RETOOLING RESILIENCE

The late, great historian, Barbara Tuchman, came over the course of her life’s work to formulate a somewhat playful dictum: “The fact of being reported multiplies the apparent extent of any deplorable development by five to tenfold.”

Deplorable and unwelcome developments in various hues have not exactly been in short supply in the news recently, contributing to a pervasive gloom. This could easily lead one to think that the world order as we know it is teetering on the edge of a precipice.

Recent speeches by Singapore’s leaders have been noteworthy for their sombre tone. In his recent speech at the Debate on the Motion of Thanks to President Halimah Yacob, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong highlighted three key tensions and pressure points: Ukraine; the alarming deterioration in relations between China and the US (with Taiwan as a particular flashpoint); and the breakdown of the international multilateral trading system — a system that had enabled free and open economies like Singapore to thrive. 

In his speech, PM Lee referred to a troubling and “dangerous” external environment. Foreign Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, as circumspect and measured as any cabinet minister, used the word “dangerous” several times in his recent speech at Australian National University to describe the global situation.

Singapore’s leaders being on the same page is the norm. But leaders speaking in unison in the same time frame and using calibrated language expressing grave concern of this magnitude is unusual. Beyond acting and thinking in a deliberate, planned way, the current leadership, as well as the generation to follow, is clearly concerned — not just in terms of painting a stark picture, but also in terms of challenges in rallying the people.

Perhaps it is because they know that the Singaporeans — especially the younger generation  who will inherit our society —need to be aware that our problems are not the world’s problems, but that the world’s problems are quite often indeed Singapore’s problems.