ever to be. But our diversity is not fatal to our destiny. Superimposed on our cultural differences is a way of life that has developed in Singapore that is distinctly Singaporean.

The food we eat, the problems we have had to grapple with, the parks and shopping centres, all contribute towards a lifestyle and lexicon which makes us distinct as a people. We laugh when the Prime Minister says that Singaporeans are like birds - going "cheap cheap cheap". Because it doesn't matter what colour of birds we are - we all like "cheap" sales.

We become a nation through shared experiences, and by rallying together to overcome problems. The crisis we have faced over the last two years reminds us of our vulnerability as a country, and our fragility as a society. But it also serves to remind us of the importance of staying united to overcome our problems.

Some of you face difficulties in the current downturn. You might feel anxious, not knowing whether mum or dad would lose their jobs. Or you might be wondering whether your future would still be as bright and rosy as it was before.

We can count ourselves fortunate to have escaped bloodshed and turmoil. But we do not have to look far to see how quickly and how badly things can go wrong. From Aceh to Ambon and from Kosovo to Kashmir, we witness with our own eyes how ethnic and religious strife can easily lead to killings, war, impoverishment and destruction.

We can escape all this, and continue to make progress, if we stay socially cohesive. I am glad that a younger generation of Singaporeans, like you, believe yourselves to be less racially prejudiced and biased. It shows that our policies to build racial and religious harmony have worked.

But do not believe that the problems are gone forever simply because the symptoms no longer show. A tree continues to grow straight and tall only when it continues to receive sunlight and nutrients. Likewise, a nation grows strong and resilient only as long as we each play our part to nurture it.


Responding to Singapore 21

I have given you three reasons why Singapore 21 is relevant and important to you. I have tried to give you examples of issues where it does matter. Now it is for you to think about how you would respond to this vision.

Singapore 21 is about heartware. It recognises that economic and social development must go hand in hand. Without economic opportunities, we would go hungry and riots and fighting would follow. But without social development, we would become selfish and inward looking, and envy and hatred would break up our society, and make our lives empty.

Building heartware takes effort. It takes effort to understand the issues, and to work out solutions. It takes effort to understand each other, and to find common ground on which to build progress.

This is something that the government cannot do on its own. Singapore 21 is a people's project. This does not mean the people sector must fight the government sector to win concessions or make new rules. Nor does it mean that the government will do nothing to help realise the vision. What it does mean is that we need to work in partnership. There are things that are better done by the people or private sectors, and there are things which the government, rightly, should do.

Over the next few days, you will discuss various aspects of Singapore's future - your future and mine. As you do so, bear in mind the role that you personally can play. Unless you translate good ideas into action, they will remain only good ideals.

There are at least two things that you can do.


Response # 1: Firstly, adopt a service attitude.

Think of an area you can serve in. I know that over the next 2 years, your immediate priority is to do well, get your A's and get into university. I wish you all the best in this endeavour. But getting involved cannot be delayed until tomorrow. There will always be another tomorrow after A levels - University, NS, getting a job, getting married, having kids, buying a house, buying a bigger house. If you do not act today, you will find a reason not to act tomorrow.

You don't have to be involved in a big way. You just need to get started, and to cultivate the habit. For example, you could be a mentor - help a younger kid. Someone in secondary school may relate better to you than to an adult or a teacher - because you've been in their shoes only a year or two ago. Or you could start a neighbourhood project - on a lazy Sunday afternoon, to help other Singaporeans become active citizens.


Response # 2: Secondly, think.

That's what all of you are good at doing. But think about Singapore, and not just about your subjects. Think about the issues that will impact your lives. You have the advantage of Internet today, which I did not have at your age. At your fingertips lies a whole world of knowledge. But not all the ideas will work in Singapore.

You have to think critically. One of my favourite books is a small book written some 30 years ago by a chap called Robert Henry Thouless. It's out of print, but you might find it in your library. It's called "Straight and Crooked Thinking". If you can find it, read it. But if you cannot, its main principle is that you cannot take everything you read at face value. Read behind the headlines. Understand the motives of the people who write the articles, who push a particular agenda.

Take for example the complaint some people raise about the lack of freedom to express themselves in Singapore. Why is this so? Because the government does not allow it? Because of black holes and black books? Because permits are required before a speech can be made in a public place?

These are issues worth discussing and probing into. But if we are to clear the air, we need to recognise that freedom must be taken together with responsibility. One is meaningless without the other. Without freedom, we are not responsible for what we do - we are just digits, responding like robots to rules. But if we have freedom without responsibility, we would live in an anarchic world, where everybody could do whatever he wants without regard to its impact on others.

What really matters is not so much what rules we are free from, but rather what actions we are free to pursue - free to practice our religion, free to pursue our ambitions, free to speak, to enter politics, and to rally others to our cause.

In the final analysis, you decide which ideas are right for you and for Singapore. It is a big responsibility, and one that you must take seriously if you want Singapore 21 to be a reality.


A Final Story

I end with a simple story. I call it - "The House the Carpenter Built".

"The boss called up his best carpenter one day. "I'd like you to build me a new house - on that hillside, overlooking that little lake", he said.

The carpenter was quite unhappy. He thought to himself: "The boss is always making me work extra. He says I'm good, he pats me on my back, but all he ever does is give me more work! And now that I'm about to retire, all he can think of is for me to build him a house before I go!"

But he could not say no to his boss. So he went about building the house. But his heart was not in it. The joints did not quite fit, but he did not care. The beams were not quite straight, but he did not bother. The roof leaked, but he did not make it right. It wasn't his house.

When he was finished, he called his boss over. "Here's your house", he said. "I hope you like it".

The boss looked at the carpenter, not the house. And this was what he said to the carpenter - "You've worked so hard for me all these years, and every house you built was a masterpiece. This house is my retirement gift to you. I wanted it to be a surprise for you, for all that you have done for me!"

Needless to say, the carpenter was surprised. Singapore 21 is about building our home. This is where you and I live. Let's build it well.

Thank you.