The Management of Globalization in Singapore: Twentieth Century ...

The Management of Globalization in Singapore: Twentieth Century Lessons for theEarly Decades of the New CenturyTwo other areas of possible social stress relate tostructural unemployment and to a widening income gap inSingapore's globalized economy. These by-products ofglobalization are common to most developed economies. It iswidely accepted that globalization benefits an elite, whilecreating income gaps between them, the middle class, andthe lowest earners in society. The example of Singapore hadin the past bucked this trend: growth and globalization inSingapore had raised the standards of living for the vastmajority of its people, and provided nearly full employment.If further globalization accelerates income disparities andunemployment for some, such trends will require politicalattention and the crafting of appropriate policy responses.The government's response to the widening income gapwas, therefore, to reinforce the idea of meritocracy, afoundational idea in the imagining of modern Singapore, toemphasize that those who work hard can get ahead in life,regardless of their background. This emphasis has broughtmore focus on the education policy, not just for its own sake,but as a vital complement to the globalization process.The rationale for Singapore's immigration policy hasbeen articulated by former Prime Minister Goh, thus: "I seeforeign talent, or global talent, not as a quick fix to make upfor the shortage of local workers. This is a long-term strategyto enable Singapore to sustain its vitality, competitiveness,and prosperity. If we can absorb a steady inflow of globaltalent into Singapore, our ideas and outlook will stay freshand vibrant, and we can be a competitive, global player" (YapMui Teng, 2001). However, Goh has himself articulated whatmust have been on the minds of many Singaporeans -- thatSingapore could not rely only on foreigners. In the PrimeMinister's words: "…we will bring in foreigners and newimmigrants. They will complement our needs, but theycannot replace us". Apart from the need for nationalservicemen, some political issues associated with a largeimmigrant population could be whether they would stay intimes of trouble and the issue of divided loyalty (for whichreason Singapore has been reluctant to allow dualcitizenship). The above are quite apart from the question ofconflict and competition for resources, particularly whentimes are difficult. As an example, Singaporeans are already992