Citizens form core, foreigners add dynamism

The Straits Times, April 23, 2007


FOREIGNERS will add dynamism to Singapore, which cannot afford to remain static in a changing and globalised world, said Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew.

But even so, citizens will remain at the core of the country's future, he told 400 Young People's Action Party activists at the St James Power Station nightspot.

'If you ask me what's going to be the composition of the people of Singapore, of the population, I say a lot depends on how dynamic we are,' he said.

'If our economy is 2 to 3 per cent growth, recession, stagnant, then we're going to bleed. Talent is going to flow out, we will shrink, economy goes down, population goes down. If we are dynamic, we will attract talent. We will grow because we have more talent.'

He was responding to a question from a participant on how the influx of foreigners will impact Singapore's racial demography, population and political landscape in the next 20 years.

Mr Lee made a key point at the outset: If Singapore wants to be successful, it has to be cosmopolitan.

He has travelled extensively since stepping down as prime minister in 1990 - to New York, London, Paris, Frankfurt and Tokyo, among other cities.

'I've noticed the more cosmopolitan, the more international they are, the more successful,' he said.

That is the way Singapore has to move too.

Mr Lee said he detected a 'certain apprehension' in the participant's question: 'My answer is really to convince you that if we stay stagnant, we are losers.'

There would always be shifts in the population: Singaporeans were moving to work and live abroad. Some 150,000 in fact.

'In this globalised world, talent, especially if you're English educated, at the very top, you have an open stage,' he noted.

Countries like Australia, China and Britain attract immigrants to boost their economy and population - and Singaporeans are among those targeted.

Mr Lee, who visited Australia and New Zealand recently, met some Singaporeans living in Perth. Most cited pull factors as the reason they made the move.

He reminded the audience that this is now 'a very mobile age'.

But he also gave this analogy to underline that citizens remain at the centre of the Singapore's progress.

Singaporeans are the 'hard disk' of a computer and foreign talent is the 'megabytes' of storage capacity added to a computer.

'So your computer never hangs because you've got enormous storage capacity.'

With additional capacity, in this case foreigners, Singapore's culture will also evolve.

'Your culture cannot remain static. If you look at China, you will see they are changing very fast. But basic culture and basic beliefs don't change. But lifestyle changes, attitudes change, habits change.'

It is also happening in Europe with an influx of non-European migrants.

But while the absorption or inclusion of immigrants is one factor of change, Mr Lee said they too are influenced by the society they move into.

In Singapore's case, those who become permanent residents and citizens are mostly from the region - Chinese, Indians and Malays.

And while more than 20 per cent of male marriages last year were to foreigners, the men married women who were essentially of similar race.

'Mostly, they are marrying Chinese, Vietnamese, similar race. Indians marrying Indians etc. So I do not think the basic 76 per cent will be overwhelmed,' he said.

He ended his reply by speaking about two future scenarios for Singapore: dynamic and static.

A dynamic Singapore will be an international city with very high-end talent and migrants here - although there will be other foreigners too doing the heavy and other work. But he did not see that group affecting the nature of Singapore society.

But if Singapore remains stagnant, its status as a financial centre will 'dive down', other sectors will be affected and the country will go into a tailspin.

The Government's job, he said, is to ensure that does not happen: 'You want a good future, make sure the economy hums. Everything is subordinate to that.'


SUE-ANN CHIA



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'If you ask me what's going to be the composition of the people of Singapore, of the population, I say a lot depends on how dynamic we are. If our economy is 2 to 3 per cent growth, recession, stagnant, then we're going to bleed, talent is going to flow out, we will shrink, economy goes down, population goes down. If we are dynamic, we will attract talent. We will grow because we have more talent.'