Edited Transcript of Speech by Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan at the National University of Singapore Students' Union (NUSSU)'s Fund Raising Event, 23 August 2019

Mr Benjamin Loo, President of NUSSU, Professor Tan Eng Chye, the President of NUS, Mr Soh Yi Da, our Alumni President and chief whip, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I am a proud alumni member of NUS. My name is Vivian Balakrishnan. For those who don't know, I was the President of the Second NUSSU Council. I noticed Benjamin said he's from the 40th Council. What that means, is, I am very old. But the advantage of someone who can stand here, and say I'm a graduate of NUS, someone who spent a lot of time outside the classroom, on Union activities - I think most of you in this room can identify with that - and who has worked through the medical system in Singapore, and now for almost two decades in politics. I think I have some speaking rights, and I say I would like to share some reflections, about the Union, about youth leadership, and about younger Singaporeans in general.

2        The history of our students’ union, the history of the university, and the history of Singapore have always been intertwined. We commemorate today, the 70th Anniversary of the Union, which means we are actually dating it back to 1949, the Carr-Saunders Report, which basically proposed that a local university be formed by merging two colleges, the King Edward VII College of Medicine in which began in 1905, and Raffles College. And in fact, there already was a political intent behind this merger. I cannot speak with full authority for Raffles College, but I can tell you about the medical school. The medical school was started because local Chinese businessman Tan Jiak Kim approached the colonial authorities - remember, this is back in 1904, 1905 - and said, “our populations is growing, we want a local medical school to look after our growing population”. The British said, “Well, go and raise funds”. Sounds familiar? I’m just saying that so that people realize this concept of fundraisings is not really new. And they told Tan Jiak Kim, you come back with $75,000 to start a medical school. Tan Jiak Kim went to his businessmen contacts, and back in 1905, raised $87,000, which, in fact, was a huge sum of money at that time. And so the medical school was started.

3        But the graduates of their early medical school did not get a MBBS.  We got an LMS, Licentiate in Medicine and Surgery, which basically was another way for the colonial authorities to say “Second Class”, and the medical officers sent by the colonial authorities from England, they would be “Upper Class”. And one of the early bones of contention, therefore was to seek equality of recognition for local qualifications with that of the Commonwealth qualifications. And in fact, I think that was also part of the context for the establishment of the local university, at that time of University of Malaya, by the merger of these two local indigenous colleges. I say that so that you understand that there is a history, there is a context, and they will always be issues that come up from time to time.

4        A few week ago, we celebrated Singapore's 54th National Day. We also commemorated the Bicentennial of Singapore. In a sense, this is an occasion to reflect on how far we've come as a country, the issues we've confronted, the decisions that had to be made, and the outcomes that we have inherited, and our plans for the future. I said tonight, I really wanted to focus on what makes young Singaporeans different from the counterparts in other parts of the world. And I think without naming names, this question has become even more salient, in recent times.  I want to leave three attributes for you to think about.

5        The first is that young Singaporeans have a strong sense of national identity. The second attribute is that young Singaporeans have a real stake in Singapore's future. And the third, that all Singaporeans have an enduring commitment to social mobility, and to equality of opportunity. So let me try to unpack these three concepts. The first point, over the past 54 years, although we didn't ask for independence, it was thrust upon us. Nevertheless, the fact is, we have made a success of an independent, sovereign state with complete autonomy, to make our own choices, for better or for worse. And if you look, and talk and engage Singaporeans, we are very diverse people. And I can tell you as a politician, we have significant disagreements from time to time. But every single Singaporean that you meet, regardless of agreement, or disagreement, feels instinctively Singaporean. And everyone knows, we face a common destiny, a common future, for better for worse, purely dependent upon our own decisions. So that's the first point, this sense of identity, this sense of collective destiny, and this sense of being masters of our own future.

6        The second attribute, especially for young Singaporeans, is that over the decades, we have built a stake-holding society with a very strong sense of ownership. And young Singaporeans over five decades, have felt and have recognized that we have a real stake in Singapore’s success and Singapore's progress. We know that more than 80% of Singaporeans live in HDB flats. In fact, if you think about everyone who started off in HDB flats, the proportion is even higher. This is a concrete manifestation that every Singapore has a real stake in Singapore’s future, Singapore’s prosperity, and Singapore success. But going beyond bricks and mortar, is this sense that we're in it together. And that if we take liberties with our own future, we have real stakes to lose. So that's the second point, a stake holding society with a strong sense of ownership. To gain from the upside, but also liability and an exposure to the downside.

7        The third attribute I would put to you, is that young Singaporeans believe and indeed demand, equal opportunities, and that they have a right to a bright future in a fair, and just Singapore. For those of us who think about our own personal histories and our family histories, I think I would say for almost all of us, education has been the primary means of upliftment, of opening doors of opportunities.  I think we just need to reflect on our own history. But as we enter a day and age of a digital revolution, and our further technological progress, the premium on education, the fruits of the harvest from education, become ever more precious. Now, what that means is that merely having a university, merely having schools alone is not enough. Because you need to ensure equality of opportunity. And what that means, specifically, is that middle class Singaporeans and families are who are less well off, must never feel that they don't have access, because they can't afford it. So this is the larger context behind a slew of announcements which have been made. In fact, starting almost two decades ago, and most recently culminating what the Prime Minister announced during the National Day Rally.

8        Education in Singapore is the highest quality. No one doubts that. You look at the outcomes. But that type of education - and if you speak to Professor Tan Eng Chye, he will have to tell you very frankly - it’s not cheap. It costs real money. And yet we know that the graduates of this system will have a disproportionate share of the upside from Singapore's future. So then the question is, what is an equitable formula between fees, subsidies, which in fact, are taxes, and philanthropy. And what the government has committed to most recently is that we will slash the amount of out-of-pocket payments, that middle class and especially lower income families will have to pay in order to access this high quality education system. And so you've heard, I think it's in today's papers, the additional bursaries which will be allocated for this. But I think you will also recall what the Prime Minister said over the weekend, and I think it's worth quoting him. Because what he was trying to say is “Yes, the government will do more”. The government is going to put aside more resources. But there is still a difference between government subsidies, government bursaries, and philanthropy.

9        What ordinary donors, including we all here tonight, and let me quote the Prime Minister. He said, “Bursaries can make a crucial difference to the recipients, and they have the extra human touch. If you donate towards the bursary, you enable some promising young person to get a good start in life”. See, the difference is that anything that the government gives, will always never be as personal as something that comes from a donor. And all of us in this room, we've benefited greatly from our experience in the university. This is a good opportunity to catch up with friends, but also to reflect on the blessings that we have received in the decades since graduation. And this fundraising drive for the bursary, is a meaningful signal to young Singaporeans that not only the government, but society, the alumni at large, will ensure that educational opportunities will always be open for all.

10      So that's basically my contribution - that young Singaporeans are unique in the world - I can say that now with some authority, having travelled so much around the world. And what makes young Singaporeans unique is first that sense of national identity, second, that stake holding in our society, and third, the reaffirmation for social mobility, or equality of opportunities, and this collective commitment to ensuring that. 

11      So let me thank you all again for being here for being part of this special occasion and for your support for this worthy cause. Finally, on a personal note, now that I've got more grey hair than Benjamin, one of my favourite themes whenever I have reunions is to tell everyone - in life, you will always make new friends. And if you are successful or more connected, they'll be lots of people who will offer to be your new friends. But old friends cannot be made, old friends can only be lost. And a very important reason for these reunions is the keep those old relationships alive. Even in this day of WhatsApp and video conferencing, nothing beats meeting people, shaking their hands, looking into their eyes, tapping their backs. So thank you all for being part of this NUSSU family, I wish you all good health, all the very best! Have a wonderful evening.

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