Speech by George Yeo, Minister for Foreign Affairs, at the Launch of "The Singapore Foreign Service: The First 40 Years" At MFA on 10 February 2006

President and Mrs S R Nathan
Members of the MFA Family
Distinguished Guests

1 This evening is a family reunion to launch the book, "The Singapore Foreign Service: The First 40 Years". The book is really a family album compiled to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). This is also an occasion for us to welcome back many of our former Ministers, Permanent Secretaries, High Commissioners, Ambassadors and other colleagues. We are also honoured by the presence of so many members of the diplomatic corps.

2 It was Deputy Prime Minister Jayakumar and former Permanent Secretary, now Ambassador to Japan, Tan Chin Tiong who commissioned Gretchen Liu to put this book together.

3 It wasn't an easy task because there was such a lot of material to sift through and made sense of. Gretchen Liu was relentless. She tracked down and interviewed many MFA officers, both retired and serving, including former Ministers and Permanent Secretaries. Some had to be persuaded. It is an effort to recall events long past and to organise one's thoughts. And, for most of us, it is an even greater effort to locate old pictures and memorabilia tucked somewhere in boxes, bottom drawers or top shelves. For Gretchen, the challenge was in deciding, out of this great volume of material, what to include and whom to quote. There is always too much and too little. Too little because some of the most critical events that took place were classified and remain sensitive. Records were not always kept and photographers were often not present. A few of the participants are no longer with us. Editorial decisions had to be made and Gretchen exercised her judgement the best she could from her understanding of the history.

4 This book is not an official record. It makes no claim to being comprehensive. It is a family album, not the family album. I hope you like it. Leafing through it myself, some parts were for me an education. Some pictures brought back emotional memories. In words and pictures, Gretchen helped to tell a story, a story which has its high and low points. There are bits which fill us with pride, bits which make us laugh, bits which cause us to wince and bits which bring tears to our eyes.

5 Of course, the 'MFA story' is only a part of the larger 'Singapore story'. In 40 years, from very poor beginnings, Singapore has come some way. MFA has played a major role in creating the external space for a city that was suddenly extruded from its natural hinterland. Without that external space, the economy could have shrivelled up. At all points, the management of our external relations and the internal development of Singapore society had to go hand in hand.

6 The story of S Rajaratnam's reaction when he was told by Lee Kuan Yew that he was to be the Foreign Minister has become the stuff of MFA legend. It concerns a tie, a coat and a lounge suit. Rajaratnam had little else besides his typewriter, a few officers and a small clerical staff when the Ministry was established in 1965. It is always good for Foreign Service Officers to remember how little we actually need to do our job in a crisis. This is not to say that computer systems, tastefully-furnished chanceries and the accoutrements of protocol are not important. But, when the chips are down, we must work with whatever we have at hand. What matters most is what we carry in our heads.
7 Our diplomats in the early days had no choice. We had few foreign missions. Our budget allocation was meagre. Ambassador P S Raman, for example, had to work out of temporary premises after our embassy in Jakarta was burnt down, grabbing whatever chair was within reach when he needed to sit down. But, somehow, as the book records, the most trying circumstances brought out the best in us.

8 I should pay a particular tribute to the spouses of MFA officers many of whom were long-suffering but without whose support we would have been a fraction of what we are today. When officers had suddenly to attend to urgent matters, sometimes at the most inconvenient moments, family life must have been affected. Many also helped us to make friends especially during overseas postings. The children also suffered but not so much as to discourage more than a few to follow their parents' footsteps in the Foreign Service. But, as we become more professional, we must make better provisions for the welfare of spouses and the education of children. Let me add that when I use the term 'Foreign Service officers', I include the many outstanding individuals from the private sector who help as NRAs, Honorary Consuls and in other responsibilities.

9 The can-do spirit of the early years must continue to infuse our work in the Foreign Ministry. We have become bigger and more structured with our own Foreign Service Scheme introduced in 1972. Institutionalisation is necessary as we handle more complex tasks but institutionalisation must not cause us to be bureaucratic and less creative.

10 Looking ahead, we must stay alert and nimble. In the early years of independence, the mission was simple and clear. During the Cold War, the challenges were sharply etched. When Vietnamese divisions crossed the Mekong in 1978, we worked like mad with the other ASEAN countries to keep our freedom. With the end of the Cold War, however, like a turn of the kaleidoscope, a new configuration is taking shape. In that picture, we see the re-emergence of China and India and a world of hard and soft powers competing and cooperating at the same time.

11 A new tide is flowing in Asia which will transform the world. We must position Singapore for it. Our chances are much better if we raft ourselves together with our neighbours in ASEAN. If we can do this, the future for Singapore is bright.

12 The challenges before us are no less daunting that those which confronted earlier generations of MFA officers. While we now have a more sophisticated organisation to manage a more complex external environment, we need the same dare, the same collective spirit to push ahead.

13 This book we launch today is therefore not only an exercise in nostalgia. It is a reminder of how we got here and what we must do to get to a future in which an integrated ASEAN plays a major role in contributing to peace and development in Asia. This book should inspire a younger generation of MFA officers to build on what has been accomplished by an earlier generation of pioneers, many of whom are here today, so that, when another family album is compiled, say, ten years from now, it would continue to tell a happy story.

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