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[h=2]SG not alone in having little or no natural resources[/h]
April 1st, 2013 |
Author: Ng Kok Lim
Singapore
I refer to the Straits Times letters “Don’t rock the boat” by Mr B.H. Melwani [1] and “Planning ahead to avoid a bleak future” by Mr Sonny Ng [2].
Mr Melwani and Mr Ng reiterate what we have been told from young: that we are different from other countries in that we have no natural resources to rely on so we must rely on our people and our government.
The following is a chart of natural resources rent as a percentage of GDP since 1970 for 23 developed economies [3]. It shows that apart from Norway and perhaps Canada and Australia, all other developed economies derived less than 5% of their GDP from natural resources for much of the past 40 years. The majority of these economies derived less than 2% of their GDP from natural resources. So it is not just Singapore but nearly all developed economies have very little natural resources they can depend on so they must primarily depend on people too. It is strange that of so many developed economies with little or no natural resources, it is only here in Singapore that we commonly find people saying that we depend on the government for our success. If all the other developed economies with little or no natural resources can do well without having to depend on the government, why should we be different? It can’t be that Singaporeans are so singularly hopeless that we alone depend very much on our government’s ‘wise’ policies.
Although Singapore has no natural resources, many books lend support to the view that we are gifted by nature with a most precious geographical location which our economy and prosperity continues to depend on [4], [5], [6], [7]. It would have been quite impossible for us to achieve a level of trade that is 285% of our GDP [8] had we been tucked away in some far flung corner of the earth. Our service industries collectively account for 65% of our GDP [8] and many sub-categories of the service industry such as wholesale & retail, transportation & storage, finance & insurance and business services have links to our port [7]. Directly and indirectly, Singapore derives more than 2% of our GDP from our excellent geographical location, more so than most developed economies derive from their natural resources.
The fact that the majority of voters voted for PAP doesn’t mean they automatically endorse every single PAP policy. If voting for PAP means voting for all its policies, why do we still need parliament debates? Why do we need conversations to get buy in? Why not just pass every bill without consultation, without debate since the PAP holds the majority of seats in parliament? Whether or not we are merely satisfying the minority can be determined by holding a national referendum. In fact, a live poll on Channel 8’s Frontline Connects TV programme saw 92.5% of viewers happy to accept lower rate of economic growth if foreign population is reduced.
The people are not rocking the boat; they are the rightful owners of this boat and are merely telling the boatman where they wish the boat to be steered towards. Hiring a boatman doesn’t mean giving up our right to tell the boatman where we want the boat to be steered towards.
Thank you
.
Ng Kok Lim
Reference:
[1] Straits Times letter, Don’t rock the boat, 8 Feb 2013
OTHER countries have natural resources like petrol, gas, rubber, tin, gold, timber and other products.
Singapore has no natural resources. Yet, for the last 50 years, it has made progress that is envied by many nations. This is possible because of the Government’s wise policies and our people.
When I say our people, I mean Singaporeans and the immigrants (after all, many Singaporeans are either immigrants or descendents of immigrants).
As a result of the Government’s new policy of limiting the number of immigrants, small and medium-sized enterprises are suffering. A number of them will have to close down if the Government does not change its policy.
Business associations and chambers of commerce have made such statements (“9 foreign chambers oppose labour curbs”; Tuesday).
I have reason to believe that the Government realises this but, because of the losses of a Group Representation Constituency in the 2011 General Election and the Punggol East seat in the recent by-election, it is afraid to change its new policy.
I have been following the debate on the Population White Paper in Parliament. No one has raised the fact that our only asset is our people, that is, the Singaporeans and immigrants.
Let us not “kill” this resource. The Government should realise that the majority of voters have accepted its policies – that is why it is still in power. Changing previous policies and stopping the progress of Singapore, just to satisfy the minority, is a blunder that it must rectify.
The Government should impress upon voters that Singapore has no natural resources. The progress of our country is dependent on its people, which includes Singaporeans and immigrants. The Government should prove that the policy of selective immigration is successful.
I hope the voters will realise this and not rock the boat that is sailing smoothly.
B.H. Melwani
[2] Straits Times letter, Planning ahead to avoid a bleak future, 14 Feb 2013
THERE has been much discussion over the Population White Paper since its release.
This goes to show that many Singaporeans are truly concerned about what their country will be like in 2030.
With the projected population reaching 6.5 million to 6.9 million by 2030, many have expressed fear, anxiety and concern, and rightly so because of the present problems of overcrowding on the public transport system, rising property prices and competition for school places and jobs.
To address these issues, the Government has laid out plans to enhance our infrastructure.
We need to bear in mind that Singapore does not have natural resources, unlike other countries.
Our people are our natural resource. We need people with innovative ideas, constantly thinking one step ahead to maintain an edge over the competition.
With an ageing population, a falling fertility rate and restrictions on foreigners coming in, we face a gloomy scenario if we do nothing to prepare for 2030 and beyond.
Talent may flow out, foreign investments may dwindle and we will lose our competitiveness.
The bottom line is: What do we want Singapore to be in 2030 for ourselves, our children and future generations?
I commend the efforts taken by planners to come up with the White Paper and the Government’s forward-looking plans to prepare us for the future.
Sonny Ng
[3] World Bank data, Total natural resources rent as percentage of GDP
[4] Mun Heng Toh and Kong Yam Tan, Competitiveness of the Singapore Economy: A Strategic Perspective, page 101
The port of Singapore is located along the Straits of Malacca, which is the main shipping route between East and West. It was estimated by the Oil Companies International Marine Forum that over 600 ships transit the straits every day. The importance of this shipping route has not diminished over time with the introduction of new technology and improvements in air travel.
In terms of geographical features, the port of Singapore is fortunate to enjoy natural deep waters and harbours, which have allowed it to service ships with deeper draughts without necessarily resorting to extensive and expensive dredging operations. The waterways serving as entrants to Singapore allow even the larests ships to use them. Singapore does not have typhoons and other natural calamities which mae port operations and freight movements safe and reliable.
[5] Teofilo C Daquila, The Economies Of Southeast Asia: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, page 183
Singapore’s economic viability depends on its geo-strategic position as the port of call in the Asia-Pacific linking Europe, the Middle East, the African continent, the South Asian continent, through to the Pacific islands and the Americas. It is important to view Singapore’s status as a bustling port of call.
[6] Swee-Hock Saw and John Wong, Regional Economic Development in China, page 224
The prosperity of Singapore is largely dependent on its excellent port resource. Singapore lies on the vital transport link between the Pacific and Indian Ocean. The Singapore port connects 200 shipping corporations and more than 600 ports of 123 countries, and manages 60 ships, 8,000 trailers and 50,000 containers each day. It could be said to be the world’s busiest port.
[7] Lawrence B. Krause and Ai Tee Koh and Yuan Lee Tsao, The Singapore economy reconsidered, page 2
Although lacking both natural resources and a hinterland of any sort, Singapore does have two powerful assets – its people and its geography. It was its geography, characterised by a large natural habour and a location astride the most important shipping route between Europe and the Pacific, that gave Singapore its original economic rationale as an entrepot for the entire Southeast Asian region.
Historically, the entrepot trade began because nature made Singapore a perfect transshipping point between the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea and beyond. However, with the development of rubber estates and tin mining in Peninsula Malaysia, Singapore ultimately became a full-fledged primary port and commercial city for a rich producing area.
Furthermore, entrepot activities such as trading, processing, storing, banking, insurance, repackaging, marketing, transportation and communication, provided much useful preparation for wider economic achievements. They led to the creation of certain physical facilities such as the port, to the development of certain worker skills, and to the encouragement of risk-taking by entrepreneurs. It may well be that the entrepot function, modernized and expanded into sophisticated business services, remains the backbone of the Singapore economy, and was only temporarily eclipsed for a brief period by the rapid growth of manufacturing.
[8] Singapore Statistics
</EM></EM>
I refer to the Straits Times letters “Don’t rock the boat” by Mr B.H. Melwani [1] and “Planning ahead to avoid a bleak future” by Mr Sonny Ng [2].
Mr Melwani and Mr Ng reiterate what we have been told from young: that we are different from other countries in that we have no natural resources to rely on so we must rely on our people and our government.
The following is a chart of natural resources rent as a percentage of GDP since 1970 for 23 developed economies [3]. It shows that apart from Norway and perhaps Canada and Australia, all other developed economies derived less than 5% of their GDP from natural resources for much of the past 40 years. The majority of these economies derived less than 2% of their GDP from natural resources. So it is not just Singapore but nearly all developed economies have very little natural resources they can depend on so they must primarily depend on people too. It is strange that of so many developed economies with little or no natural resources, it is only here in Singapore that we commonly find people saying that we depend on the government for our success. If all the other developed economies with little or no natural resources can do well without having to depend on the government, why should we be different? It can’t be that Singaporeans are so singularly hopeless that we alone depend very much on our government’s ‘wise’ policies.
Although Singapore has no natural resources, many books lend support to the view that we are gifted by nature with a most precious geographical location which our economy and prosperity continues to depend on [4], [5], [6], [7]. It would have been quite impossible for us to achieve a level of trade that is 285% of our GDP [8] had we been tucked away in some far flung corner of the earth. Our service industries collectively account for 65% of our GDP [8] and many sub-categories of the service industry such as wholesale & retail, transportation & storage, finance & insurance and business services have links to our port [7]. Directly and indirectly, Singapore derives more than 2% of our GDP from our excellent geographical location, more so than most developed economies derive from their natural resources.
The fact that the majority of voters voted for PAP doesn’t mean they automatically endorse every single PAP policy. If voting for PAP means voting for all its policies, why do we still need parliament debates? Why do we need conversations to get buy in? Why not just pass every bill without consultation, without debate since the PAP holds the majority of seats in parliament? Whether or not we are merely satisfying the minority can be determined by holding a national referendum. In fact, a live poll on Channel 8’s Frontline Connects TV programme saw 92.5% of viewers happy to accept lower rate of economic growth if foreign population is reduced.
The people are not rocking the boat; they are the rightful owners of this boat and are merely telling the boatman where they wish the boat to be steered towards. Hiring a boatman doesn’t mean giving up our right to tell the boatman where we want the boat to be steered towards.
Thank you
.
Ng Kok Lim
Reference:
[1] Straits Times letter, Don’t rock the boat, 8 Feb 2013
OTHER countries have natural resources like petrol, gas, rubber, tin, gold, timber and other products.
Singapore has no natural resources. Yet, for the last 50 years, it has made progress that is envied by many nations. This is possible because of the Government’s wise policies and our people.
When I say our people, I mean Singaporeans and the immigrants (after all, many Singaporeans are either immigrants or descendents of immigrants).
As a result of the Government’s new policy of limiting the number of immigrants, small and medium-sized enterprises are suffering. A number of them will have to close down if the Government does not change its policy.
Business associations and chambers of commerce have made such statements (“9 foreign chambers oppose labour curbs”; Tuesday).
I have reason to believe that the Government realises this but, because of the losses of a Group Representation Constituency in the 2011 General Election and the Punggol East seat in the recent by-election, it is afraid to change its new policy.
I have been following the debate on the Population White Paper in Parliament. No one has raised the fact that our only asset is our people, that is, the Singaporeans and immigrants.
Let us not “kill” this resource. The Government should realise that the majority of voters have accepted its policies – that is why it is still in power. Changing previous policies and stopping the progress of Singapore, just to satisfy the minority, is a blunder that it must rectify.
The Government should impress upon voters that Singapore has no natural resources. The progress of our country is dependent on its people, which includes Singaporeans and immigrants. The Government should prove that the policy of selective immigration is successful.
I hope the voters will realise this and not rock the boat that is sailing smoothly.
B.H. Melwani
[2] Straits Times letter, Planning ahead to avoid a bleak future, 14 Feb 2013
THERE has been much discussion over the Population White Paper since its release.
This goes to show that many Singaporeans are truly concerned about what their country will be like in 2030.
With the projected population reaching 6.5 million to 6.9 million by 2030, many have expressed fear, anxiety and concern, and rightly so because of the present problems of overcrowding on the public transport system, rising property prices and competition for school places and jobs.
To address these issues, the Government has laid out plans to enhance our infrastructure.
We need to bear in mind that Singapore does not have natural resources, unlike other countries.
Our people are our natural resource. We need people with innovative ideas, constantly thinking one step ahead to maintain an edge over the competition.
With an ageing population, a falling fertility rate and restrictions on foreigners coming in, we face a gloomy scenario if we do nothing to prepare for 2030 and beyond.
Talent may flow out, foreign investments may dwindle and we will lose our competitiveness.
The bottom line is: What do we want Singapore to be in 2030 for ourselves, our children and future generations?
I commend the efforts taken by planners to come up with the White Paper and the Government’s forward-looking plans to prepare us for the future.
Sonny Ng
[3] World Bank data, Total natural resources rent as percentage of GDP
[4] Mun Heng Toh and Kong Yam Tan, Competitiveness of the Singapore Economy: A Strategic Perspective, page 101
The port of Singapore is located along the Straits of Malacca, which is the main shipping route between East and West. It was estimated by the Oil Companies International Marine Forum that over 600 ships transit the straits every day. The importance of this shipping route has not diminished over time with the introduction of new technology and improvements in air travel.
In terms of geographical features, the port of Singapore is fortunate to enjoy natural deep waters and harbours, which have allowed it to service ships with deeper draughts without necessarily resorting to extensive and expensive dredging operations. The waterways serving as entrants to Singapore allow even the larests ships to use them. Singapore does not have typhoons and other natural calamities which mae port operations and freight movements safe and reliable.
[5] Teofilo C Daquila, The Economies Of Southeast Asia: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, page 183
Singapore’s economic viability depends on its geo-strategic position as the port of call in the Asia-Pacific linking Europe, the Middle East, the African continent, the South Asian continent, through to the Pacific islands and the Americas. It is important to view Singapore’s status as a bustling port of call.
[6] Swee-Hock Saw and John Wong, Regional Economic Development in China, page 224
The prosperity of Singapore is largely dependent on its excellent port resource. Singapore lies on the vital transport link between the Pacific and Indian Ocean. The Singapore port connects 200 shipping corporations and more than 600 ports of 123 countries, and manages 60 ships, 8,000 trailers and 50,000 containers each day. It could be said to be the world’s busiest port.
[7] Lawrence B. Krause and Ai Tee Koh and Yuan Lee Tsao, The Singapore economy reconsidered, page 2
Although lacking both natural resources and a hinterland of any sort, Singapore does have two powerful assets – its people and its geography. It was its geography, characterised by a large natural habour and a location astride the most important shipping route between Europe and the Pacific, that gave Singapore its original economic rationale as an entrepot for the entire Southeast Asian region.
Historically, the entrepot trade began because nature made Singapore a perfect transshipping point between the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea and beyond. However, with the development of rubber estates and tin mining in Peninsula Malaysia, Singapore ultimately became a full-fledged primary port and commercial city for a rich producing area.
Furthermore, entrepot activities such as trading, processing, storing, banking, insurance, repackaging, marketing, transportation and communication, provided much useful preparation for wider economic achievements. They led to the creation of certain physical facilities such as the port, to the development of certain worker skills, and to the encouragement of risk-taking by entrepreneurs. It may well be that the entrepot function, modernized and expanded into sophisticated business services, remains the backbone of the Singapore economy, and was only temporarily eclipsed for a brief period by the rapid growth of manufacturing.
[8] Singapore Statistics
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