Should we slow progress to please our neighbours?
By Leong Ching
February 14, 2007
SLOW down our pace of development and pacify our neigbours.
This suggestion came from Madam Ho Geok Choo (West Coast GRC) after a spate of questions concerning Singapore's rocky relations with Indonesia and Malaysia.
She said that our neighbours may not be happy with the pace of our development.
'If that were so, would Singapore be reviewing itself to be more measured in its pace so as to pacify our neighbours?' she asked.
Madam Ho noted that Singapore's success and fast growth may be creating tension with its neighbours, who may feel threatened and stressed.
'Our neighbours could be feeling low and a loss of face when so often we talk about offering help.
SLOW DOWN
'My question, therefore, is that perhaps we should slow down,' she asked.
Objecting, Miss Irene Ng (Tampines GRC) said we should not do so as we answer to Singaporeans.
Miss Ng was one of five MPs in yesterday's session who asked about Singapore's spat with its neigbours.
This included Indonesia's decision to ban the export of sand, as well as Thailand's accusation of 'eavesdropping'.
In his reply, Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo said he agreed with Miss Ng's view that Singapore should not slow down.
'We should do what is in the interest of Singapore.
'Of course, where we can, we should help our neighbours with their economic development and indeed we are,' he said.
Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan, replying on the issue of sand, assured the House that Singapore was coping well with the ban and that overall costs of development would increase by only about 1 per cent.
In fact, he noted, Singapore had stopped importing sea sand from Indonesia since 2003. What it had imported since then was sand from the interior of the country.
Picking up the cue, MP Sin Boon Ann (Tampines GRC), a lawyer, asked pointedly: 'Is it true that the Indonesians are very concerned over the significant impact to the environment arising from our purchase of sand from them?
'And if it is so, can we not impress upon the Indonesians to be equally concerned about the haze problem, which is also an issue of the environment?' asked Mr Sin pointedly.
Mr Mah said that the Minister for Foreign Affairs would be able to answer that question better.
Mr Yeo explained that as land sand did not come from the coastline of Indonesia, it was not possible for its export to change Indonesia's borders.
On the Thai accusation of Singapore eavesdropping through its ownership of Shin Corp, he replied that this was not only economically unfeasible, it was also 'absurd for Temasek to sully its reputation in this way'.
Another MP, Ms Lee Bee Wah (Ang Mo Kio GRC), put a practical twist to the whole issue.
She noted that the Thais had wanted to suspend some government-to-goverment programmes. How much did Singapore spend on such programmes?
And if the Thais did not want them, 'why don't we spend the money on lift-upgrading in Nee Soon South?' she asked.
GOODWILL
Mr Yeo said with a laugh: 'While I am all for giving sufficient funds to the lift-upgrading programme, it is important for us to be very rational in our response.'
He also added that when considering such bilateral programmes, it was not just about dollars and cents but the effort needed and the goodwill generated.
Thailand was going through a 'rough patch' now, he said, adding that he hoped that the country would return to constitutional law soon.
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Minister: Property price rise 'exaggerated'
PROPERTY prices have gone up but there is no bubble, said National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan.
Reports of a 25 per cent rise in top-end property prices were 'exaggerated,' he said, and released data to show that prices had risen by an average of 10 per cent last year.
Public housing, he said, had risen by about 2 per cent.
He was replying to a question from MP Alvin Yeo (Hong Kah GRC) about a 'steep run up in prices for super luxury residential property projects'.
The minister also addressed a concern about flipping or speculative activity.
In the last quarter of last year, he revealed, there were 426 sub-sales, which refer to transactions in which property is sold before it had been completed.
This number accounted for a mere 5.4 per cent of all transactions.
