SM Lee: Much harder for Govern­ment to deliver prosperity & progress in this environment

SINGAPORE: At the Administrative Service Dinner on Tuesday (April 21), Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong recognized several civil servants for their contributions to society, particularly the former Head of the Civil Service, Leo Yip, who is retiring after 43 years of service.

Saying that he had last attended such an event in 2022, he added, “It is an important annual event for the Administrative Service to come together – to congratulate those taking on greater responsibilities; to celebrate the contributions of retiring leaders; and to reaffirm what it means to be an Administrative Service Officer, serving Singaporeans and Singapore.”

Aside from the importance of civil and public service in Singapore, as well as the policies that have served the city-state well, SM Lee noted with concern how the external environment that has allowed Singapore to flourish over the past 60 years has changed and has become exponentially more problematic.

“War and conflict are now more likely. Life has become much more dangerous for a small country like Singapore. It will be much harder for the Govern­ment to deliver prosperity and progress for Singaporeans in this challenging, changed environment,” he said, adding that Singapore now needs to work much harder to keep it going, and keep the city-state exceptional.

The state of the world

SM Lee said that at present, power rivalry is shaping our world, with “unilateral and unexpected actions of some major countries.”

Furthermore, major countries that used to promote and uphold the rules-based global order are no longer doing so, but instead are “wielding their power overtly and directly.”

Others, meanwhile, are weaponizing dominant positions in particular industries or critical materials to gain leverage over opponents or to hold rivals back,” which has caused an increased investment in security and defence from all nations, who have had to put national security and resilience above economic efficiency and growth.

There has also been decreased cooperation on trade and investments, as well as overall lower levels of prosperity and standards of human welfare, he added.

This is the second time over the past week that SM Lee has spoken about how the current geopolitical situation is affecting Singaporeans.

At an April 18 event, he pointed out that even if the war in the Middle East stopped immediately, its effects would be far-reaching, which is why the government immediately implemented a S$1 billion package to help households and businesses.

He said that while the support measures would not solve everything, they would help households and businesses cope with the immediate pressures

“The Government is tracking what is happening closely, and I am sure so are you. If the situation gets worse, we are ready to do more, and we can do more. Having built up our resources and capabilities over the years, we have what it takes. And I think we are in a strong position to deal with the situation, and to help Singaporeans survive the crisis,” he said. /TISG

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