Reference
CODE 18-77
RESTRICTED
Previous meetings he had attended had tended to over-focus on certain political issues, such as Namibia and South Africa, to the exclusion of less urgent but equally important problems, such as the economics of development and the implementation of more pragmatic policies. Goh hoped, with the easing of Cold War tensions and the less doctrinaire political climate, that the mood would change in Harare and that members would turn their minds to more relevant issues, such as health, education, economic development etc. Acknowledging HC's point that Singapore had certainly had a good record in these areas, Goh stressed that economic development was not about trying to "reinvent the wheel", but about identifying successful models elsewhere and adopting them to the domestic situation. HC noted that, during the visit at the end of the previous week by the Minister of State for Education, Mr Eggar, it had been clear in his discussions with Minister Tay Eng Soon that there was much we could learn from each other in the education field.
Hong Kong
6. HC said that Sir David Wilson was thinking of visiting Singapore in October. Goh said that he was sure Lee Kuan Yew would want to see him, provided he was not travelling (for climatic reasons, October is Lee's favourite time for overseas visits). Goh had met Sir David on a previous occasion when he was passing through Singapore. On Hong Kong, Goh said that it was all about confidence and that Singapore would do what it could to help shore up that confidence. Singapore, he stressed, would not benefit from Hong Kong's demise, quite the contrary, "the more Hong Kong thrives, the better it is for Singapore".
The Growth Triangle
7.
HC explained that we were seeking to draw British investors to the Singapore-Batam-Johor Growth Triangle. Goh said that what was of real importance here was a revolution in Indonesian (and particularly Suharto's) thinking. The Indonesians were at last beginning to recognise that the key to economic growth lay not in attempts to direct investment into certain areas by decree, but by freeing up market forces. Indonesia now acknowledged the importance of such market forces, and the advantages of using Singapore as a dynamo for its own economic development. This was a big political step. Furthermore Singapore's participation in and support for the Growth Triangle would boost potential overseas investors' confidence in Singapore itself, and encourage them to invest. Goh was concerned, however, that some Singaporean Trade Unionists still considered that the Triangle posed a threat to their jobs. HC suggested that the Triangle had so far only two sides, and that the Johor-Batam link was less real. Goh was not worried about this; they had encouraged the Indonesians to visit Johor and Prime Minister Mahathir to go to Batam; the third side link would be in place in 10 years.
UK affairs
Goh commented on the "tough time" John Major was having, describing it as "a baptism of fire". He compared it with his own "long and slow immersion".
9 April 1991
cc: Sir David Wilson, Hong Kong
Mr Colvin, SEAD
Mr Stitt, CCD
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