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Tharman's first task as IMFC chair: 'To listen'
FINANCE Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam's first task as the newly appointed chairman of the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) steering committee will be to 'listen'.
'I'm really in listening mode,' he told reporters yesterday on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of Jurong Secondary School's indoor sports hall.
'That will be my task: to listen carefully to a range of views, including (those of) the developing countries, who are playing an increasingly important role.'
The IMF's key policy-setting body, the International Monetary and Financial Committee, said on Wednesday it has appointed Mr Tharman as its new chairman. He is the first Asian to fill the position.
The appointment 'says something about how far Singapore has come in the world', Mr Tharman said yesterday, in his first comments since the announcement. 'There are many spheres in which we are now recognised as playing a role together with countries much larger than us.'
But he added that Singapore plays its part 'in a modest way, never overstating our importance, but contributing where we can by being neutral and constructive'.
'That's the value we bring that people recognise,' he said. 'We serve as a bridge between countries that often seem to have very diverse interests or views but where there's a middle ground that we often occupy and can usefully advance.'
The IMFC meets twice a year. Its next meeting is in the middle of next month.
FINANCE Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam's first task as the newly appointed chairman of the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) steering committee will be to 'listen'.
'I'm really in listening mode,' he told reporters yesterday on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of Jurong Secondary School's indoor sports hall.
'That will be my task: to listen carefully to a range of views, including (those of) the developing countries, who are playing an increasingly important role.'
The IMF's key policy-setting body, the International Monetary and Financial Committee, said on Wednesday it has appointed Mr Tharman as its new chairman. He is the first Asian to fill the position.
The appointment 'says something about how far Singapore has come in the world', Mr Tharman said yesterday, in his first comments since the announcement. 'There are many spheres in which we are now recognised as playing a role together with countries much larger than us.'
But he added that Singapore plays its part 'in a modest way, never overstating our importance, but contributing where we can by being neutral and constructive'.
'That's the value we bring that people recognise,' he said. 'We serve as a bridge between countries that often seem to have very diverse interests or views but where there's a middle ground that we often occupy and can usefully advance.'
The IMFC meets twice a year. Its next meeting is in the middle of next month.
