Meeting challenge with resilience

Singapore has been battling challenges which threaten its very existence since its independence in 1965. Abruptly separated from Malaysia then, Singapore was left with little to survive on. The challenges then were managed very well by our leaders but our physical limitations continue to be a concern for Singapore’s economy. For a developed economy f today, not only has Singapore tackled age-old challenges, globalisation has also brought increased economic competition. Social and environmental issues have also evolved in the leap forward to the twenty-first century, yet again, by global happenings. Politically, it is vital that Singapore continues to have strong leaders at the helm. One can definitely say that Singapore has been very effective in managing the challenges of today.

Singapore has always been effective in tackling economic challenges. Being one of the four Asian tigers, Singapore had a head start in industrialisation as it welcomed by multi-national businesses - at a time when many of its Southeast Asian neighbours were most wary of them. Today, at least at the regional level, Singapore is faced with competition from its neighbours, particularly in the manufacturing sector, where their labour costs are low, while Singapore, given its scarce land resource and a modicum of manpower. In an economic world that values speed and rock-bottom operating costs, it is certain that Singapore cannot afford to remain content with what it has been doing for a little over two score years.

While Singapore emerged as one of the first industrialised Asian states, today it boasts to be a hub of many; a research and development hub, a tourism hub and an education hub, among others. Singapore is still manufacturing goods, but now these goods are those with high value-addedness. It has shifted away from making bicycles and canned pineapples to exporting hard-disk drives and wing clips of the Airbus A380. Restructuring of Singapore’s economy is by and large necessitated by its physical constraints while taking its strengths into account. Frankly, its neighbours are less able to compete with Singapore in the high-technology industries as the latter has always been emphasising education for its people. Education mobilises Singaporeans to engage in tertiary ad quaternary industries which are more profitable, productive and less land-exhausting. Here, it is clear that where Singapore is in danger of losing out, it has overcome its limitations to excel.

The Internet and social media has brought about a new set of challenges for Singapore today. As the world becomes as interconnected as never before, information spreads apace. This is beneficial to an information-oriented economy. Inevitably, bad information crafted by irresponsible parties threaten the social fabric of this country. Singapore before independence was plagued by racial unrests and riots which jeopardise our security. One may say that the Singapore government today is in paranoia when it comes to the local regulation of information. Such a claim is not with solely unfounded reasons. Its authorities are quick to put out any display of hostility between ethnicities in Singapore. Social media such as Facebook, blogs and Twitter speeds up the accessibility of such information. Being a non-homogenous society, these sentiments are able to fuel potential periods of unrest and instability if left unattended.

One can say that Singapore has been successful in maintaining its social harmony in spite of its diversity by a simple measure: Singapore since the 1960s has not witnessed a single racial conflict, creating a safe and stable environment for its citizens to work and play, and for foreign investments to pour in and strengthen Singapore’s economy. Again, maintaining social stability has always been a constant issue Singapore has always been tackling, but today, it manifests itself in new, thoroughly evolved forms today. Measures which are in place, albeit seemingly draconian and undemocratic, have undeniably made Singapore face.

Maintaining good governance in Singapore itself is an important challenge of today which needs to be tackled. Not that the quality of its leaders have deteriorated, but globalisation and new media puts its leaders in a position where they can be more easily challenged by their people. Being a democracy at least in name, free and fair elections have been the means for people to give their mandate – or not – to the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) government. The PAP has always received no less than a two-third majority in parliament since 1959 but this is no longer a given.

Singapore, in implementing sound and viable policies has won the hearts of not all of its citizens. Social media and foreign ideological influences have opened the eyes of Singaporeans, especially its youth, to new peoples and their ideas. This poses a problem to Singapore as anti-government sentiments, if not managed, may resonate at the ballot boxes. Singaporeans are exposed to top-notch opposition candidates and their ideals seem to be better able to win the hearts of those who feel sidelined. As a result, the PAP has only amassed 60.1% of valid votes – hence showing exceptional opposition performance – during the 2011 General Elections. While outsiders may pass this off as an unsurprising outcome of the democratic process, Singapore’s political stability is now questioned. All along, with an absolute majority, the government can pass policies without much question. However, we now fear that Singapore’s political scene would end up like the United States, whose bipartisan congress almost always end up in deadlock over key, pressing issues of national importance, as in its economic crisis.  Politically speaking, the power of technology can no longer be ignored or it will take its toll in ballot boxes.

More pressing and visible global issues literally engulf this island-nation. The haze caused by burning of forests in Kalimantan and Sumatra in neighbouring Indonesia has posed serious environmental problems. The haze drops visibility to only a few hundred metres, posing a health threat and inhibiting certain economic activities. Singapore has assisted its neighbours in tackling the haze with technological and technical assistance. Singaporean satellites are used to track forest fires, while Singaporean personnel and equipment help put out forest fires. These cooperative measures will not be permanent solutions to the haze, nor are they totally ineffective. The haze will persist so long as vegetation is set on fire, but the issue can be said to be well-managed, noting the decline in the incidences of forest fires in recent years.

Singaporeans tend to take its water supply for granted but it is one of Singapore’s most crucial issues. Singapore has always been purchasing water from Malaysia, which is then treated by Singaporean water-processing plants. However, the contract for this supply is set to expire in 2061. Currently, Singapore has been innovating means to ensure self-sufficiency in its water supply, mainly by introducing NEWater. It has been mocked by many in the local and international community as sewage is its source. Nevertheless, not only has the technology been in place, it has been exported and sold off to water scarce regions, particularly in the Middle East. Water scarcity is a future challenge but its management is an issue of today. Beyond reasonable doubt, Singapore is successful in sustaining its physical lifeline.

Underlying all of Singapore’s successes – and failures – are its leaders. Westerners tend to criticise Singapore for practising maximum governance where much power lies within the state, where policies implemented are often unchallenged and where political opponents have prison cells waiting for their blunder. However, this is done not to feed ravenous despots but to serve the Singaporean people. Its leaders are the best this country can offer despite its small population. The challenges faced by Singapore today has always been a constant, only evolving into new forms brought about by global phenomena and thus, change, too, has to always be the constant, evolving to adapt to new challenges. Singaporean leaders have always welcomed and embraced change to suit the needs of today’s economy, noting that tomorrow’s today will be of a different form from now. One might have recognised by now that the economy is the core of Singapore. Without it – and a strong one – there can be no talk on other aspects of Singaporean life. What have made Singapore resilient to challenges are its adept and imaginative leaders. For example, the building of the two Integrated Resorts, which include casinos, faced strong objection from many segments of society, but has also spurred a record double-digit 14.5% economic growth in 2010, while many in the west were struggling to even recover from the 2008 recession. Singaporean values in governance are not exactly moral, but are those which encourage flexibility and bravery to be different.

From a fishing village to a key player in the International Monetary Fund, Singapore has not only managed the challenges of today but has always emerged stronger with greater eminence at every hurdle it overcomes. Adaptation and determination has always been in our genes; most Singaporeans are sons of immigrants who braved through the seas to even reach here physically intact, braved through the hardship of the Japanese occupation and struggled to make ends meet upon independence – it is no wonder that Singapore has been successful in managing the challenges of today.