Vivian Balakrishnan
Singapore
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not issue advisories on wait times at overseas airports. Travellers may wish to monitor airline and airport websites, as well as news reports for real-time information on wait times and potential disruptions at specific airports.”
“When the conflict in the Middle East deteriorated and commercial flights were halted in March 2026, the Singapore Government mounted four repatriation flights from Muscat, Riyadh and Jeddah to bring stranded Singaporeans home.”
“The Government has stepped up public engagement to explain our foreign policy fundamentals and responses to key international developments to Singaporeans and to hear their views. We do this through dialogue sessions across segments of society, including students, youths, businesses and community leaders.”
“And the larger point during the Committee of Supply was that precisely, because the world is in such a difficult, prickly, volatile and dangerous state, actually, if we keep our wits about ourselves, we maintain unity and we continue to have this clear eye-realistic, but principled, approach, there are many opportunities for Singapore.”
“Well, in short, I completely agree with you. And that is why we have indeed been hosting these events and in your own capacity as a national athlete and also as an official now, you have seen how it works in practice.”
“Since 2022, about half of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) employees are women. The proportion of women in senior appointments has remained stable at about a quarter. We recognise that overseas postings are disruptive for officers with families, especially female officers who bear greater caregiving responsibilities.”
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“First, always look out for novel design solutions. For example, LTA engineers saved about $2 billion in construction costs with the East Coast Integrated Depot. This depot is going to be a 4-in-1, with three MRT depots for the East-West Line, Downtown Line and the upcoming TEL, which are stacked one on top of another, and there is also a bus depot for 760 buses. This is the first such facility of its kind. LTA’s engineers have also saved more than $3 billion in potential construction costs by shifting the depot and the reception tracks for the Cross Island Line above ground. The second way is to always look at lifecycle costs when procuring major assets that will operate for decades. When the first-generation North-South and East-West Line trains were due for renewal, LTA challenged the train manufacturers to design systems using the latest technology that would be easier and cheaper to maintain throughout the 30-year lifecycle of the trains. Third, leverage competitive market forces wherever appropriate and whenever possible. For instance, the Bus Contracting Model ensures contestability through open tenders for bus packages. This has brought down the average bus contract bid prices by about 20% since the first bus package was awarded four years ago. Fourth, incentivise – and you will notice I use the word "incentivise" – commuters to change their behavior where possible and where convenient in order to optimise the overall performance of the system. This is something which I think Assoc Prof Walter Theseira has been pursuing for quite some time. I have noticed his speeches in this Chamber and he has asked about differential fares. These were introduced by PTC in December 2017.”
“The mean satisfaction score went up to 7.9 in 2018, which is the highest level since we started measuring in 2008. LTA embarked on its most extensive public engagement exercise thus far for LTMP 2040. We are grateful to the more than 7,000 Singaporeans who have contributed ideas to this plan. The LTMP Advisory Panel, which is chaired by Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary, has worked very hard to take all these views into account and submitted its recommendations to the Government on 15 February 2019. The Panel appreciated that a transport system does not just convey people to a place. It brings people together and, if we think about it, it forms a significant part of our daily shared lived experience. A bad commuting experience can disrupt your mood and day, almost as much as a domestic dispute at home. So, this is why people feel so strongly about the quality, reliability and experience of travelling. The Panel has, therefore, recommended enhancing the travel experience through greater connectivity and better service for everyone. The Panel also understood that there is, ultimately, a limit to infrastructure building on our tiny island. The Panel has proposed a bold new vision of a healthy and safe 20-minute town travel and a 45-Minute City travel for everyone by 2040. The Government accepts the Panel’s recommendations. Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary will elaborate on LTMP 2040 later. Let me now deal with the politically sensitive topic of fiscal sustainability. Many Members have brought this up. I agree with Mr Sitoh Yih Pin and Assoc Prof Walter Theseira that we need to exercise fiscal discipline in order to reduce costs and maximise value for money. How is this being done? Let me cite four ways in which LTA is trying to achieve this.”
“We will open the first phase of our sixth MRT line – the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) by the end of this year. TEL will add another 32 stations and 43 km more to our MRT network and eventually serve up to one million commuters. By around 2030, we can look forward to the opening of the Circle Line Stage 6, the Jurong Region Line and the Cross Island Line. When all these new lines come onstream, we will achieve our target of having eight in 10 households within a 10-minute walk from a train station. We added 200 trains over the last five years. We also introduced 1,000 buses under the Bus Service Enhancement Programme, and this was completed in 2017. We are conducting trials with on-demand buses and cleaner, greener vehicles. We have also added 500 km of road lanes over the last 10 years and are building more. Mr Sitoh Yih Pin has noted the improved rail reliability. We achieved an MKBF of 690,000 train-km in 2018, which is more than triple the 181,000 train-km in 2017. But this is, as Minister Khaw has emphasised in the past, a multi-year effort. He has also said that we are not out of the woods yet. We will continue to work on improving rail reliability. In fact, we have to continue to work on this. We are also renewing and enhancing the Bukit Panjang LRT (BPLRT), which now requires new trains, resignalling and power rail system enhancements. With these efforts, we hope BPLRT will also become a lot more reliable in the future, and I must confess that I have a personal stake in this, as one of the local Members of Parliament. Our commuters have noticed the improvements. The independent PTC tracks this through the annual Public Transport Customer Satisfaction Survey. I think Assoc Prof Walter Theseira referred to this in his speech.”
“Mr Chairman, Minister Khaw Boon Wan has asked me to convey his apologies for missing COS. I can assure all Members that he is recovering well after surgery and, in fact, has been following the debate assiduously. He also asked me to reassure Members that he will actively pursue all your suggestions and advice when he returns. He has also asked me to remind everyone that every year in Singapore, one-third of seniors sustain injuries from falls. Many of these incidents occur at home, usually at night or early morning. In fact, as a doctor, I can tell you the most vulnerable moments are those few seconds or minutes when you wake up from and get out of bed. Let me now turn to domestic transport. We all want a public transport system that is safe, reliable, convenient and affordable. Four worthy objectives, but sometimes you have to make some tough choices and tradeoffs. Bear these words in mind: safe, reliable, convenient, affordable. Our transport system is actually in a very strong position. That is thanks to many generations of visionary leaders, meticulous planners and, of course, the transport workers themselves who work long hours. They wake up way before everyone else has woken up and they also work into the wee hours of the night to maintain and operate our bus and rail networks. All of them deserve our tribute. 2.15 pm Mr Sitoh Yih Pin has emphasised that the Government's spending on transport has more than doubled over the last 10 years, from $5.4 billion in 2009 to now $11.5 billion in 2019, a doubling in 10 years. We are expanding our MRT network which, after all, is the backbone of our public transport system. Over the last five years, we completed the Downtown Line and Tuas West Extension, and we added close to 50 km to our network.”
“We are permanent neighbours and we want to be good neighbours, and we have never shied away from dealing with difficult bilateral issues. This is why Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had proposed to Dr Mahathir when they met in November 2018 that both Attorneys-General of Singapore and Malaysia would need to better understand each other's positions on whether Malaysia still had the right to review the price of water under the 1962 Water Agreement. The Attorneys-General actually did meet in December 2018. Unfortunately, their discussions were overshadowed by the Johor Bahru port limits and the Seletar ILS procedures issues, issues that we are now trying to resolve. Nevertheless, the two Attorneys-General will continue their discussion in due time. Since Separation in 1965, Singapore has chosen a different and unique fundamental philosophy of governance. Quite frankly, we have taken a different path of development. Singapore has no natural resources; we are even short of water. But Singaporeans have long internalised that no one owes us a living. We have provided a framework where all our citizens strive to do our best and achieve our potential by dint of our efforts. We take a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption. Our Government plans and invests for the long term, as exemplified by this Budget that we are debating right now. We honour and fulfil our international agreements and commitments. As a result of that, businesses have the confidence to invest and grow in Singapore, and we make sure, as you all know in our Budget, that we invest in infrastructure ahead of time. So, on that note, I will let Members of the House and fellow Singaporeans outside decide for yourselves whether we have been "fair" or, to quote Dr Mahathir, whether we have been "morally wrong".”
“00 pm Furthermore, Members may recall that in 1990 – and again, I remind Members that this is during Dr Mahathir's first prime ministership – the PUB and Johor signed an agreement in 1990 to construct the Linggiu Dam to increase the yield of the Johor River. Johor owns the Linggiu Dam but Singapore paid more than S$300 million for its construction and operational costs, as well as compensation for the land used by the Linggiu Reservoir, and for the potential loss of revenue from logging activities, and also inclusive of a one-time payment of the lease of that land for the remaining tenure of the 1962 Water Agreement. If – and this is an important point – if Malaysia had exercised the right to review the price of water in 1987, Singapore might well have made very different investment decisions on developing the Johor River. Overall, we have spent more than S$1 billion on water projects in Johor, and this has helped not only PUB's water works but Johor's own water works, which are also extracting water from the same river. In fact, Members would also recall that the Linggiu Reservoir's water level dropped to a historic low of 20% in October 2016 because there was a drought and we needed to use that water in order to supply the downstream water treatment plants. In periods of dry weather – and just by coincidence, Johor is experiencing a period of dry weather now – that is why there had been fires and that is why there have been the smell of burning material in Singapore in recent days. In this period of dry weather, Singapore continues to provide Johor with treated water upon their request and we do so out of goodwill without prejudice to our legal rights under the Water Agreement.”
“Our long-standing position has been that neither Malaysia nor Singapore can unilaterally change the terms of this Agreement between our two countries. As I told the House – I think it was in July last year – Malaysia lost the right to review the price of water under the 1962 Water Agreement. In fact, Malaysia herself has previously acknowledged that they chose not to seek a review in 1987 because they benefited from the pricing arrangement under the 1962 Water Agreement. Dr Mahathir, who I would remind the House, was the Prime Minister at that point in time. In fact, he was Prime Minister from 1981 to 2003. Dr Mahathir himself explained in 2002 that Malaysia did not ask for a review in 1987 as Malaysia knew that any revision would also affect the price of treated water that is sold by Singapore to Malaysia. Today, Singapore continues to sell treated water to Malaysia in excess of our obligation. Our obligation under the 1962 Water Agreement is to sell five million gallons per day, but actually, today, as we speak, we are selling around 16 million gallons per day. We are selling it at a fraction of the cost of treating that water. In other words, for every gallon, we are subsidising. On top of this, from time to time, the Public Utilities Board (PUB) also receives additional requests to supply additional treated water to Johor. For example, just between 2 and 4 January this year, Singapore supplied an additional six million gallons per day of treated water. This is over and above the 16 million gallons per day that I described earlier. We supplied this to Johor when they needed more water because its water plants were experiencing a disruption, due to pollution. 4.”
“I thank the Member for that pointed question. In fact, I think there is an article in The Straits Times today. Dr Mahathir, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, was reported to have made comments yesterday in Johor. And he asked, and I will quote, "how Singapore as a 'rich nation' could pay such an 'unreasonable rate' for raw water sold by Malaysia under the 1962 Water Agreement when Malaysia was", in his words, "a poorer country by GDP per capita." He said that this was "morally wrong". These are strong emotive words no doubt intended to rouse public opinion. Mr Chairman, I am supposed to be diplomatic, but I think Members of this House also know that I call a spade, a spade. This is a red herring. The 1962 Water Agreement is not about who is richer or poorer. It is about the fundamental principle of respecting the sanctity of agreements. Singapore's position on the 1962 Agreement has been clear and consistent. The 1962 water agreement was guaranteed – no, in fact, first, I should say, that in 1962 when this Agreement was signed, Malaysia was an independent country. They had their own leadership. They had their own legal advice. And they entered into this Agreement in 1962. In 1965, when Singapore was ejected from the Federation of Malaysia, we took the precaution of ensuring that the 1962 Water Agreement was guaranteed by the governments of both Malaysia and Singapore. It forms, in effect, part of our 1965 Separation Agreement. Any breach of the 1962 Water Agreement would call into question the Separation Agreement. And this Separation Agreement is the basis for our existence as an independent sovereign state. Therefore, Malaysia and Singapore must fully honour the terms of the 1962 Water Agreement, including the price of water that is stipulated in it.”
“The principle of non-interference within ASEAN is actually a foundational principle. We need to understand the reason why we have to operate this way. This is because we are so vastly different. Even the EU has its own challenges with differences among themselves. But if you look at ASEAN, the 10 of us, size, economy, government systems, as I said before, ranging from monarchies, military arrangements, a variety of democracies, it would fracture ASEAN if we were to abandon that principle. So, I much rather our current practical approach, which is by moral suasion, by quiet diplomacy, discussion behind the scenes, and to tell our fellow members that, "yes, you have a problem within your borders, but it has impact on us. And for what it is worth, these are our views, this is how we will offer to help." And sometimes, if it is particularly egregious, we will have to say things publicly. And that is how it has operated all this while. I completely sympathise with the Member and Mr Louis Ng's concern for the refugees. But as Mr Louis Ng has also noted during his intervention, this problem has been around for a long time. It predated ASEAN and we cannot force a quick resolution. So, that is why it is a long answer to the Member's question, but we cannot abandon the principle of non-interference.”
“We need to continue to strengthen the resilience and unity of our citizens, and to build a deeper appreciation of the fundamental principles of Singapore's foreign policy and our vulnerabilities as a small country. We must continue to invest a fair share of our resources in diplomacy so that we can stand our ground, protect our sovereignty and keep Singapore safe. But we will never ask for more than we need. In fact, I would like to remind the House, if you look at all the Ministries' Budgets, MFA is the lowest and MFA has not asked for an increase this year. What we are asking for is more domestic support. And I am very grateful for the hard work and ingenuity of our diplomats and the sacrifices of their families. All that we do in Singapore, including the larger Budget Debate, must take into account the profound changes taking place in the region and world around us. We have to accept the geopolitical realities and vulnerabilities of being a small island city-state. We take the world as it is. But this does not mean that we are powerless. We must stay nimble, we must continue to seize opportunities whilst maintaining our balance in the midst of a rapidly evolving world, and we can do this with your support. We will secure Singapore's continued independence, well-being and prosperity. Thank you. [Applause.]”
“We are expanding cooperation in areas, such as the Smart Cities initiative, infrastructure cooperation, as well as the provision of technical assistance to third countries through the renewed Japan-Singapore Partnership Programme for the 21st Century. Our relationship with India remains robust and forward-looking. India has made great strides in digitalisation, and we are enhancing our FinTech collaborations, including linking up our electronic payment systems, banks and businesses. With India's large population, which by the way will shortly overtake China to be the largest population in the world, Singapore's position as a regional hub gives us tremendous potential for us to work together. We continue to deepen relations with New Zealand, another like-minded and long-standing partner. In fact, we have just concluded negotiations to upgrade our bilateral FTA last November, and we are working to upgrade our relations to an Enhanced Partnership later this year. We reaffirm our commitment to free trade and an open rules-based international order and multilateral trading system. As we develop our national capacity to innovate, we have also stepped up efforts to profile Singapore’s thought leadership in today’s innovation-led economy and our contributions through technical assistance under the SCP. This has helped expand our mindshare and, as Mr Low reminded us, to increase our soft power in various parts of the world. But as I have said repeatedly in this House, diplomacy begins at home. Division at home, within the shores of Singapore, will paralyse our foreign policy.”
“We look forward to continuing the strong and constructive partnership with Indonesia. We also look forward to working with Brunei to explore new areas of cooperation, such as aquaculture and agriculture. We will continue to engage the younger generation of Bruneian leaders through the annual Young Leaders’ Programme, which will be held in Brunei in 2019. We will also continue to deepen and broaden our links and cooperation with other neighbours in the region. Sino-US relations will continue to be the defining major power relationship in the 21st century. It is in everyone's interest to keep the US and China engaged in the region. Singapore has a big stake in good Sino-US relations. We will continue in a humble and constructive way to position ourselves as a helpful and reliable partner to both and, where relevant, to be a valuable interlocutor. On the bilateral front, we will continue to enhance economic, defence, security, including cybersecurity cooperation with the US. We are also working closely together with China, including on its BRI and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). We should also continue to engage other key partners, such as Australia, Japan, India and New Zealand, to keep them engaged in our region, and to establish Singapore as a partner of choice. Australia remains a very close friend of Singapore. We continue to build on the positive momentum created by the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership which we signed in 2015. We are exploring new areas of cooperation, such as the digital economy and cybersecurity. Japan continues to be a close and like-minded partner.”
“To cite an example, many of our overseas missions use cultural diplomacy to showcase the diverse heritage of Singapore, a heritage which embeds us firmly in the ancient and rich cultures of Asia. When we are able to showcase our arts practitioners' stories and innovative techniques, it allows friends in other countries to understand Singapore a little better, and to get to know our people at a more intimate level. More broadly, by being successful, honest and by building a society which is open, pragmatic, hardworking and rooted in our multicultural heritage, we build warm people-to-people relations and a store of global goodwill towards Singapore. So, here again, I want to agree with Mr Low Thia Khiang. The Member has made a very important point about humility in success. And we will pursue his suggestions on deeper engagement with ASEAN through economic projects, people-to-people ties and digital diplomacy. Looking forward, we must continue to strengthen our bilateral and multilateral partnerships with our neighbours and the major powers. It is important to manage our key accounts adroitly in order to preserve our strategic space and options. We will continue to maintain constructive and open engagement with Malaysia to manage and to resolve the differences and to advance the bilateral cooperation for mutual benefit. Indonesia is on track to hold legislative and presidential elections on 17 April 2019. I want to emphasise that Singapore does not take sides in the elections of any country, including our neighbours. We are committed to working with the government of the day. We hope for a smooth and peaceful election that will contribute towards Indonesia’s long-term stability and success.”
“Singapore remains Indonesia’s top foreign investor in 2018, with US$9.2 billion worth of realised investments. We have committed investments in Indonesia, such as the Kendal Industrial Park in Semarang and the Nongsa Digital Park in Batam. The US$10 billion bilateral financial arrangement, which was announced at the 2018 Leaders’ Retreat and signed on 5 November 2018, reflects the confidence in the economic fundamentals of both countries. Singapore and Indonesia also share common defence and security challenges. Our agencies collaborate closely through frequent defence exercises and in intelligence sharing for counterterrorism purposes. Mr Alex Yam asked about our relations with Brunei. We have a long-standing special relationship with Brunei and will continue to strengthen these bilateral ties. Our strong defence cooperation – many of us have trained in the jungles of Brunei – and Currency Interchangeability Agreement remain important pillars of our bilateral relationship. We will leverage other platforms to build Singapore's networks and soft power. Ms Joan Pereira asked about SCP. The SCP is a key example of our commitment to share our experiences with other developing countries through human resource development. Since 1992, over 124,000 foreign officials have participated in our programmes and they represent an invaluable reservoir of goodwill for Singapore. My colleagues will provide further details. Mr Low Thia Khiang and Mr Terence Ho asked about Singapore’s soft power. The intangibles of foreign policy – the attitudes, perspectives and mindsets – are very important. In fact, they are the ultimate currency of our foreign policy because if people like us, trust us, depend on us, we will continue to do well.”
“Our closest neighbours will always be Malaysia and Indonesia. This is a geographical fact and, therefore, they will always be of special importance to us. Mr Vikram Nair and Assoc Prof Faishal Ibrahim asked about our relations with Malaysia. Mr Vikram Nair and Dr Chia Shi-Lu also asked about our relations with Indonesia. For Malaysia, although several bilateral issues have come to the fore in recent months, in fact, in just the last three months, we remain committed to resolving these issues in an amicable and constructive manner and in strict accordance with bilateral agreements and international law. On the port limits issue, officials have been meeting to discuss measures to de-escalate the situation. Both sides are aware of the urgent need to prevent accidents and untoward incidents, like the recent collision between the Greece-registered bulk carrier Pireas and the Malaysian Government vessel Polaris, which was illegally anchored in Singapore Territorial Waters. The working group of senior officials is due to submit its recommendations to the two Foreign Ministers in early March, which is now. The Transport Ministers and the senior officials from both sides have been meeting to discuss the arrangements for Seletar Airport and the airspace over Southern Johor, including the instrumented approaches into Seletar Airport and Malaysia’s Restricted Area over Pasir Gudang. Again, we look forward to finding a solution that is mutually agreeable. Fortunately or unfortunately, in my capacity as Acting Transport Minister, this is also my problem at this point in time. For Indonesia, our bilateral cooperation remains deep, multifaceted and reinforced by frequent high-level exchanges. Our two economies are inextricably linked, with economic cooperation robust and expanding.”
“And here, I want to quote Mr Lee Kuan Yew when he said, "We must make ourselves relevant so that other countries have an interest in our continued survival and prosperity as a sovereign and independent nation. Singapore cannot take its relevance for granted. Singapore has to continually reconstruct itself to keep its relevance to the world and to create political and economic space.” If we are not successful, if we are not united, if we are not stable, we would be completely irrelevant. Mr Lee has also reminded us that there is no irreplaceable function that a small country performs. 2.15 pm Singapore was asked to host the 1st US-DPRK Summit last June. I have shared with Members before that we did not put up our hands to ask to host, but when we were asked, we had to say yes. But we are proud to have played a small part in easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula. This reaffirms Singapore's reputation as an impartial, reliable and neutral, safe country, and a trusted and consistent partner. I want to thank all Singaporeans again for their forbearance and for showing the world what we can do at short notice, putting on a safe event which put us on the map, which made Singapore one of the most searched google terms and, hopefully, people know where we are. We know that Vietnam just hosted the 2nd US-DPRK Summit in Hanoi. We know that things did not go exactly according to plan, but both sides will continue their dialogue, and we hope that their efforts in the future will ultimately lead to lasting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. Finally, we must always aim to be a friend to all but an enemy of none. This is especially so for our immediate neighbourhood, where peace and stability are absolutely essential.”
“We also achieved several key milestones for ASEAN-China relations during the three years that we were the coordinator for that relationship from 2015 to 2018. We upgraded the ASEAN-China FTA, a big step towards our goal of achieving two-way trade in excess of US$1 trillion and investments of US$500 billion between ASEAN and China by 2020. We are well on the way to achieving these targets. Both sides agreed on a single draft negotiating text for the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea. We will not solve all the problems there, but it is an important confidence-building step. Mr Vikram Nair asked about the progress of these negotiations. We are working towards completing the first reading by this year. We are encouraged by the momentum, but we should also realistically recognise that there is still a lot of work to be done. Both sides have also charted the future direction of the ASEAN-China relationship with the ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership Vision 2030, which was adopted at the 21st ASEAN-China Summit in November last year. My colleagues will again further elaborate on this later on. Our credibility has also consistently won us a seat at the "Group of 20" (G20) table over several years. I do not need to remind Members that we are not among the 20 largest economies in the world. We are not there, but yet, we have been invited. And more recently, we have been invited by Japan, the current G20 President, to participate in the G20 Meetings and the Osaka Summit later this year. We look forward to working closely with Japan to support Japan's G20 Presidency and its ambitious vision. Third, Singapore must continuously create relevance for ourselves so that we can be a successful and vibrant country.”
“We also maintain regular exchanges through institutionalised platforms, such as the Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC), chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, the Singapore-China Forum on Leadership, also chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Teo, and the Singapore-China Social Governance Forum, again, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Teo. On the economic front, Singapore remains surprisingly as China's top foreign investor. We have skin in the game. While China has been our largest trading partner since 2013, both sides concluded the upgrade of the China-Singapore FTA in 2018, and this will bring our economic cooperation to new heights. My colleagues will elaborate on these accounts in greater detail later, but the point I want to make is this: even at a time of increasing tensions and polarisation, we have maintained relations with both these key powers in a way that is robust, constructive and sets us up well for the future. Mr Low Thia Khiang delivered an excellent speech, and I really could not find anything to disagree with him. His key point was whether we should shift our strategic focus to ASEAN. Actually, it is not about shifting strategic focus but recognising that ASEAN has always been a cornerstone of Singapore's foreign policy and for our engagement with the region and the rest of the world. And I completely agree with him that we must strengthen the open and inclusive ASEAN-centric regional architecture. When we were the ASEAN Chair last year, we launched several initiatives to boost regional integration and to increase key partners' stake in the development of our region, including the establishment of the ASEAN Smart Cities Network (ASCN) and the Model ASEAN Extradition Treaty.”
“And because we are credible, Singapore has been able to play a constructive role in international affairs. And we have kept up good relations with all the major powers. The US remains a key partner for us. We have continued our close cooperation in both defence and security spheres. We have strengthened our economic ties. Last year, both US President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence visited Singapore. While the current US Administration has adopted an unconventional approach towards issues, such as trade, actually the fundamentals that underpin the strong bilateral relationship with us remain. Mr Charles Chong asked about the US' engagement of the region. The US has significant investments in Southeast Asia and broad-based links with many Asian countries. In fact, the US has more invested in Southeast Asia than it has invested in India, China and Japan combined! Amazing statistics. I only discovered this when I read Vice President Mike Pence's speech two years ago and every time I meet both the President and senior members of the administration, I remind them that the US has real "skin in the game" in Southeast Asia. The US has rolled out several initiatives to demonstrate its continued commitment to the region, including the US$113 million in new economic initiatives, and another US$300 million in funding for regional security cooperation. Mr Henry Kwek focused on our long-standing relations with China. In fact, several Members brought that up. Last year, we enjoyed a very good series of exchanges of visits at the highest level.”
“It signals the EU's commitment to step up engagement with Southeast Asia, and will be, we hope, a pathfinder for future agreements between EU and other ASEAN member states and, ultimately, of course, we hope that there will be an EU-ASEAN FTA. We should also remember that as a port at the edge of the narrow straits that ultimately connects the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean, freedom of navigation under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is absolutely critical for Singapore. And this is why we have always participated actively at the UN and in the formulation of international regimes and norms. We were a key player in the negotiation for the Law of the Sea Treaty that is UNCLOS, and also for the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, on which I spent four and a half years of my life on. We continue to contribute actively to shaping new norms to govern the global commons, including in emerging areas, such as cyberspace and outer space. Second principle: we must always be a credible, consistent and reliable partner. We will continue to be honest brokers. We will deal fairly and openly with all parties. The key point is this, and many Members have asked, how are we going to deal with people who force you, who are trying to force you to choose sides? The key point is our neutrality, and that Singapore cannot be bought, nor can we be bullied. We are not "for" or "against" anyone. We are "pro-Singapore". We are Singaporeans. We are "pro-Singaporeans." We will be nobody's stooge. We will not act on behalf of any other power. We act consistently and purely in the long-term interest of Singaporeans. In fact, it is this sense of strategic predictability that has enabled Singapore to build up trust and goodwill and relevance with all the major powers.”
“This is our lifeblood for us in Singapore. So, we continue to play an active role at WTO, and in constantly trying to negotiate a web of FTAs at both the bilateral and multilateral levels. Last year, we ratified the CPTPP. Yes, in fact, this deal started off with four small states – Singapore, New Zealand, Brunei and Chile. Then the Americans, Japanese, everyone else came in, and it became the TPP. And then America pulled out. Fortunately, with Japanese leadership and active support from the other 11 countries, we got the CPTPP signed, and then, to my pleasant surprise, enough of us ratified it so that it came into force on 30 December 2018. This is important. This leaves the door open. Hopefully, the US, at some point, will find a political way to come back and to engage in trade and at a strategic level with the Asia Pacific. CPTPP represents a market of approximately 500 million people and 22% of global trade and will provide our companies with increased market access in the Asia Pacific and these figures exclude the US. I am also happy to note that there has been substantial progress on the negotiations for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and leaders of all the RCEP participating countries have committed to conclude RCEP later this year. If we get this done, it will encompass 45% of the world's population and amount to 30% of global GDP. This would be big. We have also launched, and by this, I mean Singapore, FTA negotiations with the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), the Pacific Alliance, and the Eurasian Economic Union. The European Parliament just two weeks ago, voted in favour of ratifying the EUSFTA. This is the first bilateral trade agreement signed between the EU and an ASEAN country.”
“00 pm We are witnessing a surge in identity politics and exclusive extremism that raises the risk for radicalism and terrorism in our region. The return of ISIS fighters to Southeast Asia and the episodes of violence which we have seen in the southern Philippines last year, are stark reminders that this is a clear and present danger. Mr Louis Ng also asked about the refugee situation at the Myanmar-Bangladesh border. Both of us have been there. I can tell you this remains an issue of concern. Senior Minister of State Mohamad Maliki will elaborate on our response later. In just the last few days, we have witnessed recent escalations of tension between India and Pakistan – again, another reminder that the old fault lines remain volatile and are susceptible to political exploitation. Therefore, the question which all Members have posed is: how should we in Singapore respond to these challenges in this current state of the world? I would submit that our foreign policy principles remain as salient today as they were at our Independence when constructed by Mr Lee Kuan Yew and Mr S Rajaratnam. First, we must continue to promote a rules-based international order. A system that upholds the rights and sovereignty of all states and the rule of law is important, especially to a small city-state like us. Without it, small countries will have very little chance of survival. Under a rules-based system, bigger powers do not get a free pass to act as they will. But in exchange for that, what they would benefit from is an orderly, stable global environment. We all know that in Singapore, our trade volume is three times our GDP. I think all Members will agree with me that we must stand up for the multilateral rules-based global trading system. This is not a debating point.”
“The far right has responded to popular disenchantment by focusing on immigration and free trade. The liberals have tacked even further left and demanded radical redistribution. We are not so bad in this House. But you can hear faint echoes of those same political siren calls. This tumult of domestic politics and political polarisation has created a geopolitical order dominated by increasingly short-term transactional ethos and a zero-sum mindset. Fourth, the global multilateral rules-based trading system embodied by WTO is now under serious threat. Ms Tin Pei Ling, Assoc Prof Walter Theseira asked about how we will try to uphold the multilateral trading system. The free, open rules-based multilateral system actually has underpinned the success of Singapore and ASEAN and has been the formula for peace and prosperity for many decades. Unfortunately, countries under domestic political pressure increasingly view multilateral agreements on issues, such as trade, climate change, security, arms control, cybersecurity, as shackles on sovereignty and a burden on economic growth. Therefore, leaders in these countries are resorting to unilateral actions and prefer bilateral instead of multilateral deals. They repudiate multilateral approaches and the multilateral institutions that have kept the peace and facilitated prosperity. So, over time, trade connectivity may shrink, tit-for-tat action on disputes will increase, and our ability to respond to global challenges like radicalism, cybersecurity and climate change will be impaired. Left unchecked, this will be a negative-sum game for everyone. Closer to home, we must remain vigilant about threats to regional stability and security. 2.”
“The losers are entire industries and less-skilled workers who are at risk of being displaced by these smart technologies. Workers everywhere in the world are anxious. They feel squeezed and, especially in the West, there has been a stagnation in middle-class wages for several decades. Consequently, with the erosion of the middle-class in developed countries, you will see that they are channelling their frustration towards easy scapegoats – the obvious ones – immigration, free trade and, increasingly, you will see that voters in the middle have become disenchanted with mainstream political parties. Populist politicians, who promise to impose protectionist and nationalistic policies and appeal to primordial loyalties of race, language and religion, are on the rise everywhere. We, in Singapore, must not allow these disruptive forces to fracture our own society. We can, and we must, master the technologies of the future so that our people, our citizens, can remain successful and united. Then, and only then, can we preserve our independence and make decisions based on our own sovereign interests. The advances in information technology have made Singaporeans far more media-savvy and has exposed us to the crowded marketplace of competing viewpoints and disinformation. But we must also be aware that this also raises the risk of us being influenced by foreign entities who are using these new tools, including using them in the political arena. Third, another worrying consequence of this uneven distribution of growth, both within countries and across countries, is the inevitable rise of protectionism and nationalism across the world. Around the globe, the right and left political wings have drifted further apart, hollowing out the political centre.”
“And there is an increasing bipartisan consensus that America has been taken advantage of by China and must now play hardball. On the other hand, China is pursuing the "China dream" and is determined that the "century of humiliation" will not be repeated. It will not allow the US or any other power to stop it from taking what it believes is its rightful place in the world. This dynamic between the two powers is, therefore, shifting from one of engagement to one of strategic rivalry and competition. And consequently, new strategic architectures will arise. And countries, including us, will come under intense pressure to choose sides. Even if current Sino-US trade tensions are resolved, the strategic contest will continue to be waged but it will include areas, such as defence, energy, cybersecurity and even outer space. And we can expect this major power rivalry to sharpen, especially in the technological arena. The ongoing arguments about 5G technology are a case in point. Both the US and China know that the first country to master the Fourth Industrial Revolution will have a huge advantage. Second, the digital revolution has already triggered disruptions in many other parts of the world. A rise in computing power, an explosion in big data, as well as progress in automation, robotics, new computational techniques and smart technology, have transformed societies and economies, and disrupted phenomena all over the world, including in Singapore. The digital revolution, which is still in its early phases, has also ushered in a new Gilded Age, where the fruits of economic growth are unevenly distributed. The winners in this era are the giant technology companies and the digital oligarchs who control all the data flows.”
“Mr Chairman, in July last year, Dr Henry Kissinger – probably the most senior Secretary of State and Foreign Secretary in the world – declared, "We are in a very, very grave period." We are, in fact, witnessing the rapid unravelling of the post-World War Two global order. And this unravelling is being accompanied by profound shifts in the balance of geopolitical power and also by unprecedented leaps in technology. And these changes are not a passing transient phenomenon. No one knows how long it will take for the world to set onto a new stable trajectory again. For Singapore, our external environment, therefore, will be increasingly volatile, ambiguous, complex and uncertain. And we cannot afford the luxury of navel-gazing. Let me, therefore, address the key foreign policy concerns, which, in fact, have been brought up by all the Members who have spoken before me. First, Mr Vikram Nair and Mr Charles Chong asked about Sino-US tensions. I agree with both Members that this is the most important bilateral relationship in the global system. And the ability, or lack thereof, of the US and China to find a new modus vivendi will shape our era. The US actually envisioned and underwrote the post-World War Two global order, now 70 years old: "Pax Americana". In 1960, American share of global GDP was 40%. At that level, it was worth its while for the US to be a unilateral benefactor, umpire – global policeman, indeed – for the world. But its share has now declined to 24% of global GDP. Therefore, it is a completely legitimate political question for American voters to question whether it is worth their while to continue to sacrifice American "blood and treasure" for international interests.”
“So, let me conclude by restating the obvious. Smart Nation is ultimately about improving lives and livelihoods. We have done reasonably well so far. Singapore won the City Award at the 2018 World Smart City Awards in Barcelona, which testifies to the concrete benefits that Smart Nation brings to Singaporeans and the recognition which we have from the rest of the world. Still, we cannot be complacent because the pace of technological change is so unrelentingly quick. The Government will continue supporting our local firms in this mercurial environment through initiatives, such as Scale-Up SG, the Enterprise Financing Scheme and SMEs Go Digital, which Members have heard about from Minister Heng Swee Keat in the Budget speech. And I share Ms Rahayu Mahzam's concerns on digital readiness and inclusion, and Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary will elaborate on the special inclusion initiatives that we will embark on to make sure no citizen is left behind. But these challenges and all these disruptions also bring many opportunities for Singapore, especially a city-state with hardworking, disciplined, highly educated people. We have disproportionate opportunities in such a world. We call on citizens and businesses to journey with us, to fully exploit our comparative advantage, take advantage of the resources and the infrastructure that we have put in place, and to co-create solutions for the future. If we do this, Mr Chairman, we can all reap the benefits of our Smart Nation for years and decades to come. 3.45 pm”
“We also foresee AI optimising urban scenarios, for instance, in optimising our traffic light networks and to predictively maintain public infrastructure. In other words, make sure things do not break down or to identify potential problems, before they lead to a breakdown. We foresee AI applications in finance, in logistics and cybersecurity. In fact, there are already many local companies in these and other domains. This is to answer Mr Teo Ser Luck. We hope to co-create with these companies the development of these new AI solutions. To scale up AI development, we are looking to democratise access to data and AI tools so that everyone can learn and experiment with AI solutions. We want to support SMEs to adopt AI and to work with the Government on relevant use cases. We will expand Government and private sector collaboration. One example is AI Singapore's 100 Experiments programme for companies to solve their own real-world business problems, together with AI experts. This programme will also bring AI apprentices to co-train with industry. So, in other words, we are linking businesses to main experts and people who want to learn and enter this industry. Lastly, we will build up local know-how in AI, and we will equip everyone to benefit from AI capabilities. This means teaching computational thinking and data literacy in schools, and training adults in data science and AI skills. Before that sounds too scary, I want to say that we do not expect everyone to become an AI expert. But think of AI in the future in the same way which you think of word processing today. It is a general-purpose technology, and we want our workforce to be able to use AI tools to participate meaningfully in the future AI-driven economy to secure good jobs, improve productivity and raise wages.”
“The Government needs to upgrade our technology stack so that we can be more responsive to citizens’ needs and to the demands of an increasingly competitive marketplace. We believe that Singapore has a good foundation for AI, through a multi-agency effort from SNDGG, the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) and our economic agencies. The National Research Foundation (NRF) set up AI Singapore to bring all relevant research institutions and AI startups together. GovTech will set up a centre of excellence in data science and AI to help other agencies deploy these AI solutions and technologies. Finally, MCI is developing guidelines to encourage responsible and safe use of AI, such as the Model AI Governance Framework which Minister Iswaran announced recently. We need to double down on these efforts. This year, an interagency taskforce will study how Singapore will develop AI as a strategic capability and become a trusted global hub for test-bedding, for deploying and scaling up AI solutions, especially in the context of a highly urbanised city like ours. For citizens, this means new and better services, whether from the Government or private sector. The possibilities are promising. McKinsey has identified 160 use cases where AI can be used for social good. For example, AI can "recommend content to students based on past successes and engagement with the material" and "detect student distress early". Basically, what it means is that we talk about streams and subject banding. All that is still relevant. But to really be able to customise that educational journey for that individual, sometimes maybe even to gamify it, will provide a more helpful educational experience for our students.”
“In the coming years, with the data generated from our expanding digital infrastructure, we can expect the services to become more personalised, more tailor-made to the individual needs of citizens and be more responsive. When people shop online, when people engage online, especially with the private sector, expectations are raised and they expect the Government to also be able to respond in such a personalised, responsive manner. One way which we are going to do this is also to make better use of AI which, we believe, will greatly improve our lives and our economy. Let me spend some time then to share with Members what we are doing in this AI space. AI and, in particular, deep machine learning, have revolutionised the scene in recent years. AI has already begun to make an impact in our daily lives. If we just stop to think about it, the voice assistants in our handphone, the language translations, the global positioning system (GPS) optimisation, the credit card fraud alerts, all these have benefited from advances in AI just within the last two years. I have mentioned just now that the Government has been using AI for drowning detection in our swimming pools. We have also used it for SkillsFuture's fraud detection, and for local speech recognition. In fact, AI speech recognition has been used to augment the transcription of COS speeches this year. So, it should make it more accurate. And even if you point out mistakes, you will help us improve the system. Mr Cedric Foo asked how Smart Nation will keep us relevant. AI, data analytics, robotics and automation are crucial ingredients for us to restructure of our economy. We need to achieve a quantum leap in productivity by creating new engines of growth.”
“Our goal is to integrate all these services to help firms unlock new ways of connecting with consumers and other businesses and transacting with the Government. SNDGG is not doing this on our own. We are not a Ministry but we view ourselves as a shared platform for the whole of Government. The Digital Government Blueprint calls for the Government to be digital to the core by 2023. Many agencies have, therefore, implemented or are in the process of implementing new digital initiatives in order for us to achieve this. Let me give Members another example. MOH launched Healthy 365, which has kept 1.7 million users active over the past four years. Many people have told me that they enjoy the National Steps Challenge and I am especially intrigued to see so many non-techy people wearing activity trackers. It is not just because the Health Promotion Board (HPB) is giving it away free, but the combination of community and activity and, of course, the usual Singapore pursuit of health points and discounts helps. But the point is that we have used technology to make a difference and to improve health on a daily basis. MCCY recently launched a central volunteer management system to deepen volunteer engagement and recruitment. Six public agencies now use volunteer.sg to manage over 20,000 active volunteers. MCCY will share more during their session. I have described a whole slew of existing and upcoming benefits to citizens from the Smart Nation. But I also agree with Ms Tin Pei Ling that we must continue to our citizen-centric focused and delivering services in an integrated way.”
“We will expand the slew of services under Moments of Life to help citizens deal with all the significant turning points in our life, birth, school, marriage, even including end-of-life matters. And we will empower seniors to lead more active lives. MOH will share more of this in their session. We will continue to enhance convenience in daily life. Parking.SG is already used by over 60% of car owners, and we want to make it even easier not just to pay for parking but to find their parking lots. This year, GovTech, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and the Municipal Services Office (MSO) will be trialing the installation of smart sensors so that we can provide real-time availability of kerbside parking lots to people who are looking for a lot. HDB is looking to create smarter towns so that we can optimise land, infrastructure and utilities, and allow people to engage and form communities using these digital tools. This will make our heartlands more liveable, efficient, sustainable and safe. Businesses can look forward to more digital tools to increase connectivity both within Singapore and beyond our borders. IMDA's new national e-invoicing standard will speed up corporate invoicing and payments. And those of you in business will know that the velocity of cash flow is crucial in business. We are streamlining Government transactions. The Minister for Finance mentioned a pilot portal to help up to 18,000 food service companies cut red tape in their licence applications. Anyone who has tried to open a restaurant would have known it takes many applications. We will try to streamline all these in the process, remove duplicate applications, reduce red tape and to give approvals faster. We hope to expand this effort to other industries in future.”
“So, we are moving in the right direction. 3.30 pm NETS was also appointed to unify the e-payment landscape at hawker centres and coffee shops. This will allow the consolidation of different e-payment methods and, more importantly, faster settlement for hawkers. So, they receive their money the next day. More than 80,000 businesses have registered for PayNow Corporate since its launch last August. Like individuals, businesses can now send and receive payments instantly. The PayNow initiative has contributed to cheque usage falling to 20% of inter-bank transfer volumes. Again, making progress in the right direction. MyInfo Business allows up to 220,000 SMEs to open bank accounts and apply for loans easily and quickly. IRAS has piloted direct submission of Goods and Services Tax (GST) returns from businesses’ accounting software, enabled by National Digital Identity (APIs), and will look to extend this to all GST-registered businesses. The Networked Trade Platform has reduced application time for trade permits. It used to take several days, now it takes one hour. This reduces the burden of administrative processes and enables our entrepreneurs to focus on growing their businesses instead of navigating red tape. Mr Teo Ser Luck and Mr Vikram Nair asked about our upcoming initiatives. We will continue to make our digital services more accessible, more integrated. We will enhance the SingPass Mobile so that it can be used for secure logins to selected private sector applications as well. Security will, of course, remain our central preoccupation. Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary will address Ms Sylvia Lim's question on security, because without security at the core of our Smart Nation, many of these initiatives will be at risk.”
“This was brought home to me even more starkly recently when Minister Khaw Boon Wan described when he had his fall and he fractured his arm and the intense agony that immobilised him. And as you would have seen in his Facebook post yesterday, this is not unique to him. Many elderly people have faced emergencies at home alone, immobilised and they need to call for help. So, this is one example in trying to make a difference at a direct personal level. Another example, drowning detection systems have helped our lifeguards keep community swimming pools safer. The National Environment Agency (NEA) has installed 50,000 Smart Gravitraps to help monitor and destroy breeding sites for dengue-spreading Aedes mosquitoes. The MyResponder app has helped to save the lives of at least 13 heart attack victims so far. But more important than the apps and the technology is the fact that this is an example where technology has enabled us to express our mutual care for one another. Third, our initiatives have helped made it easier to do business. We are continuing to provide more choice and better interoperability in e-payments. Last year, the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG), the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) together launched the common Singapore Quick Response Code (SGQR) standard, and the Network for Electronic Transfers (NETS) has rolled out 50,000 Unified Point-of-Sales terminals across the country. These initiatives have helped merchants to offer greater convenience for consumers and reduced cash usage. In Smart Nation, we must always be data-driven. So, I asked and I have been informed that e-payment values have increased to more than three times that of automated teller machine (ATM) cash withdrawals.”
“Thank you. First, we have focused on increasing convenience in our daily lives. The MyInfo project allows you to open a bank account or apply for credit cards online and get approval almost instantly through carefully secured shared data. SingPass Mobile is an app that allows citizens to log in to Government services using biometric authentication instead of passwords. I am glad to report that 200,000 people have used the system since we launched it four months ago. PayNow has seen 2.3 million registrations. And, in fact, a lesser known fact that those of you who have linked your National Registration Identity Card (NRIC) number to PayNow can receive your SG Bonus, Edusave awards and, even more pertinent politically, can even receive your CPF lump-sum payments quickly, almost instantly, instead of waiting for cheques to arrive in the mail. The Moments of Life app helps parents manage their child's early years. So far, 2,000 births have been electronically registered through a single auto-filled form. I forgot to check whether Ms Tin Pei Ling used the app. Not yet. For the next one, then. This is part of the service delivery approach that Minister Chan Chun Sing described just now. After my appeal and Mrs Josephine Teo's appeal, Ms Tin Pei Ling should have the next one. Together, we believe that these improvements will allow all of us to save time, reduce transaction costs and increase efficiency. Second, Smart Nation has also tried to facilitate a safer living environment. We are trialing a new Personal Alert Button for the elderly to call for help, especially after a fall, when they may be immobilised.”
“Mr Chairman, on behalf of the prime geek in Government, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. We have made significant strides in our use of the latest digital technologies, first, to generate new jobs; second, to reskill our workers for these new jobs; third, to restructure our economy in order to sharpen our competitiveness; fourth, to improve the quality of life on a daily basis; and, fifth, of course, to enhance the integrated delivery of Government services on a citizen-centric level. I want to thank Mr Cedric Foo, Ms Tin Pei Ling, Mr Vikram Nair who have quite rightly emphasised that what matters is not technology for its own sake, but people, that is, what we do with the technology and how it benefits us in our daily lives. With your permission, Mr Chairman, may I display an infographic to show our Smart Nation projects and their milestones, and also request that the Clerks to distribute the printout.”
“Mr Speaker, these are Singapore Territorial Waters. In fact, these have now been designated Singapore Port Limits. All vessels which are passing or transiting through these waters should, therefore, take instructions from the MPA. Any foreign government vessels have no locus standi to be issuing any instructions. If there are any attempts to assert authority or take any unauthorised actions, our agencies, our vessels and our forces will take appropriate measures.”
“On 9 February this year, the Greece-registered bulk carrier Pireas collided with the Malaysian government vessel Polaris in Singapore Territorial Waters off Tuas. A Singapore Police Coast Guard vessel was onsite, observed and recorded the collision. The Maritime Port Authority (MPA) was, therefore, notified by both the Maritime Security Task Force and by the Pireas herself. MPA ascertained that this incident was not classified as a "very serious marine casualty" under the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Marine Casualty Investigation Code. The ship, Pireas, was, therefore, allowed to proceed with its journey to its next port of call, which, in this case, happened to be Tanjung Pelepas in Malaysia. Pireas was not detained by the Malaysian authorities in Singapore Territorial Waters. We will not allow foreign government vessels to assert any authority in our waters.”
“That is an important and nuanced question. I would not say that there are divisions within ASEAN on this matter. I would say that there are different perspectives and different weights given by the different ASEAN countries, which often reflect our own domestic considerations. But it is not a division. As I said previously, at our recent meeting, we were able to settle the Terms of Reference of the needs assessment team and we agreed that when conditions are suitable, the ASEAN team should be present on the ground. We agreed that the presence of an ASEAN team would help enhance confidence and trust on the part of the refugees. And ASEAN is also willing in our own, albeit limited, way to participate in providing education, creating jobs and implementing healthcare facilities, in order to help the refugees who need help. But again, I just want to come back to this point that no society, no community, can progress without first finding its way to creating their version of a fair and just society, without providing security, without providing education, jobs and livelihoods. So, my one line to the Member is that there are no divisions within ASEAN. ASEAN stands ready to help.”
“The simple answer is no. Citizenship is a fundamental political right. It goes to the heart of sovereignty, it goes to the heart of the construction of how a country looks at itself and identify who is in and who is out. I would humbly put to the Member that because this is such a fundamental point, it has to be settled within the country, through the political system, processes and stakeholders. This is not something foreigners should get involved in. So, I reiterate, therefore, my short answer to that point, which the Member has made repeatedly, is no.”
“I share your concern because, whilst I have said that there are no quick fixes and that it takes time, it would be a tragedy for children to spend their entire childhood in such circumstances, be deprived of a full and proper education and, more importantly, prospects for a job and livelihood later on. So, we will all try, we are trying – and I commend the Member for making a difference on the ground. But we also need to be realistic on timeframes and also on the ultimately limited role that we play. So, let us keep working at it. And as I have said at the beginning, at every ASEAN meeting, this matter is discussed. It may not be on the formal agenda, but I can guarantee you that it takes up a significant amount of bandwidth on the part of both the Leaders at the Summit level as well as the Foreign Ministers.”
“I thank the Member for that supplementary question. If the Member had been there, I think the Member would join me in commending the incredible generosity and efforts that the Bangladesh government and people have made to welcome, protect and support these refugees. These are refugees on an enormous scale. If you have gone to the biggest camp there, for as far as the eye can see, to the horizon, you would have seen tents, habitations and homes that were built. As a previous Environment Minister, the things I look out for: cooking, drains, wells, toilets, environment protection – all those measures have been put in place. So, the first point is to commend Bangladesh and the international community, including the non-government organisations (NGOs) such as yours, that have supported and have actually done an incredible job. That is the first thing. The next point is that, paradoxically, because the refugees, in fact, are safe there and are receiving support there, they are not going to leave unless they are certain that they will have better prospects across the border. And as I said, better prospects are not going to occur in a hurry. And the latest bout of violence, involving this time the Arakan community, complicates matters even further. Do I foresee a sudden cessation of support from the UN, the UN agencies and the International NGOs for the refugees there? No, I do not foresee that contingency occurring, at least not for the foreseeable future. In the meantime, I need to commend the work of NGOs, such as yours. I know you are focused on education and expressing support in a very real and meaningful way that makes a difference on the ground.”
“And it is worth emphasising that this has been a long-standing, chronic problem for many decades, if not a century or more. The late Mr Kofi Annan and the Advisory Commission on the Rakhine State had provided comprehensive recommendations. Furthermore, the Myanmar government established an Independent Commission of Enquiry, and this, if properly pursued, would provide for accountability. We hope that this Commission will be able to carry out its investigations with full impartiality. ASEAN stands ready to support the efforts by all stakeholders to address the root causes of the problem in the Rakhine state. ASEAN countries, including Singapore, have provided assistance to Myanmar on a bilateral basis. But ultimately, I need to emphasise that it is the responsibility of the Myanmar government and all the other stakeholders to reach a viable and durable political solution. And on matters like these, Mr Speaker, we cannot expect any quick fixes.”
“But I would emphasise it is just as important that the manner of the repatriation be voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable. I have met the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and also the State Counsellor of Myanmar just two months ago and I am absolutely certain that the leadership of both countries is committed to the ultimate repatriation of the refugees and, in fact, the two countries have had extensive discussions on how to bring this about. The point I want to emphasise here is that it is not possible for us, or for ASEAN, to impose a deadline for this process to begin. The reason for this is that you need sufficient confidence on the part of the refugees before you can begin repatriation in a voluntary, safe and dignified way. When that happens – and we hope that will happen in the not-too-distant future – it is possible for ASEAN to provide support in the form of providing or assisting in the provision of health and education facilities and promoting inter-faith dialogue. But on the more difficult and fundamental issues of, for instance, citizenship and political rights, this is not something for ASEAN to decide, or indeed, to debate. We cannot do so on behalf of Myanmar and, ultimately, Myanmar has to sort out its own political challenges. During my visits to the refugee camp at the end of November last year, I had the opportunity to speak to some of the refugees. Two key issues always came up. One, security – safety for their families; and two, livelihood, what would they do to make a living when they go back? These are not trivial details. These are essentials that need to be sorted out before the refugees would be willing to go back. More fundamentally, Myanmar has to address the root causes of the problem.”
“Mr Speaker, I attended the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Retreat in Chiang Mai on 17 and 18 January. As usual, the subject of the Rakhine State came up for extensive informal discussion amongst the Foreign Ministers. We focused on efforts by ASEAN to support the refugees as well as Myanmar and, in particular, focused on the safe and voluntary repatriation of these refugees. Members will appreciate that this is a current and still-evolving situation, not all of which is positive. We welcomed the finalisation of the Terms of Reference for the needs assessment team that will be despatched by the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management. The needs assessment team will help us identify the possible areas of cooperation for ASEAN to lend its support. I think, just as importantly, the presence of an ASEAN needs assessment team will also help enhance the confidence and trust of the refugees on the ground, and we were hoping that it would help create a conducive environment for the sustainable and voluntary repatriation, resettlement and, ultimately, rebuilding of lives on the part of the refugees. However, I am sorry to note that in light of the recent outbreak of violence, which this time involves the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army – this is a different community from the Muslim refugees, so, the point is, you now have a triangular situation of violence amongst the stakeholders in Rakhine State. Because of this renewed violence, the despatch of the ASEAN needs assessment team has had to be postponed. Mr Speaker, it is important for the refugees, ultimately, to return home so that they can rebuild their lives.”
“Our Overseas Missions provide timely consular assistance, support and advice to Singaporeans in distress overseas. For major incidents, such as serious illness, injury or death, we will contact the local authorities to ensure that appropriate medical care is provided and help the family with the administrative processes to bring the affected Singaporean home. For example, following a bus accident in Makkah last year, our Consulate-General in Jeddah visited several hospitals, worked with the local authorities to locate all affected Singaporean pilgrims, and ensured that those injured received due medical care. Unfortunately, one Singaporean passed on. Our officers rendered consular assistance to his family who arrived from Singapore, and facilitated the burial in Makkah. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) also worked closely with the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore and the travel insurance company to facilitate the medical repatriation of another Singaporean, as well as the safe return of the remaining pilgrims. We will continue to do our best to provide prompt and effective consular service to Singaporeans. While MFA cannot bear the expenses incurred for medical care and repatriation, we will liaise with the family and work with relevant Singapore agencies, such as the Ministry of Health, the Central Provident Fund Board and the Ministry of Social and Family Development, to explore if overseas medical expenses and associated costs can be covered under MediSave or other forms of assistance. In order to have adequate financial protection against unexpected emergencies, Singaporeans should always purchase travel and medical insurance when travelling overseas.”
“We hope this goodwill will be reciprocated. 2.26 pm”
“Minister Heng Swee Keat has reminded me to tell Members that this additional assistance is over and above the agreement. But the Member has brought up an important issue, water, and the Water Agreement. I have stated our position several times in this House. To us, the 1962 Water Agreement is sacrosanct. Why is it sacrosanct? It is because this agreement was guaranteed by both governments. In the case of Malaysia, at the federal level, and in our case, the Singapore level, at the point of Independence. It remains one of the key appendices to our Declaration of Independence. That is why, it is, in that sense, sacrosanct. But even beyond that, beyond Independence, it is a foundational principle of Singapore's operating system, that we fully honour all agreements that we enter into. Now, specifically for water, apart from the issue of the price of raw water and the price of treated water, which are stipulated in the agreement, the volume of water that Singapore is obliged to sell to Malaysia, in fact, is only five mgd, strictly speaking, 2% of 250 mgd. But the Member has quite rightly pointed out that, actually, in practice, for quite some time and, in fact, if you ask Minister Masagos today how much water he is supplying to Malaysia, he will tell you 16 mgd. That is 11 mgd more than what the Water Agreement provides for. Why do we do it? We do so out of goodwill. We do not do it because of an imposition from the Water Agreement. We do it out of goodwill. And out of goodwill, we have also priced the additional treated water at 50 sen per 1,000 gallons, which everyone knows is a subsidised price. So, again, I want to make these two points. We have been religiously observant of our obligations. Yes, we have done additional things out of goodwill.”
“Fourth, I also said that despite our attempts to be constructive and to keep the avenue open for a negotiated settlement, our neighbours must not believe that they can take actions without impact, without consequences on themselves. So, I am not going to enumerate them now. But this concept that for every action you take there are consequences, we will do so quietly but effectively. It is the usual Singaporean way. So, that is where we are at. Red lines are not something you draw lightly and not something which you should pronounce publicly without having carefully thought through all the consequences and without communicating those considerations clearly and unambiguously to the person you are negotiating with on the other side. And I hope Members of this House and Singaporeans will understand that some of these are best conducted behind-the-scenes, quietly, and that is why I do not believe in megaphone diplomacy.”
“That is another very good question, which requires an answer. But I hope that Members also appreciate that as the Foreign Minister, by definition, there are some things which I cannot say and I should not say. But I want to clear up this confusion that they are the ones who have the licence to provoke and that we respond, but without an equal and opposite response. Newton's Third Law in Diplomacy. Let me try to address it then, at several levels. The first level starts domestically. We need to maintain unity of purpose, consensus and a collective spirit to stand united. Because what if that domestic consensus is eroded or broken? My words will carry no weight in any international negotiations. That is one. The second, maybe the Member should ask Minister Ng Eng Hen tomorrow. But I have already said and I only have one sentence on the SAF. But to say Total Defence and our investment over decades in the SAF make a big difference; it makes a big difference. There are some incidents which I cannot relate today. But simply knowing that we have a credible and strong SAF again makes diplomacy much easier. Third, in the spirit of candidness, sincerity and openness, we are trying to resolve these issues, because, in fact, for the specific issues that have been raised, I can see a way forward to resolve all of them. And so long as there is a possibility, a probability of resolving it, then our current tack of making sure the situation remains calm and that we do not allow the situation to escalate out of hand into what I described just now as a downward spiral of measures and countermeasures, it is still the appropriate thing to do.”