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Goh Chok Tong Outlines Strategy to Build New Singapore
Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong Sunday outlined his government's new economic strategy and social compact aimed to build a "New Singapore".
Delivering his National Day Rally 2001 speech, Goh said "We need new energy, a clear sense of direction, a New Singapore, to compete in the new environment."
In his two-hour nation-wide live televised speech, Goh also called upon Singaporeans to be united, to keep spirits up and to fight off any gloom in dealing with current economic downturn and prepare for next stage of economic climb.
Goh pointed out that Singapore's growth up to now has primarily been investment-driven and Singapore could not continue to rely on such a strategy in future development because of higher wages and rentals in his country, an imbalance between his country's MNC- driven export sector and domestic sector, vulnerability of electronics industry which dominates the exports and continuing uncertainty in the region.
On how to respond to these challenges, he outlined five key thrusts, namely ,to reach out to new markets in the region and beyond, to create an enterprising Singapore, to be more innovative, to restructure the economy and to enlarge the pool of human capital and raise its quality.
On social framework he said the government will continue to subsidize heavily the three basic services of housing, education, and healthcare, to distribute part of the budget surpluses back to Singaporeans in years of good economic growth, pay particular attention to the needs of lower-income Singaporeans, and to ensure every Singaporeans has equal and maximum opportunity to advance himself.
He said that the government will introduce a new scheme to give every Singaporean "NEW Singapore" shares and will ensure essential medical care is always within reach.
Touching on the social and political environment, he said his government will create a social and political milieu which is conducive to the efforts to create an enterprising and innovative society.
Commenting on demand for greater freedom, the prime minister said he prefers to ease up slowly rather than open up with a big bang.
"We must never become totally westernized," he said , urging for efforts to preserve the Chinese culture and tradition and to build up a core of effectively bilingual with a high competence in Mandarin and a love of Chinese culture.
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