新加坡总理吴作栋理国庆群众大会演讲 WORD 版 【本文为 word 版，下载后可修改、打印，如对您有所帮助，请购买，谢谢。 】 第 1 页 新加坡总理吴作栋理国庆群众大会演讲 名人演讲稿 WhentheSingaporeteamsuccessfullyclimbedMountEverest(中国称珠穆朗玛峰 )in1998,Icheered.IspoketoKhooSweeChiowandhisteam-mateslater. Theytoldmethattheyclimbedupinstages,fromBaseCamp(探险队等的营地 )toCamps1,2,3and4,beforetheymadetheirassaultforthesummit.Theclimbbecamemoredifficultanddangerousthehighertheywent.Theairbecamethinnerandtheslopesteeper.Youhadtobedisciplined,determined,andwellprepared.Andyouhadtohaveluckonyourside.Therecouldbeavalanchesandrockfails,ortheweathercouldchangesuddenly.SweeChiowtoldmethatthemostimportantqualityneededtoclimbMountEverestwasmentalstrength. TheclimbupMountEverestprovidesavividimageforSingapore''''sownclimbupthemountainofeconomicdevelopment. SeniorMinisterbroughtSingaporeuptoCamp2-fromlabourintensivetoelectronicsandhighervalue-addedindustries.Inthelast10years,wehaveclimbedhighertoCamp3,withwaferfabs(waferfabrication 的口语表达 ,晶体管加工 ),chemicals,andfinancialservices.Now,wearemakingourwaytoCamp4,todoIT,lifesciences,andotherknowledge-basedactivities.IfwemakeittoCamp4,wecanthentrytoscalethesummitwherecountriesliketheUS,JapanandSwi新加坡总理吴作栋理国庆群众大会演讲 WORD 版 【本文为 word 版，下载后可修改、打印，如对您有所帮助，请购买，谢谢。 】 第 2 页 tzerlandare. Butletmewarnyou.AsintheMountEverestclimb,thegoingwillgettougherfromhere.Aswegohigherupthemountainofeconomicdevelopment,progresswillbeslower.Wewillnotseethesamehighgrowthratesasinthepast.Wewillhavetoworksmarterandacquiremoresophisticatedcapabilitiestoovercomecomplexchallenges.Wewillbetemptedtorelax.Indeed,someSingaporeanshaveasked:“DoweneedtobeNumberOneineverything?“Wewillneedgreatmentalstrengthtocontinuepushingourselvestoexcel.Ifwedonotdoso,othersnowbehinduswillpushusoffthetrack. Tonight,Iwanttofocusonthisnextstageofoureconomicclimb. THECURRENTDOWNTURN Butfirst,letmetouchonthecurrenteconomicdownturn. WhenImetthemediaearlierthisweek,theytoldmethatSingaporeanswouldexpectmetospeakindetailontheslowdown,andoffersolutions. IexplainedwhyIdidnotintendtodoso.Wehavealreadydiscussedonmanyoccasionsourshort-termproblems.Iwanttodealwiththelong-termchallenges.Ofgreaterconcerntomearethefundamentalshiftsintheglobaleconomicenvironment,andthefactthatmanyofthejobswhicharelostduringthisslowdown,mightneverreturnafterrecovery.Weneedanewstrategytorespondtothesedevelopments. Moreover,duringthe1997Asianfinancialcrisis,wehadputinplaceamajorpac新加坡总理吴作栋理国庆群众大会演讲 WORD 版 【本文为 word 版，下载后可修改、打印，如对您有所帮助，请购买，谢谢。 】 第 3 页 kageofrebatesandcost-cuttingmeasures.Partsofthisarestillineffect,includingtheCP17cut.Then,inthisyear''''sbudget,RichardHucutcorporateandpersonaltaxes,andgaverebatesonSCcharges,rentalsandutilitybills.Recently,GeorgeYeoannouncedanotherpackagetodealwiththecurrenteconomicslowdown. Letmeassureyouthatiftheslowdowndragson,wehavethemeansandabilitytodomoretohelpyou.Andwewillhelpyou.MyMinistersandIarewatchingtheeconomyveryclosely.Weareworkingoutpossibleadditionalmeasures,justincasetheeconomycontinuestoworsenandweneedtoadministerasecondpackage. Ourcurrentproblemistheconsequenceofbeingasmall,openeconomy,highlydependentonexternaltradeandforeigninvestment.WhentheUSandothermajoreconomiesweregrowing,wecaughtthestrongwindsandsurgedahead.Nowthatthewindshavedied,ourgrowthhasslowedtoalmostastandstill.Wedonothavealargedomesticmarkettogoagainstchangesinthewindintheexternalenvironment.Wejusthavetocopewiththem.WhattheGovernmentcando,however,istomakesurethattheeconomystayscompetitiveoverthelongterm,andsoftentheimpactofdownturnsonbusinessesandworkersthroughcost-cuttingmeasuresandrebates. Wearedoingtherightthings,Inarecentsurveyof12AsiancountriesbyPERC,aHongKong-basedrisk-analysisconsultancy,Singaporerankednumberoneforq新加坡总理吴作栋理国庆群众大会演讲 WORD 版 【本文为 word 版，下载后可修改、打印，如对您有所帮助，请购买，谢谢。 】 第 4 页 ualityofgovernmentpolicies.PERCreportedthat:“Singaporeisaposter-boyofhowtopursueeconomicdevelopment.NowthattheeconomyisslowinginresponsetothedownturninelectronicexportstotheUS,the(Singapore)governmentiscomingupwithnewmeasurestobolstergrowth.Yetitisnotpanicking,norisitradicallychangingotherpoliciesthathavebeenasourceofstabilityandfortifiedinvestorconfidence.“(AsianIntelligence,July25,2019) Sodonotloseconfidence.Donotwalkaroundwithyourheadaningsolow,asifwehavebeendiagnosedwithagravecondition.Wemightbealittleoutofsorts,butitisnotlife-threatening.Whentheglobaleconomyrecovers,sowillwe.Weshouldthereforekeepourspiritsup,andfightoffanygloom.Thereisabiggerbattleafterthis.Wecansucceedonlyifourmoraleishigh. THELASTTENYEARS Letusplanthenextstageofoureconomicclimbevenaswedealwiththecurrentslowdown. Ihadearliergiventhemediaabookletontheprogresswemadeinthe1990s.Acopyhasalsobeengiventoyou. Thisrecordofourachievementssetsthecurrentdownturninperspective.Thelastfewyearshavebeenvolatile-goodgrowthin1997,sharpdownturnin1998,recoveryin1999,10percentgrowthin2019,andnowanotherdownturn.Buttakingalongerviewoverthelastdecade,wehavemadeconsiderableprogress. Thisshouldgiveustheconfidencethatwecanclimbhigher.Wehavestrongfund新加坡总理吴作栋理国庆群众大会演讲 WORD 版 【本文为 word 版，下载后可修改、打印，如对您有所帮助，请购买，谢谢。 】 第 5 页 amentals.WehaveatestedteamofexperiencedMinisters,MPs,grassrootsandunionleaders,andcivilservants.Wehavecapablepeopleintheprivatesectorandaunitedpopulation.Andwehavetheresourcestoinvestinnewventuresandcapabilities. Oureconomygrewfasterinthe90sthaninthe80s,despitethe1997Asianfinancialcrisis(7.7%perannum,asagainst7.3%).Iwasalsoquietlysatisfiedthatwerealisedourvisionofreachingthe1984Swissstandardoflivinglastyear.In1984,wehadsetthisasatargettobeachievedby1999,butwemisseditbyoneyearbecauseofthecrisis. TheGovernmentdistributedbacktoSingaporeansagoodpartofthewealthgeneratedfromthisstrongeconomicgrowth.Wesharedcloseto$14billionthroughasset-enhancementprogrammesandendowmentfunds.Weinvestedinbetterhealthcare,housingandeducation.Singaporeans''''standardoflivingwentupconsiderably. Wealsolivenedupthearts,culturalandleisuresceneoyearsago,Timemagazinedescribedourcitylifeas“funky“.Morerecently,Australia''''sCanberraTimessaidthatSingaporewas“hip“and“cool“. Ahh!Now,weevenhavefoamparties!1thoughtfoampartieswereforchildren,but1sawpicturesofadultsenjoyingthemselvestoo.Thatisallright,solongasthemerry-makersprancearoundwiththelightsandtheirclotheson. Fortunately,wealsohavehigh-browedstufflikeplays,balletsandmusicals.Ton新加坡总理吴作栋理国庆群众大会演讲 WORD 版 【本文为 word 版，下载后可修改、打印，如对您有所帮助，请购买，谢谢。 】 第 6 页 ight''''sRallyisheldhereinsteadoftheusualKallangTheatrebecauseIgavewayto“MissSaigon“. BUTTHEREAREGAPS However,therewerealsoareaswherewecouldhavedonebetter.Iwillmentiononlytwo,justtoremindSingaporeansnottobecomplacent. Ourservicestandardscanbeimproved.Ournewspaperscarrymanycomplaintsofpoorserviceinourshopsandrestaurants,bytaxi-drivers,andeveninourhospitalsandbanks. Wecanalsobemoregraciousandconsiderate,athomeandinothercountries. Forexample,someJohoreanshavedescribedChineseSingaporeansas“haolian“or“show-offs“.TheyclaimthatSingaporeanslovetospeedandbeattrafficlightswheninMalaysia;behaveasiftheyare“ABC“or“American-bornChinese“;andlovetoshout“verycheap,verycheap!“whileshopping. Iwouldaddthatwearetoo''''kiasu''''.Forexample,atbuffets,wepileoystersonourplatesashighasMountEverest. Ithinkourlessthangraciousbehaviourisbecausewehavebecomeaffluenttooquickly.Oursocialgraceshavenotkeptpacewithourmaterialprogress.Letusbehumble,courteous,andgraciousinourbehaviourandattitude.Letusmakefriendswithourneighbours,especiallyJohoreans. MORECHALLENGINGENVIRONMENTAHEAD Thenexttenyearswillbetougherthanthelastten. 新加坡总理吴作栋理国庆群众大会演讲 WORD 版 【本文为 word 版，下载后可修改、打印，如对您有所帮助，请购买，谢谢。 】 第 7 页 Ouroperatingenvironmenthaschangedtremendously.Wearenowinanewphaseofglobaldevelopment.Thereisonlyonepre-eminentworldpower-theUS.Nevertheless,theUScannotignoretherapidemergenceofChina. US-CHINARELATIONS Indeed,theUS-Chinarelationshipwillbethedefiningfactoringlobaleconomicsandpoliticsinthecomingdecades.Ifitgoeswrong,Asiawillsuffer.TheUSseestremendousopportunitiesinChina''''seconomicgrowth,butatthesametime,itworriesoverChina''''sgrowingpower. HowUS-Chinarelationswillevolveisstilltooearlytosay.PresidentGeorgeW.BushspoketoPresidentJiangZemingonthetelephonerecently.AccordingtoPresidentJiang,“AlthoughitwasnotavideophonewhereIcouldseehisfacialexpression,fromhisvoice,IcouldfeelthathewasaPresidentwecandobusinesswith.“IhopethatwhenthetwoPresidentsmeetinBeijinginOctober,andseeeachother''''sfacialexpressions,theywillfindthattheycandobusinesswitheachother. EASTASIA WithinEastAsia,thereareotherflashpoints.Cross-straitrelationsbetweenChinaandTaiwanaretroubled.ThemomentumofreconciliationbetweenthetwoKoreashavesloweddown.IntheSouthChinaSea,severalcountriesclaimtheatollsandreefsthere.Ifthisleadstoconflict,sealanesofcommunicationsandinternationaltradewillbedisrupted,affectingus. 新加坡总理吴作栋理国庆群众大会演讲 WORD 版 【本文为 word 版，下载后可修改、打印，如对您有所帮助，请购买，谢谢。 】 第 8 页 Theoutlookforourimmediateneighbourhoodalsoremainsuncertain. IndonesiahasjustelectedanewPresident,thethirdinthreeyearssinceSuhartosteppeddownin1998. PresidentMegawattiinheritsacountryinwhichpartsarethreateningtobreakaway,andtheeconomyisinagravestate.Indonesiawilltakemanyyearstorecover. TheMalaysianeconomybouncedbackbrieflyafterthe1997Asianfinancialcrisis.However,internationalinvestorsremainwary. OthercountriesinAseanarealsofacingvariousdifficulties. Asaresult,Aseanisatalowpoint.Investorsarenegativeabouttheregion''''sprospects. Singaporewillfeelkeenlytheeffectofthisuncertaintyintheregion. THECHINACHALLENGE Moreover,oureconomyisuncomfortablysandwichedbetweenthedevelopinganddevelopedeconomies. Manydevelopingeconomiesarefastcatchingupwithusintechnologicalcapability.What''''smore,theyhavemuchlowercostsofproduction.Forexample,ourwagesformanufacturingworkersaremorethan12timesthatinChinaandIndia.OurindustriallandcostsaboutUS$300persquaremetre.InShenzhen,itcostsbelowUS$10.Fortunately,wearenolongercompetinginlow-endmanufacturing,wherelowwagesandlowlandpricesarecritical. 新加坡总理吴作栋理国庆群众大会演讲 WORD 版 【本文为 word 版，下载后可修改、打印，如对您有所帮助，请购买，谢谢。 】 第 9 页 Butstill,Chinaposesabigeconomicchallenge.SomeeconomistsdescribeChinaasan“800-poundtradinggorilla“.AHongkongnewspaperaddedthatthisgorillawas“veryhungry“. Intheearly90s,Chinatook20%ofthetotalforeigndirectinvestmentintoEastAsia(excludingJapan),whileAseanabsorbed50%.Today,thenumbersarereversed:Chinatakesin50%andAsean20%.Chinaisnowdubbedthe“subcontractoroftheworld“. EvenIndiaisbeingfloodedwithcheapbutgoodqualityChinesegoods.SomeIndianmanufacturersarefindingithardtocompete.Sotheyhavedonethenextbestthing.Theystick“MadeinChina“labelsontheirproductstoboostsales. ButChinawillsoonbemorethanasub-contractor.AJulyarticleinAsiaweekcommentedthat:“It''''snotaboutcheapstuffanymore.FromPCstochipstosoftware,(China)isbecominganITpowerhouse.“ ManyTaiwanesecompaniesareinvestingheavilyinChina,notjustinlow-endactivities,butalsohightechplantslikewaferfabs.ThecompaniesareshiftingtheiractivitiesoutofTaiwanintoChina.Thereare200,000TaiwanesebusinessmeninShanghaiandanother200,000inKunshannearSuzhou.TheTaiwaneseworrythattheirmanufacturingindustryisbeinghollowedout. RichardLimwroteaninterestingarticle,entitled“AWake-upCallfromChina“,intheSundayTimesof22July.HehasbeentoChinaseveraltimesovermanyyears.HefoundChina''''stransformationtobe: 新加坡总理吴作栋理国庆群众大会演讲 WORD 版 【本文为 word 版，下载后可修改、打印，如对您有所帮助，请购买，谢谢。 】 第 10 页 “Alarming,becauseChina''''stransformationwillimpactgreatlyonSingapore,especiallyonthelivelihoodsofitslesswell-educatedcitizens.“ Hethenurgedthat: “Thepeoplemustbemadeawareofwhatishappening,becausetheirfuture,ortheirchildren''''s,isatstake.“ RichardLim''''sarticleattractedseveralletters.Manyreadersagreedwithhim. Iwas,however,morethanalittlesadtoreadtheresponseofayoungreader,probablywestern-educatedandhadneverbeentoChina.Herevealedthathehaddraftedhisresponsewithinputsfromafewotherslikehimself,all20-somethings.Hewrote: “WedonotfeelanyaffinitytotheChinesepeople.Thecheenapeoplearesuckingawayalltheforeigninvestmentsandalongwiththem,ourjobs.Wereallycannotimagineaworldwiththecheenapeopleincharge. ThecheenapeopleworkinginSingaporearereallysuchacrudelot.“ HeendedsarcasticallybyaskingRichardLimtoconsidermigratingtoChina. Thisyoungmanisunabletoseebeyondhisnose.Heneedstogrowup,andquicklytoo.PerhapshedoesnotknowthatChinesearecalled“OrangCina“inMalay.IfwearenotCina,whatarewe?“AngMoh“? IhavebeentoChinamanytimes,thefirsttimein1971.IhaveseenChina''''stransformationatclosequarters.Itisscary.YougotoBeijing,Shanghai,Shenzhen,Dalian,Qingdaoandscoresofothercities,andyouwillbeastonishedbyhowquickl