Not feasible to build drains for all extreme rainfall events: Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli

No history of flash floods in most areas hit on Jan 8
Very costly to build and expand drains to accommodate every extreme rainfall event: Masagos
By Audrey Tan, Environment Correspondent, The Straits Times, 6 Feb 2018

Only two of the nine locations in eastern Singapore that suffered flash floods on Jan 8 had a history of flooding, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli said yesterday.

He also said that with climate change, Singapore can expect intense rainfall to be the norm in future. This means flash floods could occur in areas with no record of flooding.

But he cautioned that it was not feasible to build and expand drains to accommodate every extreme rainfall event, as that would be very costly and require setting aside large tracts of land. For instance, Bedok Canal is being widened at a cost of $128 million and the space can accommodate a 10-lane expressway.



Mr Masagos made these points in Parliament to five MPs, including Mr Murali Pillai (Bukit Batok) and Non-Constituency MP Dennis Tan, who had asked about the floods.

On Jan 8, the nine places were inundated with rain - the heaviest recorded total rainfall that morning was 118.8mm, half of Singapore's average rainfall for January - with submerged cars, flooded bus cabins and some businesses being disrupted.



Although eight of them are low-lying and susceptible to flash floods, only two had a history of flooding.

They are Tampines Road, opposite Jalan Teliti, and Arumugam Road in the Ubi area. Between 2015 and this year, five flash floods took place in Tampines Road and three in Arumugam Road.

"The flash floods were caused by the intense rainfall temporarily exceeding the existing design capacity of the drains," Mr Masagos said.

"Although the flood waters affected only certain stretches of the roads, and subsided within 15 to 60 minutes, we acknowledge that members of the public were inconvenienced and a number of cars had stalled," he added.

Every year, since 1980, heavy rain has been pouring down more often. Also, the annual maximum hourly rainfall has risen. It was about 80mm in 1980 and 90mm in 2016.

It has led the Government to invest in drainage infrastructure.

Heartbeat @ Bedok: Community facilities under one roof at new lifestyle hub

Heartbeat@Bedok houses sports centre, library, community club, polyclinic and more
By Seow Bei Yi, The Straits Times, 5 Feb 2018

Singapore's second integrated community hub opened in Bedok yesterday, bringing a sports centre, public library, community club, polyclinic and senior care centre under one roof.

Heartbeat@Bedok, which occupies a site roughly the size of three football fields, also has more than 30 retailers, including eateries.

Noting that residents' lifestyles and needs have changed since Bedok Town was built more than 40 years ago, Mr Lee Yi Shyan, an MP for East Coast GRC, said the new building allows for more efficient use of land, and for the different agencies there to provide joint programmes.

"The land freed up by relocating amenities would make room for new housing and new parks," he said, before the building was officially opened by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday. "In a mature town like Bedok, we are hard-pressed to find any open space to build new flats for young families," he added.

About a third of the floor area of Our Tampines Hub, which opened last year, Heartbeat@Bedok houses the ActiveSG East Bedok Sports Centre, Bedok Public Library, Kampong Chai Chee Community Club, Bedok Polyclinic and a senior care centre.

Mr Lee Yi Shyan said he hoped the hub would be a "national innovation laboratory" to pilot new services, such as telemedicine and the pairing of workout data with health statistics to track individuals' rehabilitation progress.

For a start, various agencies there have rolled out an initiative called Heartbeat Cares to reach out to seniors and their families.

Under this initiative, residents may be referred to the Active Health Lab - by Sport Singapore and its healthcare partners - to develop a personalised fitness regime. There are also weekly morning exercise sessions, health screenings, talks and cooking demonstrations.

About 14 per cent of Bedok Town's 290,000 or so residents are aged 65 and above.

Why Singapore needs to build big: National Development Minister Lawrence Wong

Bold moves in infrastructure: Thinking big pays off for Singapore planners
Some ideas end up being shelved, but it is part of the challenge in the planning of infrastructure, as Insight finds out
By Ng Jun Sen, Political Correspondent, The Sunday Times, 4 Feb 2018

Whatever happened to Singapore's Long Island Project?

A natural reaction to that would be, "What Long Island Project?"

Over time, it has become largely forgotten. But decades ago, urban planners envisioned building an island using reclaimed land off East Coast Park for recreation and with beautiful waterfront housing.

But this plan - known as the Long Island Project - has since been put aside as there was little demand for it, reveals the Urban Redevelopment Authority's (URA) chief planner, Ms Hwang Yu-Ning, in an interview with Insight.

"People love East Coast Park, so do we really want to commit to the plan if we don't need it? Some of these options can be safeguarded for future use," she says.

"If we need to dust off these plans later on, we would have already studied the idea."

The decision underscores the changing and complex nature of infrastructure planning.

It is hard to say when is the right time to build ahead of demand, says Ms Hwang. There is a risk that the demand for a project may never come, if plans proceed too quickly.

Even so, Singapore has bet big in the past - and seen those bold gambles pay off in a big way.

National Development Minister Lawrence Wong, in his interview with Insight, cites several examples - moving the airport from Paya Lebar to Changi, which made Singapore an aviation centre; building the region's first container port; and converting Jurong from swampland to an industrial estate.



Infrastructure has always been a key part of Singapore's economic strategy, says Mr Wong, who is also Second Minister for Finance.

"We are building for practical needs, to enhance our hub status to attract more investments and create more jobs for Singaporeans."

He stresses the importance of being prepared to think big and make decisive moves, instead of just incremental changes.

This is because Singapore has to navigate an uncertain global environment and the threat of other countries bypassing the Republic as a regional hub, Mr Wong says.

For instance, other countries are building new ports, and new shipping routes are being created.

To future-proof Singapore against intensifying competition, the Government is - once more - betting big by embarking on billion-dollar projects such as the upcoming High-Speed Rail between Jurong and Kuala Lumpur, the mega port in Tuas and a fifth airport terminal in Changi.

These "big-ticket items" are a key reason why government spending on infrastructure is slated to rise in the coming years.

On these mega projects, Mr Wong says: "It's about giving us the best possible chance of attracting investments, remaining a competitive, attractive regional centre, and giving Singapore the best chance of success in an uncertain world."

Why it's so hard to return a tray

A sense of entitlement and the hawker-centre environment are what make diners resistant to returning their trays
By John Lui, Film Correspondent, The Sunday Times, 4 Feb 2018

Are you a tray-er or a quitter? That question comes up now and again, and it is one that I tend to ignore because it makes me feel bad about myself and my disgusting tray habits. I suspect you, like me, don't like my impeccable personal hygiene becoming the subject of public debate.

Singaporeans woke up one day a few years ago and were told these things: We are running out of hawker centre cleaners. The centres will become pigsties if we don't pick up after ourselves ("yes, Madam principaaaal," we chant). So there will be tray collection points set up, let's be tray picker-uppers (cue catchy campaign song).

The reasoning is absolutely correct, of course. Cleaning up your chicken bones and spilled soup is no one's idea of a dream career, and as backup career plans go, handling stuff that has been in someone's mouth is far, far down the list of last resorts.

But it has been tough going. Singaporeans find ways to get around, block, drag their feet and ignore everything that has been tried (it's how most of us get our exercise, actually).

So away with the carrots, here comes the stick. Centres at Marsiling Mall and Bukit Merah Central tried the one-dollar-tray-deposit plan.

And as in Jurassic Park, nature - or rather, Singapore nature - finds a way, and up to 90 per cent of people decided to go without trays, preferring to leave their bones and tissues on the table - tiny, sad, chewed-up symbols of defiance.

So angry about it are some that there is a Facebook page named Say NO To Tray Return In Singapore with about 650 Likes. It wants to sum up the feelings of the trayer-stayers, which I paraphrase as: I get nothing from doing it. Food prices won't come down anyway. It puts cleaners out of a job.

They sort of had me on their side until I read those complaints, which makes trayer-stayers sound a little bit like whiny idiots. And I am not an idiot (despite what my family thinks).

If you do things only because you get something out of it, then stop paying taxes, which fund things such as schools outside of your district. Dig a hole and live there with your doomsday cult.

And if you want a price cut for every little thing you do to make an operator's life easier, then a) see above, and b) you should be paying nothing, given how much you stop yourself from littering or spitting, or force yourself to act like a normal decent human being.

As for the heart-rending plea to think about the jobs of cleaners - well, hats off to you and your kindness, because I'm sure if you lived a few decades ago, you would have fought for the job rights of child shoe-shiners and unlicensed doctors.

Wait: Aren't you the same people who shout about the presence of foreign workers on public transport? What do you think they do for a living? Yup, they pick up your nasty chicken bones.

A lot of the anti-picker-upper rage comes from the sense of entitlement we have towards cheap, hygienic, tasty food and the furniture on which to eat in comfort. Our hawker centres were a 1960s solution to the issue of street vendor-related garbage and food safety, one that has worked for half a century, but which is running into the realities of the 21st century labour shortage.

And by that, I mean nobody wants to clean up after you, even if you offered them more money, which you won't because people want chicken noodles with a Michelin star for $2.50.

What it means to give

The act of genuine giving is a perfectly rational one and benefits the giver in ways that are often not obvious at first sight
By David Chan, Published The Straits Times, 3 Feb 2018

Earlier last week, I delivered the keynote address at a forum titled Giving Matters, organised by the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre.

The cross-sector event brought together more than 300 individuals from government, corporates, social enterprises and non-profit organisations to share their experiences and ideas about giving, which includes volunteering and donating.

After my speech, some participants shared with me why and how they give as well as their personal experiences in interacting with givers and recipients. Many had mixed feelings and unresolved questions. Is giving rational or emotional? Should we remind people to count their blessings to encourage them to give? How do we motivate volunteers?

I hope this essay on the psychology of giving will help shed light on the issues raised. As we reflect on what giving means to us personally, the hope is that we are inspired to do more and encourage others as well.

GENUINE GIVING AND RATIONALITY

We sometimes hear people say they want to volunteer or donate but do not have enough time or money. Yet, across different socio-economic backgrounds, there are people who give a lot of their time, effort or money, and they do so quietly without any tangible rewards or recognition. Clearly, humans are not purely economic beings who spend their lives calculating gains and losses to arrive at decisions.

If you believe humans are homo economicus, then you will find this even more puzzling - studies show that we feel good when we give, and better when we give away something precious to us than something we have plenty of or do not need. Behavioural sciences tell us that this is not irrational, the motivation and decision to give genuinely reflect a core aspect of human rationality.

City Harvest Church case: Court of Appeal upholds shorter jail terms for former church leaders; Kong Hee likely out of jail by August 2019

Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam to make ministerial statement in Parliament on City Harvest Church ruling
Bid to reinstate longer jail terms for CHC leaders rejected
By Selina Lum, Law Correspondent, The Straits Times, 2 Feb 2018

The final page was turned on Singapore's most expensive criminal trial, involving a powerful church and its charismatic leader, when a five-judge panel dismissed a bid by the prosecution to reinstate the original convictions for founder-pastor Kong Hee and five others.

But the long-running saga over the misuse of millions in church funds is likely to remain in the public eye, with a Cabinet minister set to speak in Parliament about the ruling and the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) pledging to work with the Government on revisions to the law.

The decision by the Court of Appeal yesterday hinged on whether the six former City Harvest Church (CHC) leaders should have been convicted of simple criminal breach of trust (CBT) or of the more serious form as agents.

The court yesterday unanimously ruled that the term "agent" in Section 409 of the Penal Code applies only to someone who is a professional agent, and not to company directors and key officers of charities, such as the six CHC leaders.

The judges noted the "strong and urgent impulse" to ensure that persons in positions of responsibility are made to undergo a sentence that reflects the full measure of their harm and culpability. But they added that the courts are ill-suited to undertake a "long overdue" and wide-ranging policy review.

Also, the shaping of the remedy for any gap in law should be left to Parliament, said Judge of Appeal Andrew Phang, in reading the decision reached by him, Judge of Appeal Judith Prakash, and Justices Belinda Ang, Quentin Loh and Chua Lee Ming.

"A hard case should not be allowed to make bad law," said Justice Phang, noting that the accused are "not getting away unpunished" and face substantial jail terms.



The AGC said yesterday it would work with relevant government ministries "on the appropriate revisions to the Penal Code, to ensure that company directors and other persons in similar positions of trust and responsibility are subject to appropriate punishments if they commit criminal breach of trust".

Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam said in a Facebook post he would make a ministerial statement on the Government's position. "This is a serious matter," he said.



The decision meant Kong, 53; deputy senior pastor Tan Ye Peng, 45; former finance manager Serina Wee, 41; and former finance committee member John Lam, 50, will continue their current reduced jail terms of between 1½ and 3½ years, which they began serving in April last year.

Former finance manager Sharon Tan, 42, has completed her seven-month jail term while former fund manager Chew Eng Han, 57, has secured a new deferment for his jail term of three years and four months till after Chinese New Year.

Kong received the longest jail term among them, which was reduced from eight years after the High Court cleared the six of CBT as agents and convicted them of plain CBT under Section 406.

In a bid to spread the gospel through Kong's singer-wife Sun Ho's secular music career, the former leaders had misappropriated $24 million in CHC's building funds through sham bond investments. They also misused another $26 million to cover up the initial crime.

The court hearing yesterday, which was held following the rarely invoked criminal reference application by the AGC, ends a legal marathon that will be remembered as the costliest ever here, with estimates of costs reaching $15 million.



Senior Counsel Edwin Tong, Kong's lawyer, said the pastor was relieved at the decision, looking forward to finishing his jail sentence and "getting on with his life".

Reframing the debate on ageing and immigration

Research shows immigration boosts growth
By Vikram Khanna, Associate Editor, The Straits Times, 31 Jan 2018

Earlier this month, Monetary Authority of Singapore managing director Ravi Menon made an insightful presentation on the links between three critical issues facing Singapore: ageing, immigration and productivity.

Speaking at the Institute of Policy Studies' Singapore Perspectives conference, he noted that Singapore's working age population - residents aged 15-64 - will start to decline from 2020. Since economic growth is the sum of the growth of the labour force and productivity, if Singapore freezes immigration and is not able to increase fertility beyond the replacement rate, productivity will be the only source of growth.

So if productivity grows at 1.5 per cent - the average of the last seven years -the economy will also grow at 1.5 per cent. That would be a problem; it would seriously limit increases in wages and improvements in living standards.

If we don't want immigration, we can, in theory, mitigate the problem by raising the total fertility rate and the labour force participation rate - the percentage of workers in the workforce.

But even if we succeed in raising the fertility rate from the current level of 1.2 (children per woman, on average) to the replacement rate of 2.1 over the next 15 years - a challenging target - it won't have much of an impact on the growth of the workforce or gross domestic product (GDP) until 2040 because, as Mr Menon noted, "it will take time for the extra babies born in the next 15 years to start entering the labour force".



The key to raising the labour force participation rate is to encourage more women to work. World Bank data shows that while Singapore's overall labour force participation rate, at 68 per cent, is higher than the average for high-income countries (60 per cent), there is a 17 percentage point gap between the participation rates of men (77 per cent) and women (60 per cent). In most other high-income countries, the gap ranges from 9 to 12 percentage points. If Singapore can narrow the gap to 11 percentage points by 2035, it will help, but not by much. The labour force would expand by only 2 per cent by 2035.

Given these constraints to expanding our workforce, Mr Menon pointed out that Singapore must "allow a certain rate of net immigration". It must also be flexible in its immigration policies, responding to economic cycles, changing circumstances and opportunities.

He concluded that Singapore needs to reframe the question on foreign workers. "It is not about how many foreign workers industry wants or society can afford to have," he said, "but what number and kind of foreign workers we need to maximise the job and wage opportunities for Singaporeans. Foreign workers must be a complement to the local workforce."

Many of the issues raised by Mr Menon are worth exploring further. Here are some interesting findings from economic research.

ElderShield review committee proposes severe disability insurance scheme be made compulsory with coverage starting from age 30 instead of 40

* ElderShield to be renamed CareShield Life with higher, lifetime payouts from 2020 -27 May 2018

Review Panel wants to expand ElderShield coverage in interim recommendations
It proposes making scheme compulsory for future cohorts and starting premiums earlier
By Linette Lai, Health Correspondent, The Straits Times, 31 Jan 2018

ElderShield coverage should be made compulsory for all - including those with pre-existing disabilities - according to the committee reviewing the insurance scheme for people with severe disabilities.

It recommended that people start paying premiums at the age of 30 rather than 40, and suggested that the Government, rather than private insurance providers, administer the scheme. It also called for the claims process to be simplified.

The committee gave its interim update yesterday, with the full set of recommendations expected to follow by the middle of this year.

If accepted, its proposals will apply only to Singaporeans aged 30 to 40 who are joining ElderShield for the first time. People who have previously opted out will not be made to go back on the scheme.

"We want ElderShield to be a social safety net, and we all have a collective responsibility to take care of those with disabilities," said Mr Chaly Mah, who chairs the ElderShield Review Committee.

In a Facebook post yesterday, Senior Minister of State for Health Chee Hong Tat said an enhanced ElderShield scheme would enable Singaporeans to "pool our risks and resources in preparation for old age".

"It is an important pillar of Singapore's social safety net as our society ages," he said. "The Government will look at providing premium subsidies to keep the premiums affordable for lower-and middle-income Singaporeans."

Currently, all Singaporeans join the scheme automatically when they turn 40, and are covered by one of three private insurers - Aviva, Great Eastern or NTUC Income - but they are able to opt out.

Although the opt-out rate in recent years has been about 5 per cent, more than a third of people opted out when the scheme started in 2002.

Money is paid out when people cannot perform three of the six "activities of daily living" on their own. These are washing, dressing, using the toilet, feeding oneself, moving around indoors and getting from the bed to a chair or vice versa.

Mr Mah, who is also the chairman of the Singapore International Chamber of Commerce and the Singapore Accountancy Commission, said: "It is clear to us that the average Singaporean does not understand the risk of severe disability... When you underestimate this risk, it is easy to take the decision to opt out."

Deep changes in social spending: Social mobility, ageing are Singapore's big challenges, says DPM Tharman

Over the past decade, government spending more than doubled from $33 billion to $71 billion - and is set to increase further. Ahead of Budget Day on Feb 19, Insight looks at where spending demands are greatest: healthcare, infrastructure and jobs. The first of a three-part series, this week's feature examines Singapore's social policies, and pressing issues in healthcare.
By Seow Bei Yi, The Sunday Times, 28 Jan 2018

Shaping policy in response to social needs is an ever-challenging - and changing - process. Just ask Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

Back in the mid-1990s when the Internet age was starting, many families were worried that their children would lose out because they could not afford computers.

The Government's solution: it would "socialise" computer use.

Public computers would be installed in schools and community centres, announced the Education Ministry's deputy secretary (policy) - Mr Tharman. There would be no subsidies for low-income families, he said then.

But as the Internet took off, this stance later changed. Government initiatives expanded to include subsidies for needy students to buy new computers and to subscribe to Internet broadband.

This flexibility to adapt to changing needs can be seen nowadays in the move to increase social spending for an inclusive society that gives the needy a leg-up. It stands in contrast to earlier years of nation-building, where the emphasis in social policy was self-reliance.

In an interview with Insight, Mr Tharman, who has been the Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies since 2015, says:

"It's in the last decade that you see a decisive shift, a deliberate tilt, towards tempering the inequalities of life and ensuring the lower-income group keeps pace with the whole society as it moves up."

He outlines some of the key milestones: Workfare in 2007, which supports older low-wage Singaporeans who continue working and training; the Progressive Wage Model in 2012, which sets wage floors for workers' skill levels; SkillsFuture in 2015, which encourages lifelong learning; and MediShield Life, also in 2015, a health insurance plan helping to pay for costly hospital bills and treatments.

With such moves, social expenditure - which covers healthcare, education and social and family development, among others - ballooned to about $34 billion in 2016, from $12.7 billion a decade earlier. Last year, it comprised $37.8 billion - half of total government spending.

Experts agree there has been a shift to the left in Singapore's social policies - in terms of wealth redistribution - although they disagree as to the extent.

In the past, social support tended towards short-term aid for the unemployed, the ill, those with disabilities and the needy old, says National University of Singapore (NUS) economist Chia Ngee Choon, noting: "There was an aversion towards welfarism as it was feared that this may lead to a 'crutch mentality'."

But there was a growing acknowledgement that not everyone was benefiting from Singapore's economic growth. Some were falling way behind.

The 2005 Household Expenditure Survey showed that while average income for households rose 1.1 per cent annually from 1998 to 2003, those in the bottom 20 per cent saw their incomes fall 3.2 per cent a year in the same period.

By contrast, the Household Expenditure Survey in 2014 found that the income of those in the bottom 20 per cent rose at the highest rate of 6.6 per cent annually from 2008 to 2013, even as average monthly household income increased by 5.3 per cent annually.

SAF holds largest mobilisation exercise since 1985 with 8,000 troops, 700 vehicles

Mobilisation and equipping exercise (MOBEX) conducted from 26 to 27 Jan 2018
By Lim Min Zhang, The Sunday Times, 28 Jan 2018

The Singapore Armed Forces activated a total of 8,000 troops and 700 vehicles in its biggest mobilisation exercise since 1985 that ended yesterday.

The two-day exercise also featured two firsts.

One, troops worked hand in hand with the police in a homeland security operation in responding to a simulated anti-terror exercise at the Singapore Sports Hub.

Two, the exercise also tested out for the first time a new enhanced Mobilisation and Equipping Centre (MEC) at Selarang Camp in Loyang - a one-stop place for recalled operationally ready national servicemen to draw their combat gear and be ready for duty faster.

Speaking to the media near the end of the exercise, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said: "This (mobilisation) included an anti-terrorism exercise that we did together with the police force.

"So whether it's for humanitarian action, low-intensity conflict or terrorism threat, or even in the unthinkable scenario of outright war, I think Singaporeans have that confidence that the army is ready, and NSmen are committed and ready to be equipped, to be able to fulfil their mission."



The Selarang Camp MEC - enhanced by a four-storey 147,020 sq m building completed last year - has helped to improve the army's ability to mount a sizeable force within hours by cutting the time needed to mobilise and equip the troops.

About the size of 22 football fields, it is even able to store military vehicles under the same roof in a controlled-humidity facility, allowing electronic systems to be kept on board the vehicles when not in use. Previously, such systems had to be removed and disassembled by technicians.

Facilities such as self-registration kiosks, as opposed to manned counters, also help. The kiosks reduce the registration time from one minute to about 20 seconds, and manpower required from 24 to eight people.

ASEAN, India celebrate 25 years of dialogue relations in 2018

Leaders renew commitment to enhance ties at summit co-chaired by PM Lee and Modi
By Elgin Toh, In New Delhi, The Straits Times, 26 Jan 2018

India rolled out the red carpet for the 10 ASEAN leaders yesterday, as they gathered in New Delhi to mark 25 years of ASEAN-India relations.

At a commemorative summit, the leaders renewed their commitment to enhance the multifaceted ties between the South-east Asian grouping and its neighbouring South Asian giant.

The summit was co-chaired by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore, which chairs ASEAN this year, and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two expressed hopes for ASEAN and India to draw closer to each other. They also identified areas of mutual concern.

PM Lee said: "We believe that India makes a major contribution to regional affairs, helping to keep the regional architecture open, balanced and inclusive."

Noting South-east Asia's deep cultural and historical ties to India, he called for an enhancement in trade, investments and connectivity.

He cited two projects to take relations forward. First, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership - a trade pact ASEAN and six countries, including India, are negotiating. He hopes talks can conclude this year, he said.

The second is the ASEAN-India Air Transport Agreement, which he said can enhance people flows, bringing benefits to both sides.

PM Modi said India hopes to deepen cooperation with ASEAN in their shared maritime domain. Disaster relief efforts, security cooperation and freedom of navigation are focus areas for this maritime tie-up.

He added: "India shares ASEAN's vision for peace and prosperity through a rules-based order for the oceans and seas. Respect for international law... is critical for this."

The summit takes place at a time of geopolitical change and as ASEAN's key partners - including China, India, Japan and Australia - seek to deepen their engagement with the grouping.

ASEAN-India relations have grown considerably over the past few decades. India viewed the regional grouping with suspicion during the Cold War. But relations took off in the 1990s, with then Prime Minister Narasimha Rao's "Look East" policy. Relations have since extended beyond economics to cover security and other issues. The two sides became "strategic partners" in 2012. After PM Modi took office in 2014, the "Look East" policy was renamed the "Act East" policy.

Celebrations will reach a climax today at the Republic Day Parade. ASEAN leaders will attend as chief guests - the first time India has hosted more than one chief guest at the event to mark the day its Constitution took effect.

ASEAN is deeply honoured by the invitation, said PM Lee.

Yesterday's summit adopted the Delhi Declaration, which reaffirms the commitment of ASEAN and India to work closely together on issues of mutual concern and ensure an open, transparent, inclusive and rules-based regional architecture.

Singapore can play key role in Belt and Road Initiative: Chan Chun Sing at the World Economic Forum 2018

Republic can provide banking and legal support, help ensure projects are sustainable
By Warren Fernandez, Editor-in-Chief In Davos, Switzerland, The Straits Times, 25 Jan 2018

Singapore can play a critical role in the China-led Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as a global financial hub, providing the banking and legal support for projects as well as facilitating in the "software transfer" to ensure projects are sustainable once completed.

This was spelt out by Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and NTUC chief, yesterday to an audience of top business and political leaders during a session at the World Economic Forum on the One Belt, One Road Initiative, a showpiece project of China's President Xi Jinping.

Noting that Singapore was happy to be working closely with China on this major initiative, Mr Chan added that Chinese officials often pointed to the 33-85 figure to remind their Singapore counterparts of the role the Republic plays.

This refers to the fact that 33 per cent of all outward investments related to the BRI flows through Singapore, while 85 per cent of inbound investments for the initiative makes it way into China through Singapore.

As a major financial hub, Singapore was able to do this, syndicating loans while also providing the legal framework for them, and also ensuring the transfer of management know-how to the local community.

He was speaking on a panel discussion which was organised by Chinese media group Caixin and included Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) president Jin Liqun, and business leaders from China, Russia and the United States.



Taking up the question on how BRI projects might benefit local communities, Mr Chan said that these should aim to be economically viable and sustainable to begin with. In the mid-term, these should aim to be catalytic, uplifting communities by adding to their capacity, including the ability to take over and successfully manage projects and build on them once the foreign partners have moved on.

For the longer term, the projects should try to show the kind of power that China aimed to be in the world, one that seeks to use its power and position to build a global system that is inclusive and benefits societies around the world, he said.

"With China's growth, there is tremendous opportunity for China to do good for the rest of the world," he noted.

"This is an important historical opportunity for China to convince the rest of the world that actually its actions have a broader perspective of not just an immediate commercial gain to itself, or just to catalyse the local economy in the medium term. But more importantly, over the longer term, China is helping the world to build a better system that allows the world to participate in the next phase of growth for the world economy."

If China could use its growing power to do this, it would "win the trust and confidence of the world", he added, pointing to the phrase "以德服人" mentioned by President Xi when he delivered a well-received speech in Davos last year. This refers to using one's abilities in a benevolent way to benefit the community. This, he argued, was the underlying philosophy of the BRI, as he saw it.