Wolf Review(Not So Little Red Dot- 60 years of Singapore’s Diplomacy by Peh Shing Huei (Editor)
 |
| (Every chapter comes with their own comic strip done by veteran artist, Cheah Sinann) |
Not So Little Red Dot - 60 years of Singapore Diplomacy by Peh Shing Huei (Editor) was commissioned by the MFA to celebrate, to take stock and to appreciate our foreign policies for the past 60 years. Singapore as a small country, hardly had any airspace, let alone any diplomatic freedom accorded to us. It is hard for a small country like Singapore to have its own voice in the international arena where big powers assert big influence using economic and military might over small nations.
Our founding Prime Minister, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, noted, “A small country like us seeks a maximum number of friends while maintaining the freedom to be a sovereign and independent island state.”
MFA works hard to cultivate partnerships around the world, focusing on having a strong advocate for ASEAN unity and centrality while maintaining strong ties with middle and major powers. That helps us navigate choppy waters in current world affairs. Singapore values multilateralism and interdependence thus reduces hostilities among countries. The book cited our experiences and positions on some past and present diplomatic issues.
Points of Agreement, Negotiation, and Contention by Pearl Lee goes into the detail of the P.O.A. with Malaysia, given our proximity with them, will always be a relationship of rivalry and friendship. The Point of Agreement signed by our former PM, Lee Kwan Yew, had a long implementation duration of 21 years before both countries decided to effect the agreement in 2011 with the transfer of then Federated Malaya States railway land to Singapore. Even though Singapore was separated from Malaysia many decades earlier, the railway land continued to be one of many contentious issues of bilateral relations.
The railway land, which stretches 24km, cuts Singapore into half. It was a colonial era legacy dating back to the 1900s. The British had transferred the ownership of the land to Malayan Railway Company(KTM) to run rail services between the two countries. The key agreement was for the Malaysian government to exchange the railway land for two plots of prime land in Singapore jointly developed by both countries.
Getting to the implementation was difficult as many negotiations and renegotiations, reconsiderations, cancellations and political uncertainty took place during the course of 21 years. One of the terms for renegotiation involves Malaysia wanting a bigger share of the joint venture company and asking Singapore for the Bukit Timah land to be included in the agreement. Singapore largely sticks to its position as changes to any concession outside of the agreement may entail more demand from Malaysia. The P.O.A moves in baby steps as the relationship between the two countries turned for the worse in the 90s and recovered in the late 2000s with the change of Malaysia Prime Minister. PM Najib and our PM Lee were able to seal the deal in 2010. A win-win was assured for both countries. It was a happy outcome for both as Singapore was able to solve our security concerns and Malaysia was able to monetise a large chunk of unproductive railway land for billions of dollars worth in prime real estate. The readers will be able to appreciate the work done by our diplomats.
In the chapter, Not Cow, Duck, or Horse by Aaron Low explains how the grouping of ASEAN is formed and its importance to Singapore under a larger group. Our Ambassador-At-Large, Professor Tommy Koh, once described ASEAN as an elephant. An animal that is a herbivore, non-aggressive to any country, but big enough to provide security for itself. In a world fast becoming self-serving, South East Asia with the grouping of 11 countries continues to be a place of peace where everyone is welcome. With one voice, we can be a strong pole in a multi-polar world.
Although ASEAN is relatively peaceful in modern times, it does have its own problems. The recent Thai-Cambodian border dispute and the resulting arms conflict shows peace is not always a given. Singapore as one of the founding members of ASEAN continues to put in considerable effort in promoting peace and cooperation among the member countries. The author cited example like the hydropower deal with Laos to transmit power through transnational power grid. With Laos getting much needed revenue and Singapore moving a step closer of meeting our net-zero targets. Singapore works with other countries in ASEAN to promote economic linkages which are beneficial to all countries. Our country continues to promote dialogue between member countries and major powers through many regional forums. At times there were differences on the Ukraine-Russia war among ASEAN due to some states having close historical ties with Russia. In the end, ASEAN was able to establish a consensus among members.
We seek the maximum friendships internationally, but we never shy away from speaking the truth when thing goes against our principles. Singapore had to walk on tight rope while condemning Russia for its aggression against Ukraine. Russia is one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. Representatives from MFA displayed high level of sensitivity on the subject. Our foreign policies are guided by principles, never by individual countries or its people. Even as we condemned Russia for the naked aggression against Ukraine, we kept in contact with the Russian Foreign Ministry to explain our position clearly, “Might is not right”. MFA continues to have regular dialogues with their Russian counterparts.
There was an air of anticipation in June 2018. The Kim-Trump summit had chosen Singapore to be the host venue for the meeting. Readers would be able to understand the significance of the event and the work that went into the preparation. Many would have seen the meeting, but very few knew the behind-the-scenes details. The book makes a good read for those interested in the finer details of the historical event held in Singapore. We were keen to be a great host. No stones were left unturned. We even moved a 100-year-old table from the Old Supreme Court (National Gallery Singapore) to Sentosa for the two leaders to have an agreement signed on it!
Singapore continues to provide those countries in need of critical assistance in areas of disaster relief. We project our soft power by providing humanitarian assistance. As a honest broker in world politics, our soft power made us many friends around the world which came in handy during COVID-19 as we relied on other countries to provide us with medical supplies. Luckily, many countries were willing to extend their medical supplies to us, strengthening Singapore’s fight against the virus.
Not So Little Red Dot - 60 Years of Singapore’ diplomacy provides interesting inside stories into the inner workings and achievements of the MFA, rarely mentioned in public. It is also a book which I highly recommend to those readers interested in geopolitics. By understanding the core principles and beliefs in our foreign policy. We can appreciate the contributions of MFA in its role in promoting peace and cooperation among countries. Finally, I will like to thank the people at The Nutgraf Books for the complimentary copy. The book is now available at all major bookstores.
Please consider following us on telegram for the latest update on Lone Wolf investor by clicking on the link below. No form filling, no payment required, no collection of data, no data mining, no hard selling, no obligation.
https://t.me/joinchat/oCgkD3sQFRMzMWM1
Disclaimers
All investments is highly speculative in nature and involves substantial risk of loss. We encourage our reader to invest very carefully. We also encourage reader to get personal advice from your professional investment advisor and to make independent investigations before acting on information that we publish. Much of our information is derived directly from information published by companies or submitted to governmental agencies on which we believe are reliable but are without our independent verification. Therefore, we cannot assure you that the information is accurate or complete. We do not in any way whatsoever warrant or guarantee the success of any action you take in reliance on our statements. All information provided are for education only. Buyer beware,do you own due diligence.
Comments
Post a Comment