George Yong-Boon Yeo
Singapore
“Sir, I would hesitate to make it compulsory because that seems high-handed, and many Singaporeans, when they are overseas, rather prefer not to get in touch with us until they run into trouble. Then they scurry. And, really, in this age of the Internet and Facebook, it is not difficult.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, we have to take these comments in our stride. What is important is that in Prime Minister Najib, we have a Malaysian leader who is decisive and who wants good relations with Singapore. Settling the POA was not a simple matter. It took a few years of careful negotiations.”
“We are fortunate to be located geographically, economically and culturally, smack right in the middle between China and India, the two most important centres of growth in the world today. But because our economy links us in a myriad ways to the world outside, every change in the world feeds back to us directly or indirectly.”
“These issues are raised at the international level from time to time. A few years ago, we had raised this at the United Nations (UN), and if it is necessary and helpful to raise this at the UN, WHO or any other international forum, we will continue to do so. Yes, we have been doing this.”
“I think the important thing is to be effective. It is not just to give emotional satisfaction to our own sense of hurt and grievance. The important thing is to be effective, and if we can be effective without commotion, all the better. But if we need a commotion, we will have a commotion. But the key is to be effective.”
“At the broader level, Indonesia has also announced a voluntary carbon emissions reduction target of 26% by 2020, and up to 41% with international support. These emissions reductions are slated to come, in large part, from the forestry sector.”
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“On the Philippines, when PM Lee was in Manila, President Arroyo expressed a strong desire to boost economic ties between the two countries. And we were delighted when His Majesty, the Sultan of Brunei, accepted an Honorary Doctorate from NUS in January expressing the warm and easy relations between the two countries. Our relations with Vietnam have also become increasingly substantive. In recent years, Singapore has become a major investor in Vietnam. The Vietnamese Government would like to see better connectivity between our two economies. Mr Tan Soo Khoon and Mr Chay Wai Chuen raised concerns about the danger of ASEAN becoming irrelevant in the face of new challenges in the world. What is our strategy in ASEAN? Our strategy in ASEAN is to make Southeast Asia the fulcrum for a new architecture of peace and cooperation in Asia. And it is a new Asia - from an Asia long colonised by imperial powers, each part reporting to the metropolitan power, the East Indies reporting to Holland, Singapore, Malaya to London and so on; to an Asia which became independent after the war, during which big countries like China, India, Vietnam and Indonesia withdrew to rediscover themselves; and now after the Cold War, their re-entry on the world stage. It is a huge and magnificent re-entry. What we are seeing now in China, Vietnam, India and Indonesia - the old links all being restored - people moving up and down, rediscovering their own past and past connections. I have been watching when I was in MTI, the restoration of links between India and China, and how the trade ties have been shooting up exponentially. Even seemingly insoluble problems, like their border demarcation, are being seriously discussed now at the highest levels.”
“I know many of you want my views on the "straight" bridge, the "crooked" bridge, the Causeway, water, airspace, the railway agreement, and so on. But I have nothing new to add. Prof. Jayakumar has briefed this House fulsomely in many previous sessions. Those considerations continue to apply. Our positions have been clearly and openly stated and well known to the House. But at the same time, there are discussions going on; it is best that we do not politicise them. As Ms Irene Ng said, it does not take very much for some of our friends across the Causeway to make all sorts of comments at the drop of a hat. They are not necessarily helpful to bilateral negotiations even though we may be very tempted to respond quickly to them. But, for the time being, since both sides are having good discussions, let us be a little patient and let this continue. In the end, the solutions must benefit both sides and not disadvantage either side. I fully agree with Syed Hamid that the recent talks went well. 1.00 pm Our political and economic links with Thailand, the Philippines, Brunei and Vietnam have also grown stronger. PM Lee had good meetings in his introductory visits to these four countries. Thailand shares our desire to "fast-forward" ASEAN. We were very honoured by the exceptional hospitality extended by the Thai King and the Thai government to President Nathan during his recent state visit to Thailand. And as Mr Leong Horn Kee pointed out, we have deep economic relations with Thailand. As for the problem of Southern Thailand, that is a complex problem. I was very pleased to read a few days ago that Prime Minister Thaksin has appointed former PM Anand Panyarachun to chair a committee to study this problem in depth and to make recommendations to Bangkok.”
“And as pointed out by some Members, the signing of the Investment Guarantee Agreement during President Yudhoyono's recent visit to Singapore sent a good signal to investors on future bilateral cooperation. Malaysia On our bilateral relations with Malaysia raised by Mr Ravindran, Mr Leong Horn Kee, Mr Hawazi Daipi and Dr Ong Chit Chung, in fact virtually by every MP, they have improved since Mr Abdullah Badawi took over as Prime Minister in October 2003. After a lapse of many years, we resumed the annual games between Singapore's MFA and Malaysia's Wisma Putra. I had to pick up my golf clubs again. Datuk Syed Hamid said, "Look, instead of the Singapore team versus the Malaysia team, we have combined teams." So I partnered him and he was a very good partner, giving me mulligans. He encouraged me to relax and so, I played better than I expected. During PM Lee's introductory visit to Malaysia last October, the two leaders agreed that Singapore and Malaysia should explore new areas of cooperation and look ahead rather than be held back by old problems. Yes, the old problems have got to be tackled but let us see them in perspective and let us not hold everything hostage to these old issues. That is a practical, constructive approach which will benefit both sides. Senior Minister Goh has met Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi twice since to discuss the outstanding bilateral issues. And the most recent meeting took place just a few days ago. They had a constructive discussion - I am choosing my words very carefully - and agreed on the steps to move discussions forward. Both sides also agreed not to publicise the details of the discussions at this juncture.”
“Recently, Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam was in Indonesia to sign an agreement on cooperation between our education institutions - so start early, start with young people, so that we will know each other better. However, there are a few bilateral issues which are complex and would take time to resolve. One such issue is the extradition treaty raised by Ms Irene Ng and Mr Leong Horn Kee. It is not an easy agreement to negotiate, which is why we avoided it for many years. Then about two years ago, PM Goh and President Megawati decided that it was time to begin working on the extradition treaty. And we are committed to concluding expeditiously an extradition treaty with Indonesia which is in line with the provisions of our domestic laws and beneficial to both sides. But the negotiations will have to define clearly the offences which are extraditable. And we want terrorism to be included. We must take care to ensure that an agreement meant to further bilateral relations will not end up causing serious misunderstanding later. Because once an extradition treaty is in place, the courts in each country may have to sit in judgment of the judges, prosecutors and police of the other country. So, rather than papering over our differences, in rushing to conclude an agreement, we had better be very careful about the details so that when the agreement is in place, it will enhance bilateral relations, not cause new problems for the future. We have also started technical discussions on boundary delimitation between the two countries. Both PM Lee and President Yudhoyono do not want existing bilateral issues to overshadow the overall positive relationship and hinder the progress of new initiatives which are mutually beneficial, such as air services and tourism cooperation.”
“And although this was not noticed by many people, at Bali, the leaders made an important decision: for the first time, trade disputes would be referred to independent dispute settlement panels instead of being resolved by Ministers, because with Ministers, problems tend to be blurred and ambiguous decisions made. Little by little now, because disputes will go to these panels, the way agreements are drafted legally will become very important, and in the coming years, an ASEAN jurisprudence of resolving trade disputes will grow. We are studying closely the early steps taken by the Europeans - the Coal and Steel Community, the Common Market, and the European Community. I don't think we will ever become like the European Union, but the coming steps of ASEAN may follow quite closely the early steps of the European Community. Within ASEAN, as many hon. Members have pointed out, we need to build stronger relations with our immediate neighbours, in particular with Indonesia and Malaysia. And let me now touch on each in turn. Indonesia As Mr Ravindran and Mr Leong Horn Kee pointed out, President Yudhoyono's recent visit to Singapore was a great success. He gave a lecture and a business seminar and both were very well attended. Many guests had to be turned away. President Yudhoyono wants Singapore to be a major partner in Indonesia's economic development. Now, between MTI and Indonesia's Economic Ministries, many things are being cooked. President Yudhoyono thanked us for the assistance we rendered to Indonesia after the tsunami. On a number of strategic issues, like the East Asia Summit, we share common positions. We have stepped up bilateral cooperation across a wide field.”
“Yes, there were high-minded expressions of our desire to form the ASEAN Economic Community, ASEAN Security Community and an ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community. But even though these are broad statements, there will be follow-up. Bit by bit, our lines of communication will interconnect, our standards will be harmonised, our tariffs are coming down, and a habit of consultation will define the way we interact with one another in Southeast Asia. That habit is very important. During the Asian financial crisis, when Indonesia went through a very trying period and many of us worried about whether ASEAN would remain viable, the meetings that we had programmed for kept us going together, and maintained a certain steady course of action. Therefore, Sir, a strong integrated ASEAN is at the heart of our overall strategy in our foreign policy. Without such an ASEAN, Singapore would find it much more difficult to take advantage of the new opportunities in the world. Worse, a weak ASEAN means that Southeast Asia would be balkanised, and new security problems would appear. For this reason, Singapore is a tireless supporter of ASEAN's political, economic and social integration. Mr Tan Soo Khoon asked what is the difference between the Free Trade Area and the Economic Community. The Free Trade Area expresses a common desire to bring tariffs down. Tariffs are coming down all over the world anyway. But the Economic Community takes us a step further into the areas which go beyond tariffs, to services, to the harmonisation of standards and increasingly, to the settlement of disputes in an institutional way.”
“But if we take a step back and look at ASEAN in its historical development, it has been very good for all of Southeast Asia. When President Soekarno was leading Indonesia, ASEAN was not possible because he had a certain view of the Nusantara in the region. Under President Soeharto, Indonesia promoted regionalism, and so ASEAN was born. ASEAN was only possible because Indonesia, the largest country, showed restraint, accommodating countries big and small. So, Brunei when it became independent, immediately was asked to join ASEAN. During the Cold War, when Vietnamese divisions crossed the Mekong and threatened us, ASEAN was galvanised to action at the UN and other international forums and helped maintain the peace which enabled us to develop economically for many years. Then, when the Indo-China war ended, to our initial surprise, one of the first things that Vietnam did was to ask to apply to join ASEAN. And even though it is by no means a perfect organisation, relations within the region have been kept soft. We do not have armies massing along borders. If you compare ASEAN as a regional grouping with similar groupings in South America or other parts of the world, we are probably the most successful grouping among developing countries. And when we are suddenly seized by big issues like SARS or the tsunami, the instinct to coalesce is now deep in us. So while I agree with Mr Tan that we should push harder and bring forward our deadlines, I would not discount or under-rate the importance of ASEAN to all of us in Southeast Asia. If we look ahead to the future, as we see the re-emergence of China and India presenting us with new challenges, we see ASEAN as becoming even more important in the future. When the leaders met in Bali, they issued the Second Bali Concord.”
“We need new institutional arrangements in the world and in the region to accommodate the peaceful re-emergence of these two giants. For Singapore, we now have an unprecedented opportunity to increase significantly our international space. Singapore, as we know, was established by the East India Company from India for the China trade in the 19th century. There is a new East-West trade flowing, indeed, a much larger one, for which we are well positioned geographically and culturally. Step by step, we are recovering all the links which created modern Singapore - our links to Southeast Asia, China, India, indeed, the entire subcontinent and the Middle East. If we continue to make the right moves in the public and private sectors, our international, political, economic and cultural space will be greatly expanded in the coming years. 12.45 pm The key elements in our foreign policy must be: (1) Working with our neighbours to integrate ASEAN. And ASEAN, for all its imperfections, remains, as pointed out by Mr Tan Soo Khoon and others, very important to us; (2) Strengthening our links to the advanced economies of the US, Japan, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. We do not talk about them very much at this COS, but they remain very important to us; (3) Building new links to Northeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and South America; (4) And also supporting better global governance through the UN and the WTO. Let me touch briefly on each of these elements. ASEAN ASEAN is a "paper machine", as Mr Tan pointed out. Sometimes, it is understandable that we should be impatient with its elliptical processes, that we seem to spend a lot of time talking, backtracking and then moving forward again, not always moving in a straight upward course.”
“Sir, let me thank Members for their thoughtful and helpful comments about our foreign policy. Let me first reply to Mr Ravindran and Ms Irene Ng on changes in the strategic landscape, the impact on Singapore and our response to these changes. The last 15 years have seen a steady dissolution of the old Cold World War Order. Gradually emerging in its place is a new configuration, the full shape of which is still not very clear. Globalisation has thrown up new challenges and opportunities for all countries. Global terrorism, particularly Jihadist terrorism, is a dangerous counter current which we have to confront together with other countries. Exciting changes are taking place in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and South America. Without wanting to sound too optimistic, the regional and global landscape is looking brighter with reasonably stable relations among the major powers, the slight easing of tension in cross-straits relations, an improvement in Indo-Pakistan relations and some positive developments in the Middle East. Asia is, on the whole, doing well. The economies of East Asia have largely recovered from the Asian financial crisis. Despite SARS and the recent tsunami, our economy has shown remarkable resilience. We are becoming more integrated. The rise of China and India is the big story, as many Members have pointed out, in fact, probably the biggest ever in human history. Already, China has overtaken the US as the largest export market for an increasing number of Asian economies. China has just become Japan's largest trading partner. But the rise of China and India will also bring about a shift in the global and regional balance of power and create new tensions.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, as Members are aware, in the past we had talked about the package and the Malaysian side decided that they should abandon the package. We suggested in that case that we let these issues be resolved separately, going to third-party adjudication, if necessary. But when Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi came down earlier this year, he suggested that we should take a fresh look. At that time, Prime Minister Goh said that we were prepared to see what he proposed and we are still waiting for the Malaysians to propose ideas to us. We keep an open mind on the issue-by-issue approach and I do not think we should, at this point in time, foreclose any possible solution or outcome. Will this damage Singapore's national interest? Obviously, when we negotiate we must negotiate in the interest of Singapore but try to find solutions which are win-win for both sides, and not see, as far as possible, problems or issues in a zero-sum way. On the question of both sides negotiating in good faith, obviously so. MEDIA LIBERALISATION 4. Ms Irene Ng Phek Hoong asked the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, given the recent merger deal between Singapore Press Holdings and MediaCorp, (a) what lessons can be drawn on the process of media liberalisation; and (b) how can it be ensured that media competition in future can succeed and result in greater product variety and better-quality journalism.”
“Prime Minister Abdullah reiterated his invitation for Senior Minister Goh to visit Malaysia soon, and we are working on possible dates for the visit. Relations between countries, particularly close partners like Singapore and Malaysia, are not driven by "tipping points" but rather by fundamental interests. In many areas, the fundamental interests of Malaysia and Singapore run parallel, and link us together. In the wider perspective, we are not each other's main competitors. Singapore and Malaysia now see an opportunity to take bilateral cooperation to a new level. Maintaining this momentum will require hard work on both sides. From the way we cooperated to tackle problems such as terrorism and the Avian flu, there are grounds for optimism. But we must also be realistic. Apart from the outstanding bilateral issues, as two close neighbours, we must expect other disagreements and difficulties to arise from time to time. This is inherent in our situation. However, we must not allow these disagreements to define the entire bilateral relationship, or prevent cooperation in other areas. On this basis, I am confident that we will be able to improve our relationship in a mutually beneficial way.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong made his introductory visit to Malaysia on 4-5th October 2004. This was his second introductory visit to an ASEAN country to meet his counterparts. Although brief, it was a good visit. Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi and the Malaysian government accorded Prime Minister Lee and the Singapore delegation a warm welcome. Prime Minister Lee held a private, four-eye meeting with Prime Minister Abdullah, followed by a full delegation meeting. The two Prime Ministers, who are also Finance Ministers, signed a new Double Taxation Agreement (DTA) which will eliminate double taxation and promote cross-border investments. Their discussions focused on the two countries working together to strengthen bilateral ties, and to develop new areas of win-win cooperation. We already cooperate in a broad range of areas, including trade and investments, tourism, security as well as in handling problems like SARS and the avian flu. The Prime Ministers agreed that the two countries should enhance cooperation in areas such as tourism and transport links, including air transport. Our private sector should also do more. Prime Minister Lee noted that the tone of bilateral relations had improved and that both sides had to "build on this and develop more momentum and cooperation". The two Prime Ministers also agreed that Singapore and Malaysia should look ahead, and not allow problems to affect overall cooperation. On the outstanding bilateral issues, Prime Minister Abdullah put forward some suggestions. Prime Minister Lee informed him that for continuity, he had asked Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong to handle these issues. Senior Minister Goh is familiar with the details and complexities of these issues, and will study carefully any Malaysian proposals.”