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Singapore and American Business Community--Singapore 1/4/92 [OA 8332] [2]
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323153754
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Singapore and American Business Community--Singapore 1/4/92 [OA 8332] [2]
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Records of the White House Office of Speechwriting (George H. W. Bush Administration)
Speech Backup Chronological Files
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Originally Processed With FOIA(s):
FOIA Number:
S
S
FOIA
MARKER
This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the George Bush Presidential
Library Staff.
Record Group/Collection:
George H.W. Bush Presidential Records
Collection/Office of Origin:
Speechwriting, White House Office of
Series:
Speech File Backup Files
Subseries:
Chron File, 1989-1993
OA/ID Number:
13789
Folder ID Number:
13789-001
Folder Title:
Singapore and American Business Community--Singapore 1/4/92 [OA 8332] [2]
Stack:
Row:
Section:
Shelf:
Position:
G
26
22
1
7
SINGAPORE TIDBITS
Orchard Road: Orchard Road is famous in Singapore as a major
business district -- "smartly dressed shoppers
...
glittering
shops
with the latest in Paris fashions or Japanese
electronics. [The Singaporean and American business audience
would be familiar with a reference to Orchard Road (re business,
economy) ]
Nigel Fisher, editor of Voyager International, wrote of
Singapore's ability to blend cultural diversity with a well-
ordered society:
"To arrive in Singapore is to step into a world where the
muezzin call to prayer competes with the bustle of
capitalism; where old men play mah-jongg in the streets and
white-clad bowlers send the ball flying down well-tended
cricket pitches; where Chinese fortune tellers and high-
priced management consultants advise the same entrepreneur."
"Values are formed out of the history and experience of a people.
One. doesn't learn what is right and wrong out of a book. One
absorbs these notions through the mother's milk."
Lee Kuan Yew, interview, Nov. 1991
"The ball of liberty, I believe most piously, is not so well in
motion that it will roll around the globe
for light and
liberty go together."
-- Thomas Jefferson
"To look up and not down,
To look forward and not back,
To look out and not in, and
To lend a hand. "
-- E. E. Hale (son of Nathan Hale) : Ten Times One
is Ten, 1870.
Singapore has approx. 7,000 U.S. citizens, including
dependents, representing U.S. business, religious and
educational organizations.
Westin Corporate Headquarters confirms that the Westin-
Stamford (where POTUS speaks) is the tallest hotel in the
world. Norris McWhirter, publisher of the Guiness, visited
in January 1990.
The hotel also hosts a stair climbing marathon -- called the
Vertical Marathon (next race is this March) The current
record holder is a Singaporean who set the record when he
climbed the 1336 steps (in 6 minutes 55 seconds) in 1989.
Singapore has an excellent metro system -- which they copied
from us. They sent a team to study the DC area metro system
and then applied it to Singapore's needs.
Cameras are posted at traffic intersections. If you run a
red light, they "snap away" and come and get you.
DEC-20-'91 18:01 ID:
WESTIN RSVN
TEL NO: 3365117
#504 P01
THE WESTIN STAMFORD & WESTIN PLAZA
Singapore
J. David Hayden
Managing Director
FACSIMILE TRANSMISSION
Date
:
20 December 1991
To
:
The White House, Washington D.C.
Attention :
Michelle Nix
Fax No.
:
(1-202) 456-6218
From
:
Nelli Yong - Director of Marketing Communications
Total no.
of pages
:
5 (including this page)
Sender
:
Marketing Communications Department
Tel: 338-8585
Fax: 336-5117
SUBJECT
:
INFORMATION ON THE WESTIN STAMFORD, SINGAPORE
We were asked by Elizabeth Vasey, Public Relations Manager of
Westin North America, to confirm to you the status of The Westin
Stamford, Singapore being the tallest hotel in the world.
It is correct to say that The Westin Stamford, Singapore is the
tallest hotel in the world. Some documents to support this are
listed below:-
1.
Listing in the 1992 Guinness Book of Records (this has been
faxed to you already by Elizabeth).
2.
World Record certificate awarded by the Guinness Book of
Records to The Westin Stamford (attached).
3.
The original publisher of the Guinness Book visited
Singapore in January 1990 and we have attached a newspaper
clipping which also verifies this fact and has a nice
picture of the publisher with the hotel as the background.
4.
Attached also is another page from the Guinness Book for
the Fastest Stair Climbing Record. We have held a Vertical
Marathon Competition at The Westin Stamford for the past 4
years (the next race will be in March 1992). The current
world record holder is a Singaporean who set the record
when 1989. he climbed the 1336 steps of The Westin Stamford in
Extended Page
1.1
2, Stamford Road, Singapore 0617
Sales, Catering and Convention Services
Tel: 338-8585 Fax: 338-2862
Fax: 336-8783
Telex: RS 22206 RCHTLS
Telex: RS 22312 RCHTLS
I
DEC-20-'91 18:02 ID:
WESTIN RSVN
TEL NO: 3365117
#504 P02
PAGE 2
sac WESTIN STAMFORD, SINGAPORE
If you need any other information, please let me know. We are
all busy preparing and looking forward very much to the visit of
President George Bush to Singapore.
Yours sincerely
neelight
CO: Elizabeth Vasey (1-206) 443-8997
fc/MC
DEC-20-'91 18:02 ID:
WESTIN RSVN
TEL NO: 3365117
#504 P03
GUINNESS BOOK
OF RECORDS
World Record
Westin Stamford
Rappies City
Singapore
Tallest Hotel
741.9pect-226,2mottos
1st July 1986
Han Russell
ALAN RUSSELL
Editor
#504 P04
TEL NO: 3365117
DEC-20-'91 18:03
ID:
WESTIN RSUN
THE STRAITS TIMES, THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 1990
Of figures, stats and facts
Guinness Book
publisher has a
mind crammed
with records
By Serene Lim
THE tallest, the longest, the
fastest and the biggest - Norris
McWhtrter can rattle them off
without pause. He has a mind
crammed with statistics on
world records.
Singapore, for example, has:
the longest-serving Prime Minis-
ter in the world, the tallest hotel
in the world, the (astest stair
climber, and the largest number
of participants in musical
chairs.
At 64, the silvery-haired Mr
McWhirter looks like a kindly
grandfather with plenty of tales
to tell. And he does - tales of
facts and figures.
Mr MoWhirter published the
first Guinness Book of Records
with his twin brother, Ross, in
1955. He is here to exchange
contracts with Changt Interna-
tional Airport Services (CIAS)
to set up a permanent exhibition
of some of the record-breaking
Items featured in the Guinness
Book.
Mr MoWhirter is trent of the Westin Stamford, entered in the
And even though he is only
Guiuness Book as the world's tallest hotel. He in also staying there.
here for five days, he has a.
ready been researching at the
cates to some local record hold-
National Library.
ers.
"I was reading about aircraft
To date, he has met. among
disasters this morning," he said
others, the tallest man alive, the
yesterday. "The first victim was
strongest woman and the person
killed in 1909, and there have
with the bighest IQ.
been so many since then. Some
He recalls: "I met the person
records are happy ones, some
with the highest 10 in New
are not."
York. She's In her 30s, very rich
Asked if he has broken any
and attractive, and her 10 is
records himself, Mr McWhirter
223."
laughed: "The only record I've
He has also met the strongest
set is by selling books."
woman, an Olympic champion
Since it first went on sale In
who lives in Moscow. "She gave
1955, more than 63 million copies
me A 'nutcracker' handshake,
of the Guinness Book have been
and the pain shot up my arm,"
sold, making It the world's best-
he said. grimacing. "She
selling copyright book, overtak-
laughed, showing her steel
ing Dr Benjamin Spock's book
teeth."
on child and baby care, but "ex-
cluding the Bible and Quren".
He has met the tallest man
Mr McWhirter said he and his
alive too. At 2.58 m tall, the man
twin brother began collecting in-
has been the cause of some 23
formation from the age of seven.
road accidents, "just by stand-
At the age of 25, they set up
ing on pavements Mr
their own company, McWhirter
McWhirter said. "He stands
Twins, supplying facts and (ig-
there, the cars pass by, and the
ures to newspapers and year-
drivers stop to stare. causing
books.
other care to hit them from be
The Guinness Book came
bind."
about when they were ap-
From Singapore, Mr McWhirt-
proached by Guinness Brewery
er will visit the Maldives - "the
- "the largest brewery in the
flattest country in the world, Its
world" - to publish a book
tallest point is only 2.4 mabove
"which could be used in pubs
sea-level".
each time arguments arose as to
Meanwhile, there is "another
record-breaking teats".
very interesting record I'm try.
Today, Mr McWhirter is still
Ing to get to the bottom of". Mr
very much Involved in what
McWhirter said, and It hap.
goes into the books. He reads
pened here in 1909.
some of the 40,000 letters which
"I came across a reference in
the company receives each
a scientific journal that the Au-
year. He also hosts a BBC tele-
rora Borealis. known as the
vision show, Record Breakers,
Northern Lights, was sighted
for children.
here on Sept 25, 1909." Perhaps
Tomorrow, Mr McWhirter will
someone with the longest memo-
be presenting Guinness certifi-
Γy in Singapore can help out?
DEC-20-'91 18:04 ID:
WESTIN RSVN
TEL NO: 3365117
#504 P05
MISCELLANEOUS
ENDEAVOURS
183
vertical mile on the stairs of the Peachtree Plaza
String ball largest . The largest ball of
Hotel, Atlants, Georgia, USA in continuous
pick-a-back on 15 Sep 1860. Though other artistes
string on record is one of 3.88 12/1 9 in in
action of 2hr 1 min 24 sec on 9 Mar 1954, These
still find it difficult to believe, Colcord was his
diameter, 1219 m 40ft in circumference and weigh-
records can only be attempted in buildings with 0
agent. The oldest wirewalker was 'Professor' Wil.
ing 10 tonnes, amassed by Francis A. Johnson of
minimum of 70 storeys.
liam Ivy Baldwin (1866-1953), who crossed the
Darwin, Minnesota, USA between 1950-78.
South Boulder Canyon. Colorado, USA on a 97-5 m
The record for the 1760 steps (vertical height 342 th
Submergence
The continuous duration
320 ft wire with a 38.1 m 125 ft drop on his 82nd
1182(1) in the world's tallest free-standing strue-
record (i.c. no rest breaks) for 'scube' (i.e. self.
birthday on 31 Jul 1948.
ture, Toronto's CN Tower. Canada, is 7 min 52 sec
contained and without surface sie hoses) is 212 hr
by Brendan Keenoy on 29 Oct 1989. Robert C.
The world tightrope endurance record is 185 days
30 min by Michael Stevens of Birmingham in a
by Henri Rochetain (b. 1926) of France on a wire
Jerequel made 17 accents (descending by lift) in
Royal Navy tank at the National Exhibition
120 237 39d 11 long, 25 m 8211 above a supermarket in
11 hr 30 min on 18 Oct 1981 for a vertical height of
Centre, Birmingham from 14-23 Feb 1986.
5814 a 19 074 ft.
Saint Etienne, France from 28 Mar-29 Sep 1973.
Measures have to be taken to reduce the risk of
His ability to sleep on the wire bas left doctors
The record for the 1336 stairs of the world's tallest
severe desquamation in such endurance trisls.
hotel, the Westin Stamford Hotel, Singapore is 6
Suggestion boxes
The
most
prolific
min 65 sec by Balvinder Singh, in the 3rd Vertical
example on record of the use of any suggestion box
Marathon on 4 Jun 1980.
scheme is that of John Drayton (1907-87) of
Pete Squires raced up the 1675 steps of the Empire
Newport, Gwent who plied the British rail system
State Building, New York, USA on 12 Feb 1981 in
with & total of 31 400 suggestions from 1924 to
10 min 59 sec.
August 1987 of which over one in seven were
adopted and 100 were accepted by London Trans-
In the line of duty Bill Stevenson mounted 334 of
port. In 1983 he was presented with a chiming
the 364 steps of the tower in the Houses of
clock by British Rail to mark almost 60 years of
Parliament 4000 times in the IS years
suggestions.
1968-83 equivalent to 24.9 ascents of Everest.
Swinging B The record duration for conti-
Stamp licking John Kenmuir licked and
huous swinging in 4 hammock is 240 hr by John
affixed 328 stamps in 4 min at George Square Post
David Joyce of Bryan, Texas, USA from 29 Jul to 8
Office, Olasgow. Strathclyde on 30 Jun 1989.
Aug 1986.
Standing
The longest period on record that
Switchback riding III The endurance record
anyone has continuously stood is for more than 17
for rides on a roller coaster is 503 hr by: M. M.
years in the case of Swami Maujgiri Maharaj when
Daniel Glada and Normand St-Pierre at Pare
performing the Tapasya or penance from 1955 to
Belmont, Montreal. Canada from 18 Jul to 10 Aug
November 1973 in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh,
1983. The minimum qualifying average speed
India. When sleeping be would lean against a
required is km/b 25 mph.
plank. He died aged 85 in September 1980.
Tailoring a The highest speed in which the
Stilt-walking at The tastest stilt-walker on
manufacture of a 3-piece suit has been executed
record is Massharu Tatsushiro, who covered 100 m
from sheep to finished article is 1 hr 34 min
328 ft on 30.48 Cm Ift high stilts in 14.15 600 in
33-42 sec by 65 members of the Melbourne College
Tokyo, Japan on 30 Mar 1980. Over & long dis-
of Textiles, Pascos Vale, Victoria, Australia on 24
Lance, the fastest is M. Garisoain of Bayonne, who
Jun 1982 Catching and fleecing took 2 min 21 sec,
in 1892 walked the 8 km 4-97 miles from Baycane to
and carding, spinning, weaving and tailoring
Biarritz on stilts in 42 min, at an average speed of
occupied the remaining time.
11.42 km/h mph. The greatest distance ever
walked on stilts is 4804 km 3008 miles, from Los
Talking The world record for talking is 360
Angeles, California, USA to Bowen, Kentucky,
hr by S. E. Jeyaraman at Madras, India from
USA by Joe Bowen from 20 Feb to 26 Jul 1980. In
8-23 Jun 1989. The women's record was set by
1891 Sylvain Dornon stilt-walked from Paris,
Mary E Davis, who started on 2 Sep 1958 at a
France to Moscow. USSR via Vilno in 50 stages for
radio station in Buffalo. New York, USA and
the 2945 km 1830 miles. Another source gives his
talked for 110 hr 30 min 5 sec, finishing on 7 Sep in
time as 58 days. Either Way, although Bowen's
Tules, Oklahoma, USA. (See also Filibusters,
distance was greater. Dornon walked at a much
Chapter 10.)
higher speed. Even with a safety or Kirby wire,
The longest recorded after-dinner speech was one
very high stilts are extremely dangerous - 25 steps
of 40 hr, by R. Meenakshisundaram at Madurai,
are deemed to constitute 'mastery'.
Tamil Nadu, India, from 23-25 Jun 1989. Histori-
Stair dimbing The record for climbing the
1336 staire of the Westin Stamford Hotal In
The highest stills ever mastered measured 12:35 In
cally the longest recorded after-dinner speech with
Singapore world's callest hotel-Ist min 55 NK
40ft 6% in from ground to snkle, Eddy Wolf
unsuspecting victims was one of 3 hr by the Rever-
by Balvinder Singh, In the 3rd Vertical Marathon on 4
"Steady Eddy') of Loyal, Wisconsin, USA walking
end Henry Whitehead (d. March 1896) at the
fun 1989,
A distance of 27 steps without touching his safety
Rainbow Tavern, Fleet Street, London on 16 Jan
handrail wires at Yokohama Dreamland Park.
1874.
Yokohama, Japan on 9 Mar 1986. His aluminium
T-bone dive The so-called T-bone dives or
filts weighed 25 kg 55 lb each. The heaviest stilts
Dive Bomber crashes by cars off ramps over and on
ever mastered weighed 25.4 kg 56 16 each. Joe Long
to parked care are often measured by the number of
(b, Kenneth Caesar), who has suffered $ fractures.
care, but owing to their variable size and that their
mastering these at the BBC Television Centre,
purpose is purely to cushion the shock, distance is
London on 8 Dec 1978. They were 731 to 24/1 high.
more significant.
Stowaway B The most rugged stowaway was
Stuart Cameron drove & Datsun 240Z for a record
Socarres Ramirez who escaped from Cuba on 4 Jun
lesp of 64.01 in 210/1 at Bovingdon Airfield. Herts
1969 by stowing away in an unpressurised wheel
on 4 Sep 1988.
well in the starboard wing of # Douglas DC8 from
Havana. Cuba to Madrid, Spain in * 9010 km
Throwing a The longest independently
3500 mile Iberian Airlines flight.
authenticated throw of any inert object heavier
Stretcher
than air is 383-13 m 1257 ft, for a flying eing, by
bearing
The
longest
recorded
Scott Zimmerman on 8 Jul 1986 at Fort Funston,
carry of # stretcher case with M 63.5 kg 10 at 'body'
California, USA.
is 239 km 142.3 miles in 38 hr 39 min by two four-
man teams from I Field Ambulance, Canadian
Tightrope walking # The greatest 19th-
Forces Base, Calgary. Canada from 5-7 Apr 1989.
century tightrope walker was Jean François
Gravelet, alias Charles Blondin (1824-97). of
The record limited to Youth Organisations (under
France, who made the earliest crossing of the
20 years of age) and 8-hr carrying is 67.62 km
Niagare Falls on # 76 mm 3in rope, 335 m 1100 /t
e 02 miles by 8 members of the Henry Meoles
long. 48.75 m 160/t above the Falls on 30 Jun 1859.
School. Moreton, Wirral, Cheshire on 13 Jul 1980.
He also made & crossing with Harry Colcard
Extracted from "The Guinness Book of Records"
CHARGE TO:
MARKETING
RECEIVER
WESTIN
HOTELS & RESORTS
ATTN:
FROM:
Michelle Nix
Elizabeth Vasey, Westin Hotels & Resorts
(206) 443-5180 phone
COMPANY: The White House
SUBJECT:
CITY:
DATE & TIME: Dec. 18/9:00 a.m.
FAX NUMBER: 202-456-6218
TELEPHONE NUMBER: 202-456-7750
NUMBER OF PAGES (INCLUDING THIS PAGE): 2
PLEASE ADVISE BY TELEX, PHONE OR FAX IF ANY PART OF THIS TRANSMISSION
FAILED OR WAS MISDIRECTED
IF ALL PAGES ARE NOT RECEIVED, PLEASE CALL CORPORATE MARKETING,
(206) 443-5233.
WESTIN HOTELS & RESORTS
SEATTLE WA
FAX (206) 443-8997
MESSAGE:
The following information from the 1992 Guinness Book of World Records reads:
Measured from the street level of its main entrance to the top, the 741.9 foot
tall 73-story Westin Stamford in Raffles, City, Singapore was "topped out" in
March, 1985. The $235 million hotel is operated by Westin Hotels & Resorts and
owned by Raffles City Pte. Ltd. However, the Westin at the Renaissance Center
in Detroit, MI is 748 ft. tall when measured from the rear entrance.
Michelle, Nelli Yong 1s the Director requesting of Marketing-Communications at The Westin
Stamford. I have faxed her/to confirm the information directly with you.
She has your facsimile number. If you have further questions, I will be happy
to assist.
Best regards,
Elizabeth Vasey
Public Relations Manager
Westin Hotels & Resorts
101
12. 19. 91 09:31AM *WESTIN MARKETING
BUILDINGS FOR LIVING,
Los Angeles was sald for B record $1.2
Guinness 1992
million por room. for a total cost of $110
million. to the Schitel Kathaton Co el
Tokyo, Japan.
Most mobile The three-story brick
Hotel Fairmount (built 1908) in San Ante
nic. TX. which weighed 1,714 cons, any
moved - $5 dollies with preumatic the
swer city streets approximately Svabled
Post-It brand fax transmittal memo 7671
# of pages
and over B bridge, which had to be rep.
e
Elizabeth Very
From Answerbane
forced. The move by Emmert Internal
tianal of Portland, OR took four days,
Co.
8
Mar-2 Apr 1885, and cost $850.000.
Phone
462-9600
Spos Spoe are named after the town
Spa. a watering place in the Like
Tax #
Fax
province of Belgium, where hydropate
443-8997
was developed from 1886.
The largest spa. monsured by number
available botel rooms. is Vichy, Allier
France, with 14,000 rooms.
The highest French spa is Basige
Hautos-Pyrinces, at 4,068 ft above K
Invel.
HOUSING
According to the National Association
Rentine, the median price of existin
homes and in The 23 Inrgest metropoilter
areak in the United States during the Her
Quatter of 1930 INCS $91,700. The matrapy
Illon with the highest median price too
Honotain. MI. of $367,500.
west of Paris, France, has a facede
Hoteliers Following its acquisition of
1,802 A In length. with 376 windows, The
Holiday Inns North America in February
Largest house The 268-room Biltmon
building. completed in 1682 for Lauis
1990, Back pk. Great Britain's lorges)
House in Ashertic. NO to awned to
XIV. occupied over 30,000 workmen
browing company. became the world's
George and William Cocil. grandsons e:
under Jules Handowin-Manart (1RM)
Impanez notel operator The company now
George Washington Unnderbilt II fill
M. manager and Pennchises 1,697
1814). The were built between 199
170%).
of
atals totaling 325,388 rooms in 50 coun-
and 1805 in an estate of 119,000 heres. BCE
Residential The paince (Tatana Numb
stan. (See Business World-Browers)
cost ($4.4 million: it is now vnlued atl
Name
Iman) of HM the Sultan of Brunci in the
million with 18,000 acros.
A.D
capital Bander Soti Bogawan, completed
Largett lobby The lobby at the Mystt
Regenes, San Francisco. is 350 & long, and
Most expensive The most expensive pr.
in January 1984 at a reported cost of
$350 million. is the larguat in the world.
160 wide, and at 270 R is the height of A
vate home ever Insitt is the Henrer Rand
with 1,788 rooms and 157 Invatories. The
17-story building.
at San Simech, CA. It was built from
1922-20 for William Handelph Hear
underground garage accommodates the
Tellest Mensured from the street level of
(1803-1961). at a total cost of more the
sultan's 110 care
its main entrance to the tnp. the
$30 million. n has more then 100 rooms.
Thetory Westin Stamford in
Largest mout From plens drawn by
Raffice Class Signapore was "topped one
104-ft-long heared swimming pool, a
French sources # appears that three
In March 1881 The $235 million hotel is
83-ft-long assembly hall and a garage to
which surround the Importal Paince in
operated by Wastin Hotel Co. and owned
25 limousines. The house required 80 $
Buljing (see above) mossure 162 A wide
by Reflles City Pte Ltd. However. the
vants to maintain it.
and have a total langth of 10,800 R. In all.
Westin at the Renaisence Center in
Highest price paid for residential
the city's meets total 20 I/s miles.
Datroit-ML, # 748 A tall when measured
property It was reported in June 10K
HOTELS
from the rear entrance.
that entertainment mogal David
Indian
Lorgest The $280-million Excelibur
Smottest Punts Grande Hotel. Las
had paid 847.3 million for the nine-sex
Bapu ("con
Notel/Casine NV, quite on R 17 ACTD site,
Pontas, Hierro Inland. Tenerife in the
Jack Warner patate in Beverly Hills. CA.
father")
Canary Islands has B total area of 6,488.
The setate features "a French-style
was opened 4n April 1000 It line 4,002
M. There are four double bedrooms look-
chateau. three-hole golf course, waterfs.
ined on the same
deluxe rooms and employe * staff of 4,000,
the roadside in
Its facilites include seven theme facture.
ing on to E small terrace. $ lauage. a her-
# havy of fountains. gardens and # STEP
restaurant and a solarium. Reconstructed
lined driveway."
ento and # total of 17 food outlets
throughout the hotel and casine.
in 1987, the building is more than 150 years
Largest non-palatial residence $
old.
Emmerian Castle, Regenshurg. Germans
The Les Vegas Hilton, Reno. NV, butte on
Most expensive The Ponthouse Suite
valued at more than 8177 million. contain
c 63 scra also to 1974-01. has 2,174 FOOMS,
13 international restaurants and a staffor
in the Parment Hosel. San Francisco, CA
517 rooms with a floor space of 231,000 R
can be remited for 98,000 night plus tax.
Only 98 rooms are personally used by the
3.600. Rt NAK # Юлега rechap recreation
deck. 6 48.000 R "pillor-free beliroom and
The price includes AN around-the-clock
family of the late Prince Johannes Ye:
musier and maid, and airport limousine
Thurn und Taxis.
125,000 Rt of convention space.
service. The suite was built in 1987 atop
Longest continuous home con
The Hotal Rossiya in Moscow opened in
the Fairmont's main building. It has an
struction Winchester House in Signature
1962 with 3.200 mems. but because of its
immense drawing room with grand plano,
Jose. CA has boon under construction for
high proportion of dormitory accommo-
a dining room accommodating up to 50, a
26 years. The original house was An eigh
dations. it is not now internationally
two-stary circular library with the cales-
room Dirmhouse with asparate barn on &
Hoted among the Margest hotels.
time constellations in goin en A domad
161 acro estate of Oliver Winchester, with
by
The Ismailove Hotel complex. othered in
culling. & mom. three bedrooms and
did not invent the Winehester rifle. is
Beind IN ih
from bethrooms with 24-carms enid-pinted
July TRAD fee the 22:vf Dismple Games in
owned the patent. Serah Winchester
Risings.
was designed to a
widowed in 1888, consulted a paythic to
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GLOBAL VIEWPOINT -- Lee Kuan Yew
For release Sunday, December 15, 1991
(ITAL) Lee Kuan Yew was the prime minister of Singapore from
1959-1991. Under his strict leadership, Singapore was transformed
from a bustling Third World port to a prototype of economic
prosperity and modernization in Asia. On the eve of President
Bush's scheduled visit in early January to Singapore and the
region, Lee calls for a continued U.S. security presence in East
Asia, warns against re-arming Japan, and explains how a culturally
insular Asia can participate in the new global economy. Lee was
interviewed in late November in Singapore by Global Viewpoint
editor Nathan Gardels. (UNital). Editor.
AN INTERVIEW WITH LEE KUAN YEW
(c) 1991, New Perspectives Quarterly. Dist. by Los Angeles Times
syndicate
I. THE JAPANESE AND AMERICAN PRESENCE IN THE PACIFIC
GLOBAL VIEWPOINT: After the Philippine Congress voted to close
down the U.S. bases there, Singapore offered to be a base for the
U.S. fleet. What is the reason for a continued American military
presence in Asia? Do you fear domination by the Japanese if the
Americans aren't present?
LEE KUAN YEW: Nature does not like a vacuum. And if there is a
vacuum, we can be sure that somebody will fill it. I don't see
Japan particularly wanting to fill that space unless it feels that
its trade routes and access to Gulf oil are threatened.
If the Americans are not around, they (the Japanese) cannot be
sure who will protect their oil tankers. So they have to do
something themselves. That will trigger the Koreans, who fear the
Japanese, then the Chinese. will India then come down to our seas
with two aircraft carriers?
It could be a disastrously unstable state of affairs. so why not
stick with what has worked so far? The U.S. presence has maintained
peace on the high seas of the Pacific since 1945. The American
presence, in my view, is essential for the continuation of
international law and order in East Asia.
GV: The recent debate in Japan over sending Japanese
Self-Defense Forces abroad in multilateral peacekeeping missions
has caused a lot of worry in Asia. Are you concerned?
LEE: Allowing Japan to once again send its forces abroad is like
giving a chocolate liqueur to an alcoholic. Once the Japanese get
off the wagon, it will be hard to stop them.
Whatever the Japanese do, they do very well. It's part of their
culture, whether the task at hand is sharpening a samurai sword or
making a Sony tape recorder or compact disc. so, if they start to
build up an armed force, it will be the best. And it will have the
most sophisticated weaponry.
Although I think the values of the younger generation have
changed, what proof have we that, if they get into a desperate
situation, for example blocked access to oil or markets, they won't
set out with the same zeal as their grandfathers did?
We'd all be happier, including the present generation of
Japanese, if the American security alliance remains, leaving Japan
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PAGE. 003
GLOBAL 12-10-91
PAGE 2
to concentrate on high-definition television.
GV: So from your point of view, the American presence is vital,
both in terms of warding off a security vacuum, and as a guarantee
of open global economic integration?
LEE: Exactly. An Asia in which cooperation and competition
increases everyone's well-being, peacefully and without recourse to
arms, has been the norm.
This kind of Asia, this kind of Pacific, cannot exist without
America being a major economic and security presence. East Asian
prosperity has been built on the global system that America built
up after World War II.
The quiet, slow-paced world where we lived within our own
national boundaries is gone forever. In the postwar era, American
idealism integrated Japan and large parts of Asia into a world that
had been shut to us.
Indeed, American 'power has largely created the integrated world
in which we now live, and it would be utter madness to let it all
crumble after the Cold War has been won. It would cause great
animosity, resentment and eventually conflict to shut out Asia, for
example through the formation of trade blocs, just as we look as if
we are going to make the grade.
No matter what happens to American power, we can't go back. One
cannot disinvent the aircraft or satellite or global consciousness
Americans have created.
(c) 1991, New Perspectives Quarterly. Dist. by Los Angeles Times
Syndicate
II. CULTURAL CONFLICT: EAST VERSUS WEST
GV: Now that the cold war is over, isn't a new conflict arising
between East Asian "communitarian" capitalism and American-style,
individualistic capitalism? Further, isn't this economic conflict
rooted in the deeper differences between the authoritarian bent of
Confucian culture and the extreme individualism of Western
liberalism?
LEE: This is one facet of the problems that arise in a global
economy. Late-comers to industrial development have had to catch up
by finding ways of closing the gap. As it has turned out, the more
communitarian values and practices of the East Asians -- the
Japanese, Koreans, Taiwanese, Hong Kongers and the Singaporeans --
have proven to be clear assets in the catching-up process. The
values that East Asian culture uphold, such as the primacy of group
interests over individual interests, support the total group effort
necessary to develop rapidly.
But I do not see the conflict you describe as competition
between two closed systems. It is rather a process of interaction
and change. I do not see the Americans sticking to a losing
formula. This is a different Wild West. The "Lone Ranger" approach is
no longer the way to conquer the world.
What is needed instead is a regularly constituted cavalry
instead of ad hoc lone rangers. I'm sure the Americans will change
because they don't want to lose.
GV: Perhaps the differing mentalities are most clearly revealed
in the approach to human rights. In one of his first statements as
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PAGE 3
prime minister of Japan, Kiichi Miyazawa argued that Japan would
not only continue to improve commercial ties with the post-Tien An
Men regime in Beijing, but would not let abstract notions of human
rights enter into the relationship.
By contrast, during his recent visit to China, U.S. Secretary of
State James Baker insisted on pressing the human rights issue.
LEE: I perfectly agree with Miyazawa. As prime minister of
Singapore, my first task was to lift my country out of the
degradation that poverty, ignorance and disease had wrought. Since
it was dire poverty that made for such a low priority given to
human life, all other things became secondary.
America and East Asia are very different cultures. China
developed in isolation, with little foreign influence, for
thousands of years. The very young American culture is primarily
derived from Europe.
Given the ancient, complex cultural map of Asia; can we all of a
sudden accept universal values of democracy and human rights as
defined by America? I don't think a resolution of the U.S. Congress
can change China. Values are formed out of the history and
experience of a people. One doesn't learn what is right and wrong
out of a book. One absorbs these notions through the mother's milk.
These are the realities.
BEGIN OPTIONAL TRIM
Moreover, as a Singaporean, I do not believe it appropriate for
the Japanese to speak of Western human rights, given their brutal
trampling of human rights in Singapore.
I recently read a Japanese perspective on that country's actions
in the Second World War. According to this view, Japan had no
choice in bombing Pearl Harbor. She was boxed in. She tried to get
equality of treatment, a clause on non-racial discrimination, in
the Treaty of Versailles. But the white answer was no.
Finally, when she was faced with the oil embargo, it became
apparent that she had to fight or go down on bended knees. So,
because Japan had to build up its own empire, it invaded China and
Manchuria. In that process, which the Japanese say was forced upon
them by a hostile world, they committed horrendous brutality across
East Asia.
Two weeks after Singapore was captured by the Japanese in 1942,
there was a hubbub outside our lone highrise, the Cathay Building,
and I took my. bicycle to have a look. It was the biggest shock of
my life. Severed human heads were stuck on poles outside the
building. A bare wooden board with large brush-painted characters
warned: If you do as this man has been doing, your head will end up
here. town. And they put seven to nine other heads elsewhere all about
The aim of the Japanese authorities was to start off their reign
with everybody knowing the rules of the game. And the rules of the
game were "Off with your head!"
Like everyone else, I was terrified. But there was law and order
during the next three-and-a-half years of the Japanese occupation
of Singapore. of course, the Japanese have not been the only
perpetrators of this kind of brutality in Asia.
END OPTIONAL TRIM
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PAGE 4
Today in China, one still sees televised executions. Because the
country is so vast and densely populated, there can't possibly be a
policeman for each city block. So one must depend on the mass
impact of this kind of retribution to bring about a semblance of
order. It is probably the only way for the death threat to be
effective.
so, our values are different, as they always have been. But now,
television, fax, satellites and aircraft have brought us all into
one world. After taking our separate paths for thousands of years,
we now meet and there is total misunderstanding.
A hundred years from now, I'm sure Europeans, East Asians and
Americans will all arrive at something approximating universal
values and norms.
GV: In terms of human rights?
LEE: Let's call it human behavior in general. The only exception
might be the Moslems, because Islamic injunctions about how to
punish adultery by stoning to death, or thieving by cutting off
hands, are written down in the holy Koran.
GV: In principle, do you believe in one universal standard of
human rights and free expression?
LEE: It is not a matter of principle, but of practice. In the
technologically connected world of today, everybody can watch the
Tien An Men crackdown on TV. Today, transportation is subsonic, but
in another 20 years your son will be able to travel at supersonic
speeds. Instead of 25 hours, in two hours or less he will be able
to go from New York to singapore. In such a world, no society can
be protected from the influence of another.
But that doesn't mean that all Western values will prevail. I
can only say that if Western values are, in fact, superior insofar
as they bring about superior performance in a society and help it
survive, then they will be adopted. I truly believe the process is
Darwinian.
If adopting Western values diminishes the prospects for survival
of a society, they will be rejected. For example, if too much
individualism does not help survival in a densely populated country
like China, it just won't take.
GV: The Chinese intellectual, Liu Binyan, now exiled in the
United States, has criticized Japan's do-nothing approach toward
human rights in China. He has argued that the U.S. should continue
to openly press for human rights in China because it bolsters
liberals in the leadership like Wan Li, head of the People's
Congress. How do you see this?
LEE: I am not sure whether there is a Wan Li human rights
faction in the Chinese leadership. But I do think it is correct to
say that there are different perceptions in China of the relative
merits of American, Japanese and European ways of doing things.
However much Chinese leaders berate Americans because the U.S.
is the world's major power, the leadership knows that the Americans
have in fact been the least exploitative of China when compared to
the Japanese or Europeans. This reality is deep in the historical
memory of the Chinese people. The Americans left behind
universities, schools and scholarships for educating doctors.
And, of course, the Americans tried to convert everybody to
17-DEC-1991 16:34
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PAGE 5
Christianity. In fact, today there are factions in Chinese society,
not just in the Communist leadership, that believe the Americans
are the most evangelistic of the whole lot. The others will just
trade with you and leave you alone, but the Americans will come and
want to convert you. Now it's not Christianity, but human rights
and democracy American-style. The Chinese leaders call it
human-rights imperialism.
GV: But wasn't the Tien An Men movement, with its replica of the
Statue of Liberty and all, really a cry for human rights and
democracy American-style?
LEE: I would not define what happened in the spring of 1989 as a
movement for democracy. It was a movement for change from the total
control of the Communist Party.
If you had questioned a cross section of the student leaders and
others who participated, many of them would have had no clear idea
of what they wanted in place of the Chinese Communist Party that
governs that immense land.
To these young people, democracy means "more freedom for me. But
how does one govern one-quarter of humanity on that basis? By what
principles? By what methods? The demonstrators didn't think it
through.
The tragedy of Tien An Men was that the participants got carried
away by the dynamics of mass emotions in a very densely populated
city. As the events progressed, the slogans that were being put up
became increasingly strident. I watched what was on Chinese TV and
in the Chinese newspapers. The whole thing had evolved into an
attack on Deng Xiaoping, more than (Premier) Li Peng. In my view,
that was unwise. There is, after all, no tradition in Chinese
history of satirizing the emperor. To do a "Doonesbury" cartoon of
the emperor is to commit sedition and treason.
About four or fives days before the end, I read a clever little
doggerel making fun of Deng. I thought, God, this is it. Either
they will get away with this bit of irreverence and disrespect, in
which case Deng is finished, or Deng is going to teach them a
lesson. Deng slapped them down, with an unnecessary use of armor in
my view, to show who was boss.
Why such force, I asked myself? These are not stupid people.
They know what the world will think. My only explanation is that
Deng must have feared that if the movement in Beijing were repeated
in two hundred major Chinese cities, he would not be able to
control it. As with traditional Chinese rulers, he had to set up a
clear if brutal example for all to see.
GV: So Deng was afraid of the pro-democracy movement erupting in
200 cities; that is, among the 20 percent of the population that
doesn't live in the countryside. Doesn't this point up the problem
of how one central policy can't rule two Chinas -- the urban and
the rural at the same time? You yourself have argued for a
twin-track policy that allows more freedom in the cities, where the
educated classes demand it.
LEE: No, not freedom. They will have to have "participation" in
the way they are governed. Let's use neutral words, because when
you use words like "freedom" and "democracy," you scare the Chinese.
Since Tien An Men, these have become code words for subverting
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PAGE 6
China.
I would say this to Li Peng: Once 20 to 30 percent of your urban
population has a college education, the next 40 to 50 percent are
in polytechnic or technical schools, and the rest have a general
education of about a U.S. 10th-grade level, you can no longer just
give orders from the top down if you want to succeed in your
economic development.
With today's high technology, you just can't squeeze the maximum
productivity out of advanced machinery without a self-motivated and
self-governing work force.
What happens, though, when these workers who have learned
self-regulation in the factory and critical thinking pass through
the factory gates and go home?
Quite naturally, the thought occurs that the same processes they
brought to bear in the factory to beneficial results could be
carried outside, to cope with municipal and other domestic
problems. This in turn leads to a demand to elect their own mayors
and town councilors. It led to the birth of environmental movements
in Taiwan and will also do so in China, where the pollution is
worse.
A broader participation in the larger society must take place or
the whole economic effort will collapse. If China wants to develop
at optimal speed, it has to devolve power to the provinces, the
provincial capitals, the cities and the towns. Obviously, such a
devolution will take place more rapidly in the free-trade zones on
China's coast in Guangdong and Fujian.
BEGIN OPTIONAL TRIM
GV: A six-lane highway is being built from Hong Kong to
Guangzhou (Canton) Four-fifths of the investment in Guangzhou is
from Hong Kong. Who is taking over whom in 1997? Is China taking
over Hong Kong, or is Hong Kong taking over Guangdong?
LEE: When you put it in such emotive terms, who is taking over
whom, you immediately arouse negative reflexes. But, yes, the ideas
that make Hong Kong tick are spreading throughout Guangdong and are
going up even into the neighboring provinces. The economic
hinterland. development sucks in population and penetrates ever deeper into the
If China is to progress, the leadership should not interfere
with this process. But they can and should say what parts they
don* want the casino mentality that causes hundreds of millions
to be lost every afternoon at the horse races, or the organized
prostitution and drug rings.
Of course one cannot completely eliminate these things. They
will happen. Freelancers cannot be stopped. For optimum
development, China needs the rapid absorption of practices and
ideas of the free market plus the quick acquisition of the skills
and knowledge necessary for the next stage of industrial
development. The less savory aspects of free-market societies will
always be with us. But in the end Beijing can be politically in
control. They can slap it down, but at a cost.
END OPTIONAL TRIM
GV: But in the end Beijing will have to accommodate the regional
devolution that will sap central power?
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PAGE 7
LEE: In the end? Yes. shall we say in the next 50 years? That is
the amount of time it will take for the whole of China to reach the
level of today's South Korea. In that process they will have
produced a very widespread layer of educated men and women in the
cities. And the cities will grow at least by two or three times in
the next 50 years, from 20 percent of the population to 40 to 60
percent. That is the natural evolution of all industrializing
societies. In these cities, with populations of 20,000 or more, a minimum
of self-government at the municipal level must be set in place.
Such self-governing townships would possess the participatory
rudiments of the Greek city-states. China's modern version will be
on a mega-basis of many thousand such city-states. Around this
base, one can build a pyramid of power to control larger
conglomerations in the rural parts of China. This can combine with
the power structure of the big cities to coordinate consumer
services like transportation and communications.
That is the twin-track approach for development that would carry
Asia into modernity.
BEGIN OPTIONAL TRIM
GV: And so in 50 years the kind of expectations that James Baker
has for human rights might be more realistic?
LEE: I am not sure that in 50 years China will have yet accepted
American-style human rights. However, once they are well above the
poverty level, there will be less of the kind of barbarism where a
man's head is chopped off or he is shot in the back without a
proper trial.
Sometimes, when speaking of human rights, we must put ourselves
in Deng Xiaoping's place. When I talk to Deng, I never allow myself
to forget what this man has gone through. He lost his first family,
slaughtered by the Kuomintang (KMT) He fought to liberate China.
Thousands of his comrades were killed by the KMT, the Japanese,
disease or starvation.
When the Japanese headed toward the Northwest to capture the
heart of China, the Chinese broke the Yellow River dikes to stop
their advance. The following year, there was famine. Millions died
of starvation. But that was the price they had to pay to stop the
Japanese.
so, when one talks to Deng and the other leaders about human
rights and about Tien An Men, where perhaps a thousand students or
workers were killed, let it be against this background. Deng paid
the supreme price to bring order and stability to China, and he
will not stand for irreverent doggerels that could destabilize
China and throw it into chaos.
Who gives him the right? He gave himself the right. That is part
of Chinese culture. It's in the folk saying, "I conquer the world, I
rule the world." And if someone wants to challenge him, they will
have to take a gun and organize and fix him. Questions of human
rights in China must be viewed in those terms.
END OPTIONAL TRIM
(c) 1991, New Perspectives Quarterly. Dist. by Los Angeles Times
Syndicate
17-DEC-1991 16:36
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PAGE 8
III. THE SPECTER OF TRADE BLOCS
GV: Given European integration in 1992, and the impending
formation of a North American Free Trade Area, do you fear a world
breaking into trade blocs?
LEE: If the Uruguay round of GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs
and Trade) fails, it would be an immediate disaster for East Asia
since we are all exporters. We have no major import market yet.
Japan couldn't even survive under these circumstances, so you can
forget the other countries.
I do not yet see trade blocs as a probability, because I think
the people in charge in Europe and the U.S. understand that the
breakup of the global free-trading system will inevitably lead to
great conflicts, as in the depression that preceded World Wax II.
Societies move at different speeds. They are not synchronized. When
one society is waxing, another is waning.
Take China and Japan. The Japanese were not always on top. They
have only been on top this past hundred-odd years. If we don't
allow societies to mesh with each other through trade and the
exchange of goods and services, through investments, trade, and
tourism, we go back to territorial conquests and spheres of
influence.
Every economy needs access to a large land mass with large
populations, diverse markets, natural resources and different
products in order to maximize its output. Thirty percent of our
manufactured exports go the U.S. That figure is 40 to 45 percent
for Taiwan. Japan is also dependent, at 30 percent. Who can absorb
our production at that level in Asia?
so, if you close off Europe or America in trade blocs, then you
will force Asia into one seething cramped mess. Then Asia and
Europe and America will start squabbles over other people's
resources, like Middle East oil. That leads inexorably to conflict.
GV: Aren't the rapidly growing economies in Asia themselves
changing and becoming more consumer-oriented economies?
LEE: I would say that, over the next 10 to 15 years, exports to
the U.S. as a percentage of total exports from each of the East
Asian countries will go down, because our trade with each other now
is increasing at about four to five times the rate of export growth
to America.
Because of the huge cross-linked investments within the region
and the large populations and resources in Southeast Asia, the
whole of East Asia will become a very big market after 10 years.
(c) 1991, New Perspectives Quarterly. Dist. by Los Angeles Times
Syndicate
17-DEC-1991 17:07
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PA "
Telex (ITT)/440024 SINGEMB
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Date:
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To:
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WHITE HOUSE
Fax No:
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From:
ONG KENG YONG
CHARGE D'AFFAIRES A.1.
Subject:
SPEECH BY SM LEE KUAN YEW
TOKYO a MAY 91
No of Pages: 17
including this page
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TPR R AS
Media Division, Ministry of Information & The Arts 36th Storey. PSA Building 460 Alexandra Road Singapore 0511. Tel: 2799794/5.
Release No: 08/MAY
AMENDED COPY
02-2/91/05/09
SPEECH BY MR LEE KUAN YEW,
SENIOR MINISTER OF SINGAPORE,
AT ASAHI SHIMBUN SYMPOSIUM
IN TOKYO ON 9 MAY 1991
Under the theme "Challenges for the 21st Century",
Asahi Shimbun wants the members of its International Advisory
Board to indicate the direction Japan should take in the new
order after the end of the Cold War. In particular, Asahi
wants me to focus on
(I)
Japan's role in Asia under the new order now emerging
and also to speak on
(II)
the political stability and democracy of Asian
countries.
PART I - JAPAN'S ROLE IN ASIA
Japan's role in Asia depends on the kind of the world
in the 21st century. There was tremendous optimism after
9 November 1989 when the Berlin Wall was voluntarily
demolished. The Eastern bloc of Communist countries was
dissolving as a threat to the security of Europe. The world
was enthused by a Soviet President who allowed the Warsaw Pact
and COMECON to dissolve whilst he moved the Soviet Union
towards a multi-party political system with a free market
economy.
But events in 1990 showed this optimism was excessive.
They revealed the underlying realities, that even if the
17-DEC-1991 17:08
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2
Soviet Union ceases to be a threat, there are still many deep-
rooted problems in the world which can upset world peace.
That was the sombre meaning of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.
There are other intractable problems in the Middle East:
Palestinians vs Israelis, or Arabs VS Israelis, Arabs vs
Iranians, radical Arabs vs monarchical Arabs and poor Arabs vs
rich Arabs. Beyond the Middle-East: there are other
seemingly unsolvable problems, Greece and Turkey, Yugoslavia,
Rumania, India and Pakistan.
After the resignation of Shevardnadze as Soviet
Foreign Minister in December 1990, a hardline view of Soviet
national interest reasserted itself. The world was reminded
that even if the Soviet Union becomes a western type democracy
with a free-market economy, its national interests will from
time to time be opposed to that of the US and the Europeans.
With or without a Cold War, colliding national interests are
inevitable. This was the meaning of the efforts of Mr
Primakov on behalf of Mr Gorbachev to help Iraq save face and
withdraw from Kuwait before the land war started.
European stability and security which looked so
promising in the first half of 1990 now appear less certain.
The Soviet Union faces severe economic and political
difficulties. Its trend towards liberalisation and democracy
has been stalled. Mr Shevardnadze was not just being alarmist
when he warned of authoritarian forces taking over as he
resigned in December last year. And as disorder in the Soviet
Union becomes more threatening, NATO's value is underlined,
for the time being.
US needs support from Japan and Germany for world role
These threats make the UN more important than ever.
The 12 UNSC Resolutions on Iraq held out high promise of the
UN playing an increased role in upholding world peace. But
Soviet reasonableness in the UNSC cannot be assumed. Peace
and security both in Europe and in the Pacific still depend on
a balance of power. A US military presence in both regions is
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very necessary. However unless the US economy becomes more
dynamic and less debt-laden, this presence will be much
reduced by the end of this decade. The longer-term outlook
then becomes problematic. Even if the US deficits are
reduced, industrial productivity improves and exports
increase, the US nevertheless cannot afford and will not be
willing to bear the whole cost of the global security burden.
Other nations must help to share this burden, as in the case
of the Gulf war. The responsibility of Japan and Germany to
pay for and indeed to take a more active role in international
security is unavoidable. Japan now has the second largest
economy in the world and she cannot act as she has been doing.
Together with the US and EC she has to share the
responsibility for maintaining the global system of security
and economic co-operation.
The great danger is that US economy does not recover
quickly enough, and trade frictions and Japan-bashing increase
as America becomes protectionist. The worst case is where
trade and economic relations become so bad that mutual
security ties are weakened and ruptured. That is so dreadful
and dangerous a development that I assume that everything
possible will be done by both Japan and US to avoid it.
UN more necessary in 21st century
In the 21st century, competition between nations will
increasingly be in economics. Except in crisis situations
economic power already gives a country more influence and
leverage than military power, as the experience of the Soviet
Union has shown. For economic co-operation, there are
existing organisations such as the UN, World Bank, GATT, IMF,
BIS, WHO, FAO which can be improved and made more effective.
Japan's economic rank as the world's second largest economy
with a GNP about 60 per cent that of US GNP means she has to
carry a proportionate share of the costs. Japan can play key
roles in these organisations.
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Japan's Foreign Policy Objectives
Japanese Prime Minister Kaifu in a speech to the Diet
on Mar 2, 1990, spelt out the direction of Japanese foreign
policy:
"The new international order that we seek must be one
that strives:
first, to ensure peace and security;
second, to respect freedom and democracy;
third, to guarantee world prosperity through open
market economies;
fourth, to preserve an environment in which all
people can lead rewarding lives; and,
fifth, to create stable international relations
founded upon dialogue and cooperation."
In other words, Japan seeks a global role which is peaceful
and non-threatening. This will benefit the world.
However, if Japan is not first accepted by her
neighbours as one of the leaders of her region, East Asia
(Northeast and Southeast), a global role will not come easily.
America's leadership in the Americas and Germany's leadership
in Western, Eastern or Central Europe, gave them their
constituencies for their global roles. Britain lost her
regional leadership when she was left out of the EEC. To
regain the global role she had formerly played, she had to
join the EEC. This leadership pattern based on regional
support has become the convention in the UN, UN agencies, G77
and the Non-Aligned Movement.
Regional constituency necessary for diplomatic influence
When Japan can speak for her regional constituency,
she will carry more weight in the annual G7 summits. Then
Japan will get into key positions in regional and
international organisations. In this respect, compared to
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Germany, Japan has a longer road to travel. Post WW2 Germany
has been accepted by her neighbours in Europe because:
(1)
Germany openly acknowledges her mistakes in WW2
and German children in schools are taught about
Germany's errors.
(2)
Germans have a less insular culture. For a long
time since before WW1, Germany has played host to
foreign traders, musicians, artists, tourists,
who come in tens of thousands from Europe,
America, Asia, Africa, to study German language,
culture and technology.
(3)
Germans have a longer history of active promotion
of their language and culture through
institutions like the Goethe Institute and
through their foreign aid and investments.
Forms of power
There are four forms of power which enable a country
to play a major role in the world or in its region:
(1) Military:
Japan has abjured this by Article 9 of her
Constitution.
(2)
Diplomatic:
Japan lacks diplomatic influence in key capitals.
(3) Financial:
Japan's strength is growing rapidly and she is
becoming the major creditor nation.
(4) Industrial:
Japan is fast becoming if it is not already the
leading industrial power, with high capability in
industrial engineering and manufacturing.
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For the Asia Pacific region, the ideal arrangement
is to have Japan's financial and industrial power complement
US military and diplomatic power.
However, a US World and News Report (April 8, 1991)
spoke for many Americans: "For the Japanese, the bitter
lesson of the Gulf war is that money cannot buy them love, or
even respect. Despite having ponied up US$13 billion
Japan watched with horror as its international stature shrank
and relations with the United States sank to new lows."
This would not have been the case if Japan had
participated in the Gulf War by sending transport-aircraft,
minesweepers or other non-offensive, non-lethal units, or if
Japan possessed the diplomatic and media influence to have
helped to shape the policies that resulted in the expulsion of
Iraq from Kuwait. However, in the long run, Japan cannot
avoid its international obligations to participate in UN
peacekeeping operations. She can fulfil these obligations by
contributing units which are non-offensive units but are
exposed to the danger of casualties so that not only American
and European blood is shed for a UN cause.
Whether Japan can go further without alarming her
neighbours, depends upon whether by her openness and sincerity
she can change their perceptions of Japan's character and
future goals. They have unforgettable memories of Japan's
militaristic culture which resulted in unnecessary cruelty and
inhumanity.
In Singapore on 3 May 1991, for the first time a
Japanese Prime Minister, Mr Toshiki Kaifu, officially
expressed his "sincere contrition" for the "unbearable
sufferings and sorrow" of many peoples in Asia caused by
Japan. This is a good beginning for a catharsis, a
purification by purging her guilt, which will benefit both
Japan and her former victims. Repressed feelings brought into
the open can relieve both sides from the burden of terrible
memories and what is worse, suspicions about the future.
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However, young Japanese in schools must be part of this
catharsis through their teachers and textbooks. When this is
done Japan will be able to play a fuller role for peace and
stability in the world, especially in Southeast Asia.
Media Influence Necessary For Diplomatic Influence
In a world of instant communications, media influence
reinforces diplomatic influence. The way news is presented
shapes opinion. And public attitudes towards a crisis as it
develops, influences the stand a government can take. To
illustrate this point, let me refer to the diplomatic and
media influence of the US in the Gulf War. US diplomatic
influence was able to bring together a remarkably diverse
coalition support both in the UNSC and in military forces in
the Gulf. Next consider the profound impact of the American
media on the reporting of the Gulf War. CNN had a world
audience, including many if not all world leaders during the
Gulf War from January 16 to February 28. Everybody watched it
"live" as events unfolded. A speech by President Bush on
February 22 setting out terms for Iraq's withdrawal before the
land war, was watched live worldwide and reacted to
instantaneously. Those world leaders who missed it, quickly
got to see a repeat broadcast. The impact was profound and
worldwide, scenes through the window of the US President and
his advisers drafting and redrafting his statement before he
came out to the Rose Garden to deliver it to the world. Then
Mr Gorbachev immediately phoned him.
Now other television companies from Britain, Europe
and Japan are getting together to compete against CNN. I
believe that for many years it will be easier for a British or
European media consortium to get across to the world their
view of events, than for a Japanese network, even if the
Japanese TV network uses impeccable English in their
presentation. Before non-Japanese will accept a view seen
through Japanese spectacles, they must first understand and
appreciate Japanese culture. This is so especially for
countries in Asia. Asian peoples understand American,
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British, French, even German culture. Many find parts of US
and European culture and society admirable, and want to
emulate those parts.
Therefore to have influence, Japan has to become more
international-minded, more outward going in her outlook and
less self-centred, more open and hospitable to foreigners,
especially to fellow Asians, who rank low in Japanese esteem.
A society which is courteous but not warm and friendly is not
SO readily accepted, admired, and emulated.
Compared to Washington, New York, London, Paris or
Frankfurt, Tokyo is less cosmopolitan. If the educated elite
in Asia today understands the Japanese language, like they do
English, there will be deeper appreciation of Japanese culture
and so readier acceptance of the Japanese view. For this to
happen Japan must make people want to learn the Japanese
language and appreciate Japanese culture. The figures of
foreign students in the five largest industrial nations in
1989 are instructive: 37,000 in Japan, 385,000 America,
72,000 Britain, 138,000. France, 104,000 Germany. The Japanese
Government must be alive to this problem because from 8,000 in
1980, growth has been a phenomenal 460% to reach 37,000 in 9
years. But the remaining gap shows what a long way Japan has
still to go. If the Japanese continue to remain special and
different from other peoples, which is what Japan's officials
often told those who negotiate with them across the table,
they risk isolation.
Japan's closer economic ties with East Asia
I have chosen to emphasise these intangibles rather
than the concrete, like the Japanese role in the economic
development and industrialisation of Asia. Japan has been the
catalyst that has spread industrialisation in East Asia
through trade, investments and tourism. And by her example,
Japan can speed up this transformation by opening their
markets further so that within 10 years the countries of East
Asia (both Northeast and Southeast) may have as much trade
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with Japan as with the US, and may have their exports to Japan
equal their exports to the US.
The bigger the economies of East Asia, the bigger
their markets. Japan will not be so totally dependent on the
markets of US and EC for her exports. Moreover a large
consumer market in Asia-Pacific makes the region a more
attractive trading partner to US and EC and will check their
protectionist lobbies. It will make for a more balanced and a
more prosperous world.
PART II - POLITICAL STABILITY & DEMOCRACY IN ASIA
I shall now turn to the next subject of political
stability and democracy in Asia. Democracy is the ideological
answer of the West to Communism. The West has pushed
democracy and human rights vigorously as a universal solution
for countries all over the world regardless of history,
tradition, cultural values, or economic conditions.
Universality of Democracy?
The first question then: Is Democracy universally
valid? After WW2 when the British and French dismantled
their empires in the 1940's - 60's, the British and French
governments gave their newly independent colonies democratic
constitutions modelled on their own. There were over 40
British type and over 25 French type constitutions. Twenty to
forty years since then, the results have been patchy and
uneven.
In spite of this, the West led by America puts the
credo simply as democracy is universally good for all peoples,
and that to progress, modernise and become industrial
societies, they should become democracies. Now that the Cold
War has ended, I hope it is possible for Western political
scientists to write in more objective terms. Why has
democracy not worked in most of these newly independent
countries? In particular, why has an American based
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constitution failed to work in America's only former colony,
the Philippines? The Philippines experiment in democracy
started with independence and elections in 1946. That
experiment in democracy failed in 1972 with martial law, long
before Marcos was ousted in 1986. A second American based
constitution was promulgated by President Aquino in February
1987. Whilst a Constitutional Commission was sitting to frame
this constitution, 4 coups were attempted. In May 1987,
elections were held for a Senate and a House of
Representatives. This still did not settle the loyalty of the
Armed Forces because three more coup attempts followed.
For many centuries democratic governments were found
only in a few nations, where the character of the people and
their circumstances were favourable: first in Britain, then
exported to her former white colonies or dominions like
America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
When Westerners speak candidly
From time to time a Western leader speaks out from the
heart. Mrs Thatcher did this in March this year. She was in
the United States to receive the Medal of Freedom from
President Bush. In a TV interview, talking about Europeans
who want political union she said: "We the UK are 700 years
old. Germany's Parliament is only 40, Spain a dozen years
old, Portugal even less." (Sunday Times, London, 10/3/91).
She could have added that America's is over 200 years,
Canada's 123, Australia's 90, New Zealand's 83. The French on
the other hand have had 7 constitutions and governing charters
in the 200 years since their revolution in 1789, and two of
these were monarchical aristocracies, not democracies. And
their present constitution is only 33 years old from 1958 when
General De Gaulle took over after the collapse of the 4th
French Republic.
Mrs Thatcher's view was that in spite of sharing a
common European history and culture for over 2000 years since
the Roman Empire, only the British can claim 700 years of
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parliamentary democracy since Magna Carta. She also reminded
the Germans that they have been democratic for only 40 years.
Pessimistic British view of democracy for Soviet Union
When Western commentators are not writing to convert a
third world country to democracy, they are more objective.
For example, when they discuss the Soviet Union, they say
openly that democracy will not work. Jonathan Eyal, Director
of Studies, Royal United Services Institute in London, in "The
Independent" newspaper (March 22, 1991) said:
"The middle-class ethos, responsible in the West for
enshrining compromise and moderation as supreme
values, is still lacking in the USSR."
"They are, therefore, advising
Mr Gorbachev to create domestic institutions, in order
to provide his country with the instruments for a
social dialogue."
"Yet democracy is not simply a matter of ballot
boxes, elections or political parties. Indeed,
democracy may not be a political system at all but,
rather, a way of life which depends on an accepted
social contract, mutual respect, moderation and the
explicit acceptance that no one is the possessor of a
universal truth.
He concluded that: "The Soviet empire will collapse sooner
rather than later."
European historians ascribe Russia's lack of a liberal
civic society to the fact that she missed the Renaissance
(middle 15th -end 16th century) and also the Enlightenment
(18th century). These were the two leavening experiences that
lifted Western Europe to a more humane culture.
Now if democracy will not work for the Russians a
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white Christian people, can we assume that it will naturally
work with Asians?
Asia's Top Priority - Political Stability
The basic problem facing all Asian countries other
than Japan is how to maintain political stability. Their old
communities were in small territories ruled by tribal chiefs
or sultans. European colonial governments later amalgamated
these small territories into larger administrative units. Now
these larger units embracing diverse peoples have become new
nations.
Rupert Emerson, Professor of Government in Harvard,
defines a nation thus:
"A single people, traditionally fixed on a well-
defined territory, speaking the same language and
preferably a language all its own, possessing a
distinctive culture, and shaped to a common mould by
many generations of shared historical experience".
Prof Robert Tilman, University of North Carolina, in
his book "South East Asia and the Enemy Beyond" (Westview
Press, 1987), pointed out that by this definition, Thailand is
the only country in Southeast Asia which is a nation, and that
only if Muslims in the South are excluded. He sums up the
situation thus:
"For every ASEAN member there are tigers at the door,
tigers in the jungles, and tigers in the kitchen. The
future is fraught with risks for every state in the
region. The association is a fragile organisation,
and every state belonging to it is also fragile.
Outside forces over which each has no control could
loose centrifugal forces tugging at ASEAN unity.
Outside forces might also set off internal chain
reactions that could topple any of the current regimes
and wipe out the gains of the last few decades."
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Political stability during a period of transition to a
modern state is under great stress. But stability is the
basic pre-condition for success. Whole peoples must acquire
new knowledge and new skills so that they can work, repair and
maintain machines, both for industry and agriculture. To do
this there must be the firm framework of law and order within
which learning, working and excelling are encouraged and
rewarded. Several countries like South Korea and Taiwan have
succeeded in industrialising.
Need for democratic participation in NIEs
After they have achieved a certain level of
modernisation, new pressures threaten their political
stability. Their people's thinking and attitudes change as a
result of education plus knowledge of the outside world
especially America, Europe and Japan. Educated Koreans and
Taiwanese then question the basis of the legitimacy of their
governments. The governments of South Korea and Taiwan have
adopted more representative forms of governments. Both are in
the process of adjusting to and absorbing these changes.
South Korea has had more difficulties, especially with their
trade unions. Korean culture has always extolled the fighter
who fights to the bitter end. The spirit of give and take, to
live and let live, is not part of traditional Korean culture.
Traditional Culture and Democracy
Progress towards democracy amongst Asian countries has
been uneven because often the losing side has been unwilling
to accept the results of an election, and instead continued to
agitate and oppose both inside and outside their legislative
assemblies. This has led to instability, and as instability
threatens progress, governments curtail democratic rights.
Many Asian countries which have worked democratic
constitutions have from time to time, had to invoke emergency
rule or martial law. Even the British have had to do this in
Northern Ireland. For democracy to work without being
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suspended from time to time, a people must acquire, if they
have not inherited, cultural habits that make contending
groups adjust differences or conflicts not by violence but by
give and take. People must accept a view or policy as valid
because that was the way the votes fell, whilst they work
peacefully for a change in the next elections. But before
this can happen, a people must have reached a certain high
level of education and economic development which has produced
a sizeable middle-class so that life is not such a fight for
basic survival.
Japan reached that level long before WW2. South Korea
and Taiwan reached that level in the late 1970's. They are
now moving towards more representative government. People in
South Korea and Taiwan are at a stage where the active
participation of knowledgeable managers, engineers,
supervisors and workers in decision-making on the factory
floor has become a way of life. Such people naturally have
the urge to extend this habit of participation to matters of
government.
In China, a country with a large rural mass, some 80
per cent of her 1,100 million people, political change has to
be differently geared for the rural and the urban areas.
Peasants in the countryside are often content to live quiet
lives and let the government be run by their betters, be they
emperors or communist mandarins. This is why the Communists
in Albania were able to garner support from the rural areas.
The problem for China is how to accommodate the desire of
their educated and knowledgeable people in the cities to
decide how they are to be governed. These are people who are
well-informed about other societies, including Taiwan and Hong
Kong. But the 900 million peasants have different priorities
and concerns. One-man one-vote for 1,100 million Chinese to
choose a President, a Congress or a Senate, will lead to
chaotic results. But then neither can a self perpetuating
Communist party claim to represent the people. They have to
win the support and cooperation of their educated in the
cities because, without their participation, modernisation
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will be slow and difficult.
Political Change - a Darwinian Process
Each country in Asia will chart its own way forward.
Every country wants to be developed and wealthy. They will
adopt and adapt those features or attributes of successful
countries, which they think will help them succeed. If these
features work and improve their rate of progress, they will be
permanently incorporated. If they do not work or cause
difficulties, they will be abandoned. It is akin to social
Darwinism, a process of trial and error in which survival is
the test of what works.
In the present stage of human civilisation,
industrialisation has meant urbanisation. The result is large
and dense concentrations of people who are well informed
through radio, TV, newspapers and have access to worldwide
information by telephone, fax and computers. To succeed in
governing such a society, a government must have legitimacy,
ie acceptance by its people that it has the right to govern
them. The lack of legitimacy is the crisis Communist
governments of Eastern Europe have faced and the government of
Soviet Union still faces.
Simply modelling a system on the American, British or
West European constitution is not how Asian countries will or
can go about it. The peoples of Asia want higher standards of
living in an orderly society. They want to have as much
individual choice in life-style, political liberties and
freedoms as is compatible with the interests of the community.
After a certain stage of advance in education and
industrialisation, a people may need representative government
however chosen in order to reconcile conflicting group
interests in society and maintain social order and stability.
Representative government is also one way for a people to
forge a new consensus, a social compact, on how a society
settles the trade-off between further rapid economic growth
and individual freedoms.
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South Korea and Taiwan have succeeded and become
industrialised and have gone towards more representative
government. TV, tourism and information technology have
speeded up this process of learning, imitating, and changing.
Every country must evolve its own style of representative
government. Indeed a country is not likely to succeed unless
it adapts or modifies US or European democratic practices to
fit its different circumstances. In a world where markets and
competition are global, a government has to create a consensus
to get its people, workers, management and government, to co-
operate in order to succeed. In a modern industrial economy,
a people must support the major decisions which shape their
destiny because active worker participation is the basis of
high productivity. And when their higher productivity raises
their standards of education and living to a sufficiently high
level, they are more likely to settle differences by accepting
that, until the next elections, the majority view as expressed
in last elections is decisive.
In Singapore, the British gave us their form of
Parliamentary government. Our problem has been how to
maintain stability in spite of the destabilising tendencies of
one-man one-vote in a new society divided by race, language
and religion. We have had to put political stability as the
first priority. As we progressed to higher educational and
economic levels, we have widened participation in decision
making. But no singaporean leader can afford to put political
theory above the practical need of stability and orderly
progress. On this, I believe I speak for most, if not all of
Asia, at present.
PMO/SRMmay09.'91/Pgs.1-16
December 12, 1991
MEMORANDUM FOR TONY SNOW
FROM:
MICHELE NIX
SUBJECT:
SINGAPORE LECTURE SERIES
The event will be held at the Westin-Stamford Hotel in the Raffles
Ballroom. The Westin-Stamford is across the street from the
Raffles Hotel (where POTUS has other event). Approximately 2,000-
2,500 people are expected to attend -- American and Singaporean
business leaders, academics, and government officials.
Sr. Minister of the Lecture Series (put on by the Institute for
Southeast Asian Affairs -- its 10th year of the series) is Lee Kuan
Yew, former Prime Minister. [Lee is a good friend of the Pres and
First Lady; he visited here in January.] Lee is the George
Washington of Singapore. He is very well thought of by
Singaporeans and people in the Southeast Asia region. He was
elected in 1959. Considered a visionary leader, Lee brought
independence to his country and took Singapore from a developing
country to a developed one. His leadership is considered a
spectacular economic success story. He stepped down in 1990 and
his protege, Goh Chok Tong, took over.
Lee also remains very outspoken for a U.S. presence in Singapore.
He favors a U.S. security umbrella -- contending that it provided
stability and security thus allowing Singapore to prosper under a
favorable security climate.
Per DCM Arthur Kobler: the mood of the audience will be very
favorable toward POTUS. He is very well respected. However, their
concern lies in a U.S. commitment and ability to maintain a
presence in wake of the Cold War end. The fear is that, given our
weak economy, if U.S. businesses do not remain competitive, another
superpower could overtake their markets. They'd prefer a balance
rather than a deluge of Japanese interests.
Kobler suggests: do not drown them in statistical reports, but in
language that is foremost encouraging and comforting -- and that
offers a sense of vision for the future of the region, not just
Singapore.
Acknowledgements to date include: Lee Kuan Yew; Prime Minister
Goh Chok Tong; Deputy Prime Minister Br. General Lee Hsien Long
(Lee's son); and Director of the Institute K.S. Sandhu
I've included the following: Draft remarks from State; trade info
from USTR; color material; general info on Singapore --
demographics, gov't, etc. (I should receive additional info from
State [bios, speech excerpts, etc.] later today.)
COLOR
Joke material would work best if centered on universal themes --
family, for example (Barbara, children).
This Chinese Year is ending -- the year of the ram. The next
Chines New Year, coming up on Feb. 4, is the year of the monkey.
The end of the lunar year in Singapore is considered a time to
settle all debts, settle all scores. Everyone starts out the new
year being very friendly to one another.
Christmas is celebrated here. Santa Claus is everywhere on the
streets and in the shops, encouraging consumers to spend.
Singapore is a spotlessly clean -- some say sterile -- modern
metropolis, surrounded by green, groomed parks and populated by
2.7 million extremely polite, well-mannered people.
The main production categories are oil refining, shipbuilding and
repair, electrical and electronic equipment, non-electrical
machinery, chemicals, foods and beverages, and printing and
publishing.
Singapore ranks among the world's busiest seaports.
Singapore's chief trading partners are the US, Japan, Malaysia, the
European Economic Community, and (for oil) the Middle East.
Singapore's modern history begins with an Englishman, Sir Thomas
Stamford Raffles. In 1819, Raffles acquired the island from the
Malay Sultan of Johor on behalf of the British East India Company.
With extraordinary foresight, he laid the foundations for a great
modern city, envisaging the transformation of a tiny fishing
village into a free-trade emporium that would have global
importance.
National Anthem
Let us, the people of Singapore, together march forward towards
happiness. Our noble aspiration is to see Singapore achieve
success. Let us unite in a new spirit. We all pray: "May
Singapore Progress", "May Singapore Progress."
US and Asia Statistical Handbook, 1990
Unemployment rate 2.0%
Land Area: 239 square miles
Cultivated Land Area: 9%
Resources: none
Major agricultural product: hogs, poultry, orchids, vegetables
Major imports: capital equipment, manufactured goods, transport
equipment, consumer goods.
Major exports: machinery, manufactured goods, transport equipment,
refined petroleum, rubber, electronics.
GDP: 1989 -- 24 billion US dollars
1989 Singaporean Direct Investment in the US: US$ 1,216,000,000
Cable re: trip
-- The first American Consul in Singapore came to this area in
1834. He was Joseph Balestier. He was accompanied by his spouse
Maria Revere Balestier, daughter of Paul Revere. He officially
became consul in 1837.
-- The Balestiers are remembered here by a bell cast in the Revere
works in Boston, which was presented to the original church of St.
Andrew by Maria revere Balestier. As you know, that bell is now
in Singapore's National Museum.
SINGAPORE
From Malay Proverbs, by Sir Richard Winstedt and Dr. Tan Chin
Kwang:
*
Malay: "Kalau sepohon kayu banyak akarnya lagi teghu, apa
ditakutkan ribut?"
English translation: If a tree has roots many and firm, there
is no need to fear the tempest.
Meaning: He who has many friends ready to help need not fear
threats.
Confucian Sayings:
The master said,
'Have no friends not equal to yourself.'
The master said, 'To be fond of learning is to be near to
knowledge. To practice with vigor is to be near to
magnanimity. To possess the feeling of shame is to be near
to energy. He who knows these three things, knows how to
cultivate his own character. Knowing how to cultivate his own
character, he knows how to govern other men. Knowing how to
govern other men, he knows how to govern the kingdom the
kingdom with all its states and families.'
"Wisdom, compassion and courage -- these are the three universally
recognized moral qualities of men.
Encyclopedia Americana
Singapore is the smallest nation in Southeast Asia (an island city-
state).
Singapore was founded in 1819 by a British trading company, and
came under direct British rule in 1867. Free trade and, until
1930, unrestricted immigration made it a prosperous colony with a
largely Chinese population. Singapore was also Britain's most
strongly fortified naval base in Asia, but it fell helplessly to
a rearward attack by the Japanese army in WWII.
Trade, together with services such as shipping, storage, banking,
insurance, and telecommunications have given Singaporeans the
reputation of being the most highly skilled middlemen of Asia.
When Singapore became self-governing in 1959, its leaders
recognized that the commercial sector alone could not sustain the
island's economic growth in the face of rapid population increase
and accelerated competition from neighboring countries.
Introduction
dia, there are also Musims
numbers, Bengalis, Biharis, Gujeratis, Marathis, Kashmiris,
by Nigel Fisher
As you are efficiently processed through Changi International
and Punjabis. From Sri Lanka come other Hindu Tamils and
Nigel Fisher is the
Airport, then whisked away in a taxi or air-conditioned coach
the Sinhalese (often mistaken for Indians), who are neither
editor of the
along a park-lined expressway to your high-rise hotel, don't let
Hindu nor Muslim but follow the teachings of Hinayana Bud-
monthly travel
first impressions lead you to write Singapore off as just another
dhism.
publication
modern international city. Though it may no longer be the rich-
Voyager
ly exotic and romantic city so vividly documented by Conrad
Today, Indians, who account for 7% of Singapore's population,
International. He
and Kipling, Singapore is yet a unique city where the flavor,
remain deeply tied to their community and traditional customs.
spirituality, and gentle manners of the East peacefully co-exist
Hinduism remains a powerful force-Singapore has more than
has traveled
with the comforts, conveniences, and efficiency of the West.
20 major temples devoted to Hindu gods-and some of the
extensively
Tamil Hindu festivals, such as Thaipusam, are expressed with
throughout Asia
Here you'll find some of the world's most luxurious hotels, of-
more feverish ritualism than in India. Indian food, too, remains
and the world.
fering incomparable service and all the amenities, from fitness
true to its roots; it has been said that one can eat better curries
centers with computer-monitored exercise equipment to thick
in Singapore than in India.
terry-cloth bathrobes. On Orchard Road, smartly dressed
shoppers browse among glittering shop windows before head-
While the Malays, Chinese, and Indians account for 97% of
ing into the dozens of huge side-by-side shopping complexes,
Singapore's population, other ethnic groups-from Eurasians
jam-packed with boutiques carrying the latest Paris fashions
to Filipinos, from Armenians to Thais-contribute significant-
or Japanese electronics at irresistible prices. And in elegant
ly to the nation's cultural mix. Understandably, the British and
French restaurants, with gleaming silver and crystal and elab-
the heritage of their colonial stay is profoundly felt even though
orate displays of orchids and roses, tuxedoed waiters serve
Singapore became an independent nation in 1967.
some of the best cuisine this side of the Seine.
In a part of the world where histories tend to be ancient and
Here you'll also find ethnic neighborhoods, built up around
rich, Singapore is unique in having almost no history at all.
mosques and temples, where Chinese or Indian or Malay mer-
Modern Singapore tends to date its history from the early
chants dressed in traditional garb hawk the herbal medicines or
morning of January 29, 1819, when a representative of the Brit-
spices or batiks that spill out of their small shops onto the nar-
ish East India Company, Thomas Stamford Raffles, stepped
row streets. At the many food centers that dot the city,
ashore at Singa Pura (Sanskrit for "lion city"), as the island was
Teochew and Hokkien, Tamil and Malay cooks in adjacent open-
then called, hoping to establish a British trading settlement on
front stalls whip up authentic and delicious dishes whose reci-
the southern part of the Malay Peninsula. The two sons of the
pes have been handed down in their families for generations.
previous sultan, who had died six years earlier, were in dispute
To arrive in Singapore is to step into a world where the muezzin
over who would inherit the throne. Raffles backed the claim of
call to prayer competes with the bustle of capitalism; where old
the elder brother, Tunku Hussein Mohamed Shah, and pro-
men play mah-jongg in the streets and white-clad bowlers send
claimed him sultan. Offering to support the new sultanate with
the ball flying down well-tended cricket pitches; where Chi-
British military strength, Raffles persuaded him to grant the
nese fortune tellers and high-priced management consultants
British a lease allowing them to establish a trading post on the
advise the same entrepreneur.
island in return for an annual rent; within a week the negotia-
tions were concluded. (A later treaty ceded the island outright
This great diversity of lifestyles, cultures, and religions
to the British.)
thrives within the framework of a well-ordered society. Singa-
pore is a spotlessly clean-some say sterile-modern metropo-
Thus began the continual rapid changing and adapting that
lis, surrounded by green, groomed parks and populated by 2.7
characterizes Singapore to this day: Within three years, the
million extremely polite, well-mannered people.
small fishing village, surrounded by swamps and jungle and
Malays, who have the oldest historical claim to Singapore, to-
populated by only tigers and 200 or so Malays, had become a
day account for 14.9% of its population. Their faith in Allah and
boomtown of 10,000 immigrants, administered by 74 British
their orientation to family and service to the community pro-
employees of the East India Company.
vide a more relaxed, peaceful, and communal flavor and act as a
As Singapore grew, the British erected splendid public build-
counterpoint to the entrepreneurial vigor of the Chinese.
ings, churches, and hotels, often using Indian convicts for la-
Though the Chinese make up approximately 76% of the popula-
bor. The Muslim, Hindu, Taoist, and Buddhist communities—
tion, their ranks comprise at least half a dozen different ethnic
swelling rapidly from the influx of fortune-seeking settlers
groups-Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese, Hakka, Fukien,
from Malaya, India, and South China-built mosques, tem-
Hainanese-each with its own language, mythology, and espe-
ples, and shrines. Magnificent houses for wealthy merchants
cially cuisine. They came as impoverished immigrants in the
sprang up, and the harbor became lined with godowns (ware-
19th century and now hold the economic and political strings of
houses) to hold all the goods passing through the port.
the island nation.
It was certainly an exotic trade that poured through Singa-
Singapore's Indian population, who also descend from 19th-
pore. Chinese junks came loaded with tea, porcelain, silks, and
century immigrants, are almost as ethnically diverse as the
artworks; Bugis (Indonesian) schooners carried in cargos of
Chinese. While the majority are Hindu Tamils from South In-
precious spices, rare tropical hardwoods, camphor, and pro-
duce from all parts of Indonesia. These goods, and more like
Singapore
334
Staying in Singapore
335
them from Siam, the Philippines, and elsewhere in the region,
were traded in Singapore for manufactured textiles, coal, iron,
Staying in Singapore
cement, weapons, and machinery and other fruits of Europe's
industrial revolution. Another major product traded here by
Getting Around Singapore
the British was opium, grown in India and sold to mainland
China.
By Subway The most recent addition to Singapore's public transport sys-
tem is a superb subway, known as the MRT, consisting of two
By the turn of the century, Singapore had become the entrepot
lines that run north-south and east-west and cross at the City
of the East, a mixture of adventurers and "respectable middle
Hall and Raffles Place interchanges. The System includes a to-
classes." World War I hardly touched the island, although its
defenses were strengthened to support the needs of the British
tal of 42 stations along 67 km (42 mi). All cars and underground
navy, for which Singapore was an important base. When World
stations are air-conditioned, and the trains operate between
War II broke out, the British were complacent about the im-
5:45 AM and midnight daily.
pregnability of Singapore, expecting that any attack would
Tickets may be purchased in the stations from vending machines
come from the sea and that they were well prepared to meet
(which give change) or at a booth. There's a S$2 fine for underpay-
such an attack. But the Japanese landed to the north, in Ma-
ing, 80 make sure you buy the right ticket for your destination.
laya. The two British battleships that had been posted to Sin-
Fares start at S$.50 for about two stations; the maximum fare is
gapore were sunk, and the Japanese land forces raced down the
S$1.10. The fare between Orchard Road Station and Raffles Place
peninsula on bicycles.
Station (in the business district) is S$.60. For information, call
In February 1942 the Japanese captured Singapore. Huge
732-4411.
numbers of Allied civilians and military were sent to Changi
By Bus Buses are much cheaper than taxis and-with a little prac-
Prison; others were marched off to prison camps in Malaya or to
tice-easy to use. During rush hours, they can be quicker than
work on the notorious "Death Railway" in Thailand. The 3½
cabs, since there are special bus lanes along the main roads.
years of occupation was a time of privation and fear for the civil-
Some buses are air-conditioned, and service is frequent-
ian population; up to 100,000 deaths are estimated during this
usually every five to 10 minutes on most routes. Even with-
period. The Japanese surrendered on August 21, 1945, and the
out the excellent Bus Guide, available for S$.75 at any book-
Allied military forces returned to Singapore. However, the se-
store, finding your way around is relatively easy. Bus stops
curity of the British Empire was never again to be felt, and in-
dependence for British Southeast Asia was only a matter of
close to sightseeing attractions have signs pointing out the
attractions.
time.
In 1957 the British government agreed to the establishment of
The minimum fare is S$.40, the maximum S$.80. Exact change
is necessary (conductors cannot give change) and should be de-
an elected 51-member legislative assembly in Singapore. Gen-
posited in the box as you enter the bus. Remember to collect
eral elections in 1959 gave an overwhelming majority-43 of 51
your ticket. Bus numbers are clearly marked, and most stops
seats-to the People's Action Party (PAP), and a young Chi-
have a list of destinations with the numbers of the buses that
nese lawyer named Lee Kuan Yew became Singapore's first
service them. Buses run from 5:30 or 6 AM until around 11:30 PM.
prime minister. In 1963 Singapore became part of the Federa-
tion of Malaysia, along with the newly independent state of Ma-
The Singapore Explorer Bus Ticket, which may be purchased at
laysia.
most major hotels, lets you travel anywhere on the island on
any bus operated by Singapore Bus Service (SBS-the red-
Mainly due to Malays' anxiety over a possible takeover by the
and-white buses) or Trans Island Bus Service (TIBS-the
ethnic Chinese, the federation broke up two years later and
Singapore became an independent sovereign state. The electo-
orange-and-yellow buses). You may embark and disembark as
rate has remained faithful to Lee Kuan Yew and the PAP. To-
frequently as you like, flashing your pass as you board. A one-
day there is only one opposition member in Parliament,
day pass costs S$5 and a three-day pass costs S$12. With this
though, at the last election, the PAP's popular majority was the
ticket you also receive an Explorer Bus Map with color-coded
lowest it has ever been. Singaporeans don't necessarily like the
routes showing bus stops and all major points of interest. For
fact that Lee Kuan Yew's will substantially decides their fu-
further details, call the Singapore Bus Service Passenger Rela-
ture, but they recognize that it is largely as a result of his firm
tions Center (tel. 287-2727).
control and acumen that Singapore is a safe, clean, comfort-
Coming from Malaysia, you can board a public bus at the Johore
able, prosperous nation. Lee Kuan Yew promises to resign at
bus station or after the Malaysia checkpoint, at the causeway.
the end of 1990, after 31 years in office. Because his son is un-
You get off the bus on the other side of the causeway at the Sin-
able to immediately step into his shoes, however, Yew will re-
gapore checkpoint, then reboard the bus for the ride into the
main influential in government as a senior minister.
city's center. Since you may not be reboarding the same
bus-depending on the line at Immigration-do not leave your
belongings behind when you get off.
By Taxi There are more than 10,000 taxis in Singapore, strictly regu-
lated and metered. Many are air-conditioned. The starting fare
is S$1.90 for the first 1.5 km (0.9 mi) and S$.10 for each subse-
quent 275 meters (900 feet). After 10 km (6 mi) the rate in-
Singapore
340
Staying in Singapore
341
lic transportation system that provides easy, low-cost access
Mid-Jan. During Ponggal, the four-day harvest festival, Tamil Indians
around the city of Singapore and the island.
from South India offer rice, curries, vegetables, sugarcane,
and spices in thanksgiving to the Hindu gods. In the evening,
Taxes There is no sales tax in Singapore. A 4% government tax is
the celebration takes place at the temples, where rice is cooked
added to restaurant and hotel bills; sometimes a 10% service
charge is added as well. There is a S$12 airport departure tax
while prayers are chanted to the music of bells, drums, clari-
(for travelers to Malaysia, the tax is S$5). It is payable at the
nets, and conch shells. The Perumal Temple of Serangoon Road
airport. To save time and avoid standing in line, you can buy a
is the best place to view these rites.
tax voucher at your hotel or any airline office.
Mid-Jan.-Feb. Thaipusam, probably the most spectacular-and certainly the
Sample Prices Cup of coffee, 50e; large bottle of beer, $2; lunch at a hawker
most gruesome-festival in Asia, celebrates the victory of the
stand, $5; dinner at an elegant restaurant, $25; full breakfast at
Hindu god Subramaniam over the demon Idumban. After
a luxury hotel, $9. The cost of a standard double room: moder-
night-long ritual purification and chanting, penitents enter a
ate, $75-$115; very expensive, over $150.
trance and pierce their flesh with knives, steel rods, and fish
hooks, which they wear during the procession. The 8.1-km (5-
Language
mi) procession begins at the Perumal Temple on Serangoon
Road, passes the Sri Mariamman Temple on South Bridge
Singapore is a multiracial society with four official languages:
Road, and ends at the Chettiar Temple.
Malay, Mandarin, Tamil, and English. The national language is
Chinese New Year is the only time the Chinese stop working.
Malay; the lingua franca is English. English, also the language
The lunar New Year celebration lasts for 15 days, and most
of administration, is a required course for every schoolchild,
shops and businesses close for about a week.
and is used in the entrance examinations for universities.
Hence, virtually all Singaporeans speak English with varying
Feb. The end of the Chinese New Year is marked by the Chingay
degrees of fluency. Mandarin is increasingly replacing the
Procession. Chinese, Malays, and Indians all get into the act for
other Chinese dialects. However, many Chinese will use
this event. Clashing gongs and beating drums, lion dancers
SinEnglish, a Singaporean version of English, to converse with
lead a procession of Chinese stilt-walkers, swordsmen, warri-
other ethnic groups, including other Chinese.
ors, acrobats, and characters from Chinese myth and legend.
Opening and Closing Times
Feb. or Mar. The Birthday of the Monkey God celebrates this character
greatly loved by the Chinese. His birth is marked with a festi-
Businesses are generally open weekdays 9 or 9:30 to 5 or 5:30;
val twice a year in Chinese temples-once in the spring and
some, not many, are also open on Saturday mornings.
again around September. Mediums, with skewers piercing
their cheeks and tongues, go into trances. Chinese street oper-
Banks Banking hours are weekdays 10-3, Saturday 9:30-11:30 AM.
as and puppet shows are usually performed in temple court-
Branches of the Development Bank of Singapore stay open un-
yards, and processions are held at the temples along Eng Hoon
til 3 PM on Saturday. The bank at Changi airport is open whenev-
and Cumming streets.
er there are flights. Money-changers operate whenever there are
customers in the shopping centers they serve.
Apr.-May Ramadan is the month of daytime fasting among the city's Mus-
lim population. Food stalls in Bussorah Street and around the
Museums Many museums close on Monday; otherwise, they are generally
Sultan Mosque sell a variety of dishes at the end of the day's
open 9-5.
fast.
Shops Shop opening times vary. Department stores and many shops
May or June
The Birthday of the Third Prince celebrates this child god. The
in big shopping centers are generally open seven days a week
Chinese worship him as a hero and a miracle-worker. A temple
from about 10 to 8 (later some evenings). Smaller shops tend to
in his honor is located at the junction of Clarke Street and
close on Sundays, although there is no firm rule now that com-
North Boat Quay, near Chinatown; on his birthday, it is
petition is 80 intense.
crowded with noisy worshipers who come to watch the flashy
Chinese operas, which begin around noon.
National Holidays
Vesak Day commemorates the Buddha's birth, Enlightenment,
The following are national holidays: Jan. 1 (New Year's Day);
and death. It is the most sacred annual festival in the Buddhist
Jan. 27, 28 (Chinese New Year); Good Friday (Apr. 13); Hani
calendar. Throughout the day, starting before dawn, saffron-
Raya Puasa (Apr. 26); Labor Day (May 1); Vesak Day (May 9);
robed monks chant holy sutras in all the major Buddhist tem-
Hari Raya Haji (July 3); National Day (Aug. 9); Dee pavali
ples. Captive birds are set free. Candlelight processions are
(Oct. 7); Dec. 24.
held around some of the temples in the evening.
Festivals and Seasonal Events
June The Dragon Boat Festival commemorates the martyrdom of Qu
Yuan, a Chinese poet and minister of state during the Chou dy-
Singapore is a city of festivals, from the truly exotic to the
nasty (4th century BC), who was exiled for speaking out against
strictly-for-tourists. The exact dates vary from year to year ac-
court corruption and finally threw himself into the river. On see-
cording to the lunar or Islamic calendar.
ing Qu Yuan's final and desperate act, local fishermen thrashed
the water with their oars and beat drums to prevent fish from de-
vouring their drowning hero. The anniversary of his death is cele-
Singapore
342
Staying in Singapore
343
brated with a regatta of boats decorated with dragon heads and
painted in brilliant colors.
and a Chinese Santa Claus appears every S0 often to encourage
everyone to buy and give presents.
July During the Birdsong Festival, owners of tuneful birds hold com-
petitions to see whose chirps best.
Tipping
Aug. 9 National Day, the anniversary of the nation's independence, is
a day of processions, fireworks, folk and dragon dances, and na-
Tipping is not customary in Singapore, and the government ac-
tional pride. The finest view is from the Padang, where the
tively discourages it. It is prohibited at the airport and not en-
main participants put on their best show. Tickets for special
couraged in hotels that levy a 10% service charge or in
seating areas are available through the STPB.
restaurants. Hotel bellboys are usually tipped S$1 per bag for
handling luggage. Taxi drivers are not tipped by Singaporeans.
Aug.-Sept. For a month each year, during the Chinese Festival of the Hun-
gry Ghosts, the Gates of Hell are opened and ghosts are free to
Guided Tours
wander the Earth. The unhappy ghosts, those who died with-
out descendants, may cause trouble and must therefore be pla-
A wide range of sightseeing tours cover the highlights of Singa-
cated with offerings. Imitation money ("Hell money") and joss
pore. They are especially convenient for business travelers or
sticks are burned, and prayers are said at all Chinese temples
others on a tight schedule and can be easily arranged through
and in front of Chinese shops and homes. Chinese-opera
the tour desks in hotels. The following are a few of the tour op-
(wayang) performances are held on open-air stages set up in
erators providing services through major hotels, but there are
the streets.
many others as well. RMG Tours (5001 Beach Rd., #08-12 Gold-
Sept. The Mooncake Festival, a traditional Chinese celebration, is
en Mile Complex, tel. 298-3944) organizes nightlife and food
held on the night of the year when the full moon is thought to be
tours. Siakson Coach Tours (3 Miller St., Siakson Bldg., tel.
at its brightest. The Chinese have nighttime picnics and carry
336-0268) has daily tours to the zoo and Mandai Gardens, plus
lanterns through the streets. Mooncakes-sweet pastries
excursions to Malaysia. Tour East International (163 Tanglin
filled with red-bean paste, lotus seeds, nuts, and egg
Rd., tel. 235-5205) offers a variety of tours in Singapore and
yolks-are eaten in abundance.
excursions to Malaysia and Indonesia. Elpin Tours and Limou-
sine Services (317 Outram Rd., #02-23 Glass Hotel, tel.
Sept.-Oct. During the nine-day Navarathri Festival, Hindus pay homage to
235-3111) arranges tours of Sentosa Island.
three goddesses: Parvati, consort of Shiva the Destroyer;
Lakshmi, goddess of wealth and consort of Vishnu the Protec-
The itineraries offered by the different tour operators are very
tor; and Sarawathi, goddess of education and consort of Brah-
similar. Tours can take two hours or the whole day, and prices
ma the Creator. On all nights, at the Chettiar Temple on Tank
range from S$16 to S$70. Most are operated in comfortable,
Road, there are performances of classical Indian music, drama,
air-conditioned coaches with guides and include pickup and re-
and dancing from 7 to 10. On the last evening, the image of a
turn at your hotel. Tour agencies can also arrange private-car
silver horse is taken from its home in the Chettiar Temple and
tours with guides; these are considerably more expensive.
paraded around the streets.
Orientation These are 3½-hour tours, given in the morning or the after-
Oct. The Chinese believe that the deities celebrated in the Festival
City Highlights
noon. Itineraries vary slightly, but generally you will be shown
of the Nine Emperor Gods can cure illness, bring good luck and
some of the major sightseeing and shopping areas, including
wealth, and encourage longevity. They are honored in most
Orchard Road, the high-rise business district along Shenton
Chinese temples on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month; the
Way, and the historic buildings along the Padang. You will also
celebrations are at their most spectacular in the temples on Up-
see Chinatown and probably the Thian Hock Keng Temple. A
per Serangoon Road and at Lorong Tai Seng.
visit to the Sri Mariamman Temple, a stroll through the beauti-
ful Botanical Gardens, a drive up Mount Faber for a panoramic
Oct.-Nov. In the Thimithi Festival, Indian Hindus honor the goddess
view of the city, and a visit to a handicraft factory are also likely
Duropadai by walking on fire. According to myth, Duropadai
to be included. A morning city tour usually features the "In-
proved her chastity by walking over flaming coals. Today wor-
stant Asia" cultural show.
shipers repeat her feat by walking barefoot over a bed of red-
hot embers. See the spectacle at the Sri Mariamman Temple on
City and East or
If the tour covers the east coast, you'll see the city highlights
South Bridge Road.
West Coast
and visit some rural sights, such as a Malay village and/or the
Kuan Yin Temple. You may also visit the infamous Changi Pris-
Deepavali celebrates the triumph of Krishna over the demon
on and drive through the green coastal area. This tour takes 4½
king Nasakasura. All Indian homes and temples are decorated
hours. The west-coast tour includes the Chinese and Japanese
with oil lamps and garlands. In Little India the streets are bril-
gardens and the Jurong Bird Park.
liantly illuminated.
Boat Trips Water Tours (3-A, 1st floor, Clifford Pier, tel. 914-4519) oper-
Nov. Merlion Week is Singapore's version of Carnival, with food
ates motorized junks for cruises in the harbor and to Kusu Is-
fairs, fashion shows, masquerade balls, and fireworks displays.
land. J & N Cruise (24 Raffles Pl., #26-02 Clifford Centre, tel.
Brochures of the activities are available in every hotel.
533-2733) operates the Equator Dream, a catamaran that of-
Nov.-Dec. Being a multiracial society, Singapore has taken Christmas to
fers lunch, high tea, and dinner cruises (with disco) around the
its commercial heart. All the shops are deep in artificial snow,
harbor and to the islands. Island Cruises (50 Collyer Quay,
#01-27 Overseas Union House, tel. 221-8333) offers breakfast,
& Call State for Scene Setter
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of Asia
AMERICAN PRESENCE IN SINGAPORE
1.
The United States Government Representation and Activities
A. The Embassy: The United States Ambassador in Singapore is
Robert D. Orr. He heads the U.S. Embassy and is responsible for its
component organizations listed below. The Embassy maintains
communication with the Government of Singapore at all levels,
reports on local developments, promotes U.S. economic and
commercial interests, protects the welfare of American citizens,
documents travelers to the United States, and maintains liaison with
other diplomatic missions. In the administrative field, the Embassy
regularly is called upon to assist with procurement in Singapore of
supplies for most of the other Embassies in the region. Singapore
also is the medical evacuation point for Indonesia. There are no U.S.
economic assistance programs in Singapore, no Peace Corps, and
no PL 480 programs. The Embassy is located at 30 Hill Street.
B. The United States Information Service offices are in the Tung
Building. The staff handles the information and cultural programs for
the Embassy, and runs the Resource Center (library), which is
located on the 15th floor of the Tung Building, Collyer Quay.
C. The Foreign Commercial Service provides export assistance,
promotion and counseling to U.S. companies wanting to develop
markets in Singapore. From their office and commercial library
located at One Colombo Court #05-12, the FCS staff produces a
broad range of in depth market research reports, organizes and hosts
trade missions and trade shows, and identifies emerging trade
opportunities with the primary goal of promoting the increased sale of
U.S. goods and services in Singapore.
D. The Agricultural Trade Office, in Liat Towers, is the U.S. Department
of Agriculture office in Singapore. It's primary objective is to promote
the exportation of U.S. foods, The office is shared with
representatives of the American Soybean Association, the U.S.
Wheat Associates, the U.S. Poultry and Egg Export Council, and the
U.S. Meat Export Federation.
E. The U.S. Refugee Office was set up to process Indo-Chinese
refugees for possible resettlement in the U.S. Now a part of the
Embassy consular section, the office has responsibility for both
Singapore and Indonesia.
F. The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service interviews
Indo-Chinese refugees and deters illegal immigration to the United
States throughout the region. The office can also assist the American
community with foreign adoptions, petitions for foreign spouses and
inquiries on naturalization proceedings.
G. The Internal Revenue Service is the regional office for the IRS and is
available for tax consultation by the American community. It is
located in the Embassy.
K. Federal Aviation Administration is located in the Embassy.
It serves to promote the development of international civil aviation in
Southeast Asia
L. United States Customs Service is an enforcement office responsible
for conducting and coordinating Customs investigations on a wide
variety of case categories. Its second function is as an advisory
service to tourists, etc. The office is on the first floor of the Embassy.
II. Private American Representation: Singapore has an active American
community which currently numbers over 7,000 U.S. citizens, including
dependents. Principally, they represent U.S. business, religious and
educational organizations Also, included are a large number of
dependent families of U.S. citizens working in Indonesia. The community
has developed several organizations to advance its collective interests:
A. The American Association, founded in 1917, has been the prime
mover in originating many other American organizations and
continues to coordinate their activities. The American Asociation
publishes "Living In Singapore", the Singapore American Newspaper
and organizes several American national holiday activities such as
the George Washington Ball, Fourth of July picnic, and various
recreational activities.
B. The American Business Council serves much the same function as
an American Chamber of Commerce. It holds periodic functions
featuring speakers on topics of current interest, and maintains an
office and reference library at #16-07 Shaw Center. There are
approximately 800 American firms represented in Singapore.
C. The American Women's Association is the organization of the
American women in the community. It is a part of the American
Association but functions separately. The AWA undertakes many
charitable projects, welcomes newcomers to the community, and
maintains a schedule of tours, classes and social functions. There
are more than 1300 members, both American and non-American.
D. The Singapore American School is a private institution which
provides educational facilities from preschool through high school on
American standards for American children. The school currently has
about 2000 students.
E. The Singapore American Community Action Council (SACAC) was
set up by the American community to deal with social problems
encountered by Americans living in Singapore, particularly young
people. Sports, counselling and referral services, student
employment SACAC. programs, drama groups, etc. are available through
F. The Singapore American Newspaper, published monthly, is
supported entirely by advertisers, produced by a staff of volunteer
Americans and mailed free of charge to all American residents
requesting copies. The newspaper tells of happenings in the
community and provides news of the American school and of the
American Women's Association, as well as giving information about
local culture, sports and other activities in the American community.
EXCERPTS FROM JOHNSON SPEECHES. (JOHNSON FIRST PRES TO VISIT
AUSTRALIA.)
From Johnson speech in Canberra (October 21, 1966) --
"
he serves his nation who understands his times."
Johnson also relayed these words of a Chinese philosopher:
"Of a great leader, who talks little,
When his work is done, his aim fulfilled,
They will all say
'We did this ourselves!'
Non-isolationism reference from Johnson speech (October 22,
1966 at Art Gallery in New
South Wales) : "I have had an old lesson reinforced in my
mind during the past few days that I have been away from my
country. A great society cannot end at the water's edge in
New York or in Los Angeles -- nor can it end at the water's
edge in Sydney or in Perth. A truly great society can exist
only in a great and unifying world that is dedicated to
bringing out the best in people from all over the world."
More color --
Letter excerpt from convict after arriving in Australia:
"Blessed and sweet Liberty, that I had been doomed to
forfeit in a place of unparalleled torture and sin, now
appeared to me in all its grandeur."
Possible tie-in with yesterday's anniversary of our Bill of
Rights. The Constitution for the Commonwealth of Australia
came to force on January 1, 1901 (POTUS speech on January 2
-- 91 years later -- an anniversary reference also)
The first landing of convicts occurred in 1788, with the
arrival of the First Fleet at Botany Bay -- "the Noah's ark
of small-time criminality" -- and continued until the last
ship in 1868
"Australia is so good that, just tickle her with a hoe, and
she laughs with a harvest." -- Douglas Jerrold
Thomas Paine said at the time of our country's great
Revolution -- "If there must be trouble, let it be in my
day, that my child may have peace."
where?
Where
(Hinchliffe/Nix)
December 12, 1991 12 p.m.
CORAL Draft One
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: CORAL SEA COMMEMORATIVE COUNCIL
FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 1992
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
World Congress Gentre
Large Hall Comention
Otway Rm,
Thank you, Sir Eric. And special greetings to Ambassador
Mel Sembler. It's great to be in Australia -- I certainly feel
at home in "Bush Country." 11
Australians have a reputation for warmth and hospitality.
So as we were driving over today I told Barbara how moved I was
that all these people were waving to me. "Sorry, George," " she
said. "That's the Australian Wave. It's fly season. " \\
I'm honored to meet with this very special council. On a
personal level, the Coral Sea Commemoration has always meant a
lot to me. As a 19-year-old Navy fighter pilot in the South
Pacific in May 1942, I felt keenly the significance of the battle
itself. And as a somewhat-older Vice President in 1982, I had
the privilege to speak in Sydney at the Coral Sea Ball.
We must remember all the Coral Sea events. In particular,
we must celebrate the extraordinary friendship they represent.
The United States and Australia are inseparable allies. Our
countries have always had a special bond -- forged out of our
shared roots of frontier spirit, rugged individualism, and free
enterprise. As Sir Nicholas Parkinson put it, there is and
should be a "natural alliance" between us.
This century, that alliance has been firmly cemented with
the glue of shared sacrifice. We've fought side by side 4 times
in defense of the principles we share. There's no greater example
2
of that cooperation than the Battle of the Coral Sea, where we
joined forces to turn back the Japanese military advance.
You all know how important that battle was. Our ships took
part in the first major aircraft carrier engagement of the war;
and in the first naval battle in history in which surface ships
didn't sight each other. Together, we handed Japan its first
reverse -- and together we prevented it from achieving air super-
iority in the Coral Sea. It was a crucial strategic victory, and
it also gave our forces invaluable morale -- enabling the Allies
to never again lose the initiative in the Pacific.
But one of the most significant legacies of the year that
began with the Battle of the Coral Sea is the origin of our
bilateral alliance. That's why you outstanding citizens should
be congratulated by both our nations on the work you're doing --
for you look to the future while honoring the past.
The programs you sponsor will assure that the critical
events of 1942 receive the attention they deserve. The fact that
50 years later so many prominent Australians have accepted Sir
Eric's invitation to join this Council shows that what young
Americans and Australians achieved together in the defense of
freedom has not been forgotten.
Smith
I bring special thanks from over 1 million American men and
smillion
women who served in your great and beautiful country during WWII.
I hope many of them will return here next year to take part in
this unique commemoration -- when I go home I'll tell them first-
[Oz-ee]
hand of the open, warmhearted Aussie welcome they'll receive.
^
3
I know you've been working hard to raise funds especially
for activities designed to appeal to young Australians. We
attach great importance to the future of our alliance -- and the
upcoming generations are the ones who will maintain it. We want
the young people of both our countries to understand our history,
and to remember and respect the full sweep of American-
Australian military cooperation in 1942 -- starting with the
Battle of the Coral Sea, which was the "end of the beginning."
I'm sure this Council's work will strengthen and sustain our
Alliance -- one that has matured and that is as relevant today as
it ever was. My best wishes to you throughout this commemorative
year. May God bless our countries -- and the brave sons and
daughters who died to keep them free.
#
#
#
#
#
SINGAPORE TIDBITS
Orchard Road: Orchard Road is famous in Singapore as a major
business district -- "smartly dressed shoppers
glittering
shops
with the latest in Paris fashions or Japanese
electronics. [The Singaporean and American business audience
would be familiar with a reference to Orchard Road (re business,
economy) ]
Nigel Fisher, editor of Voyager International, wrote of
Singapore's ability to blend cultural diversity with a well-
ordered society:
"To arrive in Singapore is to step into a world where the
muezzin call to prayer competes with the bustle of
capitalism; where old men play mah-jongg in the streets and
white-clad bowlers send the ball flying down well-tended
cricket pitches; where Chinese fortune tellers and high-
priced management consultants advise the same entrepreneur."
"Values are formed out of the history and experience of a people.
One doesn't learn what is right and wrong out of a book. One
absorbs these notions through the mother's milk."
Lee Kuan Yew, interview, Nov. 1991
"The ball of liberty, I believe most piously, is not so well in
motion that it will roll around the globe
for light and
liberty go together."
-- Thomas Jefferson
"To look up and not down,
To look forward and not back,
To look out and not in, and
To lend a hand. "
-- E. E. Hale (son of Nathan Hale) : Ten Times One
is Ten, 1870.
Singapore has approx. 7,000 U.S. citizens, including
dependents, representing U.S. business, religious and
educational organizations.
Westin Corporate Headquarters confirms that the Westin-
Stamford (where POTUS speaks) is the tallest hotel in the
world.
Singapore has an excellent metro system -- which they copied
from us. They sent a team to study the DC area metro system
and then applied it to Singapore's needs.
Cameras are posted at traffic intersections. If you run a
red light, they "snap away" and come and get you.