Tommy Koh - 50 Years Of Singapore And The United Nations

World Scientific Series on Singapores 50 Years of Nation-Building

Published

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edited by David Chan

Our Lives to Live: Putting a Womans Face to Change in Singapore

edited by Kanwaljit Soin and Margaret Thomas

50 Years of SingaporeEurope Relations: Celebrating Singapores Connections with Europe

edited by Yeo Lay Hwee and Barnard Turner

50 Years of Singapore and the United Nations

edited by Tommy Koh, Li Lin Chang and Joanna Koh

For more information about this series, go to http://www.worldscientific.com/page/sg50

Published by

World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.

5 Toh Tuck Link, Singapore 596224

USA office: 27 Warren Street, Suite 401402, Hackensack, NJ 07601

UK office: 57 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9HE

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

50 years of Singapore and the United Nations / edited by Tommy Koh, Li Lin Chang ; with Joanna Koh.

pages cm. -- (World Scientific series on Singapore's 50 years of nation-building)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-9814713030 (alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-9814713047 (pbk. : alk. paper)

1. United Nations--Singapore. 2. Singapore--Foreign relations--1945 I. Koh, Tommy T. B.

(Tommy Thong Bee), 1937 II. Chang, Li Lin. III. Title: Fifty years of Singapore and the United Nations.

JZ4997.5.S56A2 2015

341.23'56957--dc23

2015021809

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

First published 2015

All rights reserved.

Printed in Singapore by Mainland Press

Foreword

Singapore became independent on 9 August 1965.

One of the first things which the new republic did was to apply to join the United Nations. As our first Foreign Minister, Mr S. Rajaratnam, explained, we did this to obtain from the UN an international endorsement of Singapores sovereignty and integrity.

On 21 September 1965, Singapore was admitted as the UNs 117th member state. This book tells the story of the happy relationship between Singapore and the UN over the past 50 years.

Singapore has benefitted from membership of the UN. At the same time, Singapore and Singaporeans have contributed to the work of the UN and to global governance. For example, Singapore is helping to secure a more stable global financial system through the IMF; promoting peace and the international rule of law, including at sea; championing sustainable development, liveable cities, and water and sanitation; and empowering the small and medium-sized countries of the world through the Forum of Small States and the Global Governance Group.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Singapores independence and the 70th anniversary of the UNs founding. I hope that the essays in this book will make Singaporeans more aware of the relevance and usefulness of the UN to Singapore, and highlight some of the significant Singaporean contributions to the work of the UN system.

LEE Hsien Loong

Prime Minister of Singapore

Message

Singapore holds a vital place for many reasons. You are an intellectual centre and a financial crossroads. Your policies, hard work and determination have propelled Singapore to economic growth and prosperity. You have shown the world the dividends that come from investing in education, in healthcare and in people. When you face struggle, as you did during the financial and economic crises, you rise to the challenge. You have confronted threats of terrorism and deadly diseases. But you still remain strong and tolerant. In short, you have much to give and the world has much to gain from the Singapore example.

But no nation, regardless of size or strength, can solve all problems on its own. We need to think and act collectively. Singapore gets it. You are a small country a little red dot as you proudly proclaim. You understand the essential natures of multilateralism in todays world. And you are working to enhance it because all of us have a profound stake in getting it right. You have expanded your voice exponentially through the Forum of Small States. You have built bridges between the UN and the G20 and between nations large and small through the Global Governance Group or 3G.

As a densely populated small island, you have shown leadership on issues of climate change and sustainable development. You know well that the global effort to achieve sustainable peace requires sustainable development. This is your history. It is the core of your success. Singapore was once a poor fishing village. Now you are a prosperous global city-state. You are a nation that continues to be at the leading edge of innovation and change. When I visited Singapore in 2012, I visited the NEWater complex to see all that Singapore was doing to improve access to water and sanitation so that people can lead lives of dignity and well-being. You also continue to show the way to building a tolerant society where different races, ethnicities, religions and cultures co-exist in peace and harmony. You may be limited in your geographical borders, but you are showing there is no limit to creativity, possibility and imagination.

Dr BAN Ki-moon

Secretary-General, United Nations

Preface

2015 is an auspicious year for Singapore and for the United Nations. Singapore is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its independence. The UN is celebrating the 70th anniversary of its founding. We have therefore decided to edit a book to tell the story of the mutually beneficial relationship between Singapore and the UN. We thank the 45 essayists for helping us to tell the story. We are grateful to the Prime Minister for his foreword and the UN Secretary-General for his message.

The story begins in 1965 when Singapore was expelled from the Federation of Malaysia and became a sovereign and independent country. At the time of its birth, there were critics, both at home and abroad, who had cast doubts on the legitimacy of Singapores independence. It was therefore an imperative for Singapore to seek admission to the UN. Singapore was admitted on 21 September 1965 as the 117th member state of the UN.

We have included in the book, the full text of the statement made by then Foreign Minister, Mr S. Rajaratnam, to the UN General Assembly on the occasion of Singapores admission. It is a seminal speech as it summarises the Singapore worldview and foreign policy. It also explains the importance of the UN to Singapore:

For us the essentials of the Charter are the preservation of peace through collective security, promotion of economic development through mutual aid and the safeguarding of the inalienable right of every country to establish forms of government in accordance with the wishes of its own people.

It is a great pity that the first Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, never spoke to the UN. He did, however, visit the UN on several occasions to call on then Secretary-General U Thant. We have included in the book a photograph taken in 1967. PM Lee Kuan Yew was accompanied by Foreign Minister S. Rajaratnam, Minister of State Rahim Ishak and Ambassador Wong Lin Ken, who served concurrently as the Ambassador to the United States and the UN.

The second Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr Goh Chok Tong, did speak to the UN on several occasions. We have included in the book, a short speech he made on the occasion of the UNs 50th anniversary in 1995. He said: