Tembusu Alumni David Hoe – Featured as part of NUS Admissions

Posted on March 2, 2015February 19, 2020

David Hoe

Year 4
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Ministry of Education Scholar

As an aspiring leader interested in educating the future of our country, David values the opportunities to make diverse connections and give back to the community. The rigorous training in his major of Economics, as well as exposure during his exchange programme experiences, will prepare him to meet challenges with an open mind and help those who need it the most.

Coming from humble beginnings, David’s tenacity to learn has helped him become the first Normal (Technical) student to qualify for a Junior College in 2006 and receive a teaching scholarship from the Ministry of Education (MOE). David also gives back to the community by pioneering programmes to mentor disadvantaged youths, so that they will be motivated to achieve their goals like he did.

Be it the Chua Thian Poh Community Leadership Programme at University Town or Gobi Globe Trekker at Tembusu College, David hopes that an education at NUS will help him open his eyes to the world, and enable him to foster the same ethic in his students thereafter.

Check out the feature on David: http://www.nus.edu.sg/oam/whynus/profile/faculty-of-arts-and-social-sciences.html

Backpacking trip in Peru after student exchange programme in Mexico

Reading programming at Jurong Family Centre

50 Years of Singapore’s Diplomacy: Highlights and Insights

Posted on February 26, 2015February 19, 2020

Raffles Ambassador Series Lecture 2015

Tuesday, 24 February 2015

50 Years of Singapore’s Diplomacy”: Highlights and Insights

Professor Tommy Koh, AAL, MFA, Singapore

1 No country lives in complete isolation. Every country has neighbours and has relations with other counties in the world. This is why every country has a department or ministry of foreign affairs or external relations. Singapore has a Ministry of Foreign Affairs. What I would like to do this morning is to capture five highlights of Singapore’s diplomacy in the past fifty years.

2 But, first, let me explain what are the objectives of diplomacy. Our first objective is to protect the independence and territorial integrity of our country. Our second objective is to promote the national interests of our country. Our third objective is to enhance our relations with other countries and, when problems arise, to solve them in a peaceful and mutually beneficial manner. Our fourth objective is to work for a peaceful, prosperous, just and humane world, based upon the principles of the UN Charter.

3 The second caveat I want to make is that a diplomatic does not work in a vacuum. He represents a specific country His effectiveness will depend, not just on his ability, but on the size of his country, its economic, military and soft power. This is less true in multilateral diplomacy where, on occasions, a brilliant diplomat may enjoy more influence than his country.

First Objective

4 Singapore was born in unusual circumstances. Because of those unusual circumstances, there were some uncertainty about the genuineness of Singapore’s independence and sovereignty. Our first diplomatic objective was to gain the recognition of the world. This we accomplished by joining the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Group and the Commonwealth. In 1968, three years after our independence, I was sent to the UN to consolidate Singapore’s position in the community of nations and to make friends for Singapore. Today, Singapore is a respected member of the international community. It has diplomatic relations with 188 countries. There are 70 diplomatic missions in Singapore. Singapore has established embassies, high commissions and consulates in 32 countries.

Second Objective

5 Singapore is located in the heart of South-East Asia. This is our destiny. It is therefore in Singapore’s national interest to work for a South-East Asia which is peaceful and stable. It is in our national interest to work for a strong ASEAN. I call this our second diplomatic objective.

6 Fifty years ago, South-East Asia was a region of turmoil and instability. The newly independent countries were fragile and many of them faced insurrections or guerrilla wars. Having been ruled by different colonial masters, the countries were ignorant of one another. There was a deficit of understanding and trust among them. Some pundits in the West thought so poorly of our prospects, that they described our region as the “Balkans of Asia”. Today, South-East Asia is a region of peace and stability and, economically, the fastest growing region of the world.

7 Likewise, when ASEAN was founded 48 years ago, many experts thought it was likely to be a victim of infant mortality. Today, ASEAN is probably the second most successful regional organization in the world. It has helped to keep the region peaceful and to promote a culture of cooperation. By the end of this year, ASEAN’s ambition is to join the 10 economies into a single economy and production platform.

8 ASEAN has also played an indispensable role in bringing all the major powers and other stakeholders together through such forums as the ASEAN + 1, ASEAN + 3, ARF, EAS and ADMM+. ASEAN has also concluded free trade agreements or economic partnership agreements with China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand and is currently pushing for the early conclusion of the RCEP.

9 It would not be wrong to say that our second diplomatic objective has been fulfilled.

Third Objective

10 During the Cold War, the world was dominated by two superpowers, the United States of America and the Soviet Union. Since the end of the Cold War, the world has been dominated by only one superpower, the United States. In terms of military power, the US has no equal. Economically, the US’s share of the world economy has been gradually declining and may soon be surpassed by the size of the Chinese economy. However, apart from size, the US economy is still the world’s most dynamic and innovative economy. On soft power, the US also occupies the apex position.

11 My conclusion is that America is still the most powerful country in the world and is likely to remain so for some years. America undergirds the security order in the Asia-Pacific. America is the founder of the Post-Second World War world liberal order which has benefitted the world, including Singapore. It is therefore in Singapore’s national interest to be close to America and to have a strong relationship with her. I would call this our third diplomatic objective.

12 In spite of the differences in size, geography, history and culture, I would describe our relationship with the US as substantive, comprehensive and mutually beneficial. We are major trading partners, and we have just celebrated the 10^th anniversary of our free trade agreement. The US has more foreign direct investment in Singapore than anywhere else in Asia. Singapore is not a military ally of the US. However, Singapore allows the US airforce and navy to use our facilities. The US Navy has stationed several Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) in Singapore. There is a substantial community of US companies and families in Singapore. Many Singapore students study at the leading universities of America. The people-to-people ties between our two countries are very good.

Fourth Objective

13 Our fourth diplomatic objective is to build very close ties with the major powers and economies, viz, China, Japan, India and the EU. Singapore has concluded free trade agreements or economic partnership agreements with all four of them. The one with the EU is pending ratification.

14 Although Singapore may be a small country, it enjoys considerable economic power. For example, for the past two years, Singapore has surpassed Japan to become the largest foreign investor in China. Singapore is also the largest foreign investor in India. Singapore is a major export market for both Japan and the EU.

15 Apart from economics, Singapore has also forged very strong political and cultural ties with all four of them. Our foreign policy is to be a friend to all and an enemy of none. We wish to be equally close to ASEAN, the US, China, Japan, India, the EU, etc. When they quarrel, for example, between China and Japan or between China and the US, we do not wish to take sides but to remain neutral.

Fifth Objective

16 Small countries tend to be ignored by the big countries. Small countries are sometimes trampled upon by their bigger neighbours. International society is more hierarchical than democratic. Although Singapore is a realist, it is not a fatalist. It does not accept the status quo as immutable. It has been proactive at the UN in uniting the smaller countries and to amplify their voices and influences.

17 In 1992, Singapore took the initiative to establish the Forum of Small States (FOSS). All countries with a population of below 10 million are eligible to join. Its current membership is 105, slightly over half the membership of the UN.

18 In 2009, in response to the global financial crisis, the leaders of G7 took the lead to form G20. Many countries, excluded from G20, fear that their views and interests would be ignored. Singapore therefore took the initiative to form a new grouping of 30 small and medium sized countries. The group is called the Global Governance Group or 3G. The group caucuses on issues on the agenda of G20 and submits papers on those issues to G20. 3G has also insisted that the Secretary-General of the UN be invited to attend all G20 meetings.

19 Perhaps because of the leadership role which Singapore plays in FOSS and 3G and because Singapore is one of the world’s largest financial centres, the Prime Minister of Singapore has been frequently invited by the hosts of G20 to attend their summits.

Conclusion

20 Let me conclude. During the past 50 years, Singapore’s diplomats have worked hard to protect Singapore’s independence, territorial integrity and national interests. They have succeeded, partly because of their abilities and partly because of Singapore’s economic, military and soft power. We have succeeded in turning South-East Asia, from a region of instability to a region of peace and stability. We have made ASEAN into a strong regional organization and developed a culture of cooperation. We have forged a strong relationship with the United States as well as with China, Japan, India, the EU and others. We have played a leadership role in FOSS and 3G. As a result, Singapore enjoys a standing in the world which one would not expect for a country of its size. The weekly magazine, the Economist, once described Singapore as a country which punches above its weight. Will Singapore continue to do so in the years ahead?

. . . . . . .

On Walking with My Teacher — Ink, Walking, Calamari

Posted on February 23, 2015October 7, 2020

Professor Tommy Koh: Miracle on Waterloo Street

Posted on February 21, 2015February 8, 2021

tSingaporeans at the SG50 ‘Local Champions, Global Leaders’ competition

Posted on February 9, 2015February 8, 2021

Tembusu Reading Pods AY2014/15 Sem 2

Posted on January 28, 2015February 8, 2021

Raffles Documentary (With contributions by Dr John van Wyhe)

Posted on January 13, 2015February 8, 2021

Professor Tommy Koh: Opening of the Meeting of the International Studies Association

Posted on January 8, 2015February 19, 2020

 

Salutations

          President Arnoud de Meyer, Dean James Tang, Professor Amitav Acharya, Professor Thomas Volgy, Professor Jacqueline Braveboy-Wagner, Ladies and Gentlemen.

2        I join Arnoud and James in welcoming the members of the International Studies Association to Singapore.  Founded in 1959, the ISA has over 6,000 members and is regarded as the premier organisation for scholars and practitioners in the field of international studies.  You do us honour by holding your meeting in Singapore.

3        I would like to congratulate my good friend, Professor Amitav Acharya, for being the first Asian to have been elected as the President of ISA.  I thank Amitav for inviting me to speak to you.  I tried to convince him that I am not qualified to speak to this learned community but he would not take no for an answer.

 

Two Anniversaries

4      I would like to explain why I have chosen to speak on the topic:  Will There Be Peace in Asia?  War and Peace have been on my mind recently because in 2014, we commemorated the 100^th anniversary of the outbreak of World War I.  An old book, The Guns of August, and a new book, The Sleepwalkers, provided much food for thought.  The two big lessons I have learnt from WWI are that, one, economic inter-dependence is not a guarantee of peace and two, we must never underestimate man’s capacity for irrationality.  This year, we mark the 70^th anniversary of the end of World War II.

5        Asia is living in a golden moment of history.  After decades and centuries of stagnation and regress, the region is on the rise.  Inspired by the success of Japan, other Asian countries and economies have grown and are growing rapidly.  South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore have already caught up with the OECD countries.  ASEAN, China and India are determined to complete their journeys to become developed and modern countries. 

6        Asia’s prospects are good.  However, this is predicated on one essential condition – peace.  If peace is replaced by war and conflict, Asia’s rise would be scuttled.  Without peace, economic development and nation-building would be difficult, if not possible.

 

Threats To Peace

7                 What are the potential threats to peace in Asia?  I have identified the following six potential hot spots:

(i)           The Korean peninsula

(ii)          India and Pakistan

(iii)        India and China

(iv)        China and Japan

(v)         The South China Sea

(vi)        China and USA

 

The Korean Peninsula

8        The situation on the Korean peninsula is inherently unstable.  This is due to the unpredictable nature of the North Korean regime, the fact that it has both nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles and the fact that Pyongyang needs an external enemy in order to unite the people to support the Kim regime.  China seems to be frustrated with its North Korean ally but does not seem to have the leverage to influence its behaviour.  Rebuffed by China, Kim has turned to Russia for protection and support.  The Six Party Talks has been suspended and there are currently no plans to resume them. The recent exchange of new year greetings between the leaders of North and South Korea is a small but positive development.  I expect the Korean peninsula to be peaceful in 2015.

 

Will India and Pakistan Live in Peace?

9        Although 68 years have passed since the partition of British-administered India into two states, India and Pakistan, the wounds of that bitter partition have not healed.  The dispute over Kashmir continues to rankle and pose an obstacle to win-win cooperation between them.  Pakistan is politically fragile and faces a growing threat from the Pakistani Taliban.  The fact that both India and Pakistan possess nuclear weapons makes a conflict between them more dangerous but also less likely because the stakes are so high.  The new Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, is focused on India’s accelerated development.  He wants peace with all his neighbours, as was shown by his gesture of inviting their leaders to his inauguration.  I believe that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan wants the same thing for his country.

 

Will China and India Rise Together?

10      China and India have been friends for over 1,000 years.  As Amartya Sen has written in his book, The Argumentative Indian, “intellectual links between China and India, stretching over much of the first millennium and beyond, were important in the history of the two countries.”  For example, in the 8^th century, the Chinese Emperor appointed an Indian scientist, Gautama Siddhartha (Qutan Sida) as the President of the Chinese Board of Astronomy.

11      In the 1950s, relations between China and India were very good.  PM Nehru had extended India’s hand of friendship to China, at a time when it was being treated as a pariah by the West.  When Premier Zhou En Lai visited New Delhi, he was greeted by banners proclaiming that Chinese and Indians were brothers.

12      The 1962 border conflict between China and India had unfortunately put an end to the era of good relations between them.  There is a deficit of trust between them as well as serious problems concerning their borders, water, trade and Tibet.  However, they share many more convergent than divergent interests.  The world is big enough to accommodate a rising China and a rising India.  There is no reason for them to engage in a zero sum competition. 

 

China-Japan Ties

13      I would like to put the current disagreement between China and Japan over Senkaku/Diaoyu in perspective.  Relations between China and Japan go back 2,000 years.  With four exceptions, they have lived at peace with each other.  The two countries are geographically neighbours, share many historical and cultural affinities and are economically inter-dependent.  For example, China is Japan’s largest trading partner.  Until two years ago, Japan was China’s largest foreign investor.  Economically, Japan needs China and China needs Japan.  It is logical for them to cooperate and illogical for them to treat each other as adversaries.

15      However, logic and reason do not always prevail in relations between states.  The relations between China and Japan are burdened by history and rising nationalism on both sides.  I would, however, remind the two countries that from 1972 until about 2012, a period of 40 years, the two countries were able to put aside their differences and focused on a positive agenda.  I wish to recall that on 7 May 2008, President Hu Jintao of China and Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda of Japan issued a joint statement, pledging to turn the East China Sea, into a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation.

16.     After a hiatus of over two years, the leaders of China and Japan, met in Beijing, in November 2014, on the side-lines of the APEC Summit.  The two leaders agreed to improve their bilateral relations and eschew the path of confrontation.  We should see a gradual improvement in their relations in 2015.

 

South China Sea

17.     Relations between China and Southeast Asia/ASEAN are strong, multi-dimentional and mutually beneficial.  There is, however, one issue, the South China Sea, which could disrupt this happy state of affairs.  China and 4 ASEAN countries, Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam have territorial disputes in the South China Sea.  In 2002, ASEAN and China signed a Declaration of Conduct on the South China Sea.  The two sides are currently negotiating a binding Code of Conduct but progress has been extremely slow.  In the meantime, the Philippines has invoked its rights under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and instituted arbitral proceedings against China.  China has refused to participate in those proceedings on the ground that the arbitral tribunal lacks jurisdiction.  Vietnam has recently submitted a statement to the Arbitral Tribunal.

18.     The South China Sea disputes involve complicated questions of law, history and power.  ASEAN, as a group, does not take sides on the merits of the disputes.  ASEAN is, however, united on the stand that these disputes must be resolved peacefully and on the basis of international law, including UNCLOS.

 

China-US Relations

19.     The most important bilateral relationship is that between China and the United States.  Although the two countries engage each other, in regular dialogue, at different levels, there is an enormous deficit of trust between them.  For this reason, and because of their historical and cultural differences, they do not understand each other and misread each other’s intentions.

20.     For example, the Chinese interprete President Barack Obama’s pivot to Asia or rebalancing to Asia, as a disguised form of containment.  The Chinese believe that their problems with their neighbours are due to American machinations.

21.     The US, on the other hand, suspects that the Chinese agenda is to reduce US influence and leadership in the region, in the short term and to oust her from the region, in the long-term.  The Americans perceive China’s activities as an attempt to create a Chinese sphere of influence and to impose Pax Sinica on her neighbours.

22.     Can the incumbent superpower and the rising power live at peace with each other?  That is the critical question for us to ponder.  History is not helpful because one study by Harvard University showed that in a majority of such cases, war was the consequence.  War is, however, not inevitable.  I believe that President Obama and President Xi are determined to find a peaceful path forward.

 

CONCLUSION

23.     I shall conclude.  Many countries and peoples in Asia will be celebrating the lunar new year on the 19^th February.  The new year is the Year of the Sheep, a symbol of peace.  As an optimist, I believe that Asia will be at peace in the Year of the Sheep.

 

. . . . . .

Professor Tommy Koh: Three wishes for the New Year

Posted on January 5, 2015February 19, 2020

* Singapore to mature * Asean to stay neutral * Asia to be at peace

BY TOMMY KOH, FOR THE STRAITS TIMES

 

It is customary to make three wishes for the New Year. Since 2015 is now upon us, I will use this column to share with readers my three wishes for the New Year.

 

First Wish

I WISH Singapore a very happy golden anniversary. I wish that Singapore will continue to enjoy peace and stability, prosperity with equity, unity with tolerance, safety with vibrancy and freedom with responsibility.

I wish that Singaporeans will continue to believe in and practise our core values of hard work, integrity, meritocracy, compassion, racial and religious harmony, gender equality, freedom from corruption and open economy and open minds.

At a recent forum, a friend from India described Singapore as a case where a government and a people have succeeded in creating something out of nothing. It is not exactly "nothing" because we do have three assets: a strategic location, a natural harbour and an intelligent and hard-working people. However, our success story is like a miracle.

Our per capita income is one of the highest in the world. Our people enjoy full employment as well as access to good housing, health care, schools, transport and a healthy environment. Our city grows more beautiful with each passing year.

Singapore is, however, not perfect. There are areas in which we can and should do better. I am disturbed by the inequality in Singapore. We have one of the highest Gini coefficients in the world. I am unhappy that many of our children are growing up in poverty. About a third of our students go to school with no pocket money to buy lunch.

As a trustee of two education trusts, I am reminded each year of the large number of needy students in our schools and tertiary institutions. I was shocked when the president of one of our universities told us recently that 60 per cent of his students need financial assistance.

At the other end of the spectrum, I am worried about the growing number of the elderly poor. Many of them are in poor health and have inadequate savings. Many of them live in loneliness, having no family or been abandoned by family and relatives.

I would like to see Singapore grow in cultural and political maturity. A culturally mature people accept diversity and welcome different points of view. A politically mature society is one in which the vanquished are gracious in their defeat and the victors are magnanimous in their victory.

I hope that Singaporeans would be less obsessed with money and less materialistic.

My mentor, Mr S. Rajaratnam, once said that Singaporeans were in danger of becoming a people who knew the price of everything and the value of nothing.

We did not heed his warning. As a result, I fear that Singapore is in very grave danger of becoming a market society.

 

Second Wish

ASEAN will be 48 years old this year. Asean has transformed South-east Asia from a cauldron of conflict into a region of peace and prosperity. It is by far the most successful regional organisation in the developing world. I wish Asean great success in the new year.

Asean is the sixth-largest economy in the world. Its ambition is to integrate the 10 economies into a single economy by the end of 2015. The consensus is that the project is 80 per cent complete. Under Malaysia's chairmanship, Asean will attempt to summon the necessary political will to overcome the vested interests and get the job done. Much will depend on the attitude of Indonesia. I hope that President Joko Widodo will back the Asean Economic Community.

All the great powers have a stake in South-east Asia. Instead of trying to keep them out, Asean has wisely invited all of them to join us in building a peaceful and prosperous region. The competition for influence between the United States and China has grown stronger. Relations between China and Japan are tense and burdened by history and nationalism. The 1962 border conflict between China and India continues to cast a shadow over their bilateral relations. There is a huge deficit of trust between and among the great powers.

In this context, Asean has been able to play a positive role. It is the convener and facilitator of the region's forums and institutions, such as, the Asean Regional Forum, Asean Plus Three and the East Asia Summit. This is Asean's indispensable contribution to regional peace. There is no other country or group of countries which can play this role.

What about the future? The future is uncertain because some Asean countries appear to be taking sides in the rivalry between the great powers. Asean is only useful to the region if it remains united, independent and neutral. Only such an Asean can continue to play the central role in regional institutions. I hope that the fiasco in Phnom Penh, in 2012, when the Asean foreign ministers failed to adopt a joint communique will never happen again. In 2015, under Malaysia's chairmanship, I am confident that Asean will remain united, independent and neutral.

 

Third Wish

MY THIRD wish is for peace in Asia and the Asia-Pacific. What are the threats to peace in our region?

One potential threat to peace is the disagreement between China and Japan over Diaoyu/Senkaku. There are two competing narratives about who has sovereignty over these islands.

Since the former Democratic Party of Japan government nationalised these islands, bilateral relations between Beijing and Tokyo have been on a downward spiral. Until the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Beijing, in November, the leaders of the two countries had not met for more than two years. Following the meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the region can heave a sigh of relief. Let us hope that wisdom will prevail and the two neighbours will focus on cooperation rather than conflict. We should see a gradual improvement in the relations between them in 2015.

Another potential threat to peace is the rivalry between China and the United States. Although the two countries engage each other in regular dialogue, at various levels, there is an enormous deficit of trust between them. For this reason, and because of their historical and cultural differences, they do not understand each other and misread each other's intentions.

For example, the Chinese interpret US President Barack Obama's pivot to Asia or rebalancing to Asia as a disguised form of containment. The Chinese attribute their problems with their neighbours to US machinations. The US, on the other hand, suspects that the Chinese agenda is to reduce US influence and leadership in the short term, and to oust them from the region in the long term. The Americans perceive China's activities as an attempt to create a Chinese sphere of influence and to impose Pax Sinica on her neighbours.

Asean's vision is that the region should be open to all but dominated by none. Asean wants our regional architecture to be open and inclusive. Asean refuses to take sides and wants to be friends with all the major powers. Through its forums and free trade initiatives, Asean wants to create a region which is at peace, economically prosperous and socially just.

 

stopinion@sph.com.sg

The writer is rector of Tembusu College, National University of Singapore

Inaugural Presentation of the Residential Colleges Teaching Excellence Awards

Posted on November 27, 2014February 8, 2021