Move Singapore to 'upper half' of First World: MM Lee

The Straits Times, February 23, 2007
By Clarence Chang, STI senior correspondent



MINISTER Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, the man who brought Singapore from the Third World to the First, now believes the country is ready to jump to the next level and can achieve this in the next 10 to 20 years.

Addressing some 1,600 residents and guests at his Tanjong Pagar GRC Chinese New Year dinner on Friday, MM Lee spelt out this simple yet ambitious vision.

'We have been making Singapore into a place where people lead better lives, with the prospect of an even brighter future for their children,' he said.

'In the first phase, we moved from Third World to the lower half of the First World. Now we can move into the upper half of the First World. We can do this in the next 10 to 20 years.'

Make S'pore an 'iconic city'
Painting an optimistic picture of where Singapore businesses and the overall economy are both heading, Mr Lee also lauded a 'transformed' and 'revamped' landscape at home - from a vibrant arts and social scene to the elaborate physical makeover of Marina Bay.

'New elegant buildings being built around the Marina will make Singapore an iconic city,'' he said, comparing the new Marina Bay to St Mark's Piazza in Venice.

'The next stage after clean and green Singapore is a vibrant city with clean water and gardens everywhere. This will be done in your lifetime.''

Be like Paris, London, New York
Mr Lee, 83, who has himself lived through and steered the history of modern Singapore, even likened the remaking of the city-state to a national effort to recreate the best features of today's First World cities.

He called Paris, for example, with its 19th-century buildings and bustling street life, 'a most elegant city in the world'.

He regarded London as 'the most international city', with its cosmopolitan population.

He also lauded New York as 'the business centre of the world', together with its museums, theatres, plays, opera performances and rock concerts.

MM Lee's bottomline: 'Singapore must incorporate their best features in a tropical version.'

And that's why, he said, Singapore must do all it can to draw investments from the First World and grow the economic pie at home.

This means keeping corporate and personal income taxes low and enhancing multi-faceted ties with countries in both the immediate and wider regions.

Mr Lee and his wife, along with the other Tanjong Pagar GRC MPs, later joined the constituents in tossing the traditional lo hei, as they mingled and shook hands with both old and young.