GES1011: Lecture 9 - Economics in decolonisation

There were promises of local control but was compromised by declaration of emergency

1955: Legislative assembly with a majority of elected members

= With control over domestic matters

= 1957: British cede internal security to kim yew hock's gov

Reading: NUS as a case study for singapore participation in the knowledge-economy

1960: there was a move towards federating with malaya, sabah and sarawak with singapore

This is to form Malaysia

But due to protest in sabah and sarawak, it did not happen

LKY had an independence parade at the padang, independence from the british

31 Aug 1963

Malaysia was form at 16 sep 1963

Agreement was sign that separates singapore from malaysia

It was registered as singapore on the 1 June 1966 so that singapore have its role in UN 

English and french is dominant in UN so its written 

Thought: It is interesting that we celebrated at 9th then 7th

- Economic protection for singapore from malaysia

- Security protection of malaysia for singapore

- Water agreements

Thought: Isnt this a seperation, not a union?

Singapore became politically independent only.

It is neither culturally independent nor resource/economic independent.

It is still dependent in these fields.

- Military

- Water

- Currency (currency union still in place till 1967)

Malaysia withdrew at 1972 due to the pressures of the new economic policy.

Political independence with imperial structures like laws in place (e.g isa)

Isa is used in the 1970s to round up subversive figures (communist figures), some in the arts community like kuo pao kun and his wife, the red ballerina (Goh Lay Kuan)

Kuo Pao Kun is like a singapore shakesphere. 

They were arrested under ISA, Lay kuan was released on the condition she signed a confession statement.

KPK remain under arrest, he was release afterwards and later created alot of fine arts drama and was recognise with the cultural medallion.

KPK was not a citizen of singapore until later even after recieveing his cultural medallion.

This was under PAP controlled singapore.

 

Used on people who have separation ideology - ISA

There was a disagreement in cabinet if to go on with this operation.

Thought: Does singapore still need the ISA?

(Singapore is decolonising but silently still have its colonial structure)

- Why do we not emphasis on the fact that singapore is only political independence?

- Is dependency is a bad thing

- Human history is all marked with dependency, because we are always in this together, we are citizens of the planet and we are entitled to its resources.

Singapore was political independent in 1965.. but the country lack domestic and offshore natural resources.

Indonesia want to protest against the formation of Malaysia, so they force all the trade goods to be transported to indoensia instead of singapore.

Marinetime trade and its offshoots cannot employ enough of working age portion of 1.8 mill people

There was a population growth in singapore 1960 to 1990

GDP in singapore in 1960 to 2000

1. Labour intensive industrialisation

2. Export oriented industrialisation

Singapore imported productive capacity and captial

Attract MNC to the country

Strategic location, harmonious industrial relations climate

Singapore ensure that we have a relatively skilled workforce coupled with political stabillity

This is due to polytechnics coming up.

MNC is here to advice the poly on how to train the person.

The govenment primary economic oject was to root mnc in the country

Singapore was just a skill factories.

There is no mention of indigenous innovation

Singaporeans are just working the machines

Leverage the success of MNC

MNC are foreign so the government have no reservation with coming under external corportate influcence.

There are economics dependency

Major MNC behave like and have turnovers equivalent to GDPS of small countries.

They are not investor but they might be even richer than the country.

3. Cost competitive industrialisation

Singapore starts bringing malaysians because MNC does not have enough workers

Industrialisation was firmly established in several sectors of industry such as electronic parts

But there was an economic recession in 1985, there was a minor slow down in the row.

Singapore have a economic dip as some mnc are actually diverting their capital into nearby countries for a short period due to singapore's takeoff and labours are becoming more expensive and other countries are offering cheaper cost.

The government realised that we have to be cost competitive thus the gov pushed for heightened business and financial rationalisation.

Enable firms to implement new cost structures to maintain business competitiveness

Government now is thinking like a business

=> Singapore Incorporated??

 

Financial tinkering with threatened fomula of growth.

Focus is outside and also backwards and sidewards towards competitiors

But there are no emphasis on indigenous innovation

4. Enterprise Development Industrialization (1990s)

There was active involvement to get intro regional markets for trade and outward investment

Singapore cannot just do labour and machine intensive work.

Promote Innovation, enterprise and entrepreneurship.

Taking risk..

This has been around for 20 years.

Liberalise various service sectors such as finance , telecommunications and utilities.

5. Economic Globalisation/ K- economy

Watch: "thinkers for hire" Canada builds its knowledge economy

Older factors of production:

- land

- Seas

- Labour

- Capital

- Mining

- Ideas

There are ideas and new knowledge where entrepreneurialism/ risk taking/ embracing failure

Interpretation and synthesis of information

Leveraging IT: Connectivity, speed, colossal, volumes of data, etc

- The knowledge has a higher sustainability

- Freedom of speech (Might be missing)

- Canada is a liberal democracy

There is no culture of freedom

Singapore attempt to differentiate itself by identifying itself

This is seen in NUS efforts

'Hub resonates with 'nodal'

Singapore universities were:

- Mainly here to teach and grant degrees

- National degree factories

Between 2000-2008, the higher education landscape..

Many universities had to be americanised.

Students became customers and were presented with more broadly based and interdisciplinary curriculum.

There were american style rank, promotion and tenure system.

The faculty was subjected to more stringent performance assessments.

There are competition from imported foreign staff.

Universities are no longer organically automous but had to be connected to outside commercial sectors including other research institutes.

Collectively, the higher education sector along with the other constituent of singapore knowledge.

University rankings was used to show the recognition of the of the university

The globalisation of NUS was the major focus but there was an asian emphasis.

FASS - expert in Asian studies 

But the changes took place within the large preoccupation. Everything in this university began to be benchmarked. Benchmark helps marked progress.

"Towards a global knowledge enterprise"

Vision of NUS 2002

But there was very little difference between us and other universities around the world unless we really did well in other stuff. This was the same theme as other universities around the globe

How did we set ourselves apart.

2009:

ASIA took on a more corporate wide role in the identity of university.

Retaining the idea of becoming a global knowledge enterprise, the branding becomes a leading global university centred in asia influencing the future.

- Appreciation of global issues with asia persepective

- NUS is "magnet of talent"

Becoming the preferred partner for entities seeking partnership in ASIA

Singapore becomes a middle-man again, but is now selling global resources "knowledge" transaction about asia.

Its like a downgrading/ recallibration of nus as a knowledge industry.

- Its a horrible idea

- Theres not much in domains in science and technology

- "Singapore's knowledge economy as a purveyor of Asia area expertise is not enough.."

- It is not enough to differentiate ourselves from other universities due to indifference in science and technology

- His comment is adequately evidenced

- Leong was trying to think about the role singapore can play in the k economy

- Leong's statement takes alot of courage to make -> Its a critique

- This result in him not going to tenure track

Is there a freedom of speech? When there is your promotion at stakes?

Is there freedom to express without any censorship

=> Read leong

Thought: A knowledge economy, can it work without freedom?

Video - Budget 2016: Arts in Singapore

When singapore when reaches 100, does this mean that the content of the speech becomes real.

- How does one innovate if they don't ask hard questions

- We are asked to create art to

- We need to create art that promote critical thinking

- The laws are still inplace