Word: goh
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...Goh Keng Swee, executive chair of the Institute of East Asian Political Economy, made these remarks as part of the fourth annual K.T. Li lecture before a crowd...
...Goh analyzed the economic histories of Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea--which he termed the "Four Dragons"--saying that nations without cutting-edge technology have a head start on catching up with more developed countries...
Last year Goh won a $15,600 government grant to upgrade his factory equipment. He winced when he paid $38,000 for a small Datsun, but says the steep price was worthwhile because it helped the government prevent traffic jams by limiting car ownership. "Overall," he says, "life in Singapore is pretty good." Sultan Ahamed, an ethnic Indian Muslim spice trader with strong family links to his strife-torn homeland, speaks for many Singaporeans when he declares, "What shall I say? This is a paradise...
Sometimes dubbed Singapore, Inc., the nation had its credo set by visionary economic architect Goh Keng Swee: "Government policy must be directed to the pursuit of business excellence." The country is the world's busiest container port, the third largest oil-refining center, the major exporter of computer disk drives. Its manufacturing relies on multinational corporations, and it has attracted some 3,000 foreign companies with generous tax breaks, ultramodern telecommunications, an efficient airport and tame labor unions...
Most citizens would agree with Goh, the small businessman: "We have plenty of freedom here, except political freedom." And for most, that is just fine. Singapore is a nation of immigrants from countries historically ravaged by chaos and poverty. The average Singaporean is conservative and family- oriented, and cares most about two things: money and security. He approves of hanging drug dealers and locking up gangsters without trial. He has struck a simple social contract, accepting limits on personal freedom in return for prosperity and stability. What holds the deal together is the country's lack of corruption. When officials...