Daily Lessons from Life 03 October 2014 - Singapore must be both "good-hearted and hard-headed" as it faces transition: PM Lee

Hong Kong 'Umbrella Revolution' Updates - Day 6 sees non-protesting Hongkongers wanting their lives back from the protesters as one cleaner said to the protesters: "You don't need to earn a living but I do. Why are you blocking me to work?" says it all. At the end of the day, the ultra pragmatic majority will end this 'vocal minority' who wanted 'free election of the Chief of Hkg SAR' movement. Hopefully without any bloodshed! Some of my good Hkg friends asked: 'what about freer air?' I can't answer for the Hongkongers, they have to decide which comes first, for now!

"Singapore must be both "good-hearted and hard-headed" as it faces transition: PM Lee - CNA 3 Oct 2014

SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong singled out three principles that will help Singapore keep its momentum and purpose as it enters a phase of transition.

Mr Lee was speaking on Friday (Oct 3) at the National University of Singapore Society (NUSS) Lecture, which marked the society's 60th anniversary.

In a wide-ranging and hard-hitting speech entitled "Singapore in Transition - the Next Phase", Mr Lee said that the country is at an inflexion point and is in the process of changing gears and pace.

He touched on three broad themes, beginning with the need for Singaporeans to keep looking outwards even as the country tackles domestic challenges.

He also explained why Singapore must not shy away from hard-headed policies when it comes to tackling challenges.

Mr Lee then spoke on the need for Singaporeans to understand their past and be confident of their future, even as they immerse themselves in the present.

LOOKING OUTWARDS

It is important for Singaporeans to keep looking outwards, even as they deal with urgent issues at home, like housing and medical care, he said, adding that he feared Singaporeans are not paying enough attention to what is happening outside the country and are too absorbed in their daily lives to track less immediate concerns.

ENGAGING BOTH HEAD AND HEART

To make Singapore valuable to the world also requires an approach that's both good-hearted and hard-headed, said Mr Lee, and an important example of where both heart and head is needed is in the nation's population policy.

Singapore must never be hard-hearted, but it must also never shy away from hard-headed policies when tackling challenges. Mr Lee outlined three reasons for this:

First - to ensure that the good-hearted things can be done right. Mr Lee said in many countries, the best-intentioned social policies have often hurt the people they were meant to help.

Second - so that Singapore can be good-hearted not just to the current generation, but to future ones as well. That is why the Government must be hard-headed and live within its means. Mr Lee said this was why money was set aside for the Pioneer Generation Package, and not left future generations to pay for it.

Thirdly, the nation needs growth and prosperity in order to be good-hearted. Mr Lee pointed out that the only way for Singaporeans to have a good life is for the economy to grow. But he emphasised that this is not being done at the expense of factors like social or environmental costs.

One area where heart and head must be balanced is the nation's population policy. Mr Lee assured Singaporeans that the Government is paying attention to both the emotional and practical aspects of this, giving weight to how comfortable people are with the pace of immigration and and encouraging those newly-arrived to adapt to Singapore society.

"I do not expect any further measures to tighten foreign worker numbers further. Meanwhile our economic restructuring is progressing, productivity is improving, at least in some sectors. We are steadily catching up in terms of our infrastructure - our housing, public transport and so on.  So you must put together your heart and your head, and think carefully, feel how people feel, and choose a solution which addresses to the extent possible, both heart and head, and to convince people to accept it, and support it."

Mr Lee said "We have to manage our numbers, we have to stay open and welcome those who are ready to contribute to Singapore, and ready to make their home here. We must maintain our reputation for being a good place to live and work, because we lose that at our peril. If people think that we are not interested in attracting investments, that talent is not welcome, that we've turned inwards, I think that's the end of us," he said.

He cited swimmer Joseph Schooling as an example. The Eurasian athlete "is born here, his father is born here,  he happens to be Eurasian, he won a gold medal, in fact he won three medals, and he was called an Ang Moh foreign talent", said Mr Lee. " I think it's a compliment to the ang moh foreign talent. So I am ashamed and dismayed when I read such virulent and nasty attitudes, and I am sure so are many other Singaporeans. And we have to stand up and have the courage to say so, and not be cowed into being silent. There are problems of integration, or numbers congestion, we deal with them. But bad behaviour, rude behaviour, behaviour that is really a disgrace to a Singaporean, a human being, we should have the courage to call it such."

UNDERSTANDING SINGAPORE’S PAST

Mr Lee also spoke of the need for Singaporeans to understand their past and be confident of their future. It is important to understand Singapore's past to see why the country works the way it does, and the lessons of history need to be reinforced, he said.

One way the past will be remembered is with Singapore's 50th anniversary next year. A memorial will also be erected opposite MacDonald House, to commemorate the victims of Konfrontasi.

Mr Lee also spoke of other projects in the works. “The fight against the Communists, if it had gone the other way, Singapore would have been very, very different. So we are planning a marker to remember and honour those who fought against the Communists for a democratic, non-Communist future for Singapore," he said. "We are also republishing next week The Battle for Merger, which is a collection of radio talks by Mr Lee Kuan Yew which he gave in 1961 which exposed the real aims of the Communists, explained what was at stake and why it was important for Singaporeans to support merger with Malaysia."

Mr Lee also reassured youth concerned about their future, given that it is a time of rapid change and intense competition. While their anxiety is warranted, he said, if they understand the opportunities that are opening up, they should be eager and ready to go. He said Singapore also has the resources and talent to make it truly exceptional."

Indeed a wide-ranging and hard-hitting speech by the PM. Better than his 2014 National Day Rally speech in my opinion.

Lessons for me are:

1. looking outwards - it will be hard for the citizens to look outward when they feel that their 'inward view' is unpromising. It is a dilemma those in leadership positions need to help the majority see. Exhortation to the citizens to 'see the big picture' is great but when the 'vision' is not fully understood or a bit too far to touch, the citizens naturally just look at the present and pressing challenges and issues;

2. good-hearted and hard-headed approach to solving problems/challenges - it is back to the basic: explain the rationale and win the heart. When emotion runs high, rationality has no chance. This is something I firmly believe in. The Population White Paper (PWP) debate in recent time STILL did not fully win the hearts of some Singaporeans. The need for foreign workers to help us build our giant social infrastructure had NEVER really been challenged as Singaporeans want to do high value and higher paid jobs of PMETs. It has always been the 'foreign talent' that most Singaporeans have issue with. I am not sure this is FULLY addressed, seriously;

3. understanding the PAST and to give hope to the future - I am not sure WHY the fixation with konfrontasi. Are there something that do not meet the eyes about the intention of our neighbour? I hope not as ANY armed conflict with our neighbours will simply doom us. Period.

I hope that monument at MacDonald House will not create any 'tension' like the naming of the 2 Indonesian Navy vessels earlier.

As for fighting the communists, are we seeing a resurgent of communism in Singapore that we need to remind the populace of its perils and danger? Which sane person would want communism in Singapore when even the China Communist Party (CCP) is embracing capitalism of a socialistic character in PRC?

Personally I am more concerned with any threats that are linked to 'religious' beliefs as when religious mind-set is engaged, rational people become emotional and therefore 'irrational'. They will do irrational things. e.g. the 'Occupy Central' movement in Hkg now is, as I had said before, an idealistic pursuit powered by raw emotion. Is 'Free election' that important at this stage of Hkg SAR's development under the PRC 'one country two systems' arrangement? The pragmatic majority will tell the 'vocal minority' how they feel in due course.

Similarly in Singapore, I feel that we are still very much at the 'economic matters matter first' stage despite us calling ourselves a First World Vibrant Global City State!