Managing a multi-cultural society

Sri Lanka- A Country Divided

 Conflict lasted many years
 At its peak, a civil war broke out, causing loss of many innocent lives
 Factors
o Language policies
 When a language is officialised in a country, the administrative language could
determine the job opportunities of the people
 Whether or not they can gain jobs in the civil service or elsewhere depends on
their language proficiency
 Could impact survival of communities in the country
 Official Language Act
 Implemented in 1956
 Sinhala was used as the language of administration
 Many Tamils could not speak Sinhala was at a disadvantage
o Could not find jobs or get promoted
 Tamils working in the government service were given time to master
the language in 3 years or sacked.
 Tamils-unhappy with this act
 Suffer economically
 They would be unattractive to employers
 The Tamils would not have access to civil service jobs in the future
 Do not understand the Sinhala documents
 The Tamils staged a peaceful protest- turned into riots
o Tertiary Education
 Could deter a person’s quality of life
 One can increase his social mobility or increase wealth and resources
 Otherwise, poverty- survival an issue
 Discrimination in education
 1970, the government tried to reduce the number of the Tamils who
were eligible for university education by raising the entry marks for
them
o Tamils had difficulty in enrolling in University
 Quota for the Sinhalese
o The Sinhalese became more education and got better jobs
 Tamils suffered economically

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 o Could not apply for high-paid jobs which would allow them to
live a better life
o Citizenship Issues
 Granted Citizenship only to those who were either born in Sir Lanka or whose
forefathers were born there (1948- Citizenship Act)
 To tilt the political balance away from the Tamils
o Separatism
 Sinhalese and the Tamils were separated in education- Relate to the jobs

Northern Ireland- Cultural Conflict

 Northern Ireland: Part of the United Kingdom and is ruled by the British Parliament in London
o Mostly protestants with comparably less number of Catholics

Protestants Catholics
o Unionists o Republicans
 Wanted to join forces with  Wanted a separate state
Britain- ties with Britain away from the British-
 Ulster Unionist Party- Led by ties with Republic of
David Trimble Ireland
 Democratic Unionist Party-  Social Democratic
Led by Ian Paisley Labour Party (SDLP)- Led
 Ulster Volunteer Force by John Hume
(UVF)  Sinn Fein- Led by Gerry
Adams
 Irish Republican Army
(IRA)

 History & Education & Divided Loyalties

o The Protestants and Catholics were devoted to Britain and Republic of Ireland
Respectively
 The Protestants wanted to join U.K. and Catholics wanted to join with Ireland
 The protestants were afraid of joining with Ireland as it would make them be in
a disadvantaged position whereas Catholics struggled for Home Rule
 Celebrations such as anniversary of Battle of Boyne further develop the
hatred caused by different loyalties- Intolerance- Conflict
o History was viewed differently & The history was painful
 Focused on one aspect
 Protestants have the British history and the success of the Protestants
whereas Catholics have the history of English conquest that they
resented and many Catholics were killed/massacred
o Such Painful histories would bring up hatred in each other and
cause conflict

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 o Education
 Protestants- Mostly public schools
 Catholics- Mostly private schools
 Taught to be either pro-British or Anti-British &Pro-Irish (History & Culture)
 Not know each other very much
 This segregation taught them distorted history and they became ignorant of
each other
 Government’s Action
o Government which was pro-protestant, gave more chances to the Protestant
 Biasness against the Catholics
 Catholics felt that it was unfair and conflict occurred due to rebellions
o Areas of Biasness:
 Voting Rights (Electoral Discrimination that ensured Protestant victory
 Before 1968, one needed to be a taxpayer- Catholics were unemployed-
Outnumbered
 After 1968, each household- 2 votes
o Companies- up to 6 votes & depended on size- many were
owned by richer protestants- more votes
 Protestants had more voting powers & thus could always put the
government that kept with these rules in power.
 Gerrymandering
 The redrawing of area/district and its voting- negative intent
 Gerrymandering was done to make sure that in each area, Protestants
were bigger in numbers- Catholics could never win in an area. They
were separated, so in each district, their voting power was weakened.
Conflict thus occurred as the Catholics were limited and they could not have
much say in Politics
 Housing
 Public housing provided by the city councils (partly paid for by the
government)
 Councils comprise largely of protestants
 Catholics often delayed in getting public housing
 1945-1967: 82% of houses in Fermanagoh were allocated to Protestants
despite Catholics being larger in number
 1965: All 194 new houses were used to rehouse Protestants in
Dungannon
 Catholics were frustrated
o Shortage of houses- live packed before waiting for years to get
their own
o Find the provision of housing unfair

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  Leads to Conflict
 Employment- Unequal opportunities
 Companies prefer Protestants over Catholics
o Catholics do not really have an equal chance in getting their jobs
even if they are as qualified as the Protestants
 1971: Catholic Males- 2.5 times more likely to be jobless than Protestant
Males
o Fewer senior positions for Catholics
o No. of Catholic engineers & Civil servants- not in proportion to
their population
o Catholics do not have the chance and conflicts occur as they
believe that they are being wronged
 Divided Politics & Foreign Intervention/Influence & IRA/UVF
o Nationalist/Catholic
 SDLP (Social Democratic and Labour Party)
 Irish Unity but opposed to IRA’s violence- Peaceful
 Sinn Fein & IRA
 Backs the Violence of IRA
 Supported by the working-class Catholics
o Unionist/Protestant
 UUP (Ulster Unionist Party)
 Defends interests of Northern Protestants
 DUP & UVF
 Took working-class support away from UUP
 Supports the destruction of IRA and uncompromising
Such Politics further separated the two
 Conflicts occur when their ideology clashes & Political Power is fought for
o In order to bring in peace to the politics & stop violence, British troops were sent in
(Foreign Intervention/Influence)
 Catholics at first saw these troops as their defenders against Protestant violence
 But they imposed curfews & internment and searched Catholic-dominated areas
 Arrest without trial- anger Catholics
 Convinced that the British Army was joining the Protestants and waging
war against them- conflict
o IRA/UVF (Irish Republican Army/Ulster Volunteer Force)
 IRA fought against the Protestants & UVF fought against Catholics
 Bloody Sunday
 Unarmed Civilians shot in peaceful anti-internment demonstration
 Cause conflict between IRA and UVF
 Radical groups such as Sinn Fein entered politics

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  Their attacks still continued
 UVF also fought back and killed Catholics
o Violent conflicts occurred as one killed one another
 More and more battles tensed the situation

Switzerland- Direct Democracy

 People have the opportunity to launch initiatives and referendums and actively participate in
politics.
o Referendum- laws; Initiative- Constitution
o 50,000 signatures within 100 days of the publication of a new law
o 100,000 signatures within 18 months
 Would need to be active in participating
 People become a part of the check and balance system

Nigeria- Conflict
 Tensions due to foreign oil corporations
 Corruption
o Usage of money from oil
o Poverty for the people
o Little democracy
 Attacks
o Attack oil pipelines and kidnap foreign workers for ransom

United Kingdom- Multiculturalism

 Attempts to create peace among the different races
o Have the British immigrants merge into the ideologies and the laws of British natives
 Backfired and created terrorism
o Not the original immigrants but the generations after
o They do not have such a fondness for U.K. as compared to their parents who made the
choice
 Citizenship classes
o English, Laws of Britain
o Help the immigrants blend into the society
 Often brought in as foreign talent

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Good Governance
Principles of Good Governance

Singapore’s Situation
 Unique Nation: This relates to our physical constraints - our size, lack of natural resources, and a
multi-racial society
 Unique Environment: his relates to fundamental forces in our external environment that
influence our existence
 Unique Government: This relates to the unique features of our political system, including the
legacy of the PAP Government.

Leadership Is Key

There are four core characteristics of leadership:

 Eschew corruption: This is the most basic requirement but is often taken for granted. If
Singapore's leaders fail to meet this necessary standard of probity, it cannot be demanded of
any other official throughout the system. Indeed, the foundation of the public's trust in the
Government stems from their belief that decisions are made without fear or favour. The actions
and decisions of the Government must be fair, consistent, and transparent to all.

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  Do what is right, not what is popular: Our public sector leaders must have the courage to do
what is necessary for the nation, rather than what is popular. Eschewing popularity does not
mean ignoring the interests or preferences of the people. It does mean having the courage to
confront difficult issues and take tough decisions, where necessary.

Besides doing what is right, public sector leaders must also be prepared to take calculated risks
and even go against conventional thought. Increasingly, Singapore will also find itself having to
invent its own solutions as it expands into more and more unchartered fields of endeavour.

 Be pragmatic: Our multi-racial context and external environment imposes various constraints on
public policy. If we were to build all considerations into our policies, they would be almost
impossible to implement. We must therefore be prepared to do what is practical. Being
pragmatic also means we must be prepared to re-examine what we are doing from time to time
and question whether the assumptions remain valid. Our public sector leaders must be
prepared to go back to first principles and discard what is no longer valid. We must be "ruthless"
in our honesty to admit what does not work and be ready to replace bad policies with good ones.

 Provide long term vision: It is not enough for leaders to set high standards for themselves and to
lead by example. Today, the task of government has become far too complex for a few people
to manage from the top. The Civil Service as a whole needs to exercise good leadership at all
levels of the organisation. Our people need to cope with adaptive change (i.e., fundamental
changes in attitudes, mindsets and values).

This calls for public sector leaders who can provide a long-term vision for Singapore, tempered
by a sense of reality. They must be able to communicate their policies, convince the people of
their rationale and eventually, bring them on board the change effort. They must be proactive
agents of change.

Reward For Work; Work For Reward

This principle consists of two sub-principles:

 Self-reliance, not welfare: Our limited resources prevent us from providing comprehensive
state-funded welfare. An ageing population and a higher dependency ratio make this option
even less feasible. Most importantly, such a system would sap away the incentive to work. We
believe that every Singaporean should earn his own keep and strive for his own betterment.
They should rely on their own abilities rather than depend on the Government for all their needs.
The Government should only step in to help the genuinely needy with targeted assistance.

Promoting self-reliance does not mean the Government frees itself of the responsibility of
looking after the needs of its citizens. The Government will continue to provide basic and
affordable public services, healthcare, housing, education and transport. In particular, the
Government invests a significant amount of resources in education and skills training as it
provides the best means of social mobility and ensures Singaporeans maintain their

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 employability.

 Meritocracy for best use of talent: We believe in the best person for the job - "best" being
defined as one's own ability and performance, not one's race, religion, gender, wealth, social
class, or connections. We believe in this for two reasons: First, the only way a small country like
Singapore can do better than others is if it has the best people in leadership positions in politics,
economy and society. Second, in our multi-racial society, any form of positive or negative
discrimination against any race will ultimately create tension.

We recognise that meritocracy is not a perfect solution to the inequalities that exist in our
society, between individuals and racial groups. However, the solution is not to do away with
meritocracy, but to find ways to level the playing field. The best ways are to invest in education,
to create more opportunities in every field, and to enlarge the economic pie. These are all
requisites for the concept to function smoothly in Singapore. That said, the concept of
meritocracy itself has to be broadened to include non-academic achievements and embrace
other "whole person" qualities.

A Stake For Everyone, Opportunities For All

The sub-principles in this case are:

 Make Singapore a global city and choice home: Singaporeans will only make the sacrifices
required of them if they have a stake in the country and are proud to be Singaporean. We have
to ensure that Singapore continues to be a choice location to work and raise a family. This
means maintaining our premium on security, stability and social cohesion. It also means
ensuring that our living environment continues to be attractive and the public has easy access to
good yet affordable public services and facilities.

Besides catering to our citizens, Singapore's continued success depends on its openness to
newcomers, who can contribute to Singapore's development. They should be given a stake,
although the nature of this stake will naturally be different from our citizens. In order to be a
great city, we cannot afford to be so narrow as to only focus on privileges for today's
Singaporeans. Today's newcomers may become tomorrow's Singaporeans.

Just as Singaporeans now look beyond their basic needs, so too will foreign investors and talent
as they decide where they want to base themselves. The competition for talent has become
global. This requires us to pay attention to the softer aspects of our infrastructure, such as
lifestyle, the arts, and culture.

 Promote collective responsibility: No society can progress without those who have benefited
from the system putting something back into society. Self-reliance must therefore be balanced
with collective responsibility. Collective responsibility can take different forms. For example,
certain initiatives benefiting society as a whole need not be undertaken solely by the

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 Government but only through co-sponsorship. The underlying premise is that a robust society
and economy should never have to depend only on the Government's support. The other
example is the 'Many Helping Hands' approach, bringing into play family support, community
support, and as a last line of defence, government support, for the needy.

 Beyond physical stakes: As part of the nation-building effort, the Government has given
everyone a tangible stake in the country through its home ownership scheme, and later,
through its various asset enhancement schemes. With most Singaporeans now owning their
own homes and becoming more affluent, home ownership and asset enhancement will not have
the same impact as before.

Our efforts must go beyond physical stakes. We need to find ways of rooting Singaporeans
emotionally. One way is to create more opportunities for citizens to participate in the decision-
making process and to provide feedback on various policies. Another is for the Government to
support worthwhile causes that may yield high social, rather than economic spinoffs or in the
way we assess what is "good" for our society e.g. in our conservation of historical places.
Traditional cost-benefit analysis should perhaps give greater weightage to the "emotional value".
A third way is for the Government to shift away from pure economic logic in the way it
communicates some of its policies.

Our focus should also encompass Singaporeans overseas. This group is likely to grow in size, as
we become more globalised. We will need to find new ways of rooting them emotionally to
Singapore (we are already organising overseas activities for them, maintaining links through
overseas networks such as the Majulah Connection and allowing overseas voting).

 Preserve core values and identity: Perhaps the most fundamental stake we can give
Singaporeans is the idea of Singapore's uniqueness. Few city-states have thrived with such
success as we have in today's world.

We should not forget that in 1965, independence was thrust upon us, because of our pursuit of a vision
of a society based on equality, regardless of race, language or religion. This ideal must continue to be
nurtured in the hearts of every Singaporeans and experienced in the reality of Singapore society.
Ultimately, the strength of our will to safeguard our fundamental rights as a sovereign nation - our right
to self-determination, our right to establish ties with anyone, and our right to live and work the way we
do - depends on a shared destiny.

Anticipate Change, Stay Relevant

This principle encapsulates our basic approach to dealing with our dynamic external environment. While
we cannot forecast change in an increasingly volatile environment, we can anticipate it by staying
nimble and flexible, and at the same time, exploiting opportunities that come our way. We seek to:

 Turn constraints into advantages: Singapore's constraints have compelled us to seek ingenious
solutions to our problems. For example, we turned poor regional conditions into an advantage
by offering First World conditions in a Third World region. We also turned our small size into an

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 advantage, by better utilising resources and minimising wastage. Our effort to make ourselves
self-sufficient in our water supplies is a case in point. And what we lacked in quantity, we made
up in quality while ensuring we remained competitive. In this way, we were able to develop, for
example, PSA and SIA into world class companies, which could take on the more established
players.

 Be better organised than our competitors: We have always had to distinguish ourselves from the
region. But today, the region is rapidly catching up and our competitors have become better
organised than before. This is to be expected. However, we have several decades' head-start.
We will have to be even better organised than our competitors in the following ways:

o Closer coordination and integration - With the devolution of government functions and
setting up of more statutory agencies with greater autonomy, government agencies will
need to work even more closely in order to reconcile their competing priorities and
identify a solution that best serves the national interest;
o Better teamwork & organisation - Besides the Government, our people need to develop
group instincts to work as a team, even as individual initiative, creativity and enterprise
are encouraged;
o Benchmark against the best - We should continue to benchmark ourselves against the
best in government or industry, in order to maintain our edge. Where benchmarks are
lacking, we should keep in close touch with shakers and movers in government and
business to ensure that we are clued in to the latest developments.
o Strategic leverage on technology - The Singapore Government has been an early
adopter of technology, especially IT, since the early 80s. Technology is a force multiplier
that will help maintain Singapore's competitive edge across all fields. The Civil Service
should continue to be an early adopter and leverage on technology to improve the
overall responsiveness of our public agencies and better delivery of public services. This
will ensure that the Singapore Civil Service maintains it edge over others.

 Stay nimble and flexible: In a rapidly changing world, Singapore needs to continually find new
ways of staying relevant. To achieve this, we must be able to exploit opportunities faster than
our competitors. This will become more important as change becomes more frequent and
discontinuous. Our society must be adaptable to change. The Government also has a crucial role
to play - as catalyst and champion of change:

o First, it has to be more receptive to new ideas. It needs to recognise that it has some
blind spots, prejudices and historical baggage that need to be jettisoned. It should be
bolder in supporting private initiatives, either by sanctioning them or co-initiating them.
o Second, instead of picking "winners" in any field in the New Economy, the Government
should identify a broad range of capabilities that can be developed into future
competitive strengths. This will maximise our options in the future.

Flexibility does not mean we compromise on our beliefs and interests. Where our
conduct of international relations is concerned, we should do so on the basis of mutual
respect and benefit. Standing up for our rights preserves the international space that we
have painstakingly built up for ourselves over the years and our freedom for manoeuvre.

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  Exploit opportunities even in adversity: Opportunities do not only present themselves when
times are good. While we anticipate and plan for the worst-case scenario, we should also be
continually on the lookout for opportunities in times of crisis and find ways to turn them to our
advantage.

Applying principles of Governance (little more impt)

 Summary
o Uniqueness of Singapore
o Good leadership, Meritocracy, sense of belonging, etc.
 Policies
o NeWater
 Despite lacking natural resources, Singapore must find a way out
 Ensuring that Singapore can continue to run despite any potential disasters
 Possibilities of embargo in water for Singapore  Singapore must manage to
produce its own water
o ERP
 Stake for everyone, making sure that everyone has a part to play in building
Singapore
 Ensure that the traffic system is solid
 Manage congestion
o Singapore’s election system
 Democratic approach, makes use of meritocracy
 Ensuring that Singapore has good leaders, making sure that the correct people
are selected and that they are incorruptible

Nationhood, citizenship & deterrence

Citizenship
 Benefits:
o Healthcare, political benefit, protection, diplomatic rights, territory, identity, housing,
survival, jobs
 Obligations and duty
o Need to fulfil duty to nation
o Observe state regulation and laws
o Taxes, NS, etc.

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Deterrence

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Civil Society/Active Citizenry
Factors of Effective Civil Society
 Active Citizenry
o Process: Citizens taking part in shaping the development or well-being of society
o For the better- mindset/intent: good
o Actions
 Fair, respect rights of others
 Peaceful
o With such a practice, society would gain:
 Insightful perspectives/solutions
 Beneficial voluntary contributions
 Lead to Progress/Stability
o Example: Jack Neo’s films  humours portrayal of the problems in Singapore’s society
 Solutions to problems are talked about indirectly through his movies
 Inclusive Government
o Disposition- open-minded
o Receptive to feedback/proposals from citizens
o Willing to change/ reshape policies
o Listen
o Create platforms for feedback
o Insightful feedback is gained, people’s interest addressed widely- sense of belonging
o Example: Chek Jawa  Environment protection vs. Port; the government listened to
Joseph Lai; the place was conserved and is being used for ecotourism
 Technological advances in communication (e.g. new media)
o Development in the IT arena- to give feedback easily and effectively to the govt.
o People can communicate faster  govt. can listen faster
o More and more people would be able to participate due to easy method and the govt.
can also give faster responses
o Example: Mr Brown’s blog  the technological advance provided a platform for him to
conduct civil society; the information spreads very quickly
 International organisations (NGOs)
o NGOs serve as part of the active citizenry available
o The different NGOs would also be able to help the government realize certain things by
advocating for projects – e.g. AWARE’s former projects: constitutional amendment to
allow for the same citizen rights for children of Singaporean men and children of
Singaporean women (2004)
o There is also civil society internally- e.g. AWARE: the change in EXCO to completely new
members who support gay rights- people looking to vote against it

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Questions
1.) Do you agree that establishing a civil society is the right direction for Singapore?
2.) Active citizenry in Singapore is more constructive or destructive?
3.) Singapore has evolved into a successful model of civil society?

1. Do you agree that establishing a civil society is the right direction for Singapore?

 Define the “right direction”- stability (positive nuance)

 Advantages of civil society/progress/move society forward
 Can civil society deliver this?
 Yes, it can
o Alternative opinions and views are necessary and useful/community involvement
(voluntarism)
 Avoid over-dependence on the govt.
o Reinforce substantive democracy, not procedural democracy; Build a communicative
and transparent culture of decision-making; check & Balance
o Acceptable to the international community (esp. developed countries)
 No, it cannot
o More space/opportunities for disputes & Conflict
o Hindrance to the state decision-making process
o Transparency breeds inefficiency and ineffectiveness (esp. national security)
o International community- sovereignty issues/rights

3. Evaluating Singapore’s society based on processes, outcomes & achievements (of civil society)

 Yes, it has
o Success stories of active citizenry and available processes for active citizenry
 General Public (e.g. NGOs)
 The Media
 The professional community
o An Inclusive government- actions & opportunities created for active citizenry/collective
action
o Respected by other nations which practices civil society
 No, it has not
o Lack of “maturity” of Singaporeans
 General Public
 NGOs
 The media
 The professional community
o Readiness of the govt.

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Globalisation, Challenges and Change
 Globalization: A process by which regional economies, societies and cultures have become
integrated through a global network of communication, transportation and trade
o Economic globalization: integration of national economies into the international
economy through trade, FDI, capital flows, migration and spread of technology
 History: Uber long
 Effects of Globalisation- briefing
o Political
 Creation of political institutions to regulate relationships between govts.
 Guarantee rights of countries and people
o Economic- Trade
 Facilitate world trade
 Nations driven by economic growth and job creation
 Absolute and comparative advantage
 Trade growth & income increase
o Economic- Industrial
 Worldwide production markets
 FDI (foreign direct investments), transnational corporations and talents,
movement of capital within national boundaries
o Economic- Financial
 Mass trading of national currencies
 Support the expanded levels of trade and investment
o Economic- Competition
 Survival  Calls for more productivity and increased competition
o Health policy
 A commodity globally, technological advances, spread of diseases
o Information
 Flows between geographically remote locations, Improvement in technology
o Language
 More opportunities for communication
o Cultural
 Cultural diffusion, world culture, tourism
o Social: Development of NGOs
o Legal/Ethical: international criminal court
o Religious: Spread of religion globally
o Environmental
 Regulations to keep a nation green
 International cooperation

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Impact of globalisation
Factors Positive
Economic Improvement in standard of living
Trading and open to foreign investment due to expansion
of markets, increase of exports leads to profits and job
creation, increase in imports give consumers choice and
reduces cost of consumption
Tourism
Revenue for the host countries (services/consumer
goods), small/medium enterprises (SME) improve,
improve infrastructure
Talent gained
Usage of foreign talent, foreign ideas as well as skill
comes into nation, help improve the nation’s ability
Political Diplomacy
Through the creation of international institutions, led to a
common consensus on world peace; conduct of
diplomacy was facilitated and reinforced over the
decades; young nation states are being groomed
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Negative
Increased competition
Local industries suffer (developing countries), comparative
advantage  developing countries are restricted to the
development of primary industries and agrarian economy
(resources)
Issue of Dumping  the act of a manufacturer in one country
exporting a product to another country at a price which is
either below the price it charges in its home market or is
below its cost s of production
Tourism
Increase the cost of living for the locals, spread of diseases,
security (political terrorist)
Talent loss
Mobility of work, people with skills are in demand, situation
of people moving to another nation for better opportunities,
locals have trouble competing for jobs
Widen income gap between rich and poor
Developed countries- rapid income growth as they own most
of manufacturing activities
Developing countries- trade restrictions from other countries,
not capable of producing better quality goods, end up with
low-skilled works, less income
Loss of sovereignty
For less influential countries, they need to work within
international charters or agreements; sometimes decided by
stronger nations
Financial Matters Integration
Financial markets becoming integrated, foreign portfolio
investments have become transnational, currencies are
traded, open policy on borrowing from foreign banks,
increase capital funding for business, currency
speculation- multiplication of reserves (e.g. national
banks, State-owned institutions)
Social/Cultural Multiculturalism
Acceptance of religious & ethnic differences, language
barriers broken down, consumerism
Awareness of foreign culture
Increased awareness of foreign culture, learn about
history and culture without having to travel
Environmental Environmental management
Awareness of environment management, sustainable
development for further growth, sustained supply of
power, alternative energy sources being utilised
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Volatility
Detrimental to businesses as stock prices fluctuate, investors
and bankers lose faith in enterprises, loan recalls, currency
trading- destabilize the economy (excessive supply/demand
for currency)
E.g. Asian currency crisis, crisis in Thailand, excessive
borrowing/moral hazards, china’s economic liberalization, rise
of U.S. dollars, mismanagement of monetary policies
Conflicts
Cultural consolidation, conflict between civilizations,
consumerism
Loss of local culture
The local community may be overwhelmed by the influx of
foreign culture as it settles in
Deforestation and other related problems
Rainforests cut down for development of industries,
agriculture, housing and transportation; revenue for country
(e.g. Brazil, Indonesia); cause soil erosion, extinction of flora &
fauna, flooding, haze- losses in tourism
Global warming
Venice as a city state
 Rise of Venice
o Early Venetians- fled from the Germanic invaders to the swamp
o Started off as a group of small fishing villages
o Settled in as invasions became more frequent, used wooden piles to create land
o Division of Venice into six districts
o Trading of Salt and fish for grain – profitable business
o Shipbuilding, powerful commerce- control in the Adriatic sea
o Government- pyramid structure, general assembly
 Capable leaders, reforms in the government, checks on power
o Trade developments & expansion
 Favourable trading terms- lower tax rates than competitors
 Highly-prized spices from the East
 Enterprising spirit
 Maritime technology- ship properly and defend against pirates
 Trade monopoly- defeat Genoa, take the sea
o Industrial development
 Trade-related industry
 Manufacturing industries (e.g. glassware, craftsmanship)

Done by Song Gil Seob

  Challenges faced by Venice & their solutions
o Foreign threats
 Involvement in the mainland
 Control nearby mainland territories- supply Venice with essential
resources (food & water); security of resources
 Take advantage of the rivalry in mainland
o Offer to help one fight against the other (France & Spain)
 Strong army in case the high risk does not work out- recruit mercenaries
 Ottoman Empire expanding influence
 Give up some of the less important territories to avoid further losses
 Fought hard to maintain control of Adriatic Sea; trade disrupted; giving
up certain parts, European neighbours develop hostility
 Eventually end up fighting on their own against the Ottomans- lost
Negroponte (important trading outpost)
 League of Cambrai
 A military alliance against Venice- major powers in Europe; Venetians
having to negotiate for peace- give territories and League  lack reso.
o Maritime Competition
 Discovery of new sea routes
 New trade route by going around Cape of Good Hope  destroyed
Venice’s trading monopoly
 Venice’s route: shorter, but time-consuming; nevertheless continued
 New trade Rivals
 Dutch East India Company: bypassed Venice to get supplies, better-
designed ships, Venice also modified design, but lack skills to operate
 Protectionist policy: higher duties on foreign traders  did not attract
traders as it was too costly, eventually lost some trading partners
o Political challenges
 Incapable Leadership: shrinking number of nobility; rotation of duties-
competent ones had to leave after one term; incapable ones selected
 Corruption in the govt.  suspension of salaries of civil servants; division in the
nobility class based on income; selected to fill posts; sale of positions for funds
 Over-dependence on mercenaries: costly, will leave on better salaries; French
mercenaries plot within Venice  foiled, but showed that they could no longer
trust the mercencary
o Social Challenges: less involved in important matters such as administration and
development of state, seek pleasure as they become richer
 Fall of Venice
o Napoleon sweeps through Italy & Venice

Done by Song Gil Seob

Lessons for Singapore
 Challenges of Singapore
o 1965-1970s
 Political: Independence- Young nation; Unrest & Internal Insecurity; External
Instability- region plagued by communism; Dependent on British Military; Cold
War era
 Social: Social Cohesion lacking; No national Identity; Housing Issues, jobs, health
 Economic: Lacked resources/no primary industries; Dependent on entrepot
economy/lack diversification; No common market/Import-Substitute,
Industrialization not feasible; Short of local Industries; Overpopulation leading
to unemployment; Poorly skilled labour force; Education reforms/training
institutions lacking; Limited infrastructural development
o 1980s
 Economic
 Low skilled Economy; High wages as a result of economic
growth/increase in demand for workers; Singapore became unattractive
to MNCs; Developing economies around Singapore also competed with
Singapore for MNCs; Over-dependent on electronic products
o 1990s-2000s
 Economic
 1997 Asian Currency Crisis; 2001 Dot.com ; 2008 Credit Crunch/Financial
Crisis
 Lessons to be learnt
o Importance of national unity
o Crucial role of good governance
o The fate of nation is ultimately dependent upon the quality of its people and its leaders
o The value of freedom of navigation, on the sea, and by extension, in the air and on the
Internet
o Imperative for Singapore to maintain its pre-eminence as an international trading and
financial centre

Done by Song Gil Seob

  Economic Strategies
o MNCs/TNCs/Foreign Direct Investment
 Bring in the Foreign Investment  Support the local industries as well as bring
in foreign industries; The foreign investments would be able to provide the
capital and the needed support for the local industries to start up
 Create competition for local industries  Develop local industries, create better
products overall; Allow strong ones to get stronger, weak ones may die out
 Create more jobs locally as a result of more industries being brought in and local
industries becoming bigger
o State-Owned Enterprises/Service Industry
 Provides a back-up option  In case of economic meltdown in the nation, there
is a back-up to keep the economy up with a constant revenue
 Provide more jobs for the locals
 (E.g. Singapore Airlines)
o Continued Entrepot Economy
 Continuous usage of the ports, making sure that profit is gained from the
imports and exports  continue Singapore’s tradition as a port city
o Discipline Labour force
 Labour force needs discipline in order to attract MNCs  MNCs want to be sure
that their investment is safe before investing largely
 Prevent unnecessary protest or demonstration which will delay the production
 Efficiency in workforce is necessary to make the MNCs trust Singapore
o Reformed Education/emphasis on skill training
 Skill training is much more useful in terms of income  Compared to pure
labour, skill training would provide better incomes
 MNCs want to know that if they invest, they are looking at workers who are
skilful and knowledgeable, knowing how to do their jobs  Better education
o Raised Productivity
 Consequence of above two points; improve efficiency in how workers work;
MNCs preference  A working society which is efficient and effective
o Export orientated industrialization
 Exporting the product that was developed locally; The need to reach out to a
wider target  Local would limit the potential of a company; Instead of simply
relying on MNCs and their funds, there is a need for Singaporean industries to
become that MNCs for other smaller companies
o Build Infrastructure
 Infrastructure for better transport abilities for efficiency; better infrastructure in
the company to ensure maximised working conditions and better products

Done by Song Gil Seob

  Political Strategies
o Merger with Malaya (initial benefits)
 Creates a common market- local goods sold w/o tariffs to Malayan consumers,
flow of Malayan resources into Singapore
 Can contribute shipping facilities to Malayan economy
 Social Strategies

o Establishment of HDB/CPF Housing Scheme

 Resettle squatters within a decade, affordable public housing: 54,430 units
between 1960‐1965
 Currently 80% of Singaporeans live in HDB flats, 95% of whom own their flats
o Centralize trade union, revise education
 Provide organization and training for workers; esp. through intensive public
education + English‐medium schools
 Ensure that NTUC is constructive rather than disruptive
 Overall: increase productivity, meet needs of MNCs

Case study of NIKE

How they grew

 Started off as a distributor for Japanese shoe maker Onitsuka Tiger

 Made most sales from the back of an automobile
 Makes more money, opens retail store, launches own line
 Begins to sign professional athletes, designs own products
 Targets athletic shoe market, 1980: reaches 50% market share in US athletic shoe market
 Runs television commercials and print ads (before: “word-of-foot”)

Done by Song Gil Seob