RAFFLES JUNIOR COLLEGE
RAFFLES ASIA PROGRAMME
OPENING CEREMONY CUM SEMINAR
FRIDAY, 22 APRIL 2005, 3.00 PM, RJC LT2
"SINGAPORE AND ASIA :
ENGAGING AND TRANSCENDING THE REGION"
BY
PROF TOMMY KOH
Talking Points
1.
Thank the Principal of RJC, Mr Winston Hodge, for inviting me.
2.
Congratulate RJC for launching the Raffles Asia Programme,
which is designed to provide the RJC's scholars in the humanities
stream with an exposure to the history, culture, economics and
geopolitics of Asia. I support this timely initiative. Since I support
this initiative, I had no choice but to say yes when the Principal
asked me to join you today to launch the programme and to share
a few thoughts with you on the topic: "Singapore and Asia:
Engaging and Transcending the Region".
3.
In accordance with my wife's standing instruction, I wish to make
three points.
Singapore and Southeast Asia
4.
First, it is Singapore's karma to live in Southeast Asia till the end
of time. Some Singaporeans wish we were located in a different
neighbourhood. I do not share their sentiment. I think Southeast
Asia is a good neighbourhood and better than Northeast Asia,
South Asia or West Asia. A few years ago, I visited Bhutan as the
special envoy of the Prime Minister of Singapore. I remember
vividly a remark that His Majesty the King of Bhutan said to me.
He said he had often wished that Bhutan was located in
Southeast Asia. However, the King's kind sentiment is not shared
by many scholars and journalists in the West and by its Asian
copy cats. They continue to bad mouth Southeast Asia, as a
region, and ASEAN, as our regional organisation. As a result,
both suffer from a negative image. The stereotypical image of
ASEAN is that it is an ineffective talk shop. As for the region,
I sometimes think that the positive image of the region is
overshadowed by the negative image of Myanmar.
5.
I want to try to persuade you this afternoon why our region,
Southeast Asia, and our regional organisation, ASEAN, deserve
your approbation and respect. The following are my ten reasons:
(i)
ASEAN has kept the peace in Southeast Asia for the past
37+ years.
(ii) ASEAN has transformed the 10 disparate countries of
Southeast Asia into a relatively cohesive family.
(iii) ASEAN has played a catalytic role in the progressive
liberalisation and integration of the 10 regional economies,
through such instruments as AFTA, AIA, e-ASEAN, IAI etc.
After 37 years, ASEAN has now reached a stage where we
are talking about forging an ASEAN Community through the
establishment of the three pillars, ie ASEAN Economic
Community, ASEAN Security Community, and ASEAN
Socio-cultural Community.
(iv) The ASEAN family has developed a certain corporate culture,
which is often referred to as The ASEAN Way. What does it
mean? It means our preference for consensus, our habit of
consultation, a spirit of give and take, our tradition of settling
disputes by peaceful means, our acceptance of diversity, and
being open and inclusive in our approach to the world.
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(v) ASEAN's governments and the energies of its people have
been and are being focused on developing their economies,
reducing poverty, empowering women, and improving the
quality of life of the people. As a result, until the financial
crisis in 1997, Southeast Asia was the fastest growing region
of the world. With the exceptions of Myanmar and the
Philippines, the rest of the region has bounced back from the
crisis.
(vi) ASEAN has created a platform for the leaders of Southeast
Asia to engage, not only among themselves, but in an annual
dialogue with the leaders of the major powers, such as the
US, EU, Russia, China, Japan, India, as well as other
regional players, such as Korea, Australia, New Zealand. No
other developing region of the world has such a track record.
(vii) In addition, ASEAN has launched several constructive
initiatives, such as, the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF),
Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), Forum of East Asia and Latin
America Cooperation (FEALAC), ASEAN+China+Japan+
Korea (ASEAN+3) and the Asia-Middle East Dialogue (AMED)
which will hold its inaugural meeting in June this year in
Singapore.
(viii) ASEAN has played a constructive role in world affairs by
supporting the rule of law, free trade, market economy, and in
combating terrorism, proliferation of WMD, transnational
crime, piracy, etc. ASEAN is a strong supporter of the UN,
ICJ, IMO, ICAO, WTO, UNEP, WIPO, etc.
(ix) ASEAN serves as a role model for a divided world by
showing that countries and peoples of diverse ethnicity,
language, culture, religion can co-exist in tolerance, mutual
respect and harmony.
(x) ASEAN also serves as an exemplar of a group of developing
countries which is not anti-North or anti-West but which,
through its own efforts, and in cooperation with the rest of the
world, have made significant progress in development and in
the reduction of poverty.
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Singapore, Northeast and South Asia
6.
Second, Singapore should deepen its engagement with China,
Japan, Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand. ASEAN is
expected to invite China, Japan, Korea and India to the inaugural
East Asia Summit (EAS) to be held in December 2005 in Malaysia.
I hope that ASEAN will also agree to invite Australia and
New Zealand. In order to qualify for an invitation, Australia and
New Zealand will have to accede to the ASEAN Treaty of Amity
and Cooperation. I hope they will do so. The following is a brief
summary of Singapore's engagements with each of those
countries.
(i)
Singapore has an FTA with Japan. Although Japan has
suffered from a lost decade, it is still the world's second
largest economy. Japan's GDP is three times bigger than
that of China. It has world class companies and technology
and a quality of life equal to that in the West. I am confident
that Japan will break out of its malaise and become a
dynamic economy and self-confident country again.
Singapore should seek ways to deepen its engagement with
Japan.
(ii) Singapore has just concluded an FTA with Korea. Once
dismissed as a basket case, Korea is today the world's
11th largest economy. Its driving ambition is to catch up with
Japan. Korea has rebounded very well from the 1997
financial crisis. It has world class companies, such as
Samsung Electronics, and world class technology in ship
building, steel, consumer electronics and automobiles. Korea
is clearly a country with a bright future.
(iii) China's meteoric rise offers many opportunities and poses a
few challenges to Singapore. We are major trading partners.
Singapore is a major provider of FDI to China. China has
become a major source of tourism and talent for Singapore.
Singapore should secure an FTA with China, ahead of the
completion of the ASEAN-China FTA. China's economy is
likely to continue to grow at between 7-8% pa for the
foreseeable future.
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(iv) India is, like China, a continental country of over 1 billion
people. India's commitment to opening up her economy and
to reform and restructuring is now irreversible. India's
economy is likely to grow at between 6-7% pa. Singapore's
FTA negotiations with India are very advanced and should be
completed in the coming months. Plugging into both the
Chinese and Indian economies will put Singapore in a very
favourable position in the coming decades. Singapore is in a
good position to do so and to act as a bridge between China
and India because of our knowledge and understanding of
the histories, cultures, languages and religions of those two
great civilisations. Historically, Southeast Asia has been the
confluence of the two civilisations. It is therefore only
appropriate that both China and India should be part of the
East Asian Community we are seeking to build.
(v) Singapore has FTAs with both Australia and New Zealand.
We also enjoy good defence ties with both countries through
the Fiver Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA). Australia
and New Zealand are closely linked to Southeast Asia by
virtue of geography, history, economics and political will.
Australia and New Zealand are full dialogue partners of
ASEAN and are full members of APEC, ARF, and FEALAC.
They have also agreed to launch negotiations on an ASEANAustralia and New Zealand FTA during the ASEAN-Australia
and New Zealand Summit last year in Vientiane. In view of
all these commonalties, it would be natural and logical to
invite them to the inaugural meeting of EAS.
(vi) Singapore should play a positive role in the process of
building the East Asia Community. At the same time,
Singapore should ensure that the EAS would be
outward-looking and inclusive so that this new and promising
grouping would not be misperceived by others as posing a
potential threat to them.
Transcending Asia
7.
Third, I have so far been talking about Singapore's engagement
with Asia. My third point is about the need for Singapore to
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transcend Asia. Why is there such a need? There is such a need
because in our solar system the brightest sun is the United States
and the second brightest sun is Europe. Singapore must plot a
trajectory which would enable us to orbit around the US, Europe
and Asia. Singapore has an FTA with the US and is currently
negotiating a framework agreement with the EU, which can be
viewed as a step towards a full FTA. In addition, we should seek
to engage with other regions of the world which show potential,
such as Latin America and the Middle-East. As a small country,
Singapore is always seeking to expand its political and economic
space. Our foreign policy must therefore rest on the twin pillars of
engaging Asia and transcending Asia. Is there a contradiction
between the two pillars? I do not think so.
Conclusion
8.
Let me bring my remarks to a conclusion. What is the relevance
of my talk to the Raffles Asia Programme? The relevance is that
for a person to prosper in this globalised world, the person must
have three kinds of intelligence, IQ, EQ and CQ. By CQ, I mean
cultural intelligence. If you wish to succeed in another country, for
example, China, India or Indonesia, you need to know that
country's language, culture and civilisation. You need to know
how to behave in an appropriate way in that country's cultural box.
It will help if you have, in addition, a network in that country. You
should forge friendships with ASEAN scholars in our schools, JCs
and universities.
You should also participate in exchange
programmes so that you will expand your network. I hope such
exchanges could be part of the Raffles Asia Programme. You live
in a very exciting new world, a world full of possibilities and
opportunities. I wish you success in your life journey.
.....
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