To survive and thrive, Singapore must be as cosmopolitan as world-class cities like New York and London, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew told a gathering of young People’s Action Party (PAP) members on Saturday.

As more immigrants and foreigners settle here, Singapore society will continue to synthesise, said Mr Lee who also defended the government’s position on raising ministers’ salaries.

He said Singapore is part of a globalised world and the country is exposed to and inter-connected with other cities, Channel News Asia reported last night. And Singaporeans must take advantage of that world stage.

‘If we are dynamic, we will attract talent,’ Mr Lee said. ‘We will grow because we have more talent. When I say talent, it means people who add to the dynamism of that society. If I can choose an analogy, we are the hard disk of a computer, the foreign talent are the megabytes you add to your storage capacity. So your computer never hangs because you got enormous storage capacity.’

But he cautioned that Singapore can also lose its talent to other countries. And finding good leaders among the best to stay here is another challenge for the government.

On the recent debate about ministers’ pay rise and the question of more scrutiny on ministers, like how private sector chief executives are accountable to shareholders, Mr Lee said a Member of Parliament is closely watched the moment he is elected into office.

The minister mentor said he has no qualms about paying ministers a good salary to look after a multi-billion dollar economy. But more importantly, a bad minister who mismanages Singapore will ruin the lives of four million people.

‘If you have a dud minister, he cannot hold his ground,’ Mr Lee said.

‘You know in Singapore, you’ve got to meet your constituents, you’ve got to meet the press, you are in Parliament, right? You are not just making a speech at a mass rally. And for this generation, if you don’t pay them adequately and their families suffer, they will not stay in the job long. They will be forced to pack up and go back to their private life. And you’ve lost experience and expertise. It’s as simple as that.’

Source: The Business Times, 23 April 2007