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EXCERPT FROM MINISTER FOR EDUCATION MR HENG SWEE

KEATS SPEECH AT THE DEBATE ON THE PRESIDENTS ADDRESS
2011

21 Oct 2011

The Prime Minister has spoken at length on the critical need for good
government and to deepen the trust between the Government and our people.
Implicit in what he said and what many Members of this House have said, is
also the importance of getting three key relationships right: the relationship of
self to others; the relationship of Singapore to the world; and, the relationship of
the future to the past. We need to build a consensus about the values, ideas and
ideals that underpin these relationships as they will frame our policies and
national dialogues. Please allow me to elaborate.

Over the centuries, societies grappled with how to value the individual and how
to value the collective. Some societies regard the individual as supreme and,
indeed, some believe that societies exist to enable the individual to fully express
himself. This allows diverse views and creative individuals to flourish. This
respect for the individual underpins key social institutions, such as the rule of
law, the rights to property, democracy and the market economy. Yet, an
excessive focus on the individual his rights, his needs, his wants, his
aspirations, his achievements will ultimately be detrimental both to the
individual as well as to society. Such a person is self-absorbed and self-centred.
He attributes his achievements to his own brilliance or diligence.

Such a cult of individualism also breeds an "us versus them" mentality, because
while the successful in such a society may look at the weak or unsuccessful as
"losers" who deserve their fate, the unsuccessful will resent and feel unfairly
disadvantaged. This may give rise to a culture of envy, blame and a mentality of
entitlement. A society of self-centred individuals is one which must, in the end,
be highly stratified, fragmented, with a culture of cynicism and instant
gratification. Such a Singapore would lose its exceptional quality of discipline
and unity, which has, since Independence, allowed us as a nation to take difficult
and tough choices in the near term in order to succeed and prevail over adversity
in the longer term.

Matters are even more serious when we deal with groups. A close-minded focus
on the uniqueness and rights of certain groups or causes will trigger and provoke
deep divisive forces within a plural society. The risks of conflicts along lines of
race, language or religion will never go away. As our society becomes more
diverse, there may be new cleavages based on the advent of different interest
groups, each holding different views, advocating for different causes,

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clamouring to advance their beliefs often at the expense of others. The line
which separates vibrant diversity and fractious fragmentation is a thin one.

We must therefore embrace both the individual and our collective. We must
respect the individual and affirm the worth of each citizen in an inclusive way.
Each of us is unique in temperament, strengths and abilities. Singapore society
must harness the unique strengths of each individual and protect the weak and
vulnerable. Our values and ideals must include a commitment of the successful
to help the less fortunate, to leave no man behind.

Let us recognise and enable bright and creative individuals to do their best
works the visionary leaders, entrepreneurs, inventors, scientists, thinkers,
writers, artists, whose ideas lead to breakthroughs in society and which benefit
us all. Let us also recognise the different aspirations, strengths and abilities of
our people. As the Malay proverb goes, "Tukang tidak membuang kayu" or a
craftsman never throws away any piece of wood. Just as every piece of wood
has its character, everyone has his strengths and intrinsic worth. In our education
system, we recognise the different potential and abilities of all our students,
provide different pathways to allow each to go as far as possible. We celebrate
their achievements, big or small, in different arenas.

We must have good schools in every neighbourhood. For children with

special needs, let us help them to achieve their best and to lead meaningful lives,
as Ms Denise Phua and Ms Low Yen Ling so passionately argued for.

Beyond recognising individual differences and strengths, we must find practical

ways to make our diversity positive and productive. A good school is one that
develops each child according to his strengths. A good organisation, as Peter
Drucker noted, makes individual strengths productive and weaknesses redundant.
A good society harnesses the diverse strengths of each individual to enable each
to be more than he can ever be alone and, at the same time, protects the weak
and vulnerable.

In short, let us open our hearts to respect and appreciate everyone, to strive
and cooperate with others, to celebrate our collective achievements, to create
new opportunities for the future, and to cultivate new sources of fulfilment in
life. Let Singaporeans be known to be a people with an abundance mentality
an abundance of helping others succeed, an abundance of kindness and giving,
and an abundance of gratitude. In this way, we can value the individual, affirm
his worth, as well as value the collective and build a cohesive society.

The second set of relationships is between Singapore and the world. We

need to value the global, and value what is ours, what is local.

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Lord Palmerston, English statesman of the 19th century, once said, "Nations
have no permanent friends or allies, they only have permanent interests." It
would do us well to take this to heart and understand that independence and
success for Singapore lies in being uniquely relevant to the world. Our existence
as a country and a people must be beneficial to the world.

What will make us distinctive? In essence, it is about building on and turning

whatever we have into strengths.

In earlier years, we promoted tolerance and understanding in our multi-racial,

multi-religious, multi-cultural society. We have important safeguards against
extremist elements. Today, few nations have achieved our level of racial and
religious harmony. Let us continue to harness this heritage, so that our children
can connect comfortably with every race and culture in the world. Let our Inter-
faith Dialogue be a model, let us be a voice of reason and responsibility. Let us
strive to be a nation where diverse people and good ideas can flourish, because
we are not torn by deep vested interests or sectarian conflicts.

Because we are small, we naturally look outwards, learning from and

appreciating the best the world has to offer whether it is in cuisine, music, the
arts or the sciences. We access the great ideas of science and the great works of
art that speak to the human condition, across time and space. It connects us with
people of the world, past and present. By encouraging our children to learn their
mother tongue and other languages, they acquire another window to access their
cultural heritage of the past and the cultural offerings of the world.

Building on this, let us celebrate and promote our local cuisines, our local arts,
music and literature; give opportunities to our budding writers and artists to
capture the idiosyncrasies and flavours of Singapore. I would love to see our
teachers and writers creating stories for our students, stories that they can
instinctively resonate with. I applaud what the NAC would be doing to develop
our arts.

By embracing our local heritage and by staying open to what the world can offer,
we can deepen Singaporeans sense of identity and self-confidence. It allows us
to be a Singaporean rooted in our country, yet global in outlook, equipped to
reap opportunities in the world. It makes us different and distinctive.

The third set of relationships is with respect to time. To live well in the
present, we need to know the past and have a sense of the future.

There is an ancient saying by the famous poet Avaiyaar, "Do not forget the past".

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We should value the past, treasure our culture, and have a sense of where we
come from.

Our fortunes and our history are inextricably intertwined with those of our
neighbours and our world. The likely shift of the economic centre of gravity
towards Asia will bring about new changes, and our young must understand our
past to appreciate the broader forces at workA sense of history gives us not
only the perspective of how we got here but also the confidence to forge ahead.

At the same time, we must seek to leave a legacy for our children. We must
leave enough resources for them, and the best gift we can give them is a good
education. As a small nation, we have to make our way in the world as it is, not
what we wish it to be. Globalisation, technological advancements, changing
demographics and shifting expectations will profoundly transform the world
around us. We can expect new challenges but also new opportunities.

The future belongs to the nations that can stay ahead and respond effectively to
the rapidly changing environment, and are ready for the future. This demands
deep thinking and sound long-term policies. So even as we work through
immediate issues, let us not lose sight of the future.

Let us build our capacity, as a society, for long-term planning, for the sake of
future generations. It is not good enough that we have survived and succeeded
up to now.

Survival and success are inextricably intertwined in the case of Singapore. We

have to keep working the ingredients and adjust the formulas that will assure
survival and success for the coming generations.

I am optimistic that we will succeed in our next creative phase of nation building,
with a citizen-centric Government, driven by shared values, committed to
working with citizens to improve the lives of all Singaporeans. At the same time,
Singapores success in the next phase also depends on the character of our
society and what citizens do to uphold the public good. I believe Singapore will
succeed if we have both good Government and exceptional Singaporeans.

Singaporeans with the determination and creative impulses to succeed, a sense

of responsibility and appreciation for others, a mentality of abundance;
Singaporeans with a strong identity, rooted in Singapore, yet global in outlook;
Singaporeans with a sense of their own history, and a sense of confidence and
optimism about the future.

I call on Singaporeans to continue to boldly open our hearts, and expand our

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vision; and to embrace seemingly contradictory values in framing these three

key relationships.

When we have the trust between our Government and our people, and the right
relationships between self and others; our nation and the world; our past and our
future, we will have an inclusive and supportive society, an enterprising and
creative people, and a resolute and resilient nation. We will have created the
conditions for all Singaporeans to continue to pursue their dreams and
aspirations.

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