Lee Yi Shyan : Stepped Down For Health Reasons

A mini stroke suffered earlier this year was a reason why Mr Lee Yi Shyan, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry and National Development, opted to step down from his post.

He was hospitalised for a mini stroke in May this year.

Before relinquishing his post tomorrow, Mr Lee thanked the supporters, volunteers and residents who had supported him in his last elections and added that he will continue to serve as a Member of Parliament (MP) for East Coast GRC, an area he has been representing since 2006.

“First of all I want to thank all my supporters and volunteers, my residents and all that supported me in the last elections. As an MP in the next five years for the East Coast GRC, I will do my utmost to serve them as I have mentioned in various platforms ... we have many ongoing projects to be completed. We have new plans to be drawn up in consultations with residents in some areas like eldercare and child care. We need to enhance the capacity to service this segment of our population in East Coast because as you know there are new families and also an aging population.”

UPHOLDING REPUTATION AND INTEGRITY

Excerpt of PM Lee Hsien Loong's letter to PAP MPs: 

UPHOLDING OUR REPUTATION AND INTEGRITY

One vital factor that has enabled the PAP to retain the trust of Singaporeans all these years is honesty and integrity. The PAP’s reputation for clean, incorruptible government is one of our most precious assets. As PAP MPs, your personal standing reflects this high standing of the Party as a whole. I cannot stress strongly enough that every MP must uphold the rigorous standards that we have set for ourselves, and do nothing to compromise them. Never give cause for allegations that you are misusing your position, especially your access to Ministers. That would discredit both you and the Party.

6. As MPs, you will come across many different sorts of people. Many altruistic, public spirited individuals will help you without wanting anything in return, spending time and money to get community projects going and to serve residents. But a few will cultivate you to obtain benefits for them-selves or their companies, to gain respectability by association with you, or to get you to influence ministries and statutory boards to make decisions in their favour. Gift hampers on festive occasions, entertainment, and personal favours big and small are just a few of countless social lubricants which such people use to ingratiate themselves to MPs and make you obligated to them. 

7. You must distinguish between these two groups of people, and be shrewd in assessing the motives of those who seek to get close to you. At all times be seen to be beyond the influence of gifts or favours.

8. Be scrupulously proper in your contacts with government departments or public officers. Do not lobby any ministry or statutory board on behalf of anyone who is not your constituent or grassroots activist. Do not raise matters with public officers on behalf of friends, clients, contractors, employers, or financiers to advance their business interests. Conduct business with government agencies in writing and avoid making telephone requests. If you have to speak, follow up in writing to put your requests on record.

9. MPs are often approached by friends, grassroots leaders or proprietors and businessmen to officiate at the openings of their new shops or other business events. They usually offer a gesture, such as a donation to a charity or constituency welfare fund. Though it may be awkward to refuse such requests, once you accept one, you will be hard-pressed to draw a line. As a rule, you should decline invitations to such business events. If you feel you should attend, please obtain prior approval from the Whip.

 http://www.pmo.gov.sg/mediacentre/letter-prime-minister-lee-hsien-loong-pap-mps-rules-prudence

A Reminder To Be Humble

In the opening paragraphs of his letter to PAP MPs, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said:

The people have endorsed what we have done in the previous term, and given us a clear mandate to take Singapore forward beyond SG50. Now we must fulfil what we have promised to do in our manifesto. We must never break faith with the people, but must always carry out our duties to them responsibly, address their worries and advance their interests. 

Be humble in victory. As MPs, always remember we are servants of the people, not masters. Do not mistake the strong election result to mean that our efforts have succeeded, and that we can afford to slacken. Much work remains to be done tackling issues which concern Singaporeans, and finding new ways to improve people’s lives. Listen hard to voter concerns, help them to tackle pressing needs, and convey their worries and aspirations to the Government. Persuade them to support policies which are in their own long term benefit, while helping the Government to formulate good policies and stay in close touch with the people.

Read the letter here: http://bit.ly/1P3mpqj

Outgoing Education Minister Heng Swee Keat paid tribute to the education fraternity in a farewell note addressed to them. 

Excerpt from letter:

If there's one word that describes our educators, it is not that you are a professional, or content expert, or master of pedagogy, curriculum design or assessment. If you ask me for one word that describes our Singapore educators, it is HEART. That you teach with a lot of heart.

I see this heart in your belief that every child can learn, every child can succeed, regardless of his starting point. I see this heart in your tenacity and resourcefulness to keep finding better ways to reach out to each child, to help him develop confidence, to motivate him to learn. I have met so many students who told me how you have transformed their lives. Across these stories, one thing stood out - that you believe in them.

I see this heart when you tell me that you are not just teaching a subject, but that you are teaching a child. Exams and grades are useful to help us gauge how well each child has learned the basics, but you see that the broader purpose of education is to help each child go on to lead a meaningful and fulfilling life. Not everything important and meaningful can be measured. That is why you put values and character education at the front and centre of what we do.

It is this heart that drives you to develop each child beyond the academic subjects, to help each one develop holistically. There is no school system in the world that I know of where teachers, across all schools, spend so much time in CCA and CCE activities, and now, ALPs and LLPs, to create the many rich learning experiences to develop the whole child. In this way, each child can find his strengths and interests, and go on to learn for life and excel in his chosen pathway and peak of excellence.

It is this heart that drives you to learn, so that you can teach better. I have been very inspired by the many educators who spend time and resources to go for further education, to come together in schools, at AST, at EXCEL festivals and other conferences, to learn from one another.

It is this heart that motivates our teachers to open their classrooms to one another, so that you may learn from and mentor one another. This is something very special that we should treasure and nurture. I hope that our PLCs/NLCs and our latest innovation to promote teaching excellence at YISS will make an impact.

Mr Heng Swee Keat leaves the Education Ministry to take up his new portfolio as Finance Minister. 

 http://www.straitstimes.com/politics/minister-heng-swee-keat-pays-tribute-to-educators-in-farewell-message#xtor=CS1-10

Keeping Faith With Singaporeans

50 Years Of Progress And Next

50 years of progress under the stewardship of 3 giants. We have been blessed. Along the way, there were different challenges, each no less difficult than the other. 

The 4th generation of leaders will have equally, if not more, difficult challenges to deal with, most notably that of keeping the economy vibrant in the face of an ageing population and a shrinking but highly educated and skilled workforce, and managing expectations. 

We are fortunate that we have a government that takes leadership succession very seriously, a government that, while they are still able, puts a team together, prepares them and gets them ready to take over. This is what gives us confidence in the leadership and the future. 

Not for fame or glory, but 'with you, for you, for Singapore'. 

Preparing The 4th Generation Of Leaders

"It's an urgent task. We don't have the luxury of time," noted Mr Lee in a press conference on Monday where he announced the changes.

"I have given heavy responsibilities to the next generation of leaders. They will be stretched and tested, and must gel together as a team. By the end of this term, we must have a new team ready to take over from me."

Project 4650: Housing The Homeless

Started in 2010 by Dr Maliki Osman, what is Project 4650 all about? 

It is a project that seeks to resettle homeless people at East Coast Park. It commenced in 2010. So far, it helped more than two hundred thirty families. The project spurred because of the surfacing of tents alongside East Coast Park beach.

HOUSING

Project 4650 offers IRH (Interim Rental Housing) Scheme. IRH is a great help to homeless people. Though it is just temporary, the fact that they have a home while they look for a job is a good thing.

FINANCIAL PLANNING

Project 4650 also helps the families, especially the parents in the field of financial planning. 

CHILDREN'S EDUCATION

Project 4650 helps the students in their school. There are free tutoring sessions. Apart from that, children can go to Siglap Community Club to do their homework and enjoy studying. Parents can also ask for financial support when it comes to their children’s school arrears.

Khaw Boon Wan - Taking Up The Challenge Of Transport Minister

Taking up the challenge for Singaporeans. Words spoken from the heart. 

KBW: We may fail occasionally, but we shall learn from it and emerge stronger. Please cheer us on, like we cheered our athletes during the SEA Games. Your strong support makes a crucial difference.

Let's cheer him on as he carries the baton now passed to him.

https://motsingapore.wordpress.com/2015/09/

Tony Blair On Lee Kuan Yew

Lee Kuan Yew was one of the most extraordinary leaders of modern times. He was a genuine political giant.

He was the first to understand that modern politics was about effective Government not old-fashioned ideology. Whether in the economy, social cohesion or law and order, he applied methods of rigorous analysis and detailed implementation. He built Singapore into the success story it is today by intelligence, wisdom and determination in equal measure. As a result Singapore has a respect and admiration far above its size.

I knew him well. When I became leader of the Labour Party I travelled to Singapore to seek his advice, which he gave with typical acumen and frankness. Over the years we then worked together in many ways. He will be profoundly missed and greatly mourned not only by the people of Singapore but by his many friends the world over.

- Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair

Memorial Held In New York For First Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew

PM Lee Hsien Loong was unable to attend the private memorial service held for Mr Lee Kuan Yew in New York due to pressing matters at home including forming a new cabinet.

Singapore's Ambassador to the US, Ashok Mirpuri, delivered PM Lee's message on his behalf.

Here's the message:

MESSAGE FROM PRIME MINISTER LEE HSIEN LOONG

3. “Dear friends, thank you for being here today to remember and honour my father, the founding Prime Minister of Singapore – Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

4. Thank you to Ray Dalio and Secretary Rubin for organising the event. Thank you to Dr Kissinger and Ambassador Huntsman for paying tribute to him.

5. Looking back, one could say that my father’s relationship with the US started in the fall of 1967. That was when he made his first official visit as Prime Minister of a young Singapore. He had visited the US once before that, in 1962. That trip had been to the United Nations, to present the case before the UN Decolonisation Committee for Singapore’s merger with Malaya to form the Federation of Malaysia. By 1967 the merger had failed, and Singapore had left Malaysia and become an independent republic on its own.

6. This time, Mr Lee visited the US with a different purpose. The Vietnam War was heating up. US military involvement in Vietnam had deeply polarised American society. Mr Lee sought to impress on Americans that their stand was crucial for the future of Southeast Asia. He argued that US military involvement in Vietnam bought the region time, formed a bulwark against the spread of Communism and afforded Southeast Asian countries, including Singapore, urgently needed space to consolidate and develop.

7. During that trip, he did a live interview on the “Meet the Press” show. It was quintessential Lee Kuan Yew. He stood his ground, and expressed his views logically and eloquently. You can find the clip on YouTube, and it is still compelling viewing after nearly 50 years. Mr Lee understood the vital role of American leadership. He knew that without the US presence, there could be no stability or prosperity in Asia. It was a view he steadfastly held for the rest of his life.

8. On that trip in 1967, President Lyndon Johnson presented Mrs Lee with a jewellery box. Mrs Lee kept the box, and stored in it among other things the namecard of a bicycle shop. This was no ordinary bicycle shop. It was the cutout address for Mr Lee’s contact with the Plen. The Plen, short for Plenipo­tentiary, was the name Mr Lee gave a senior underground leader of the Malayan Communist Party who had negotiated with him, ultimately fruitlessly. Now that it is 2015, I guess you can say that the US succeeded in containing Communism in Southeast Asia.

9. That 10-day visit to the US left a strong impression on Mr Lee. It piqued his curiosity and began his long relationship with the US. He felt that through his life he had come to know Britain and the British people. We were a British colony and he studied in Cambridge as well as spent time in London. But he did not know the United States, which was a superpower and the leader of the free world, and would play a major role in Asia for a long time to come.

10. Over the years, my father would make many more visits to the US. On every trip, he would call on the sitting President and meet his principal aides, especially their Secretaries of State, Defence and Treasury, and National Security Advisor. He used those opportunities to get a read on the thinking in Washington. He would also speak as a friend and give the US an objective assessment, not just on Singapore-US bilateral relations, but on developments in Asia. One continuing focus was the US’ vital relationship with China.

11. Mr Lee would also take the opportunity to meet American business leaders and captains of industry, to make a pitch to them to invest in Singapore, and to exchange views on the international economy and geopolitics. After he stepped down as Prime Minister, he took on appointments on international advisory boards of JP Morgan and Citibank. He found the discussions stimulating and appreciated the opportunity to keep in touch with developments in the US.

12. Every trip Mr Lee made brought him new insights and increased his admiration for the US system. He admired America’s faith in free enterprise and open competition. He spoke highly of your country’s ability to attract talent, and your inclusiveness and openness which made the American economy and society the most dynamic in the world. He was grateful for the generosity of the American spirit, which made US dominance in Asia a benign and welcome source of stability and prosperity for so many Asian countries. Even when America experienced crises and downturns, Mr Lee never wavered in his confidence that American creativity and resilience, its ability constantly to reinvent itself, would enable the US to overcome any challenge and retain its leadership role in the world.

13. But Mr Lee was not an uncritical fan of the US. He saw that not every­thing was perfect, and did not believe that the US system could be replicated wholesale to other countries, and in particular to Singapore. He thought that “a wealthy and solidly established nation like America can roll with such a system”, because it can afford a certain degree of risk. He saw America as a great country, not just because of its political system, but because the greatest things of America took place outside the system: not just in DC but in the universities, in business, in research laboratories, in local communities. He knew from experience that the best ideas taken to extremes become dysfunctional.

14. And so, he differed with American conventional wisdom on the issue of the role of the media as a fourth estate, and the relevance of Western liberal democracy in Asia. He believed that every country had to find its own way that suited its history and society. He was always prepared to defend his views, and subject himself to debate and questioning. He addressed American newspaper editors, gave interviews to the Wall Street Journal, appeared on the Charlie Rose show, and held dialogues at the Council of Foreign Relations. Not everyone would concede the argument, but he persuaded many Americans that he spoke from experience and conviction, and that he had a point. He relished those occasions for him to put his view across and to spar intellectually. It earned him many admirers, even among those who did not fully agree with him.

15. But it was the openness, generosity and warmth of the American people that left the deepest impression on my father. After his first visit in 1967, he decided to return for a short sabbatical in the US. The following year he spent two months in Harvard (from November to December 1968) where he had the opportunity to interact with American scholars in various fields. In his memoirs, he recounted that his greatest benefit from this sabbatical was not more knowledge, but the contacts and friendships he made. It was at Harvard that Mr Lee first met Dr Henry Kissinger, a memorable encounter that Henry has recounted many times. Henry would become one of his closest friends.

16. Over the years, Mr Lee made a great many friends around the world, but his American friends counted amongst those who meant the most to him. They opened their minds and their hearts to him, and brought him into their personal worlds. Let me just cite a few examples:

a. Dr & Mrs Kissinger opened their home in Kent, Connecticut to my parents, where they spent weekends in thoughtful, stimulating company.

b. President George Herbert Walker Bush generously hosted them at his family home in Kennebunkport in Maine over a weekend.

c. George Shultz brought Dr Kissinger, Helmut Schmidt and Mr Lee together for the first time after they had all attended the “Bohemian Grove” in 1982, forging a close circle of friendship that endured for more than forty years.

d. When Mr Lee wanted to understand the Mormon culture better, the Huntsman family hosted him in Salt Lake City and Deer Park in Utah.

e. Professor Alan Heimert, the late Master of Eliot House in Harvard, looked after my father during his sabbatical there, and was also very kind to me years later when I spent a year in Harvard.

f. Many US Ambassadors to Singapore, like Stapleton Roy, Jon Huntsman and Steven Green, kept in touch with Mr Lee long after their terms ended. Ambassador Green was gracious with his hospitality and my parents spent time with him and Dorothea in their California home.

g. Many of you who are here today would surely have your own stories and experiences of Mr Lee.

17. I remember one souvenir my father brought home from his 1967 trip to the US. It was a gift from LBJ, a portable turntable with vinyl LP records of George Gershwin’s music, including the Rhapsody in Blue and An American in Paris. I am not sure we made much of this sample of American technology and culture at the time, but looking back, that gift symbolised America’s spirit of dynamism, spontaneity, generosity and warmth – the American values that my father greatly admired all these years.

18. A politician does not often have the opportunity to form deep friendships. Indeed it is said that in statecraft there are no permanent friends, only permanent interests. But Mr Lee had many old and trusted American friends, and saw the US as a strategic friend of Singapore. Thank you all for the friendship and hospitality you showed towards him.

19. When Mr Lee left us in March, Singaporeans expressed their grief and gratitude in a national outpouring of emotion. His passing caused a renewed realisation of all that we owed to Mr Lee and his team, the first generation of leaders who built the nation. Your memorial service today will be appreciated by Singaporeans.

20. Singapore and the US will be celebrating 50 years of diplomatic relations next year. Our ties are as strong and substantial as they have ever been. I would like to thank each of you who, in your own way, has been a good friend of Singapore.

21. Lastly, my family and I express our deepest appreciation to all of you for being here today to remember my father. He was not a sentimental man, but I know he would have been deeply honoured and touched by your presence.

22. Thank you.”

http://www.pmo.gov.sg/mediacentre/message-delivered-ambassador-ashok-mirpuri-behalf-pm-lee-hsien-loong-private-memorial

The Wit And Wisdom of Lee Kuan Yew

A private memorial service was held for the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew in New York on Thursday 24 September 2015.

The memorial was organised by founder of Bridgewater Associates Ray Dalio and former US Secretary of the Treasury Robert Rubin. Also in attendance was Mr Lee's close friend, former US Secretary of State Dr Henry Kissinger.

"A politician does not often have the opportunity to form deep friendships. Indeed it is said that in statecraft there are no permanent friends, only permanent interests. But Mr Lee had many old and trusted American friends, and saw the US as a strategic friend of Singapore," said Mr Lee Hsien Loong.

Our Multiracial Experiment : First National Day Rally Speech by Lee Kuan Yew, 1966

 Mr Lee Kuan Yew's first-ever National Day Rally speech at the National Theatre on Aug 8, 1966.

Friends and fellow citizens:

This time last year, my colleagues and I had already made a fateful decision on your and our behalf. In the nature of the circumstances, there was no time for consultations - we could not find out what the consensus would have been had we refused to acquiesce and had we insisted on going on with the kind of Malaysia which we envisaged it was, at the time when we agreed to join.

It is useful this evening not so much to go back to the past - the whys and the wherefores - to apportion blame but more to search deep into our hearts to ask if the things we set out to do were right or wrong, were good or bad. And I say that we have no regrets. We are completely unrepentant that we set out to build a multiracial and, for some time, a multilingual, multicultural community, to give a satisfying life to the many different kinds of people who foregathered here in over 150 years of the British Raj.

And we, in the end, on balance decided to carry on with our multiracial experiment - if you like to call it - just in Singapore alone rather than be forced into large-scale conflict in Malaysia. Nothing has altered, not the basic data nor our basic thinking.

What has altered are the circumstances in which we now find ourselves.

I think it is reassuring on an anniversary to weigh the odds to see how we have performed, the promises against the performances. And my experiences of Singapore and her young, active, energetic if somewhat exuberant people is that given honest and effective leadership, an honest administration within which to bring forth themselves, they will make the grade.
It has been a year of great and sudden change.

Very few countries in the world go through the kind of climacteric we have gone through. From 1961 to 1963, we fought for merger, to sink ourselves in the identity of a bigger whole. Between 1963 and 1965, we found ourselves gradually embroiled in something which we half suspected but never quite admitted was possible within such a multiracial situation. And in 1965, with decisive suddenness, we found ourselves asunder.

All the while, despite all the political unpleasantness that followed, we were making progress. Imports went up and so did exports. These are facts and figures, not fictions of the imagination of my colleague, the Minister for Finance. They have checked against every indent that goes in and out of the Port of Singapore Authority. They have checked against our revenue on the same rates of taxation; the number of factories, the people they employ, the goods they produce, their value; the housing being built. And they tell a story which we have very little to be ashamed of. Almost in spite of ourselves, we have forged ahead; revenue has gone up 10 per cent, the economy is surging forward.

I am not saying that this will be so for all the time with no effort on our part. But we will progress so long as we reward initiative and resourcefulness; and as long as whenever we face peril, courage and resolve are never found wanting.

But more than just making material progress, like other groups of human beings wherever they are found in the world, we seek permanent salvation, security to time immemorial, to eternity. We believed and we still believe that that salvation lies in an integrated society. I use the word advisedly - "integrated" as against "assimilated". I would not imagine for one moment a Singapore government trying to assimilate everybody. You know, 75 per cent Chinese trying to convert 10 per cent Tamils and Hindus and Tamil Muslims and Northern Indian Muslims into good "Chinamen" - or not even good old Chinamen: good old "Overseas Chinese", Singapore brand, Singapore type.

I would not try it; it is not worth the effort.

Nor would I try it with the other groups. Certainly, not my colleague like Encik Othman Wok (whose family) has been here for many, many generations; or even my colleague like Tuan Haji Ya'acob from Kelantan where he was born. Why should we try the impossible?

But I say integration is possible - not to make us one grey mass against our will, against our feelings, against our inclinations, but to integrate us with common values, common attitudes, a common outlook, certainly a common language and eventually, a common culture. It is most important that we should understand what it is we are after in the long run. And, if we are after a permanent and secure future for ourselves, then this must be done - to build a society which as it progresses, improves, flourishes and gives an equally satisfying life to one and all.
If groups are left behind either on the basis of language, race, religion or culture, and if with these groups the line of division coincides with the line of race, then we will not succeed in our long-term objective of a secure future. For so many other countries in this part of the world are faced with the multiracial societies that gradually formed themselves over the period of colonial rule.

TWO WAYS TO SET THE PACE

Broadly speaking, there are two ways in which we in Singapore can set the pace. First, prove that the migrant element is dynamic, is trustful, is industrious and can get on - of that, I have no doubt - but that in the process of getting on, it is unmindful of its wider responsibilities and its long-term interests, leaving in its train a whole trail of frustrations and bitterness which must have its repercussions throughout the whole region as men's minds begin to ponder on the unpleasant consequences of what we have done or what we have manifested.

The other way is to demonstrate that we are a forward-looking, not a backward-looking society, not looking to the past for examples of patterns of behaviour and conduct completely irrelevant in the modern society that we now find ourselves... Man reaching out for the moon and the stars... It is to show we do not find our solutions by turning over the dusty pages of some chronicle of some ancient time telling us about some incident, customs more relevant to his day, but that we have the forward, the inquiring outlook, and are keen to learn, keen to make a success of the future.
 
If we can give everyone - regardless of race, language, culture - an equally satisfying life, then surely that must be a benevolent or a beneficial influence on the whole region as other people turn their eyes towards us and say, "It is not true... Given the right political attitudes and the aptitudes and the framework of a good, effective administration, all can thrive and prosper."

It is in the nature of things that we must talk in parables. And the older I become, the more I am convinced that sometimes, perhaps, the prophets spoke in parables because they had also to take into account so many factors prevailing in their time. But I would like to believe that we are a people sufficiently sophisticated to understand parables and the value of ever searching for new solutions, new ways to achieve old targets.

Never be depressed, never be deflated by setbacks. We suffered setbacks. In 1964, there were two communal riots. And we do not pretend to ourselves they were not communal riots - they were.

We face facts. And this is one of the greatest strengths about Singapore - its willingness to face reality including the 9th of August. We used to celebrate the 3rd of June (the date Singapore became a self-governing state); then it was the 16th of September, when we promulgated Malaysia. Then it went back to the 31st of August (Malaysia's National Day) because other people celebrated the 31st of August.

And then it had to be the 9th of August, and the 9th of August it is, not because we wished it to be but because it was.

NOT LIKELY TO GO UNDER

This capacity to face up to situations, however intractable, however unpleasant, is one of the great qualities for survival. A people able to look facts squarely in the face, able to calculate the odds, to weigh the chances and then to decide to go it, are a people not likely to go under.

And when this time last year, before the news was broken to the world, my colleagues and I carried that heavy burden in our hearts of having made the decision on your behalf, we consoled ourselves with this thought: that whilst thereafter the multiracial society that we had set out to create could be implemented only within the confines of Singapore, we knew, deep down, that ultimately its impact must spread far beyond its shores.

No geographic or political boundary can contain the implications of what we set out to do when we succeed. And there is no reason why given patience, tolerance, perseverance, we should not, in this hub, in this confluence of three, indeed four great civilisations, create a situation which will act as a yeast, a ferment for what is possible given goodwill, forbearance and good faith.

Every year, on this 9th August for many years ahead - how many, I do not know - we will dedicate ourselves anew to consolidate ourselves to survive; and most important of all, to find an enduring future for what we have built.

Leadership Succession

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said succession planning is important in ensuring a system where leaders are well prepared, and a seamless transition in Government.

"I still can run if I am in good health. But every year, you're a bit less energetic, every year a bit less in touch with new generation, and every year people will ask a bit more insistently, 'What happens after this?' And we do not want to be in that position for Singapore," said Mr Lee in response to a question from DBS Group CEO Piyush Gupta, who asked "why the hurry to retire?" during a dialogue with business leaders at The Singapore Summit 2015. 

"And that means we have to plan for succession very consciously, deliberately and push it aggressively," he added.

Source: CNA

There's a seat at the table for every Singaporean

Excerpt of letter by PM Lee Hsien Loong to Singaporeans:

We live in a troubled world. By chance, polling day coincided with the anniversary of the 911 terrorist attacks in America. In the Middle East, ISIS is a growing threat, leading astray people in many countries, including a few Singaporeans. Global warming and rising sea levels will affect Singapore in ways we cannot yet predict. We must track these and other external challenges, while attending to our domestic priorities.

This election is a major step forward for our leadership renewal. Joining Heng Swee Keat, Chan Chun Sing, Lawrence Wong and Tan Chuan-Jin from the last batch are Ng Chee Meng, Ong Ye Kung, Chee Hong Tat and Amrin Amin in this round. More than half of the 83 newly-elected MPs are in their 40s or younger. The new team will forge their own bonds with younger Singaporeans.

There is a seat at the table for every Singaporean who wants to build our future. Come join us. Let’s get to work, together.

WHY PAP WINS BIG

 GE2015 demonstrated the adaptability of the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) and the resilience of the one-party system in Singapore. 

With their ballots, Singa­poreans have handed the PAP a strong mandate. The outcome was unexpected, as the party romped home comfortably in most contests. 

The swing back to the PAP was across the board, representing widespread endorsement of the party, which has governed Singapore since 1959. 

How do we explain this significant, unexpected result?

First, given regional insecurities and economic uncertainty, a “flight to safety” mindset galvanised voters — especially a significant middle ground of undecided ones — who opted for the tried-and-tested PAP as the best way to deal with the real threats and those over the horizon. 

Prior to Polling Day, there was a pervasive sense of foreboding that the PAP may see further and deep decline in electoral support. While a freak election result was not deemed to be at play, voters probably felt that a further loss of political support would be highly challenging for the PAP with regard to how it would govern in its next five-year term.

Second, the PAP has been working hard since the previous election in May 2011. There were enough hot-button issues, such as cost of living, public transport inadequacies, healthcare affordability, retirement adequacy and immigration. In pulling out all the stops to address these issues, which had caused voters to turn away from it in the 2011 election, the PAP demonstrated that it could rise to the occasion even with its back against the wall. Once again, the PAP’s track record of delivering on its promises provided a safe harbour for voters seeking a trusted and tested brand.

Third, the Workers’ Party (WP)-run Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC), which became the meme of the PAP’s campaigns, caused voters in the PAP-WP match-ups to consider closely whether the WP measured up in the task of running a town council.
This titanic struggle was about driving home the grand narratives of what AHPETC ultimately represented.

For the PAP, AHPETC was about the WP’s competence, character and integrity, as well as the imperative of honest and responsible politics in Singapore. 

The WP portrayed the AHPETC issue as representing all that is wrong with one-party dominance as well as the supposed bullying that comes with the concentration of power and the lack of checks and balances in the system of governance.

It is clear that the AHPETC issue seriously undermined the WP’s electoral fortunes. In the final analysis, the PAP’s narrative on the AHPETC issue prevailed and resonated better with voters. 

This was demonstrated in the WP’s loss of support across the board — even in its Hougang stronghold and the Aljunied crown jewel — and in the PAP wresting back Punggol East.
Fourth, this poll appears to have conferred a strategic advantage on the PAP. In essence, Singaporeans were in a positive mood after the climax of the Golden Jubilee celebrations, fully savouring the celebration, pride, unity and reflection. The massive outpouring of emotion at the death of founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew appears to have given the PAP an “LKY dividend”, made more poignant given that Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s birthday anniversary is on Sept 16. 

Fifth, regional and economic insecurities also contributed to the national swing to the PAP. The haze from Indonesia, which peaked on Cooling-off Day, was a stark reminder of Singapore’s vulnerabilities. These potential threats also helped the PAP garner support, given its strong record in national and internal security, as well as foreign relations.

Sixth, although the PAP did not carry out a campaign of particular note, the Opposition parties did themselves no favours by seeking to be even more to the left than the PAP. They assailed voters with grand schemes of more expenditures on various things such as free healthcare and unemployment benefits. Ultimately, voters carefully considered how sustainable and purposeful such plans were and were not taken in by the political false prophets.

The battle for the hearts and minds of Singaporeans is now concluded. Now, it is time for Singaporeans to put aside their political affiliations and work together for a better future.

- Associate professor of law at SMU, Eugene Tan

Source: Today

Zero Local Workforce Growth In 2020 Will Be A Significant Driver Of Policies

 Opposition parties are trying to play up the 6.9 million and the Singaporean core to make angry people in order to win votes. Many are also promising money. 

None of them is focusing your attention on the real challenges ahead of us.

They seem to be oblivious to the fact that in 5 years' time, the local workforce growth will be zero. Or perhaps they just don't care because it's not their problem and it's more important to rile people up for that ticket to parliament? 

One of the significant challenges the Singapore economy will face is zero local workforce growth (net growth) in 2020. 

Can you imagine what happens when no new local workers are added to the economy? But of course WP tells you that you can get them from mothers and grandmothers. 

"If you don’t have any new local workers added to your economy, if you want to expand businesses, you will have to take workers from somewhere else. So it’s a net loss if you don’t have any new workers," Dr Ng Eng Hen said. 

For policies to be accommodative, he said capable ministers and MPs are needed.

"MPs because they can come back to us and say this policy does not quite meet the needs of this segment of my residents. And that's the reason we are calling for a strong PAP Government, not one weakened by attrition and candidates elected simply for the sake of diversity," the minister said.

"All of us want diversity but we want a strong mandate that will enable us to craft policies that enable to reach out and benefit more segments of society."

Chan Chun Sing's Response To The Call To Spend, Spend, Spend Our Reserves

You wonder why the government seems obsessed with economic growth and GDP. Well, if they do not accumulate resources now, when the proportion of greying people increases while the size of the workforce shrinks, the burden on the young working population at that time will be great. 

Growing rich before growing old so that there are resources to take care of the elderly - this is called long term planning in the interests of Singaporeans. 

It's really not very difficult to understand. An individual needs to accumulate enough savings while he is young and still able to work so that when he retires, he can be assured of his needs being met. 

Likewise a country needs to accumulate enough resources, while it is still young, for the time when spending increases because it is ageing (greater healthcare expenditure for the elderly, etc) and revenue from taxes falls due to a smaller workforce. Otherwise the government of the day will have to impose a very heavy tax burden on the working population. 

But today, we have many populist politicians from different opposition parties who want to dip their hands into the reserves to spend, spend, spend. They think we are rich! Unlike countries that have natural resources that they can sell for revenue, we have nothing but our finite reserves which also serve as our strategic resources in times of crisis.

To those who promise “to use the reserves to do this and that”, Mr Chan said the Government was saving up funds for the future generation. “With our ageing population, we don’t want our young to be burdened with the need to take care of a large ageing population if we have not saved up. This is being responsible, this is about long-term thinking.”

Otherwise, in 2030, he said: “Our young would have to shoulder the burden of all challenges themselves and some might decide they have a better future elsewhere.”

Achieving A Fine Balance In Immigration Without Hurting SMEs

SMEs are dependent on foreign workers but they also account for 70% of our workers. 

The tightening of foreign workers inflow is already hurting many SMEs. If the flow of foreign workers is freezed as suggested by the Opposition, how many more of them will go belly up? 

When SMEs die, many Singaporeans employed by them will also lose their jobs. 

This was the point made by Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say at the East Coast GRC rally.

He was explaining why the call by the Opposition to freeze the growth of foreign manpower was unrealistic. 

He took pains to explain that the Government has had to protect Singapore workers against global economic uncertainties in the last 15 years, citing the bursting of the dotcom bubble in 2000, the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, and the SARS epidemic in 2003 as examples. 

“The world economy is becoming a lot more volatile. So, we decided we must find ways to provide better protection to our Singaporean workers. Let’s expand our workforce. Any company that comes to us... we allow them to bring in more (foreign) workers.”

The large number of foreign workers acted as a buffer for Singaporeans in a downturn because foreign workers were more likely to be laid off first. 

He cited numbers to back this up. During the years from 2001 to 2003, the number of local workers in employment went up by 35,000. In the same period, the number of foreign workers were down by 70,000.

In the global financial crisis between 2008 and 2009, foreign workers dropped by 4,000, while the local workers hired were up by 40,000.

The Government, Mr Lim said, has been committed in the last few years to maintaining the ratio of Singapore to foreign workers at 2:1.

Since the tightening of foreign manpower, the number of foreign PMEs (Professionals, Managers, Executives) on Employment- and S-passes dropped from 45,000 a year to 13,000 last year.