We have a unique niche
There's no other think tank in Singapore that focuses on Singapore study
We are the only one
And I think over the years we have gained a reputation for integrity
We've gained a reputation of being a think tank that welcomes different points of view
We have gained a reputation for generating good research
And we also have gained a good reputation by recruiting good people to the IPS family
You have to understand that Singapore was a very different world in 1990,
when I first became director, than what it is today
We have progressed so much in terms of openness to honest disagreement
When I first became director,
many Singaporeans were afraid to speak their mind
for fear that they may offend people in authority and get punished
And there was no place in Singapore where people of different views
could meet in a conducive environment, exchange views, they may disagree but they part as friends
And IPS offered them this platform, you know
From that early days, I came up with this idea of a loving critic
I wanted to propagate their view that we all love Singapore
but we may have different visions of the kind of Singapore we want
and our disagreement shouldn't make us enemies because we love Singapore
You may disagree with the government but you could be a loving critic
as long as your intention is positive
So IPS did a lot, I think to, change your atmosphere;
to encourage people to feel confident in expressing their honest view; to bring
people from different points of view together; to create a platform for them
So I think that was the most important thing we did in the early days
I wanted IPS to also generate new knowledge and information
So we need to do research in order to generate knowledge and to inform our stakeholder
My second ambition is that the information and knowledge - will generate -
will help to illuminate the issues, throw light on the issue, and my third ambition, hopefully,
the research we generate would influence people in policy-making positions to inform
to throw light on a problem and to influence the decision-maker
Those are my ambitions
When I look back on the last 35 years we have made so much progress
I could not have imagined the IPS of today
I would say most of my dreams have been fulfilled
My birthday wishes for IPS going forward
is that we will continue to broaden the space for intellectuals, for artists,
that we will grow the culture in Singapore of
accepting a diversity of views as natural and a good thing
And I hope IPS will continue to inform, to illuminate, and to influence