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Statement by Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, at the Committee of Supply Debate 14 Mar 2003 Mr Chairman, Sir, I thank Members for their pertinent comments and suggestions on the important subject of defence and security. OUR SECURITY ENVIRONMENT Sir, I will begin with the security environment, a subject raised by Dr Ong Chit Chung, Ms Irene Ng, Mr Sin Boon Ann and Mr R Ravindran. The comments and views expressed by the Honourable Members reflect how well Singaporeans realise that our security environment is a difficult and uncertain one. From global developments, to the regional situation, to our homeland, there are forces at work which could have a destabilising effect on Singapore's security. At this time of geopolitical flux, we must put enough effort and resources into enhancing our defence, if we do not want to put Singapore's security at risk. Sir, there is a general expectation that there will soon be a war in Iraq. This will not only change the face of the Middle East but also have far-reaching ramifications for the whole world. For us, one core issue is that weapons of mass destruction should not be allowed to proliferate. A similar danger looms in the Korean Peninsula. Here, it is not just the prospect of a nuclear-armed North Korea but the impact of this on the geopolitical landscape in the whole Asia-Pacific region, as the US, China and Japan respond to developments in the Korean Peninsula. These geopolitical developments at the global level will have consequences for the regional security environment and Singapore's strategic interests. We have limited influence on the policies and actions of the big powers. But we can enhance our security by developing cooperative and mutually beneficial relationships with those countries which share common strategic interests with Singapore, as well as by drawing the heavyweight countries into playing a more active and constructive role in multilateral forums which can help stabilise the regional security environment – such as the ASEAN Regional Forum, or ARF. In our region, serious political and economic challenges, which have beset some countries, have yet to be resolved. Economic problems will take some time to be sorted out, as domestic factors are compounded by external factors such as the US economy and a possible war in the Gulf. Political stability will depend, to some extent, on whether or not socio-economic conditions improve. So long as political and economic conditions remain difficult, there is an increased risk of low intensity conflicts erupting, with consequent destabilising effects on the rest of the region. The prospect of elections and leadership transitions could also have an impact on political stability. In Indonesia, there will be a more heated political atmosphere as parties and presidential aspirants jostle in the run-up to the elections next year. In Malaysia, there has also been talk of early general elections, and there is general expectation of a leadership transition this October. Sir, Singapore wants good relations with all our neighbours. But we should not be surprised if, at a time of political changes and economic difficulties, there are those who find it politically advantageous to raise the Singapore bogey. We have had some taste of this recently, with attempts to paint Singapore as unreasonable and greedy accompanied by wild allegations in a media campaign to whip up anti-Singapore feelings. Even the word "war" and the threat of war have been bandied about irresponsibly by some politicians. Over the past year and a half, we have also faced the real and present threat of terrorism in our homeland. Singaporeans know how serious the threat is. The arrest of the Jemaah Islamiyah members has dealt a serious blow to the network in Singapore, but terrorism is an enemy we cannot afford to underestimate. Al Qaeda has not been destroyed. Nor has it given up its war of terror. We will have to grapple with the threat of terrorism for years to come. DEFENCE SPENDING As Members can see, there are many challenges and uncertainties in our security environment. It is against this background that we have to consider our budget for defence, a subject raised by Dr Ong Chit Chung, Mr Sin Boon Ann, Mr R Ravindran and Mr Low Thia Khiang. Sir, in these difficult times, Members are naturally concerned that the funds allocated for defence are spent wisely and with care to ensure that we get maximum value for every dollar spent on defence. I want to assure Members that the Ministry of Defence is very conscious of the need to scrutinise carefully every area of our defence spending to ensure that there is no wastage or unnecessary expenditure of our hard-earned funds. A word about transparency in defence spending, a subject raised by Mr Low Thia Khiang yesterday. By its very nature, Defence procurement and SAF operations cannot be subject for open discussion in public. Doing so will compromise our security. For this reason, MINDEF has always kept details of its spending secret. This is also the practice of many other countries. This policy has worked and there is no reason to change it. In the context of the security environment, which I have outlined, adequate spending on defence is not an optional priority for the Government. Nor is adequate spending on defence just a desirable objective. For Singapore, adequate spending on defence is an absolute necessity. Security is the basic foundation on which we sustain our nationhood and build Singapore's future. Without security, there can be no economic development or political stability. There will be no foreign investments, for who would put money in an insecure small country. And, most critically of all, without security Singaporeans will have no confidence in our future. Simply put, without a strong and credible SAF, there is no Singapore. Sir, it is in this light that I listened with astonishment to Mr Chandra Mohan's thoughts on defence, military spending and global peace and harmony. Mr Chandra Mohan argues that the less that is spent on the military, the greater the chances of peace. Sir, the real world is quite different from the rosy picture drawn by Mr Chandra Mohan. The fact of the matter is, no matter how much we may wish it to be so, less military spending does not mean more peace. Adequate defence spending is the insurance premium we have to pay for peace. We have to invest in defence so that we do not need to go to war. There is nothing more tempting to a potential aggressor than a soft and easy target. If we are weak, those who want to impose their will on us may be tempted to go beyond spouting the rhetoric of war to actually try to use military force to subjugate us or prevent us from pursuing our national interests. If we want peace, we have to prepare for war. This is the basis of our policy of deterrence. We best avoid war not by merely advocating love and peace but by deterring those who may have aggressive designs on our security, territorial integrity and national interests. Potential aggressors must know that the cost of any military adventurism against Singapore would be too high for them. Sir, let me make it clear : Singapore is not looking for a fight with anyone. We have put a high priority on developing cooperation and mutually beneficial relations with the countries around us. We have every interest in seeing them do well, because an economically thriving and politically stable region is important for Singapore's own security and prosperity. Singapore desires friendly and cooperative relations with all countries in our region. But such good relations must be based on the fundamental principle that Singapore is a sovereign nation with our own national interests to safeguard and to promote. Having a credible defence capability ensures that we will not be pushed around. The SAF gives us the space to pursue Singapore's own best interests. Sir, the SAF has been systematically built up over more than three decades. Developing a defence capability takes careful, long-term planning and investment. It requires a strong and steady commitment. It is not possible to build up significant defence capabilities at short notice. We cannot develop our military capabilities in a coherent manner and plan and spend prudently if we adopt a feast-and-famine approach, where we spend only in good years and cut back drastically in bad years. Security threats can appear much more quickly than it takes to develop the capability to deal with them. The steady commitment of the Singapore Government to developing our defence capability, and the support which Singaporeans give to this, have not escaped the notice of others. It is as much our military hardware as the commitment of the Government and our people to ensuring Singapore's security that underpin our deterrence policy. DEFENCE DIPLOMACY Sir, deterrence is one pillar of our defence policy. The other pillar is diplomacy, a subject raised by Dr Ong Chit Chung and Mr R Ravindran. Singapore desires friendship and cooperation with other countries, particularly those which share common strategic interests. MINDEF puts significant effort into developing defence relations. This pays off in terms of enhancing our security in a number of ways. We have interactions with armed forces and defence establishments in our own region and all over the world. These include military exercises, military-to-military as well as policy discussions, interaction programmes at various levels, and cross-attendance of military training courses. The SAF has access to training facilities in about a dozen countries.

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