Population Policies and Programmes in Singapore

App D. The Second Long March

APPENDIX D THE SECOND LONG MARCH by Goh Chok Tong (Speech delivered at the Nanyang Technological Institute on 4 August 1986) The title of my talk today is The Second Long March. It is inspired by the Long March of the Chinese communists in 1935. The Long March began in October 1934 at the south-eastern corner of China, and ended one year later, in another corner in the north-west, a distance of about 10,000 kilometres. The communists, led by Mao Zedong, trekked over endless expanses of very harsh terrain — raging rivers, snow-capped mountains and treacherous marshes. At one point, when there was no water they survived by drinking their own urine. Of the 90,000 men and women who set out, only 7,000 survived the March. Most of them died of sickness and exhaustion. Only a few were actually killed in battle. For those who survived, it was a real triumph of human endurance and spirit. One may disagree with the political ideology of Mao Zedong and his comrades. Yet one cannot help but marvel at the triumph of their spirit over impossible odds. I feel that the problems we are facing are so complex and immense that they will require strong qualities such as these exhibited by the Long Marchers. Those are physical and moral courage, perseverance, discipline, dedication, resolution and teamwork. 263 16 PP&P Appendix 16/5/05, 3:14 PM 263 But when I tested the title on some of my colleagues, they were not the least enthusiastic. They thought the Long March metaphor suggested that I was an admirer of the Chinese communists. They also pointed out that the Long March was not an all-conquering march, but was, in fact, a hasty retreat of the Red Army. I looked for alternative titles, such as The Tasks Ahead and Certainties and Uncertainties. In the end I felt The Second Long March was still the most apt. It captures the spirit of determination and toughness of purpose most vividly. Singapore’s First Long March My Long March metaphor may be inspired by the Chinese communists but the numerical order is not. I use the word “second” not after the Long March in China but after a Long March in Singapore. For, in my view, the struggle for survival of Singapore as an independent nation is also a triumph of the human spirit, a victory of conviction and determination, over impossible odds. The PAP Old Guard fought the communists, and defeated them. Our Prime Minister has no doubt that, had the communists won, they would have pulled out his fingernails. Singapore’s survival as an independent nation was also a hard struggle. To begin with, Singapore’s birth was not a normal one. It was a painful Caesarian operation done without anaesthesia. Older Singaporeans were convinced that the newborn Singapore was not meant to survive. But, like a Spartan baby left overnight under a cold open sky, it did. It is now, of course, history how the Prime Minister and the PAP Old Guard rallied the people, struggled and kept newborn Singapore warm and alive. In retrospect, it looks easy. But at that point of time, nothing was certain. I remember how the Government flattened the hills and filled up the swamps in Jurong, to turn it into an instant Industrial estate. I was working in the Economic Planning Unit then. Success was far from certain. For years, Jurong sprouted only a few factories and Jurong 264 POPULATION POLICIES AND PROGRAMMES IN SINGAPORE 16 PP&P Appendix 16/5/05, 3:14 PM 264 Industrial Estate became known as “Goh’s folly” (not this Goh, but Dr Goh). The Second Long March We have grown up. We will be 21 years old in a few days’ time. It is an opportune time for us to re-assess and reaffirm certain basic facts and premises before we plunge into adulthood. Where are we heading? What is the landscape like before us? Singapore is unique as a nation — small, no natural resources, a citystate , a country without a country-side, a nation of many different races and religions. Given these basic facts, Singapore will always be vulnerable to internal and external forces. Take, for example, the vulnerability of our economic prosperity. I was made vividly aware of this when I first started work in 1964. Trade with Indonesia came to a sudden standstill because of Sukarno...