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http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20110729-291727.html
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Friday, Jul 29, 2011
By Patrick Jonas
FOR two days last week, the convention centre at Resorts World Sentosa was milling with south Asian faces. They were there to attend the inaugural South Asian Diaspora Convention organised by the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS). At the end of the two days - July 21 and 22 - the organisers were smiling and relieved. The response was good, with close to 700 attending the various sessions, and all the programmes went according to plan.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, in his opening address to the convention participants, spoke of the "new wave of a South Asian diaspora" which has come to Singapore in the last 10 to 15 years.
He was confident the new arrivals would integrate into society, both with Indian Singaporeans and other ethnic groups, and would "strengthen our society and enhance our cultural diversity".
"Singapore welcomes members of the South Asian diaspora. We are a very open society. We have welcomed people not just from South Asia, but also from South-east Asia and North-east Asia, and indeed the world," he said.
He pointed to the strong ties Singapore has with India, saying: "We signed a landmark Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) with India in 2005 and, since then, bilateral trade has boomed, exceeding $30 billion in 2010. Singapore has also become the second largest foreign investor in India, while Asean also has an FTA (free trade agreement) with India. Bilateral and regional trade will deepen as India prospers."
ISAS chairman Gopinath Pillai said the theme of the convention, Linking The South Asian Diaspora, "highlights the potential importance of the diaspora in this enterprise".
He added that "this prosperous community, with accumulated wealth in excess of US$500 billion, can play a significant role in the economic growth of South Asia by connecting the region to global economic networks".
In the session titled Singapore: The Springboard For South Asia, DBS chief executive Piyush Gupta said that Singapore is a prime regional hub for any firm, but is especially so for South Asian companies keen on branching out. He said that the rule of law, language, infrastructure, connectivity and a stable government here make a powerful combination.
On the final day, former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew in a dialogue session said Singapore will not be able to punch above its weight if it were to depend on talent from its own population.
If Singapore depends on the talent it can produce out of three million people, it's not going to punch above its weight. It is because we've drawn talent from across the globe that we have a vibrant economy which is way beyond what three million Singaporeans and the talent they produce can do...
So you've got to accept the discomfort which the local citizens feel that they are competing unequally for jobs; cannot be helped," he said in response to the question from Mr Gupta.
The idea for the diaspora convention was mooted by President S.R. Nathan.
60% must cheering right now!!! CB idiot
Share tabla!
Friday, Jul 29, 2011
By Patrick Jonas
FOR two days last week, the convention centre at Resorts World Sentosa was milling with south Asian faces. They were there to attend the inaugural South Asian Diaspora Convention organised by the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS). At the end of the two days - July 21 and 22 - the organisers were smiling and relieved. The response was good, with close to 700 attending the various sessions, and all the programmes went according to plan.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, in his opening address to the convention participants, spoke of the "new wave of a South Asian diaspora" which has come to Singapore in the last 10 to 15 years.
He was confident the new arrivals would integrate into society, both with Indian Singaporeans and other ethnic groups, and would "strengthen our society and enhance our cultural diversity".
"Singapore welcomes members of the South Asian diaspora. We are a very open society. We have welcomed people not just from South Asia, but also from South-east Asia and North-east Asia, and indeed the world," he said.
He pointed to the strong ties Singapore has with India, saying: "We signed a landmark Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) with India in 2005 and, since then, bilateral trade has boomed, exceeding $30 billion in 2010. Singapore has also become the second largest foreign investor in India, while Asean also has an FTA (free trade agreement) with India. Bilateral and regional trade will deepen as India prospers."
ISAS chairman Gopinath Pillai said the theme of the convention, Linking The South Asian Diaspora, "highlights the potential importance of the diaspora in this enterprise".
He added that "this prosperous community, with accumulated wealth in excess of US$500 billion, can play a significant role in the economic growth of South Asia by connecting the region to global economic networks".
In the session titled Singapore: The Springboard For South Asia, DBS chief executive Piyush Gupta said that Singapore is a prime regional hub for any firm, but is especially so for South Asian companies keen on branching out. He said that the rule of law, language, infrastructure, connectivity and a stable government here make a powerful combination.
On the final day, former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew in a dialogue session said Singapore will not be able to punch above its weight if it were to depend on talent from its own population.
If Singapore depends on the talent it can produce out of three million people, it's not going to punch above its weight. It is because we've drawn talent from across the globe that we have a vibrant economy which is way beyond what three million Singaporeans and the talent they produce can do...
So you've got to accept the discomfort which the local citizens feel that they are competing unequally for jobs; cannot be helped," he said in response to the question from Mr Gupta.
The idea for the diaspora convention was mooted by President S.R. Nathan.
60% must cheering right now!!! CB idiot
