SPEECH BY SENIOR MINISTER GOH CHOK TONG AT THE MARINE PARADE NATIONAL DAY DINNER, 11 AUGUST 2007, 8.30PM
CATCHING THE RISING WIND, FULL SPEED AHEAD
Friends and Residents of Marine Parade,
Thank you all for coming. I hope you are healthy and strong, like our economy.
2 Our economy has done well in the last few years. I expect it to do as well, if not better, in the coming years. Our economic restructuring efforts are paying off and we will continue to upgrade our economy. The external environment in Asia is favourable. As a result, we should do better than our estimated medium term potential growth rate of 3 to 5 % per year. A one percent increase of our growth rate means an increase of our GDP by $2.1billion.
3 Nevertheless, we must not be complacent and assume that we will achieve this higher growth without effort. Always remember that Singapore is but a small country in a competitive, and often turbulent, world. About two months ago, the Foreign Editor of a German newspaper interviewed me. This was his first visit to Singapore. He was deeply struck by Singapore’s development and success. So he was puzzled why many Singaporeans he had talked to were worried about Singapore’s survival. I explained that as a small country with only a short history, we have an acute sense of vulnerability. I likened Singapore to a small boat crossing the ocean.
4 I know that the metaphor of Singapore as a boat has been used often but it describes our situation well. We are not the US, China or India. They are like mega container ships. They will easily cross the ocean, waves or no waves. On the other hand, we are a sailing boat. We must watch out for big waves so that we are not capsized. We must always be vigilant. We must catch the wind. Whether our boat can win in a global race against the others or even complete the journey will depend on the skills of the captain and crew, and the quality and team spirit of the people on board.
5 Happily, we have a strong boat, a good captain, an excellent crew and a hardworking, united people on board. Happily too, our boat is now entering a favourable stretch of the journey. The currents are with us and the winds are rising. We should trim our sails, catch the wind and sail full speed ahead.
6 China and India will continue to grow. This means more trade, more tourists, more investments, more opportunities. The ASEAN Economic Community will be formed by 2015. This means a bigger, freer, single regional market for us. Countries in East Asia are coming closer. They are working together to create a peaceful, stable and prosperous region.
7 Our relations with our immediate neighbours are basically sound. Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi wants better relations with Singapore. His priority is to develop the Malaysian economy. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono also wants to have good relations with Singapore. His priority is to develop the economy and win the next Presidential elections. There are some outstanding bilateral issues which we are managing. We will not let them distract us from our tasks ahead. We will continue to work closely with our neighbours in areas where we can and to strengthen ASEAN.
8 In addition, we have good and close relations with the major powers and other countries of importance to us – the United States, Japan, China, India and key members of the European Union, Australia and New Zealand and countries in the Middle East.
9 We have created more economic space for ourselves through FTAs (Free Trade Agreements) and new markets. Take the Middle East for instance. We are negotiating an FTA with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Our companies have only started to focus on the Middle East about three years ago but they are doing quite well. IE Singapore told me that our companies have won more than S$9billion worth of projects.
10 We are well-plugged into the global economy and benefiting from globalisation. Globalisation and Information Technology have turned Singapore into a global city.
11 But globalisation also brings with it problems. Given the openness of our society and economy, there will be unexpected disruptions and shocks. So our boat will pitch and roll from time to time, causing many on board to feel giddy or even get sea sick.
12 For example, globalisation has widened our income gap. This is not just happening in Singapore but all over the world. In Europe, income at the lower end is being depressed by the entry of cheap labour from Eastern European countries into the EU. China and India together are estimated to have enlarged the global workforce by 80%. Globalisation will continue to stretch the gap between the top and bottom earners. We are addressing this in Singapore. We are sharing the fruits of globalisation with those who have not benefited from it, like through Workfare. We are also strengthening the social safety net for those who cannot cope. We are studying other measures such as paying a higher return on CPF savings, raising the retirement age and topping up the CPF of lower-income senior Singaporeans.
13 Without natural resources, Singapore can continue to thrive only if we are able to retain our own talent and top this up with foreign talent. To attract investors and talent, we have lowered our corporate and personal income tax rates. With globalisation, it is neither practical nor desirable to impose heavy taxes on the entrepreneurs, the high performers and the wealth creators. Talent is highly mobile. The foreign ones will not come and we may even lose our own. For those who have done well under our system, foreign and local, I would like to encourage them to do more for philanthropy, and give something back to the community on which their success has been built. Philanthropy is not only noble but it is a pleasant way of redistributing income and helping to make Singapore better. Giving can be for a whole range of sectors, activities and people - the needy, the old, the young, for hospitals and community centres, for the advancement of education, arts, culture, sports, social causes and research and development.
14 People are Singapore’s most valuable assets. We will invest more in their education. At present, almost 24% of each cohort goes to universities. We will up the percentage. We are studying how to increase our university places, and whether to build a fourth university, so that more Singaporeans, especially the polytechnic graduates, can go to university in Singapore.
15 Looking beyond the next few years, I am confident of our future because I have faith in our people. We have braved many storms together. Just recall the crises over the last 10 years - the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997, the JI (Jemaah Islamyiah) terrorist threat in 2001 and SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) in 2003. These crises could have broken us. Instead, we overcame them. We emerged stronger as a nation. We bonded as a people. We are now more united as a multi-racial and multi-religious society than ever before. We have strengthened our national resilience and spirit. There will be more challenges ahead but we can face them even if something totally out of the blue were to hit us.
16 Moreover, the Singapore Government has the capacity to think long term and come up with sound and practical policies to solve problems and make our lives better. Our strength is not just in strategic thinking, formulating policies and designing programmes but also in implementing them. We do not just talk, but we act and deliver. This is why we continue to attract foreign investments, MNCs, international banks and fund managers, scientists and researchers and other talented people to come to Singapore to participate in growing our economy and live together with us.
17 Most importantly, we have put in place a unique practice of planned leadership succession. From my 14 years’ experience as Prime Minister, I can tell you that it is absolutely crucial that we talent scout for the best people to lead Singapore. Given the tough external environment and competition, without a strong team, our boat will never be able to complete the global race, let alone win. If you have an incompetent crew, it will capsize in the strong winds and big waves.
18 Let us ready ourselves to catch the rising wind and sail full speed ahead. We will enjoy more growth and more good years. Of course, I am looking at the big picture and Singapore as whole. At the personal level, I fully understand that some Singaporeans may still have their problems despite the fact that the country is doing well. They may find themselves unable to keep up with the fast pace of life or the rising cost of living. We will help them to cope better.
19 In Marine Parade, our estate has been upgraded. I may be biased, but in my view, it is one of the best and friendliest housing estates in Singapore. It is a privilege and a joy to be your Member of Parliament. I thank our grassroots leaders and all our residents and friends for the support you have given me. Let us continue to work together to make our Marine Parade and Singapore better.
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国务资政吴作栋在马林百列国庆晚宴上华语讲话全文
日期: 2007年8月11日（星期六）
地点: Roland餐厅
时间：8.00pm
把握正起的强风，全速航行
各位马林百列的朋友和居民，
感谢大家今天的到来，祝愿大家健壮安康，就像我国的经济一样。
2 新加坡是一个小国，处在这个竞争激烈、动荡不安的世界里，我们就像是一艘小船，必须在环绕世界的赛程中，和其他对手竞赛。我们的船是否能够胜出，我们是否能够完成航程，就要看海上的情况、船长和船员的航海技术、以及整船人的团队精神。
3 我预计，在未来10年正是顺风顺水的时候。
4 中国和印度将继续壮大，带领亚洲的崛起。亚细安经济共同体将在2015年成立。东亚也正在携手建立一个和平、稳定和繁荣的区域。
5 我国与周边国家之间的关系基本上良好。我们正在处理和邻国之间悬而未决的双边课题，不让这些课题分散我们的注意力。
6 我们应该做好准备，趁着风势改进我国的经济、发展新的经济领域，如财富管理。我国与全球经济紧密接轨，从全球化中受惠。但全球化也带来问题，例如，全球化造成国人之间的收入差距越来越大，我们正设法解决这个问题。我们已经推行就业奖励计划。我们也正在研究其他的措施，包括提高公积金储蓄的回报率、提高退休年龄及填补低收入年长国人的公积金储蓄。
7 为了吸引投资者，我们降低了公司和个人所得税率。在全球化的情况下，我们如果向企业家、高收入者及财富创造者征收重税，是不实际的，也是不明智的做法。我国会失去这些人。因此，我希望能鼓励这些成功人士多多行善，取诸社会，用诸社会。行善是重新分配收入的一个好方法，同时也能帮助别人，这和政府的工作是相辅相成的。
8 人力资源是我国最宝贵的资产。我们会增加教育方面的投资。目前，每年同一批入学的学生当中，将近24%可升上大学。我们要提高这个百分比。我们正研究如何增加大学学额，以及是否有必要兴建第四所大学，以便让更多国人，特别是理工学院毕业生，能够在本地念大学。
9 在新加坡，领导层的接班是有计划的，这是非常独特的。以我担任总理14年的经验来看，我可以这么说，物色最好的人才来领导新加坡是至关重要。如果我们没有一支强大的队伍，我们的船将无法完成这场世界赛，更不要说赢得这场比赛了。如果我们拥有的是一支无能的队伍，那我们的船就会在大风大浪中翻覆。
10 我相信新加坡已做好准备，乘着这股强风向前航行。我们将取得更高的经济增长，过更多的好年头。当然，我是从总体角度来看新加坡的发展。我可以了解，尽管我国经济发展良好，在个人方面，一些国人还是会面对问题。这些国人可能觉得无法赶上快速的生活步伐。我们将协助他们更好地应付生活上的问题。
11 在马林百列，我们的组屋区已经翻新。或许我是过于主观，不过，在我看来，马林百列是新加坡最好和最友善的组屋区之一。能担任你们的国会议员，我感到非常愉快。我要感谢我们的基层领袖和所有居民朋友，让我有机会为你们服务。让我们继续携手努力，把我们的马林百列和新加坡打造成更加美好的乐园。
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