Singapore Gorernment
HAB 121/3 PRESS RELEASE
Media: Unsions Ministry of Information & The Arts 36th Storey: PS/ Building 4608 Alexandra Road, Singapore: 0511 Tel: 27997941
1/ cc
376
НК
FCO FHk) FCO SGAD
2/ HC ti.
지
long (Hong Kong)
3/ puf
7571.1/10
SHARED DESTINIES
✓
m
Release No.:
27/SEP
03-1/91/09/20
SINGAPORE-HONGKONG CONFERENCE:
GLOBALISATION THROUGH TWINNING
LUNCHEON TALK BY GEORGE YEO ON 20 SEPTEMBER 1991
Singapore was established as a Southeast Asian trading post for the British East India Company in 1819 and Hongkong as a China port for the British Crown in 1842. Singapore was fully decolonized in 1963 when it joined Malaysia, ending 144 years of British rule. Hongkong will be decolonized in 1997 when it rejoins China after 155 years of British rule. Singapore is 77 per cent Chinese; Hongkong is 98 per cent Chinese. Because of this common history, the two cities are alike in many ways. common institutional inheritance is obvious: the legal system, the civil service, schools and universities, even the '999' dial to call the police.
The
Without this institutional inheritance from the British Empire, neither Singapore nor Hongkong could have progressed the way it did. Without the continuing integrity of this institutional inheritance, neither can progress very far into the
future.
There are
In the past, we made much of our differences and
exaggerated them into stereotypes of each other. Singaporeans thought Hongkongers calculating and impatient. Hongkongers thought Singaporeans controlled and bureaucratic. interesting differences of course but, really, they are minor when we compare ourselves to Bangkok or Taipei. As a result of the shock of June 4th, we are discovering or re-discovering each other and finding out that we share much in common.
33