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Home , Toh (surname), Toh Chin Chye

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TRANSLATION OF THE SPEECH IN CHINESE

BY THE PRIME MINISTER, MR. , ON THE 3RD

OCTOBER, 1965, AT THE LIQUOR RETAIL TRADERS ASSOCIATION`S

28TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS.

Mr. Chairman and my friends:

You may recall that Mr. Ang Kok Seng helped me a great deal when I took part in the General Election for the Tanjong Pagar Constituency ten years ago. The premises of the Liquor Retail Traders’ Association was my election branch. Today is a Sunday and I would have to take a rest, but because of this, I came here specially to express my gratitude.

We are a race of long standing culture and history. If someone has done something good to us, we will not forget it. You may help me today and I cannot express my gratitude immediately, but I will remember your good deed. This is a matter of common sense and morality. We are not people who forget other’s good deeds because of greediness; but some people do. Only people without cultural background would behave that way.

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Now I wish to talk about something about the future of our nation. The

Chinese Chamber of Commerce has asked for the inclusion of Chinese as one of our official languages; therefore, I would like to speak to you in Mandarin now.

Mr. Soon Peng Yam is an old friend of mine. Before this question of Chinese as our official language was raised by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Dr.

Chin Chye had already told him that he was prepared to make provision for this matter in the Constitution clearly. But only when I read the newspapers recently,

I came to know the fact that come people who dared not speak out when we were still within , and when has become an independent nation, they begin to speak out like a hero, saying that there are 80% Chinese in

Singapore; as such Chinese should be one of our official languages. I think this is not a wise thing to say. A wiser way of saying the same is this: we are a multi-racial nation; as such, the official language of our nation should also be multifarious in nature.

A moment ago, I was speaking to you in . Hokkien is a common language for some of the people in Singapore. Now I wish to speak to you in

Mandarin. Mandarin is also one of our official languages. Soon Peng Yam, the

Chairman of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Singapore, can speak

Mandarin. I too can speak Mandarin.

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I am very happy to be able to have your company tonight, because most of you are my old pals.

The management of a country resembles that of a shop or a company.

There is a common element, no matter the business is big or small. We are not thinking is terms of tomorrow only. Tomorrow if we can make plenty of money, that is only a small problem. We should be thinking in terms of ten years, that is only a small problem. We should be thinking in terms of ten years, twenty years, or even the next generation. What would happen to your children? Can business be continued, or would it be a failure?

I want to inform you that some people in South-East Asia calculate taking into account only what will happen tomorrow, what will be the results of next general election. That is why they forced us to leave Malaysia. If they do not take into consideration the coming generation, I tell them that it is unwise.

I had a talk with Tengku on the 7th of August about the problem of

Singapore and Malaysia. I had not seen him for more than two months then.

And two months before this meeting, that is on the 11th June, I went to see him off at the airport and I wished him bon voyage and he felt embarrassed. And the reason? Because someone had just issued the order for my detention. On 6th

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June, the Malaysia Solidarity Convention held its meeting in the National

Theatre. On the 7th someone gave the order for the arrest of Lee Kuan Yew and the PAP leaders. I had heard about this but let them make the arrest, if they so intended. If we had cold feet, everything will be finished. Nevertheless, we ought to be prepared, we just can`t be arrested or killed for nothing. It would be sheer stupidity. So, on that day when I send the Tengku off to London and wished him a bon voyage, he felt embarrassed.

We are courteous in doing things, and modest in conversation, but nevertheless we must never alter our stand, because this is not my stand, it represents the stand of every one of us. On 7th of August, when I met him, I noticed that he was quite unhappy. You must have read his letter to Dr. Toh

Chin Chye. In the letter, he said the situation was out of his control. What does this mean? It means that troubles are coming.

Why did we accept the separation of Singapore and Malaysia? Is it that we are afraid to die? If this is true, we should have accepted bribery long ago.

But after careful thinking, we felt that we must be patient: because in ten or 15 years; it may be earlier or later, Singapore and Malaysia will be reunified. But why should I be in deep sorrow on 8th of September? My sorrow was not for

lky\1965\lky1003b.doc 5 the people of Singapore; it was for those who are no more with us and are for the time being unable to get our help.

On 7th of August, I had an hour-long conversation with Tengku. I was given to understand that the situation was out of his control. He had written a letter to as he did not want to see him. Prior to that, he said to me, "Both you and I are Prime Ministers, we can solve matters between ourselves," I said, "You are the son of a Sultan; I am a commoner.

There should be democracy in my Cabinet. Therefore, please write a letter to Dr. Toh Chin Chye, because he is the Chairman of the PAP, the Party in power; besides, he was born and educated in Taiping, . (I was born and educated in Singapore, but he was born and educated there)". He dared not speak to him face to face; but I didn’t mind this as long as he clarified matters.

On my departure, I told Tan Siew Sin: "Today is the day of your victory, the day of my defeat; but, five of ten years later, you certainly will feel sad about it." At a meeting somewhere Tan Siew Sin told the audience what I had told him; but he suppressed the last sentence and said only; Lee Kuan Yew said to me, "Today is your great victory, PAP`s great defeat." What he had suppressed is: "Five or ten years later, you certainly will feel sad about it.” What does this

lky\1965\lky1003b.doc 6 sentence actually mean? It means that we wanted to co-operate with you, but you refused. As such, we could do nothing more -- for the time being, we could do nothing more. Our original intention was to go forward, but you came and hindered us; never mind, we take a turn. And, in ten or 15 years` time, Singapore and Malaysia will certainly be reunified. No matter how you look at it, historically, geographically, population wise, as blood relation, culturally linguistically --- Singapore and Malaysia should be united.

Touching on the linguistic problem. I think there is little difference in our objectives -- Government’s objectives and the objectives of all those in the field of education. There is no question about this. But when we speak, the way we speak and the words and phrases we use should be apt. The reasons we give should be of assistance to all those in South-East Asia who are our friends.

Some people say, eighty percent of the population of Singapore is Chinese; as such, Chinese should become one of the official languages of Singapore. I think it is quite unwise to make such a statement. First of all, it is an exaggeration, and your way of saying will scare the Malays, the Indians as well as other races in

Singapore. In fact, there is only 75 percent Chinese in the total population of

Singapore. Do not exaggerate. We must speak the truth. At the same time, you should know all these statements will be published in all the Pan-Malayan papers

lky\1965\lky1003b.doc 7 like , Nanyang Siang Pao, Utusan Melayu as well as Sin Chew

Jit Poh. Then, aren’t you helping the enemies?

Let me read it out to you. Malaysia, including Singapore, Chinese 42%,

Malays 30%, Indians 10% and the rest a few percent.

One of the reasons they forced us out of Malaysia is to reduce the Chinese to 36%, thus making the Malays 45%, the highest percentage among the races.

And if you use this percentage to prove that should be one of the official language, I think this will harm our people.

Although we are no more inside Malaysia, but if we read the daily newspapers we shall understand that, when August 31, 1967 comes and Malay becomes the only National Language and official language, then problems may arise. And if problems arise, it will not be happy for us too, Because if a problem arises it will do good neither to us nor to them. But should the problem appear, and our population jumps suddenly from 2 million to 6 or 7 million, then

I`ll ask the people who talk about one 80% (by then the Chinese in Singapore might be 90% and not 80%) to explain how they would solve the problem. All of a sudden the population of Singapore has increased by 4 to 5 million. Then the small islands around us, just as Pulau Ubin and Pulau Tekong, will have to build

lky\1965\lky1003b.doc 8 many skyscrapers, so as to cope with the ever increasing population and the problems to follow. Is that a smart thing to do? We cannot take part in their politics now, but every move we take should be well calculated and help sove their problems too. For, if they solve their problems properly, it will do us some good. This will provide us with a very bright future. To brag of our `80%`, is the silliest thing to do. We should say, although in Singapore 75% of the population is Chinese, the Malays form only 12%, never mind; Malay has became our National Language, yet, Malay language, Chinese, Tamil and English are all equal. You know the easiest language to learn is Malay. Just now you have listened to the Chairman who spoke in Malay; good, isn`t it? After 5 years,

10 years, everybody can speak Malay. You want to speak Malay, I`ll speak

Malay with you. You want to speak English, I speak English. For the sake of convenience, we may speak the common language, this is no problem. But we must calculate, Singapore has 1.5-million Chinese, it forms 75% of the population. But in Malaysia, Chinese are only 36%. On the question of official language, do not talk about percentages.

Why have we to accept Malay as our National Language? For on principle, that is correct. Why must we have four languages, and at the same time let them have an equal position? The reason is, this is good for our country.

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We can become a model, not only for the whole of Southeast Asia to see, but also for the Afro-Asian countries to see.

In the coming year, some of the Afro-Asian cultural organizations will visit

Singapore; we have also invited their Ministers to vist Singapore. Thus, if any person wants to attack us, stating that this is a Chinese city, it will not be easy. If you had listened to our Foreign Minister speaking to the press in New York, you`ll know why we should be very careful. On that occasion the reporter asked: they heard that 90% of the population is Chinese; then in the end you will become a province of China? But the person they asked was our Foreign

Minister, he is an Indian, who moved from India to Seremban in Malaya. His family is still in Seremban, his younger brother and parents are there too. At the time how did our Minister answer? He said, it is very wrong to talk in such a way, we are all Malaysian, but, very unfortuantely, we are forced to leave

Malaysia; but one day we will re-unite again; but under different circumstances and different conditions. I`m very proud that he answered in this way. I think I have said enough for you to undersatnd. What is the actual profit and loss position? There is no need for us to raise this language problems and cultural problem.

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I should like to remind everybody that we should plan for the whole region and not only for Singapore. Because if we think only of Singapore, it will be dangerous.

Did you hear the news from Jakarta? Just now on the road, in my car, I heard the 7.30 p.m. news reporting that the situation in Indonesia is conplicated, they don`t know how was their president, who was controlling the country. But what is our attitude? No matter who is administering the country, we can still be friends with the Indonesians. That is to say, mobility of the people is no problem, trade is no problem, but you just don`t interfere with our internal affairs. We will not interfere with your internal affairs. We will not interfere with their problems too; Communist or anti-Communist elements controlling

Indonesia, that is not our business; we are willing and will co-operate with the

Indonesians; that is the correct attitude.

We must calculate carefully; after all, we must survive, in 10 years, 20 years, 100 years, 1,000 years, Singapore and Malaya cannot be separated.

Frankly speaking, suppose I want to establish a feudal Malay country, not including the Sabah, Sarawak, if all the military power is used to control

Singapore, then we can be confident. But it will be too tiresome. The reason is, the people of Singapore have a stiff backbone, they do not accept oppression

lky\1965\lky1003b.doc 11 easily. So they say: get out of here! We concede, concede a little. But slowly we will go two steps forward. Therefore, I want you to take note of this, don`t talk of language and culture any time you like. This is already not a political problem, because here, everybody has accepted. We will establish a model society, and show that this is the type of society South-East Asia wanted. This is our sacred role to play.

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