Former US President George Herbert Walker Bush said at his inaugural address,
"I have spoken of a thousand points of light,
of all the community organisations that are spread like stars throughout the nation doing good."
Singapore too must have a thousand points of light. We depend too much
on the government to solve our problems. Good government is Singapore's greatest strength,
it is also our greatest vulnerability because it is a single point of failure.
To some extent, we do not have much latitude. For a small young country, good government is
critical; we don't have the ballast that larger countries with long histories and deep traditions
have to survive bad government. But we can try to reduce the concentration risk.
Moreover with all the complexities and challenges ahead, Singapore needs a much stronger ecosystem,
multiple sources of strength a more active citizenry that
self-organises; a business community that takes the lead in innovation and ideas to grow the
economy; an energetic civil society that champions change for the betterment of the country;
a vibrant academic community that provides rigorous independent analysis and insights;
a high quality media that informs and promotes public discourse based on fact and reason;
a purposeful and professional philanthropic community that makes impact on the ground;
and so on, making up a thousand points of light, brightening and energising our nation.
We must become a democracy of deeds not just words. We associate democracy with debates in
parliament and political rallies during elections; and today, we have a vibrant social media scene.
These are no doubt important, but they're not enough. In 1971, S Rajaratnam, one of Singapore's
founding fathers, spoke of a "democracy of deeds", a democracy based on public-spirited
action to solve society's problems. He explains that a real democracy is "one in which the various
activities in a society are distributed as widely as possible among the people".
Building an innovative economy and an inclusive society is a collective national
effort. The government has made major moves over the years to expand social safety nets
and promote opportunities for all. Maybe it can do more,
maybe can do less. But the government alone cannot create an innovative economy or an
inclusive society. That must be a collective national endeavor. Private sector partners,
employers and enterprises, the labour movement, community groups,
and individuals must do our part and work closer to promote innovation and more equitable outcomes.
We need a more multi-polar social compact. The social compact cannot be just between
government and the people; more important is the compact among the various parts of society,
and an understanding of how to work together for a better society. Successful citizens
should be prepared to pay the taxes necessary to sustain a society of opportunity for all.
Businesses should understand that they have obligations to the societies that they operate in,
and put purpose into profit. They must help create an inclusive workforce that
recognises the dignity of labour and fair wages and enable lifelong learning.
A thousand points of light will take some getting used to.
The government is trying to be less directive and more collaborative; less transactional and more
relational. It is progressively building up these muscles. Many parts of our society are responding
constructively. But it does mean more diverse views, more public debate, more messiness, maybe
even more confusion before there is consensus or compromise. We need to be able to handle this.
Messiness and uncertainty are par for the course in the world of innovation; we should
all get used to it. It is a sign of a maturing society and the basis for a more durable nation.
Singapore has the makings of a thousand points of light.
A young former colleague of mine pointed me to American sociologist
Robert Putnam's latest book, "Upswing". According to Putnam, what fuels an upswing in society is a
widespread "moral awakening" — youths arise with a new set of ideals; leaders with a strong moral
compass capitalise on this to push for reforms; businessmen look beyond profits and give back to
their workers and communities; and the ordinary citizen champions a course larger than his own.