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  Straits Times 26 Aug 07
Why S'pore can't afford to go slow but must not leave the poor behind
By Jeremy Au Yong

AS TEMPTING as it is to slow down, Singapore has no choice but to press ahead with economic development, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday.

But in racing ahead, the country must not leave behind the poor and those who cannot catch up.

'The reason why we've not been able to slow down is not because we don't know that it takes a lot of effort to keep on changing, but it's because the world is moving so fast. If we don't move we are in serious trouble,' he added at a Young NTUC dialogue in Ang Mo Kio.

In a survey by the dialogue's organisers, 14 per cent of the participants thought Singapore should not continue pushing forward so fast.

The issue is also coming up for debate in Parliament tomorrow. Four MPs have put in questions related to fears that Singapore's economy may be overheating. Some are concerned that the booming economy has been pushing up prices.

Responding to a comment from a dialogue participant that the economy was moving too fast, Mr Lee said that the concern is a longstanding one.

The late union leader Nithiah Nandan had told him 10 years ago that the pace of change then made it difficult for people on the ground to catch up.

Yet, Mr Lee said Singapore has gone even faster in the decade since, to keep pace with developments elsewhere. An example of a fast mover is China.

He recounted a recent conversation he had with a Jurong Secondary School student, who remarked that after a recent trip to Shanghai, it struck him that the city took just half the time - 20 years - to reach the same stage of development as Singapore.

Asked Mr Lee: 'At that pace, in 20 years' time, are we going to be abreast of them?'

He added that in the midst of the competition, Singapore should not forget those who are having trouble keeping up, noting that it is a challenge Shanghai also has to grapple with.

He said: 'So we have to carry our people along and I think there's some comfort that the Chinese will also have to do this. So if we do it well, we can go ahead together. Then I can tell even more people: 'Let's move, the wind is blowing, let's go for it. If the wind is blowing and you put your sails down, I think we will lose'.'
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