Speeches of the day

The Straits Times, March 6, 2007

Speeches of the day
Ms Indranee Rajah's (Tanjong Pagar GRC) take on Indonesia's ban on sand exports stood out for its wry humour, while Ms Irene Ng (Tampines GRC) hit the mark in a speech that fired back at what she saw as the bully-boy tactics of Singapore's two neighbours.


Indranee Rajah
'I NOTICED in (The Sunday Times) that there has been a further development emanating from our Indonesian neighbours and I must say it is rather like a bad soap opera.

The latest salvo that has come from Indonesia can perhaps be described as the five Ps.

The first P is that Indonesia took a stand on banning the export of sand on the matter of principle. They said it was the environment. So that sounds quite noble and high-minded.

A few days later though, there emanated another statement which said that the ban was because of pressure. They wanted to pressure us. That sounds rather less noble. That's the second P.

Then on Sunday I noticed that Indonesia's Maritime Affairs Minister, Mr Freddy Numberi, had said, and I quote, that the ban on sand exports will not be lifted till the Republic settles the border dispute. And even if Indonesia were to eventually allow sales to resume, it wants to re-negotiate the price of the sand and determine which areas it could be mined to avoid environmental degradation.

And he said also, I quote, 'politically we ban the export of sand because we wanted it to have a larger economic value and also, we wanted to settle our border disputes with Singapore'.

Now this comment about banning sand because they wanted it to have a larger economic value is rather telling, because what that suggests is that it's price - the third P.

So the first P - principle - can perhaps be compromised if the third P comes in, which is price. So the principle can be purchased.

Of course all of this results in the fourth P for Singapore because we are puzzled. And if I could just wrap the whole thing up by saying that the entire Indonesian stand can be described by the fifth P, which is that it's peculiar...

Bearing in mind that we live in a neighbourhood which is sometimes calm and sometimes exciting, it would be helpful if the Ministry of Foreign Affairs could give us an indication of whether we're sailing in smooth waters or whether we must expect a little turbulence here and there.'

Irene Ng

'WE HAVE helped our Asean neighbours by giving technical assistance. We have also helped our Asean neighbours in their times of need, as much as we can, with our and their capabilities.

An example is our tsunami relief efforts. Singapore was among the first to rush to Indonesia's aid. We sent emergency relief and pledged $15 million for its reconstruction efforts.

Singaporeans from all walks of life also donated a total of $88 million for tsunami victims. More than half the projects are in Indonesia. Just to name some, we built 1,500 houses in Aceh, built and upgraded hospitals, training centres and schools and also built a pier in Meulaboh.

After the earthquake in central Java last May, Singapore was also among the first to help with emergency relief.

Singapore has also sought to spur growth in our neighbouring countries through economic cooperation.

One of the most recent was the framework agreement to develop the special economic zones in Batam, Bintan and Karimun.

In Thailand, we have also worked hard with the various Thai governments over the years to build a constructive relationship based on mutual help and mutual benefit.

In particular, we have encouraged our companies, including our government-linked companies, to seriously consider Thailand as a key investment option. Hence, Temasek's investment in Shin Corp.

These are major expenditures and investments, both tangible and intangible.

But Singaporeans, witnessing the unfriendly actions of Indonesia and Thailand, would be forgiven for asking if all this effort to build a strong Asean community and to help our neighbours is a worthwhile effort. Singaporeans don't expect gratitude from our neighbours and we certainly don't expect also to be constantly made a scapegoat for their own domestic troubles or the butt of bully-boy tactics.

In Singapore, we don't forget countries which have helped us in times of need. We also resist populist pressures to play the nationalist card against our friends just to win votes.

In our early years of struggle for survival after independence, Indonesia was engaging in konfrontasi against us.

To become a viable state, we were forced to leapfrog the region. Our economic success today is a result of our hard work, resilience and ingenuity, and not because of any sand that we might have imported from any country or the oxygen that they might have provided.

We have put the past behind us and we have been working hard towards a strong Asean. We want a peaceful and prosperous neighbourhood and we know that this region needs a strong Asean to face up to the challenges of a rising China, India and the shifting geostrategic landscape. But until the bigger countries in Asean get their act together and treat other countries in Asean with mutual respect, it would seem that this would remain only a hazy dream.'