THRIVING IN CHALLENGING TIMES

Introduction

1. I would like to start my address by asking each participant here to look to your left and right. You could be or should be looking at the next Prime Minister, Chief Justice, a CEO of a Fortune 500 Company or a Nobel Prize Winner – leaders of your generation. Please indulge me in this exercise. Please greet your neighbour as befitting his position or respond accordingly with the dignity and poise that befits your office.

2. Some of you might have noticed I did not include ‘A Billionaire’. This was intentional, because if history repeats itself, the richest Singaporeans tend to be those who do not trod on academic paths, but perhaps your generation will be different.

3. Could or should? Is what I have just stated a fantasy, possibility or probability? I hope to convince all of you by the end of my address that indeed these outcomes are probable. Which is why my instinctive response to the organisers’ theme of ‘Thriving in Challenging Times’ was “How I wish I were young again”.

4. By 2040, you and your generation will inherit and lead Singapore. This is a statement of fact. It is not a proposition but a fait accompli. It is a demographic certainty. My generation will be around 80 and even with all the miracles of modern medicine we will have to be content with enjoying the sunset (if we can still see) seated in a cosy chair (because it would be too strenuous to stand). But those of you seated here and your cohort will be around 50 years and be leaders in Government, Academia, Business, the Arts or Social Activism. You will be masters and charters of your own and others’ destiny.

5. And since I am addressing some of the brightest and most talented that Singapore has to offer, it is a reasonable probability that some of you here will lead Singapore. In fact, I am so confident that I am willing to wage a bet. Of course, I may not be around to either collect or pay up.

6. Will your generation face challenges? Of course, as with every generation. The human race was not given to accepting the status quo. We create challenges for ourselves. Intrinsic in our DNA, is the constant desire to aspire and attain. Sometimes this has led to abject misery and the abyss of failure – as it did with the Holocaust and Rwandan genocides. Other times we bask in the triumph of right over wrong as in the abolition of slavery. Society and human kind marches on.

A Changed World

7. But before I get carried away with your infectious idealism, I had better perform my task of bringing everyone here down to earth and Singapore and sketch specific challenges in the next 10 years.

8. Fundamentally, globalisation and connectivity will mean that you will now be pitted, skill for skill with Mr. Prasad in India, Mr Chen from PRC or Miss Jones from USA or Robots from Japan. Ditto for innovativeness and what value you bring to your company you eventually choose to work for.

9. Any job that is repetitive or that can be accomplished quicker or cheaper is at risk of losing value. Because it can and will be done by someone somewhere else or by a machine or robot that never sleeps or tires. The skills that will attract a premium will be those that involve the ability to recognise and analyse complex patterns and to offer solutions. Examples of this range from the financial analyst who can separate the hype from the structural trends and advise his clients profitably to the scientist who can make sense of the complex pathways by which cells talk to one another. As Sydney Brenner (Nobel Prize laureate in Physiology or Medicine) said, “The problem of biology is not to stand aghast at the complexity but to conquer it”.

10. The ability to simplify the complex and offer customised solutions will be a premium not only in these professions but with varying degrees in almost all other professions. A salesgirl who can gauge accurately the dress that flatters the buyer most, will be an asset to the retailer. A technician who can shorten the manufacturing process will be wanted by any company. A wealth management executive who can introduce a product that is tailored to the clients’ financial needs will be much sought after. A tour guide who can package holidays that suit the needs and taste of different families can charge a premium price.

11. Because we are exposed to global competition, we will have to differentiate ourselves so that we can continue to command our premium to maintain or improve our lifestyles. Let me push this point by way of numerical comparisons. 20 years ago, only about 5% of each birth cohort in Singapore got into universities. A degree then differentiated the holder as being among the elite. Presently about 50% of each cohort will obtain a degree from the public, private or overseas Universities. This percentage is likely to go up as more Singaporeans can afford the greater access to Universities world-wide. But not only will you need to compete with one another, you will also need to compete with graduates from China and India – and there are many of them. According to the Business Week (8 Dec 2003), “India produces 3.1 million college graduates per year, and that is expected to double by 2010”. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) estimates that there will be 1.7 million graduates per year in China by 2015.

Equipping and Enriching Students to Fulfil Aspirations

12. This is the reason why we have made significant changes to our educational policy, to better prepare you for the future. One example is the greater emphasis on projects. Identifying present and future needs in the global marketplace and solving them through group interaction hones your collaborative skills as you have to manage the dynamic give-and-take interaction, and teamwork. It calls for leadership skills and EQ (emotional quotient). These skill sets are critical if you are to succeed in the corporate world. We need people who can hold their own in the international arena, people with a strong innovative and entrepreneurial spirit.

13. The setting up of Specialised Independent Schools such as the Sports School by MCDS, the NUS High School for Mathematics and Science which will begin in 2005 and The Specialised School for the Arts targeted to open in 2007 will enable students who are talented in science, maths, sports or the arts to further develop their talents with a customised curriculum so that we will create a new generation of people who will be able to market their ideas and products anywhere in the world. We need to nurture the spirit of Innovation and Enterprise in our young; to challenge the young people of today to have intellectual curiosity, challenging assumptions and the ‘old way’ of doing things, having the courage to take calculated risks and resilience in a constantly changing world.

14. So great things are in store for your generation because you are starting from a higher base. I quote Newton, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”

From Now to Singapore in 2040

15. Looking ahead, what can you expect of Singapore and the world? Here’s a quick peek at the milestones towards our future.

City landscape
16. How many of you here have been to the URA Gallery at the URA Centre? You really should make a trip there if you haven’t been there before. It gives you an exciting glimpse of what Singapore will look like in 2030. The landscape will match the economic vision of Singapore as a dynamic global city. For example, Downtown @ Marina Bay, will boast a range of round-the-clock cultural, entertainment and sports facilities for the recreational needs of Singaporeans. There are plans to extend the existing promenade along the water’s edge and link it across Marina Channel by a new low-level bridge. The promenade will be lushly landscaped and lined with pavilions, sculptures, outdoor refreshment areas and kiosks. Tiered steps and lower level boardwalks will be built to allow people to get down to the water’s edge. There are even plans to build moveable platforms within Marina Bay for events and activities to be staged on the water.

17. The Singapore River will continue to be transformed to liven up life along and on our main waterways with activities beyond reverse bungee jumping. The network of parks will be expanded from 40 km to an additional 120 kms throughout Singapore so that you can run, cycle or hike from Pasir Ris Park to East Coast Park or from Buona Vista to the Jurong Bird Park.

18. Iconic sectors would also have developed. For example, the area around Bras Basah is undergoing transformation even as we speak into an arts and educational hub. Very soon, institutions like The Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, La Salle-SIA College of the Arts and the Singapore Management University will be linked with the Arts Museum, the Singapore History Museum, Fort Canning Park and the new National Library. Concentrated around a 3 km circle will be 6500 students and 4 faculties. I predict that in the next few years, it will be the in place to hang out, comparable perhaps to Greenwich Village in New York.

19. Sentosa and our Southern Islands will add to the array of recreational facilities for those who enjoy the sun, sea and sand.

20. Our network of the Rapid Transport System will have been expanded. Beyond the Circle Line, we are presently carrying out studies on the Bukit Timah Line, the Eastern Region Line and the Jurong Region Line, and a short extension beyond Boon Lay station. If implemented, these 4 lines, together with the Circle Line and the Punggol LRT which are under development, will double the size of the existing RTS network by 2030. Commuting across Singapore would be greatly enhanced.

21. These continuous improvements in the physical environment will certainly contribute to Singapore’s dynamism and character. More importantly, it will allow diverse aspirations to be fulfilled.

Brain Hubs

22. In tandem with building up Singapore’s hardware, the software in our people will be similarly upgraded. Our long-term investment in R&D and emphasis on developing research talents will position us as strong players in the biomedical, embedded software and micro-electro-mechanical systems. The Biopolis is a forerunner of things to come. The first phase of this complex will be completed in June 2004 and will house 2000 researchers. We should also have grown new industries in the fields of nanotechnology and photonics. State – of – the –Art Research facilities will offer ample opportunities for those among you with an aptitude for discovery.

23. Singapore would also have developed new service clusters. NUS launched its Conservatory of Music last year. NTU will soon begin their School of Art, Design and Media. Last year we signed an MOU with Duke University to begin a second medical school. MITA and EDB have launched a number of initiatives in line with the Creative Industries Development Strategy to establish Singapore as a Media and Digital Entertainment Hub. We will need people with talents in areas as diverse as literary arts, photography, advertising, fashion and digital media, gaming and animation capabilities. These developments will fuel our health, education and creative arts sectors. There will be opportunities to match your diverse talents and passions.

24. Our initial efforts in broadening the educational experience and encouraging individual talents are bearing fruit. Singapore artists have participated in major Arts festivals like the Melbourne Festival, Edinburgh Festival and Port Fairy Music Festival. The recent agreements signed with the Philippines National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Mexican Arts Council and the Irish Department of Arts, Sports and Tourism should ensure even more opportunities.

Greater Opportunities for Social and Community Participation

25. As Singapore society evolves, you will find new opportunities to address the emerging needs of society. Currently there are some 400 voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) but the needs of society are changing and we will need men and women with a heart for service who will be able to tackle more complex issues and provide services in a more integrated fashion.

26. For instance, with a rapidly ageing society, the ratio of working persons supporting elderly persons will move from around 10:1 in 2000 to around 3:1 by 2030. The need for eldercare services will grow correspondingly. This would be a sector with considerable economic potential. Demand for healthcare workers supporting the eldercare facilities, including therapists, nurses and welfare officers, will grow considerably over the years. For the more well-off elderly, there could be a vibrant silver industry catering for their needs.

27. In addition, family support networks have weakened significantly over the years, with more married couples staying apart from their parents. While childcare facilities are now fairly common, the challenge is to cater for the growing need for good and affordable infant care facilities to support working mothers. This is another area of growth, not just for the community sector but also for businesses which are able to anticipate and meet the lifestyle needs of tomorrow's families.

28. Thus, beyond the traditional charitable organisations you see today, we may well see new entities, for example, social enterprises (or sustainable businesses with a social mission) making a difference in Singapore, with their entrepreneurial, fresh approaches to dealing with social issues. This too might be your niche in the future.

Limitless Possibilities

29. I began this speech by stating that amidst the audience today could be the next CEO of a Fortune 500 company or a Nobel Laureate within your lifetime. Is this possible? Allow me to highlight to you some examples of present achievements, to give you an idea of the possibilities before you.

Promising Projects

30. In the field of nanotechnology the Science and Engineering Research Council’s Data Storage Institute (DSI), established by A*STAR and the National University of Singapore, has achieved world-class standards in extremely high-density data storage. The key measurement of the head-disk system is flying height: how close you can position the read/write head to the data storage media. The team led by Dr Liu Bo achieved a flying height of 3.5 nanometres, the lowest flying height in the world, putting Singapore alongside the US and Japan in the technology development roadmap of the information storage industry. With the new technology, a DVD-sized magnetic disk can hold 350 times more data than a conventional DVD.

31. A team comprising Dr Mansoor, who is one of the panellists in the 2nd Panel Discussion in this year’s Pre-U Seminar, Dr Teo Kie Leong, and Dr Thomas Liew Yun Fook is working on an A*STAR-funded research project on Spintronics, which is the harnessing of the spin of electrons in a new class of materials called magnetic semiconductors, to increase speed and reduce volatility and power consumption in data storage and quantum computing. The ultimate goal is one electron, one bit of data. Top-class labs in Japan, the US and Europe are also doing research in this highly competitive field.

32. The collaborative effort of a team from the NUS Physics Dept and a visiting professor invited by the Science and Engineering Research Council, Prof Artur Ekert of Cambridge University, in quantum technology applications has put Singapore on the world map of quantum information technology. The technology involves minute pulses of energy called quanta and the manipulation of sub-atomic particles. The potential applications are revolutionary – quantum computers will be billions of times faster than today’s computers, for example, we could have a PC that starts immediately, and quantum cryptography will give rise to perfectly secure communications, i.e. secret codes that cannot be cracked.

33. In the field of biotechnology a team from the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) uncovered mutations in the SARS virus, located the most stable segments of its genome, and proceeded to develop its tests. The primers were adopted for use by the World Health Organisation in China. Roche, the global healthcare giant chose to make and market the primers developed by this team. The Roche kit was developed within 8 weeks, which is an amazing accomplishment considering that it normally takes 12 to 18 months. Now that GIS is able to identify the virus quickly, an area for future research is to develop a means to destroy the virus.

34. 70 laboratories around the world have asked for clones of the zebrafish genetic tags identified by A*STAR’s Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB). These are biological labels that help scientists to locate and study a tagged gene’s characteristics and its reactions to environment and manipulation. There is worldwide interest in zebrafish expressed sequence tags or ESTs as more than half of the zebrafish ESTs match those of human genes, helping us to understand ourselves better.

35. Even young people like yourselves have also taken part and shown much promise in some of these exciting fields. Two of your peers represented Singapore at the prestigious Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) held in May this year in the United States. Leslie Beh Yee Ming, 18, from Raffles JC, won the best award in the Microbiology category for his innovative approach to gene suppression in the zebrafish, that is, to study the function of a gene by suppressing its expression, opening up new possibilities in genomic research. Leslie’s method could potentially offer a cost efficient method of stopping specific genes that make up viruses from working properly, to see what functions are controlled by the genes, and eventually destroy them. Leslie’s supervisor for this project is Dr Laszlo Orban, a senior scientist from the Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory.

36. Joanne Ho Ming Li, 18, also from Raffles JC, won the Fourth Award in the Biochemistry category for her investigation into whether direct cell-to-cell contact is required for bone marrow stem cell differentiation. Joanne worked on her project under the supervision of Dr Hanry Yu, group leader of the research area on Cell and Tissue Engineering, at A*STAR’s Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) and a physiology lecturer at NUS.

37. In April this year, both Leslie and Joanne won top honours at the National Science and Talent Search (NSTS) and the Singapore Science and Engineering Fair (SSEF). The chief judge for NSTS, Nobel Laureate Dr Richard Roberts was impressed by their originality, independence and drive. These are traits that will empower you to achieve your dreams and mould the scientific landscape in Singapore in the next 25 years. Many of you here today will be responsible for pushing the frontiers of scientific progress and be part of Singapore’s competitive edge.

38. Achievements do not come by way of our scientists only, of course. We have ample examples of young people who have excelled in other fields.

39. At the age of 14, Huei Min was the youngest student ever to be admitted to the School of Music at Yale. Last year, she was selected as the first recipient of the HSBC Youth Excellence Initiative, which recognises outstanding young talents to help them develop their potential to the fullest and achieve international recognition.

40. Vinothini Apok made history by being the youngest youth leader in the world to be elected to the United Nations Environment Programme Youth Advisory Council in 1999, at the age of 18. She also received the Green Leaf Award in 1998 and the HSBC/NYAA Youth Environment Award in 1999. She represented Singapore at the recent World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2003 and made such an impression that the Colombian Minister for the Environment personally invited her to be a member of the Ministerial Delegation to Holland later this year.

41. At the 5th International Robot Olympiad held in South Korea in 2003, the Singapore team, comprising Tang Sin Hong, Ng Yi Yang, both 15 and from Fuhua Secondary School, knocked out competitors from 22 countries, including teams from China and Hongkong, to emerge as world champions in the Stairclimbing Event. They built and programmed their robot, Fubotics, to climb up and down a few flights of stairs in the shortest possible time.

42. My point from these examples is that your generation will be standing on a higher platform to soar. It used to be that we could learn and copy from leaders in many fields. This we must continue to do but increasingly in selected fields we are at the cutting edge. There are none to emulate because we are at the forefront. Which is why I would not be surprised that there would be some among you who would be world leaders in some areas. What will that outcome be dependent upon? Passion, perseverance and self belief will be the key qualities that determine success. Why is it important that you succeed? Because your abilities can enrich the lives of those around you – your family, friends and fellow Singaporeans. Let me leave you with two real-life examples.

First, NEWater.

43. At the launch of NEWater in 2003, PM Goh Chok Tong said “NEWater is more than a clean and safe product. It is a strategic concept.” There’s no need to tell you that Singapore does not have adequate supplies of fresh water. But Singaporean researchers did not accept that situation. Many hours of research, a never-say-die spirit and innovative thinking have given us NEWater. In May 2002 the PUB was presented the award of excellence from the US-based National Water Research Institute for the development of microfiltration technology used in the production of NEWater. You get a real sense of how far Singapore has come, when you go into the PUB website to see how Singapore’s wastewater infrastructure has improved over the years. We owe much to those who used their wits to ensure that future generations of Singaporeans will continue to have adequate drinking water.

Second, SARS.

44. It has been said that we fought SARS with the thermometer and quarantine. The SARS virus’ greatest weapon was the fear it created. Because of fear, business and routine life almost came to a halt. It created economic hardship as hotels, restaurants and shops lost customers. Taxi drivers plied empty streets. Meetings and conventions were cancelled because you could not be sure if there was some infectious person in the crowd.

45. Our weapon that neutralised this fear was the thermal scanner. With that, you could be assured that persons with fever were kept out. Mass activities resumed and tourists came back. We owe a great debt to scientists at DSTA who were smart enough, well trained and flexible enough to adapt this device to outwit SARS.

The Future

46. My main point from this address is that people make the difference. What will the future be? It depends on you. You and your peers will inherit and lead Singapore. You will chart the destiny of this nation and her people. You decide our future.

Source: Singapore Government Media Release 7 June 2004