Tan Tai Yong
Singapore
“In addition to maintaining and managing the Gardens, are there plans for a sustained public education effort to highlight the significance of this particular historical site, the history of our country, so that people can understand what this means to be us and it is not just about maintaining a place but preserving the significance of th…”
“He became Singapore's President not long after. However, in 1968, Encik Yusof's health started to deteriorate and he was hospitalised for heart problems and other illnesses. While still in office, he died of heart failure on 23 November 1970 and was buried at the Kranji State Cemetery. President Yusof Ishak was truly an outstanding man.”
“I thank the Deputy Prime Minister for his answer. I am just wondering, as more students come from families which may not need financial support of the sort that scholarships give, but yet would want the recognition that scholarships acknowledge, does the Deputy Prime Minister see the possibility of more honorary scholarships being awarded…”
“In view of the this, then, I would like to ask to what extent is the current level of information sharing and coordination across Ministries sufficient for effective management of heritage issues, such as the impact assessments and archaeological excavations? The NHB has an Impact Assessment and Mitigation unit.”
“It would be useful for our agencies to work with their regional counterparts to showcase the connectedness of the region before European imperialism carved out the region into different parts.”
“Will we then gradually lose that toughness, resilience and resolve that the Pioneer Generation showed us in such good measure? Will personal responsibility give way to a sense of entitlement? As we build the future, we need to remember what history has shown – the best foundations are not built of bricks and mortar; these do not last.”
The complete record
Every one of 31 lines we hold for Tan Tai Yong, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account.
“In addition to maintaining and managing the Gardens, are there plans for a sustained public education effort to highlight the significance of this particular historical site, the history of our country, so that people can understand what this means to be us and it is not just about maintaining a place but preserving the significance of the place and appreciating what the place means for Singapore?”
“He became Singapore's President not long after. However, in 1968, Encik Yusof's health started to deteriorate and he was hospitalised for heart problems and other illnesses. While still in office, he died of heart failure on 23 November 1970 and was buried at the Kranji State Cemetery. President Yusof Ishak was truly an outstanding man. It is not only his contributions as Singapore's first President that deserve respect; his dreams and vision for the Malay community and for Singapore society at large, his own work as one of Singapore's best and brightest sons, is deserving of our respect and appreciation. Madam, I support the Bill. 4.13 pm”
“In 2014, Prime Minister Lee announced the plans to rename ISEAS as the Yusof Ishak Institute, as one of the three ways to pay tribute to Encik Yusof Ishak, the other two being Page: 67 the naming of a new mosque in Woodlands and a Yusof Ishak Professorship in Social Sciences at NUS. The renaming of the Institute recognises his contributions to Singapore as its first President. It also brings to the fore Singapore's deep roots in the region, in Southeast Asia. There is no question that Singapore's identity and heritage are rooted in the Southeast Asian archipelago, in the world known as "Nusantara". Because of these connections, a large part of our Singapore identity has to be connected to the region's indigenous traditions. It is, therefore, fitting that ISEAS be named after Encik Yusof Ishak. Encik Yusof was born the oldest of nine children of a civil servant, Ishak Ahmad and descendant of the prominent Sumatran Malay Datuk Jannatun, who migrated to Penang in 1759. He received his Primary education at Victoria Bridge School and, later, at Raffles Institution, where he was one of 13 students in the Queen's Scholarship class. Soon after he left school, he joined the leading Malay newspaper of the time, Warta Malaya, and, within a few years, had risen to become its acting editor. Encik Yusof had wanted a truly Malay newspaper that was by the Malays and for the Malays. In early 1938, together with some Malay leaders in Singapore, Encik Yusof established the Utusan Melayu Press Ltd, a newspaper dedicated to Malay issues, advocating for the community to modernise and focus on education. In 1957, Encik Yusof moved from Singapore to live in Kuala Lumpur and resigned from the newspaper in 1959. He moved back to Singapore the same year.”
“And our past is rooted in the region. It was an early desire to understand the region in which we are rooted that ISEAS was first conceived. The Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) Bill was first tabled in May 1968 by then-Minister for Education Mr Ong Pang Boon. He was responding to Member of Parliament Mr S Rajoo's call for the Government to consider setting up a "South East Asian Study and Research Centre". Dr Goh Keng Swee, a prime mover behind the establishment of the Institute, had explained why he thought it was necessary and what he envisioned for ISEAS. He wrote: "It is necessary to say why we need such an Institute. In a sense, it may be said that the need is obvious, for our ignorance of Indonesia and her people is at once vast, comprehensive and frightening. We know more about Melbourne than Medan, more about the English Channel than the Sunda Straits. We know that General Nasution and Adam Malik are Bataks but we do not know what a Batak is, how many there are of them, where they live and how is it that they produce two of the top leaders in Indonesia… the list of questions is interminable." Dr Goh thought we needed to understand Indonesia and the region of Southeast Asia better. As a small nation, Singapore needed to have some foresight of world and regional events so as to be able to deal with difficulties or gain advantage. ISEAS was to help us do this. Today, the list of questions remains interminable. Indeed, even more so, as the world is seeing an unprecedented level of globalisation and flux. The region remains as puzzling – I suspect, even to ISEAS, even after nearly 50 years of study.”
“Over the last 10 years, its collection of private papers has increased impressively and now includes collections on prominent leaders from Singapore and Malaysia, including S Rajaratnam, Tan Cheng Lock, Lim Kim San, David Marshall and Tun Dr Ismail, among others. ISEAS' greatest comparative advantage lies in the fact that it is located in Southeast Asia and that most of its researchers are from the region itself. ISEAS has, for almost five decades, been acting as the point of contact for researchers from all over the world wishing to meet up with their peers in the region. It has now a veritable network of Southeast Asian scholars who are based at various locations throughout the world. Cornell University in the United States, for example, is directly involved in the editorial work of its journal, "Sojourn". Chulalongkorn University works with the Institute to conduct surveys on Thailand. ISEAS has Page: 66 also recently facilitated meetings of Myanmar economists on the economic development of the country. The Institute has remained independent where its research interests are concerned. In balancing academic interests with policy-making, ISEAS has facilitated the use of social sciences with practical outcomes. It is a major contributor to the regionalisation of Southeast Asian research: the study of the region, by the region and for the region. As a historian, I am interested not just in things past, but why people value this. There is, of course, the pragmatic utilitarian view. But then there is a view that the past is valuable in itself, that it is an essential part of Singapore's identity. Without a rich sense of history, we have a shallower sense of self. At 50, the Singaporean identity, more than ever, demands a knowledge, appreciation and valuing of its past.”
“Planned before the founding of ASEAN and founded a year after ASEAN came into being, ISEAS has, over the last 47 years, contributed in important ways – though not always obvious to the general public – to the development of Southeast Asian Studies as a discipline of academic study and, more profoundly, to the ontology of this region we today recognise and take for granted as "Southeast Asia". Today, the Institute houses several study centres, a well-appointed library and a publishing unit. Its multidisciplinary research in the three core areas of economic studies, social and cultural studies and strategic and political studies is a boon for Singapore and the region. Its field research complements the theoretical work undertaken in Universities and ISEAS employs a multidisciplinary approach embracing social, cultural and anthropological studies, to explain changes in Southeast Asian countries and societies. ISEAS' most apparent contribution over the years is, of course, the more than 2,500 academic books that it has published so far. The Institute has become a highly reputable publisher of research findings on Southeast Asia today. ISEAS is also the home of three worthy academic journals, each produced by its different programmes: "Contemporary Southeast Asia", dealing with political and strategic matters; "Sojourn", dealing with social, cultural issues in the region; and the "Journal of Southeast Asian Economies", dealing with economic issues. The ISEAS Library is considered among the best Southeast Asian libraries in the world.”
“Mdm Speaker, I would like to declare that I am a member of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies' Board of Trustees. The late Encik Yusof Bin Ishak was Singapore's first President. Most Singaporeans know this, but not many would remember that he was both a scholar and an accomplished sportsman. He was in the Queen's Scholarship class at Raffles Institution and was, as we just found out, Singapore's lightweight boxing champion in 1933. In 1959, when Singapore gained self-government, Encik Yusof Ishak was appointed Chairman of the Public Service Commission. Later that year, on 3 December, he was appointed Head of State, Yang di-Pertuan Negara. And when we gained Independence on 9 August, Encik Yusof Ishak became the first President of the Republic of Singapore. At that point, he embodied our sovereignty and became the symbol of all the hopes, dreams and ambition of a young nation. As President of a newly and suddenly-independent Singapore, he toured the island to reassure citizens, many of whom were deeply troubled by separation from Malaysia and the uncertainties that lay ahead for Singapore. At that moment of vulnerability, Encik Yusof's fierce loyalty to Singapore gave Singaporeans heart, courage and hope. His ardent belief in and support for a modern nation to be built on multiculturalism, reflecting the sentiments of many Singaporeans at the time, Page: 65 helped Singapore grow into a unique, multiracial and multireligious society that we see today. ISEAS was born just three years after Singapore itself. It is a research institute dedicated to the study of socio-political, security and economic trends and developments in Southeast Asia and its wider environment.”
“I thank the Deputy Prime Minister for his answer. I am just wondering, as more students come from families which may not need financial support of the sort that scholarships give, but yet would want the recognition that scholarships acknowledge, does the Deputy Prime Minister see the possibility of more honorary scholarships being awarded as a way of acknowledging academic excellence but not taxing on the resources that the scholarships would entail by giving financial support?”
“In view of the this, then, I would like to ask to what extent is the current level of information sharing and coordination across Ministries sufficient for effective management of heritage issues, such as the impact assessments and archaeological excavations? The NHB has an Impact Assessment and Mitigation unit. May I ask if HIA is in the works, and what plans there are along the lines I have given above?”
“But by familiarising ourselves with an evaluation process, we can develop a framework unique to our circumstances and needs. By doing so, we can pave the way for a possible roadmap towards making HIA a legal requirement, if necessary. Madam, allow me to elaborate on what a HIA is – it is a process of identifying, predicting, evaluating and communicating the probable effects of a current or proposed development policy or action on the cultural life, institutions and resources of communities, and then integrating the findings and conclusions into the planning and decision-making process, with a view to mitigating adverse effects and enhancing positive outcomes. By identifying the threats to heritage values, one can recommend solutions to safeguard the integrity of heritage resources in the face of threats from development, disaster or other scenarios of external change. There can also be solutions to negotiate a sustainable balance between the forces of change, progress and conservation in ways that maintain the authenticity of the threatened heritage, preserving its significance, meaning, and function in the life of the community. In carrying out a HIA, there are many areas to consider, including methodology, legislation, guidelines and standards. There should also be mitigation recommendations and monitoring recommendations. Finally, there should be an evaluation synthesis and advisory that gives a summary of the findings, a statement of effects on the Outstanding Universal Values, Integrity and Authenticity and focused significance, and a statement of the acceptability of the proposed project or change in terms of its potential impacts on heritage.”
“Madam, currently there appears to be gaps in the level of information sharing and coordination across Ministries for management of heritage issues, such as impact assessment studies, both heritage and environmental, and archaeological excavations. Part of the problem lies in the complex links between different Ministries. The Ministries and agencies relevant to heritage issues include MND with URA, NParks, and NEA; MOT with LTA overseeing major infrastructural development; MinLaw with the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) as the land owner of sites with heritage value; MTI with Singapore Tourism Board (STB) in-charge of precinct management of Chinatown, Little India; MCCY with the National Heritage Board (NHB); MCI with the National Library Board (NLB) and National Archives of Singapore (NAS); and finally MOF allocating the budget to the above agencies for heritage work. And that is just what I know from public sources. I am sure the actual implementation is far more complex. Such a large number of stakeholders would undoubtedly pose difficulties for effective management of heritage issues such as the implementation of the Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA). HIAs are established processes that seek to evaluate the heritage, historical and cultural value of sites and buildings. They are useful for urban planners, commercial developers, property owners and the state because they involve different stakeholders in the assessment process. In countries such as Hong Kong and the UK, HIAs are mandatory. Page: 28 In the case of Singapore, we should learn from other countries and adopt best practices. I understand that HIA is not an accurate science and there are still questions regarding methods and processes.”
“" No future in nostalgia, I must add, save what we build from history and nostalgia, and social understandings from what we learn of people's behaviour and motivation, and all our varied variations and permutations. Building Good Values”
“Conversely, without robust academic research, what we know about our past, or of our policies today are but views and opinions or, worse still, conjectures. This is a good time to invest decisively into the humanities and social sciences as Singapore seeks to build itself up as a knowledge capital. The establishment of a national humanities and social sciences research council that could support research in the humanities and social sciences the way NRF supports science and technology research would complete the research ecology in Singapore. I understand that MOE already supports such research through its established Academic Research Fund that universities have access to. But having a dedicated national council that undergirds a national research capacity that goes beyond the universities will allow the building of a larger and more diverse research base in Singapore. There are many groups outside the universities that do important work on people and society that could benefit from such support. Page: 60 A small investment in the humanities and social sciences – and we know they do not cost a lot – can give us a potentially large impact on our development as a society and country. Let me end by quoting a verse from a poem by the late Arthur Yap: "There is no future in nostalgia. And certainly no nostalgia in the future of the past. Now, the corner cigarette-seller is gone, is perhaps dead. No, definitely dead, he would not otherwise have gone. He is replaced by a stamp-machine, The old cook by a pressure-cooker, The old trishaw-rider's standby a fire hydrant, The washer-woman by a spin-dryer. And it goes on In various variations and permutations. There is no future in nostalgia.”
“It was set up as a department in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in 2006 and, over the years, it has achieved much funding to develop policies, plans and strategies for research, innovation and enterprise (RIE). Indeed, the Singapore Government has committed another Page: 59 $16 billion in R&D from 2011 to 2015 under the RIE2015 Plan. While much has been invested in building deep technological capabilities, it is also timely to invest to build up our capabilities in humanities and social sciences research. No scientific invention or progress exists in a vacuum, but what is significant is its impact on people's lives. Steve Jobs has notably said, "It's in Apple's DNA that technology alone is not enough – it is technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities that yield us the result that makes our hearts sing." Furthermore, the world's problems today are complex and multifaceted; problems cannot be solved by a study of the physical sciences alone. There are economic, social and political consequences behind every policy move. Hence, we need to build deeper capacity in the humanities and social sciences to complement our traditional strengths in science and technology and augment our relevance as thought leaders in many areas. Research into human experience adds to our knowledge about the world we live in and gives us tools to imagine the future. Humanities and social sciences research adds a dimension to enrich our understanding of our history, people, values, nation, social environment, economy and the impact of the global environment on our country. This knowledge and understanding can help us shape our future.”
“Madam, Singapore has had an amazing run the past 50 years. We have grown from a third-world to first in a generation. And as Singapore celebrates her 50th birthday, there is renewed interest about us and not just about what we have achieved in economic terms. There is now a deeper curiosity on where we have come from, what we stand for as a nation, what we have gone through, the social implications of our development, the values we have forged in the process and how we will ride the future. Singapore is also unique and fascinating because in the developmental journey, we have moved along the highways. Our growth is hyperbolic. This means that every generation that has lived and grown in Singapore has had vastly different experiences. Generation gaps are very stark in Singapore, perhaps more than anywhere else in the world. The social structures, education system, jobs, life experiences, even buildings around us and mindsets are very different from one generation to the other; even our primary language of communication may not be the same as that of our parents. This Budget is about building our future and I am very heartened that this Government has laid down plans to strengthen Singapore's competitiveness. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance has identified five growth clusters Singapore will build deep capabilities in, namely in applied health sciences, smart and sustainable urban solutions, logistics and aerospace, and in Asian and global financial services. Science and technology research is, indeed, necessary for us to develop a competitive edge in those areas. And, in this, the National Research Foundation or NRF plays a critical role.”
“It would be useful for our agencies to work with their regional counterparts to showcase the connectedness of the region before European imperialism carved out the region into different parts. This form of historical consciousness would help all of us to better appreciate a widely known yet not so well understood part of our shared history. With the above initiatives in place and greater attention paid to people-to-people engagement, the mutual trust and understanding forged between the people of Singapore and our neighbouring countries would go a long way in ensuring peace and stability. We will have a good chance of building a strong regional community. 3.00 pm Major Power Relations”
“MFA should actively recruit young people with the requisite language skills into the diplomatic service and who are prepared to invest in understanding foreign cultures. I would like to mention the British Council, the Goethe Institute and the Berlin Institute for Cultural Diplomacy as examples of cultural diplomacy institutes that have been very effective. The Berlin Institute for Cultural Diplomacy is Europe's largest independent cultural exchange organisation which hosts programmes that facilitate interaction among individuals of all cultural, academic and professional backgrounds from across the world. I would like to give two specific suggestions for cultural diplomacy. First, expanding the scale of cultural exchanges among our youths. As youths are the future of our countries, it is essential for the next generation of Singaporeans to have opportunities to start engaging and interacting with their regional counterparts from young. The National Youth Council has been at the forefront championing these youth exchanges for a while and I would like to argue that these engagements should be expanded so that more youths can benefit from them. The exposure and engagement will help young Singaporeans and our neighbours to forge vital friendships and appreciate the dynamics of our regional environment. Page: 68 Second, understanding our shared history and heritage. Singapore shares a long and rich history and heritage with the region. As findings from recent archaeological excavations would reveal, Singapore has a rich history as a thriving maritime port in the Malay Archipelago dating back more than 700 years.”
“Madam, Singapore's relationships with its neighbours are broad and multifaceted and the majority of the engagements seem to hover around high-level exchanges between leader-to-leader, government-to-government and military-to-military. There was some discussion in the previous debates about the role of cultural diplomacy. In February 2014, a question was raised about promoting Singapore's cultural and creative assets as part of Singapore's cultural diplomacy to extend soft power – which we had just Page: 67 heard a while ago – and influence overseas. Perhaps, with SG50, we will need to take stock of how well we have done on these fronts and to map out a strategy which features cultural diplomacy as a platform for Singapore's public diplomacy. I would like to ask: does Singapore have a cultural diplomacy strategy that is integrated with our overall foreign policy, economic development and takes full advantage of the public-people-private sectors? Cultural diplomacy can help to create a foundation of trust and shared interests with citizens of countries. It can create enduring relationships with foreign societies beyond changes in governments. Cultural diplomacy must focus on a wider society-facing remit to embrace neutral platforms for people-to-people contact which will serve as a flexible vehicle for rapprochement with countries where diplomatic relations have been strained or are absent. This is our best insurance against misunderstanding, hatred and terrorism targeted at our small city state and our values. At the core of cultural diplomacy is diplomatic talent. Public and cultural diplomacy can be skilfully executed only if officers are willing to spend sufficient time overseas.”
“Will we then gradually lose that toughness, resilience and resolve that the Pioneer Generation showed us in such good measure? Will personal responsibility give way to a sense of entitlement? As we build the future, we need to remember what history has shown – the best foundations are not built of bricks and mortar; these do not last. What will withstand the test of time is the spirit of our people and our unceasing drive to create meaning in our lives. With this, Mdm Speaker, I support the Budget. 2.20 pm”
“He taught himself to swim by observing how others swam and improved his techniques, as he grew older, by reading the latest books on the sport. An accident, unfortunately, ended his swimming career, but he continued to develop his love of the sport through coaching. And the most impressive part of it is that all his self-improvements were done without the benefit of Government help. He did not get any but, more importantly, he did not expect any. He was essentially self-driven and he knew Page: 56 how to make the best of his own situation. Mdm Speaker, I will conclude with a reference to history since this is our Jubilee Year. Singapore's social and economic progress since 1965 has been nothing short of remarkable. The figures that reflect this dramatic growth are sufficiently well-known and there is no need for me to repeat them here. But what is worth reminding is that our starting point was a far cry from where we are today. In 1965, Singapore lost its hinterland, it had virtually no industries, a largely uneducated population of migrant communities and it was in the midst of a volatile and unfriendly neighbourhood. Solid and far-sighted leadership, political will and some degree of luck, perhaps, put Singapore on a trajectory that led us to where we are today. But the most important success factor, in my view, was the sheer determination and gumption of the population. A tough, resolute citizenry made the difference and they built Singapore. As the Singapore Government continues to do more for the population, this will make us more resilient as R1 – we will be able to withstand more shocks and continue "business as usual". But what about our ability to adapt, change, endure and persevere?”
“A qualitative measure beyond economics – Singapore ranks number nine in the "very high human development" category but still behind Norway, Australia, Switzerland, Netherlands, the US, Germany, New Zealand and Canada. Perhaps, we can examine more closely how Singapore can perform better along this index. This effort may have already begun. The Budget Statement says that the Government "aims to empower each Singaporean to chart their own journey and gain fulfilment at work and even in their senior years". Fulfilment, pride in work, excelling in what you are good at, doing something that benefits people around you – living a meaningful life – this is real empowerment. Increasingly, as Singapore matures, as our economy develops, Singaporeans will want to find higher order satisfaction. Comfort may not be enough. We want to feel that we are creating a life that has meaning, to live in a Singapore that has a sense of collective destiny, that values each person for his intrinsic worth and talent. I have said earlier that comfort is not enough, and perhaps that is fortunate because, as I pointed out in my first section, comfort is not entirely attainable. In an uncertain world, where climate change is real, where economic cycles are more severe and frequent, it is unrealistic to think that we can always cushion the effects of these cycles, to keep "business as usual" for Singaporeans. Mdm Speaker, the Minister spoke about creating a spirit in Singapore. He spoke of Victor Poon, a self-taught swimming coach who spotted rising swimming star, Joseph Schooling. What impressed me most about the story of Victor Poon is that he epitomised a culture of personal effort and responsibility.”
“But in this understanding, the "contribution" that we each make is seen in economic terms – our wages, what the market determines what we are worth and perhaps what we add to the GDP of the country. I do not disagree. These are necessary calculations. My point is: should people be valued for their economic contributions only? I think valuation is neither a function of grades nor contribution alone. Rather, it is a mix of effort, character and the meaning and good we give to the environment in which we function. As a policy maker, I know that the Finance Minister has to use some objective criteria to allocate resources – grades are objective, "contributions", perhaps in terms of value-added to GDP, are objective. For the past 50 years, perhaps it had been a useful way of proceeding. But increasingly, we have reason to be dissatisfied with this measure. I think the Minister, too, is dissatisfied. He says in his speech that we ought to develop "a new economic and social culture", and "we can only get to where we want in the long term by taking steps now, moving ahead Page: 55 relentlessly and never thinking that the status quo will get us to a better place". Part of this culture, I argue, must see the move away from "value" as "economic contribution". Can the Minister and his colleagues at MOF help us come up with a better instrument of measuring value? Part of the work for the Social Science Research Council, perhaps, I think, can be to work out composite indices for such a measure. The United Nations' Human Development Index (HDI) this takes into account a long and healthy life, knowledge and a decent standard of living.”
“Page: 54 In sports, athletes build muscles and mental strength through training and conditioning so that they can excel in strenuous and challenging competitions. In the same way, we need to build "muscles" in young Singaporeans, to give them the will, capability and strength to face tough conditions, when they come, as they will surely do. We need to learn how to "develop" in our people resilience. To know what to do, how to do so, we need to test ideas out and see whether they work, or fail. To this end, we need to sustain efforts to research society, people, values and identity – to understand ourselves better, to see how we can move forward as one people. In the coming Committee of Supply, I will speak about the need to set up a Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) Research Council to do this. Here, I want to highlight an important area of research that could be supported by such a Council. The Minister speaks of the meritocracy of skills, where people keep learning and pushing themselves to achieve and their value comes from contributions at each stage of life. I understand fully what the Minister meant – there is a weakness in evaluating someone with "a hierarchy of grades earned in early life." But may I add – there is a similar weakness in saying that people "are valued for their contributions at each stage of their life". I understand the intent and it is a worthy one. The Budget supports people investing in themselves, to support lifelong learning, education, career counselling in schools, SkillsFuture credits, subsidies for mid-career Singaporeans and industry collaboration.”
“How prepared are we then, psychologically, in the face of unexpected crises? In the Singapore case, because we score highly on R1, we might not do so well in R2. But this does not have to be the case. And this is not an academic point – it is a reality about public life. I do not mean to say that we deliberately create bed shortages in hospitals, or train breakdowns – just to "test" people's resilience. Certainly not. I must also add the important caveat that I do not think that we ought to make life any tougher for those at the lower end of the income scale – this is not about rolling back state support for those who need them. Quite the reverse, I think that we ought to have a more aggressive welfare distribution regime, because this would make society more equitable, more cohesive and more resilient. So, what can we do to make Singapore more resilient, in the R2 sense of "toughening up" or adaptability to change? Here are some simple suggestions: Australia has regular water rationing, not because of any crises but because of a need to educate and remind its people that water is in very short supply and, if ever there was a severe drought, its people would be able to adapt. We could try this. We can get parents and schools into the act – should more students take the school bus to school, rather than being chauffeured by their parents? Only 20% of Primary school-going children take the school bus to school. This percentage should be far higher, given the congestions we already have on the roads. And there have been suggestions, which I personally think are very good, that we get our students to clean up and be responsible for their own school environment, instead of relying on the cleaners.”
“Too often, I think, the Singapore Government sees resilience as R1 – building the means to continuously improve the infrastructure so that Singaporeans are spared discomfort – more trains and buses to address complaints about our public transport system being "too crowded", for example. Singapore has a tougher benchmark for defining "crowdedness", it seems. In some cities, it takes seven people in one square meter to qualify for crowdedness; in Singapore, it is five people. Another example, from one of my colleagues who works on water. Last year, around this time, Singapore had its worst drought in 140 years. But there was no water rationing and businesses experienced no interruption in water supply. This was a great feat. It showed that our systems are highly resilient. Even under severe conditions, we are able to stand up to the stress. But under R2, which requires systems, including actors, to adapt to changing Page: 53 realities, Singapore, in my view, could be seen to be quite vulnerable still. If, under severe conditions, our infrastructure, our much-lauded "forward planning" can no longer cushion us from the very worst, what will happen to us on the day that systems fail, as they inevitably will? No amount of over-provision can guard against outlier crises. Today, most of us will think that it is very unlikely that Singapore's essential services will be interrupted significantly in the future, a low probability that consumers will suffer much discomfort in the event of extreme weather conditions. We have high confidence that infrastructure is in place for alleviation. Yet, these expectations seem to be at odds with constant predictions of the likelihood of droughts and extreme events for Singapore.”
“From the early emphasis on bread-and-butter issues essential to economic survival, such as job creation and building physical infrastructure, to the more current concerns of meeting aspirations about education, careers and social development, the Budgets have been geared towards growth and prosperity to improve the lives of Singaporeans. This Budget takes it a few steps further. It is geared towards long-term social security – learning and opportunities in our youth, support for continuing education, and peace and comfort in old age. But to truly build a future, to make sure that Singaporeans are ready for the future, we need to not just ensure comfort and peace, but also to prepare for difficult conditions and uncertainty. While the Government needs to build and provide the necessary physical and social infrastructure, financial reserves and economic conditions to safeguard the population and stave off the worse, we need also to cultivate in our people the strength and resilience to cope with and deal with whatever comes along. Because of the increasing volatility, both in the economic and physical world, the study of resilience in the face of large socio-ecological change has emerged as an important area of research. But while the physical variables under study are easily identified, the notion of resilience remains nebulous. The idea of resilience has been taken to mean both alleviation and adaptation – two concepts that are often used in conjunction or interchangeably. While the first refers to the ability to carry on "business as usual" (R1), the second demands a rejection of the "business as usual paradigm" and the recognition, instead, of new realities (R2); these two approaches are actually quite antithetical to each other.”
“Thank you, Mdm Speaker, for allowing me to join this debate. This is a very good Budget, indeed. I must confess that I do not always read through entire Budget statements. Given my own interests, I usually focus only on the parts on education, which have been uniformly generous over the years. But despite my relative ignorance of the details of the Budget, from all I have seen and read so far and from what I have learnt from my more experienced parliamentary colleagues, I know that this is an unusually strong Budget, not just in terms of how much we are spending, but how we are spending it. I would like to focus on the first part of the Minister's speech, on the impact of the Budget on people, society, its timbre and complexion. The key theme of Budget 2015 is "Building Our Future, Strengthening Social Security". Mdm Speaker, this Budget has a hypothesis – to build our future, we need to strengthen social security and, in so doing, four thrusts were identified. The first thrust "invest in skills of the people", deals essentially with "developing our people". In this speech, I want to make the point that the future is unpredictable. We will face challenges, possibly crises, of one form or another, and this will demand a new kind of Singapore. The kind, ironically, that does not come from stronger social security alone, but a sense that we can be strong, even without having to rely solely on inanimate things, such as infrastructure or systems or institutions, but on people and communities that can count on Page: 52 one another. Every successive Budget since 1965 has tried to deliver the good life to Singaporeans.”
“I thank the Senior Minister of State for her answer. I seek a further clarification. According to the MOE Framework for Sexuality Education, the community is a critical partner in this whole process. Am I to understand that the use of services by external vendors constitutes part of that community partnership or is it simply a form of outsourcing?”
“I thank the Minister for explaining the rationale for the establishment of these markers. The Minister may be aware that there are also efforts by students in our schools to find, for instance, the locations where the Maria Hertogh riots and the Hock Lee bus riots had occurred. This is no mean task, given the rapid physical changes that are happening in Singapore. So, I want to ask the Minister if there are plans to incorporate some of these ground-up, organic initiatives by members of the public as we seek to commemorate significant events in our history.”
“I thank the Senior Minister of State for her very comprehensive answer. I have two supplementary questions. First, teachers will play a critical part in this process of enhancing historical consciousness among our students. How will teachers be primed and equipped for these functions so that they are not mere purveyors of historical content but, more importantly, facilitators of critical inquiry? Second, while the textbooks are going to be crucial tools in the education of history, will the schools be making fuller use of the external environment – heritage spaces and museums, for instance – to enhance our students' understanding and connections with our past?”
“My question is, this is more a clarification: the exceptions that MDA had made for the screening to be done at Universities, is this a standing exception or is this decided on a case-by-case basis for different types of films? Page: 30 Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Let me explain what NAR is all about. NAR means you cannot arrange for public screening. You can have possession of it and that is why after we have classified the film, we returned it to NUS Museum. We say that it is available for private screening. We do make exceptions for educational institutions because we recognise that in such a setting, there is an opportunity for discussion to take place and it is for the purpose of education. In the case that I have mentioned about Yale-NUS, it is about discussion on conflicts. Certainly for NAR, we have allowed this in the past, and we will continue to do so, but we also need to make sure that whoever wants to do so, submits a request. As I have mentioned in my reply, we have to understand the setting and we have to understand who is being invited for the discussion. There are certain conditions. But by and large, it should not be a problem for us.”