Here's how we can live with our neighbours

The Straits Times, February 17, 2007

I refer to the recent topic of dealing with neighbours in the midst of heated spats. I believe much 'coffee shop talk' has been going on about the Government's seemingly 'uninterested attitude' or lack of priority towards this issue. I can tell you that the topic was discussed during at least two gatherings of my friends (senior citizens) - on Jan 22 and again on Feb 5.

Were we being prescient?

These articles merely reflect the sentiments on the ground among our neighbouring countries and known to many Singapore business people who regularly travel the region. They find the build-up of these 'baseless accusations' detrimental to Singapore businesses and, in the long run, a developing threat to our national security.

Singapore's 'good works' are small stuff in relation to the environmental disasters but inflated in Singapore's media. They remain tiny contributions nowhere near the wealth that Singapore has amassed at the expense of the less efficient neighbouring countries. Just ask Singapore for a US$5 million loan (as Indonesia did after the Asian economic crisis) and Singapore immediately talks of interest payments and other compensations. The human tragedies are reduced to haughty tutorials about good governance and the existence of corruption as the causes for their lack of foresight and unpreparedness.

All they hear are Singapore spokesmen giving excuses that the tiny red dot cannot afford any largess. Our own citizens echo these sentiments fed by Singapore's media.

The countries around us which we call 'neighbours' say: 'Our people are dying, we ask for help and you want to talk financial terms?'

Singapore needs a 'total defence' strategy and plan to avoid escalation to a full-scale outbreak of hostilities from these festering perceptions. The first shots are being fired to paint us as a country that does not think of itself as part of the Asean family. Only self-interest motivates us. Hence, Singapore's existence is irrelevant to the region's future.

What then should be done?

>>Singapore should give greater priority to external relations to secure our future.

The best example I can quote occurred after the SIA crash in Taipei in October 2000. Strong emotions were being expressed about SIA's seeming indifference towards the families of the passengers involved in the crash. They complained loudly and bitterly about not being able to get news both in Taipei and Singapore from SIA about relatives on that flight.

When SIA held a press conference in Singapore, no passengers' relatives were allowed to attend. We saw on Singapore TV a distraught brother of one of the passengers speaking to his wife on his cellphone while she was trying to get news in Taipei. He was shouting to be admitted to the press conference and being held back by a policeman. He broke into the conference room in a rage demanding news about his brother almost incoherently. It looked like a terrible, ugly situation. TV viewers sympathise with the man. Then a simple action from the heart turned the situation completely around. The SIA vice-president for public relations, Mr Rick Clements, got down from the stage, walked towards the screaming frustrated man and put his arm around the distraught man's shoulder in a gesture of sincere sympathy and led him to a chair.

I shall forever remember that scene. It is that attitude of empathy, respect and consideration under any and all circumstances that we need to ingrain into Singapore officialdom and spread systematically to every Singaporean about how we should treat our neighbouring countries.

This is what the government must do:

>>Devote a substantial budget to research on this subject. Get our scholars to focus on long-term solutions towards balancing our neighbours' interests and Singapore's survival politically.

>>Develop courses at all schools and tertiary institutions to inculcate these values.

>>Create a line marked 'Malaysians Only' at the passport entry point for them to enjoy 'the Singapore experience'. This will make all Malaysians know that Singapore welcomes them. Similarly, a line for Asean visitors (which Malaysians can join too). And train our immigration officers to be friendly but thorough.

Patrick Mowe
ST Forum