Our Common Challenges: Strengthening Security in the Region 9789814695213

Citation preview

OUR COMMON CHALLENGES

00 35th SL_PrelimsIT-2P.indd 1

20/8/15 11:49 am

The ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute (formerly Institute of Southeast Asian Studies) was established as an autonomous organization in 1968. It is a regional centre dedicated to the study of socio-political, security and economic trends and developments in Southeast Asia and its wider geostrategic and economic environment. The Institute’s research programmes are the Regional Economic Studies (RES, including ASEAN and APEC), Regional Strategic and Political Studies (RSPS), and Regional Social and Cultural Studies (RSCS). ISEAS Publishing, an established academic press, has issued more than 2,000 books and journals. It is the largest scholarly publisher of research about Southeast Asia from within the region. ISEAS Publishing works with many other academic and trade publishers and distributors to disseminate important research and analyses from and about Southeast Asia to the rest of the world.

00 35th SL_PrelimsIT-2P.indd 2

20/8/15 11:49 am

Singapore Lecture 29 June 2015

OUR COMMON CHALLENGES Strengthening Security in the Region

Tony Abbott

00 35th SL_PrelimsIT-2P.indd 3

20/8/15 11:49 am

Published in Singapore in 2015 by ISEAS Publishing 30 Heng Mui Keng Terrace Singapore 119614 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://bookshop.iseas.edu.sg All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photo­copying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute. © 2015 ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore ISEAS Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data Abbott, Tony, 1957– Our Common Challenges : Strengthening Security in the Region. (Singapore lecture series, 0129-1912 ; [35]) 1. Security, International—Asia. 2. Terrorism—Asia. 3. Singapore—Foreign relations—Australia. 4. Australia—Foreign relations—Singapore. I. Singapore Lecture (35th : 2015 : Singapore) II. Title. III. Series: Singapore lecture series ; [35]. DS501 I597 no. 35        2015 ISBN 978-981-4695-22-0 (soft cover) ISBN 978-981-4695-21-3 (e-book, PDF) Typeset by International Typesetters Pte Ltd Printed in Singapore by Markono Print Media Pte Ltd

00 35th SL_PrelimsIT-2P.indd 4

20/8/15 11:49 am

CONTENTS I

Welcome Remarks

II Our Common Challenges: Strengthening Security in the Region

00 35th SL_PrelimsIT-2P.indd 5

Teo Chee Hean 1

Tony Abbott 5

20/8/15 11:49 am

00 35th SL_PrelimsIT-2P.indd 6

20/8/15 11:49 am

I Welcome Remarks Teo Chee Hean Deputy Prime Minister, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs, Singapore

The Honourable Tony Abbott, Prime Minister of Australia; Mr Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of Singapore; Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen I would like to welcome all of you to the 35th Singapore Lecture. We are very privileged to have The Honourable Tony Abbott, Prime Minister of Australia with us this afternoon. I thank Prime Minister Abbott for agreeing to deliver this Lecture on the occasion of your official visit to Singapore, despite your extremely busy schedule here. 2 Prime Minister Abbott’s visit to Singapore takes place at a special moment for Singapore, as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of independence this year. It is also the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Australia. Australia was in fact the first country to do so. Indeed, Australia had played a prominent and helpful role in Singapore’s history, one that predates Singapore’s independence. 3 Over the years, Singapore and Australia have built up a warm and deep relationship that spans many diverse areas. We have a

01 35th SL_WelcomeIT.indd 1

3/8/15 11:28 am

2

mutually beneficial and thriving economic relationship, anchored by the 2003 Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement (or SAFTA). Singapore is Australia’s 5th largest foreign investor. Both countries enjoy excellent defence cooperation, with Australia generously allowing the Singapore Armed Forces to train in the country. At the people-to-people level, we feel very comfortable with each other. Over 20,000 Australians live and work in Singapore. Some 50,000 Singaporeans study, work, or accompany their families in Australia; we had a warm reunion with many of them during Singapore Day in Sydney in October 2013. 4 This close relationship is underpinned by a shared strategic perspective of our regional environment. Both countries cooperate closely in regional and international fora. Australia has played an important role in promoting regional stability and prosperity, particularly through its engagement of ASEAN and its participation in the East Asia Summit. We have worked closely together on numerous fundamental areas of commonality, such as preserving an open and inclusive regional architecture and promoting trade liberalisation globally and regionally. 5 While our relationship is already deep and dynamic, both Prime Minister Abbott and Prime Minister Lee have recognised that there remains more that both countries can do together. This is the genesis of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership agreement signed by both Prime Ministers earlier today. The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership puts the flourishing friendship between Singapore and Australia on an even stronger footing over the next decade and beyond. 6 Prime Minister Abbott is a well-known figure in Singapore. He started out as a journalist with The Australian, and The Bulletin. He entered politics in the early 1990s, serving as Press Secretary and

01 35th SL_WelcomeIT.indd 2

3/8/15 11:28 am

3

Senior Adviser to then-Leader of the Opposition John Hewson. Mr Abbott has had extensive Cabinet experience, having served in Prime Minister John Howard’s government in various capacities, including as Minister for Employment Services, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations and Minister for Health and Ageing. Mr Abbott was the Leader of Opposition from 2009 until he led the Liberal/National Coalition to victory in the Federal Elections in 2013. 7 Since taking office, Prime Minister Abbott has demonstrated an acute appreciation of the challenges that Australia faces as it comes off the mining boom and has kept the economy on an even keel even as Australia embarks on economic restructuring. He has pushed ahead to enhance and consolidate Australia’s engagement of the region and concluded Free Trade Agreements with Japan, the Republic of Korea and China. The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Singapore and Australia provides yet another platform for Australia to expand its economic interactions with Southeast Asia and the larger region. 8 Singapore has always been a strong proponent of Australia’s active and continued engagement in the region. We believe that Australia has made and will continue to make a valuable contribution to the region’s stability and prosperity. Indeed, under the leadership of Prime Minister Abbott, Australia has taken a clear and focussed approach to engaging the region, by emphasising a closer relationship with countries in ASEAN and the Asia-Pacific region. Today, Prime Minister Abbott will speak on the topic of “Our Common Challenges: Strengthening Security in the Region.” 9 Prime Minister Abbott has also shown leadership on the issue of jihadist terrorism, in particular the threat posed by returning “foreign fighters” and self-radicalized individuals, seduced by the

01 35th SL_WelcomeIT.indd 3

3/8/15 11:28 am

4

violent ideology of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Earlier this month, Australia hosted a summit in Sydney on Countering Violent Extremism, which made a valuable contribution to regional understanding and cooperation on this important issue. Terrorism and violent extremism are global challenges faced by many countries, and need to be addressed with an adroit mix of domestic policies as well as regional and international cooperation. 10 Let me now invite Prime Minister Abbott to deliver the 35th Singapore Lecture. 11 Thank you.

01 35th SL_WelcomeIT.indd 4

3/8/15 11:28 am

II OUR COMMON CHALLENGES Strengthening Security in the Region Tony Abbott Prime Minister of Australia

Prime Minister Lee, Deputy Prime Minister Teo — today it is an honour to follow three serving Australian prime ministers in delivering this Singapore lecture. Yesterday, it was my honour to visit the Kranji War Cemetery where so many of Singapore’s wartime defenders lie. As the Japanese swept down the peninsula in those years, Australian troops achieved the few modest allied wins of that campaign: the stand at Bakri; the ambushes at Gemas and Jemaluang; and the fighting withdrawal from Muar where the Australians went into battle singing Waltzing Matilda. Almost 1,800 Australians gave their lives in the fight for Malaya and Singapore, and over 1,300 were wounded. When Singapore fell, some 15,000 Australians became prisoners of war, and 7,000 perished in captivity. Australians were some 10 per cent of the defenders but suffered some 70 per cent of the battle casualties.

02 35th SL_SpeechIT-2P.indd 5

19/8/15 11:05 am

6

It was the most disastrous campaign in British military history but it helped to put beyond doubt Australia’s commitment to the region. Just 73 years ago, Singapore was a burning ruin; today, it is a wonder of the modern world. Just 50 years ago, when Lee Kuan Yew declared Singapore’s independence, his country was poor, friendless and facing an uncertain future; today, it is rich, well-connected and secure. Australians of my parents’ generation were haunted by Singapore’s fall; Australians of my generation, and younger, should be galvanized by its rise. Within two generations, Singapore has moved from the third world to the first; Lee Kuan Yew didn’t just lead Singapore, he built it, he made it. Once the Gibraltar of the east, Singapore is again a symbol to the world of enterprise, confidence and initiative: of self-reliance and success. Singapore’s success is founded on the ideas, the drive and the judgement of Lee Kuan Yew; on the talents of the Singaporean people that he unleashed; and on a legacy of law and language that he respected and built on. Lee Kuan Yew insisted that all Singaporeans learn English; he maintained the legal system built on common law; and even preserved the statue of Raffles, as a sign of the regard that he expected Singapore to have for this heritage.

02 35th SL_SpeechIT-2P.indd 6

19/8/15 11:05 am

7

Back in 1965, Australia was the first country to open diplomatic relations with Singapore. Sir Robert Menzies, our prime minister at the time, deeply respected Lee Kuan Yew; while Lee Kuan Yew said that Menzies was the Australian leader who had most impressed him. The esteem that Lee and Menzies had for each other was a strong foundation for the friendship between our nations that has grown and grown ever since. As we’ve heard, Singapore is Australia’s largest trade and investment partner in ASEAN and our fifth largest trading partner overall. We already have a robust free trade agreement; it’s just the second that Australia negotiated, after Closer Economic Relations with New Zealand. There are 3,500 businesses with Australian links operating here in Singapore, spanning infrastructure, IT, education, financial services and logistics. We have invested many tens of billions of dollars in each other — a sure sign of our mutual trust and respect. Over the past half century, more than 130,000 Singaporeans have been educated at Australian universities under the Colombo Plan and beyond. The New Colombo Plan, started last year, has already seen nearly 500 Australian students study in Singapore; we are finally

02 35th SL_SpeechIT-2P.indd 7

19/8/15 11:05 am

8

returning the compliment that Singapore has paid to us, and hope to learn as much in your country as you have in ours. Each year over 350,000 Australians now travel to Singapore for business or pleasure; and a similar number of Singaporeans come to Australia. Almost since Singapore’s independence we have been military partners in the Five Power Defence Arrangements, along with the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Malaysia. Over the past decade, we have both contributed to military operations in Afghanistan and we are now working together in the skies over Iraq. For many years, the Singapore Armed Forces have trained in Queensland, and a Singapore Air Force squadron has been stationed in Western Australia. The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership signed this morning with Prime Minister Lee will produce a whole new level of intimacy over the next decade. We’re becoming family; not just friends. In some ways, Australia and Singapore could hardly be more different. Australia is a country with its own continent, sparsely settled, mostly by European people, with a successful resources economy. Singapore is a tiny but teeming island, whose people are mostly of Chinese descent, with a dynamic services economy.

02 35th SL_SpeechIT-2P.indd 8

19/8/15 11:05 am

9

But in other ways, we have much in common — the English language, the rule of law, a high and rising standard of living, and support for the US-backed global order which has made the world’s comparative freedom and prosperity possible. Singapore seeks opportunities to expand beyond its domestic market; Australia seeks investment, especially in our great north; that’s why we have so much to offer each other. We are natural partners; we could hardly be more complementary. My hope is that Australia’s relationship with Singapore will swiftly grow as easy, close and familiar as it has long been with New Zealand. The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, that Australia and Singapore have concluded today, also moves us towards the closer economic relations that Australia and New Zealand have enjoyed for 30 years. Over time, I hope that Singaporeans will regard Australia, especially the north, as a frontier of opportunity; and that Australians will regard Singapore, as much as London, as a place to gain the world’s best professional experience. Soon, I hope that employment and residency rights for Australians and Singaporeans in each other’s countries will resemble those of New Zealanders and Australians. This will make both our countries even more successful and secure. In any event, our partnership is deepening as our region is rising.

02 35th SL_SpeechIT-2P.indd 9

19/8/15 11:05 am

10

Over the past few decades the Asia-Pacific region has achieved an economic transformation, unparalleled in human history. Japan has arisen from the ashes of defeat to become one of the world’s most prosperous democracies. Korea has moved from the third world to the first in less than half a century. In an epic improvement, China has emerged from war and internal turmoil to shift hundreds of millions of people from the third world to the middle class. This is the greatest, fastest change for the better of all time. And so much of our region’s prosperity has been built on Australian coal, iron ore and gas. Now, and far into the future, we can offer the countries of our region the food, energy and resource security they seek. For Australia, the tyranny of distance has given way to the advantage of proximity. Our Asia-Pacific region now accounts for over half the global population, more than one-third of world gross domestic product, and about a third of world exports. Still, continued prosperity depends on continued security. In our own region, there has been some tension over the disputed islands and reefs of the East China and South China seas.

02 35th SL_SpeechIT-2P.indd 10

19/8/15 11:05 am

11

Australia does not take sides on competing territorial claims; we deplore unilateral moves to change the status quo; and insist that disputes should be settled peacefully, in accordance with international law. Like all trading nations, Australia upholds freedom of navigation on the seas and in the air. Land reclamation on a massive scale not only unsettles the mutual respect upon which our prosperity depends but threatens one of the world’s most complex and beautiful reef systems. These actions have strained some of the relationships that China has otherwise worked hard to cultivate. On the other hand, China’s readiness to work with other countries on the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank has meant the emergence of a new Chinese-led international institution with better governance. As a result, Australia will join Singapore and more than fifty other countries in joining the bank at a signing ceremony in Beijing earlier today. And there is a lesson here — there is a lesson here: the countries of the Asia-Pacific have too much to gain from cooperation and too much to lose from confrontation. Participation in ASEAN and then in the East Asia Summit has built the habits of cooperation needed to manage regional issues. All our regional architecture — including APEC, the ASEAN Regional Forum, and the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting — is designed to defuse regional tensions.

02 35th SL_SpeechIT-2P.indd 11

19/8/15 11:05 am

12

History is a bad master but a good teacher — and the hardearned lesson of our history is that we will all advance together; or none of us will advance at all. Now it’s harder to be optimistic about Eastern Europe where Russia is continuing to bully its smaller neighbours whenever they look to Western Europe rather than their former Soviet overlord. Still, Western sanctions are hurting; and the reaction to Russian aggression does seem to have produced a more united and more determined Ukraine. It’s harder still to be optimistic about the Middle East: where hostility to Israel, longstanding tensions between Iran and its neighbours, sectarian splits within Islam, and a pervasive sense of grievance have helped to create the monster of ISIL or Daesh. I refuse to call this death cult “Islamic State” because to do so insults the Muslims it is killing every day and concedes legitimacy to a movement at war with the world. Still, Daesh is consolidating its hold over an area as large as Italy with about eight million people. Its affiliates control significant swathes of Libya and Nigeria and are active in the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa. It is seeking to establish a far province in South East Asia. It is the deadly enemy of all governments and of all people, even those it has enslaved.

02 35th SL_SpeechIT-2P.indd 12

19/8/15 11:05 am

13

It cannot be contained: it has to be defeated. This weekend’s attacks in France, Tunisia and Kuwait are simply its latest atrocities. In the past year, Daesh and its imitators have carried out terrorist attacks in Belgium, France, Canada, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Egypt, Nigeria, Denmark and the United States — as well as Australia, in Melbourne and in my home town of Sydney. I regret to say that we can expect more and worse atrocities as long as even a small minority of people are susceptible to its message. As the declaration of a caliphate shows, it is coming for everyone on the basis of a twisted interpretation of the Koran: submit or die. Daesh is using an online world without borders to brainwash our young people and to accustom them to kill for their cause. More than 20,000 people from over 80 countries have gone to Syria and Iraq to join Daesh. Up to 300 Indonesians and 90 Malaysians are currently thought to be fighting for Daesh in the Middle East. Thais, Filipinos, Cambodians and even Singaporeans have also joined, although in much smaller numbers. And I regret to say that at least 120 Australians are currently fighting in Syria and Iraq, with about 160 at home recruiting for them and funding them.

02 35th SL_SpeechIT-2P.indd 13

19/8/15 11:05 am

14

Our domestic security agency is currently investigating several thousand persons of concern and has over 400 high priority cases. We have more foreign fighters, more terrorist supporters and more terrorist sympathisers than ever before. A decade or so back, more than 300 South East Asians had trained with terrorist groups in Afghanistan or Pakistan. On their return, more than 80 were arrested or killed in counter-terrorism operations. Of the Jemaah Islamiyah terrorists directly involved in the 2002 Bali Bombings — which killed 202 people including 88 Australians — 11 out of 17 had trained with terrorist groups in Afghanistan or Pakistan. Of the 25 Australians who had returned home after training with terrorists in Afghanistan or Pakistan, 19 were subsequently involved in terrorist plotting and eight were convicted of terrorism offences. So this is a daunting precedent, given the many hundreds from our region already fighting in the Middle East right now. Now living in pluralist democracies under the rule of law, where killing in the name of God is almost unimaginable, it’s hard even to begin to appreciate the motives and methods of an apocalyptic death cult. Daesh will seek to expand until it’s overthrown — that’s what the logic of the Caliphate demands.

02 35th SL_SpeechIT-2P.indd 14

19/8/15 11:05 am

15

So there are no good options here, but the worst is simply hoping for the best, waiting for something to turn up, or expecting someone else to do the heavy lifting. The difference between the last American involvement in the Middle East — and any stronger one now — would be that this is in support of the legitimate government of Iraq. The difference between this outbreak of doomsday fundamentalism and the last, lesser one is that Daesh has united almost every Muslim authority against it. This is not a fight that can be won quickly or easily, but it can’t be avoided. Some might question whether we’re at war with them — but they’re certain that they’re at war with us. It’s a military and security struggle — but it’s also a struggle inside hearts, minds and souls. And yesterday, I visited one of Singapore’s de-radicalisation programmes that involves family members, mentoring relationships and a religious engagement to wean people from the idea that serving God means killing infidels. So we can succeed when we turn our minds to it. The world should be grateful for Singapore’s solidarity and readiness to be a part of the international coalition against Daesh in the Middle East.

02 35th SL_SpeechIT-2P.indd 15

19/8/15 11:05 am

16

Singapore — along with Australia — has been willing to shoulder its responsibilities to uphold the freedom and security of the wider world. Now one of the Australian servicemen who arrived in Singapore just a few weeks before its fall was John Gorton. In late January 1942, he crashed landed after a dogfight with a Japanese aircraft. As he was being evacuated, his ship was torpedoed. Gorton would return to Singapore twenty-six years later this time as the Prime Minister of Australia. He warned, “history shows that … those who neglect security, those who neglect defence, do so ultimately at their own peril”. And as our foremost historian Geoffrey Blainey has observed: “a nation can be neutral only with the consent of its potential enemies”. Australia and Singapore are too engaged with the world to avoid its difficulties. We are too small to change the world on our own but we should never doubt the difference we can make. We need the world but the world needs us and will be the better for our work together. Thank you so much. It is an honour and a privilege to deliver this lecture and I am exceedingly grateful for the opportunity to do so.

02 35th SL_SpeechIT-2P.indd 16

19/8/15 11:05 am

TONY ABBOTT Tony Abbott was sworn in as the 28th Prime Minister of Australia on 18 September 2013. Prior to the election of the Coalition Government on 7 September 2013, Mr Abbott had been Leader of the Opposition since 1 December 2009. Mr Abbott was first elected as Member for Warringah in March 1994. He has been re-elected as Member for Warringah at seven subsequent elections. During the Howard Government, Mr Abbott served as a Parliamentary Secretary, Minister, Cabinet Minister, and Leader of the House of Representatives. As Minister for Employment Services (1998–2001) Mr Abbott oversaw the development of the Job Network and a major expansion of Work for the Dole. As Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations (2001– 2003) Mr Abbott boosted construction industry productivity through the establishment of the Cole Royal Commission. As Minister for Health and Ageing (2003–2007) Mr Abbott oversaw the expansion of Medicare rebates to allied health professionals such as dentists and psychologists and introduced the Strengthening Medicare reforms which delivered record levels of bulk billing for patients. Mr Abbott also introduced the Medicare safety net for people with big out-of-pocket expenses, increased hospital funding by $2.2 billion, and resolved the medical indemnity crisis.

03 35th SL_AbtAuthorIT.indd 17

3/8/15 11:41 am

18

At the 2010 election, the Coalition under Mr Abbott’s leadership achieved the best result for a first term opposition since 1932. Since Federation, no Opposition Leader has been elected Prime Minister with more ministerial experience than Tony Abbott. As Prime Minister, Mr Abbott has promised to spend a week each year living and working in an indigenous community. In recent years, Mr Abbott has spent time working as a teacher’s aide in Coen and as a truancy officer in Aurukun as well as participating in Bush Owner Builder indigenous housing project near Hopevale on Cape York. Last year, Mr Abbott and a team of business leaders spent four days helping to refurbish the library of the local school at Aurukun. Prior to entering parliament, Mr  Abbott was a journalist with The Australian and The Bulletin. He was press secretary and political adviser to the Leader of the Opposition, Dr John Hewson, before becoming Executive Director of Australians for Constitutional Monarchy. Mr Abbott holds Economics and Law degrees from Sydney University. He is a Rhodes Scholar and holds a Master of Arts (Politics and Philosophy) from Oxford University. Mr Abbott is the author of four books. Mr Abbott is a long-term member of Queenscliff Surf Life Saving Club and the Davidson Brigade of the Rural Fire Service. Tony Abbott is married to Margaret. They are the proud parents of three daughters — Louise, Frances and Bridget.

03 35th SL_AbtAuthorIT.indd 18

3/8/15 11:41 am

THE SINGAPORE LECTURE SERIES

Inaugural Singapore Lecture 14 October 1980 The Invisible Hand in Economics and Politics by MILTON FRIEDMAN Professor of Economics, University of Chicago 2nd Singapore Lecture 30 October 1981 American Foreign Policy: A Global View by HENRY KISSINGER U.S. Secretary of State 3rd Singapore Lecture 2 December 1982 Peace and East-West Relations by GISCARD D’ESTAING President of France 4th Singapore Lecture 10 November 1983 The Soviet Union: Challenges and Responses as Seen from the European Point of View by HELMUT SCHMIDT Chancellor of the Republic of Germany 5th Singapore Lecture 8 November 1984 The Future of the Western Alliance and Its Implications for Asia by JOSEPH M.A.H. LUNS Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

04 35th SL_LectureSeriesIT.indd 19

3/8/15 11:53 am

20 6th Singapore Lecture 5 December 1985 Deficits, Debts, and Demographics: Three Fundamentals Affecting Our Long-Term Economic Future by PETER G. PETERSON Chairman of the Blackstone Group 7th Singapore Lecture 25 November 1986 Trends in the International Financial System by RAYMOND BARRE Prime Minister of France 8th Singapore Lecture 27 November 1987 The Challenge of Change in the Asia-Pacific Region by BOB HAWKE Prime Minister of Australia 9th Singapore Lecture 14 December 1988 Regionalism, Globalism and Spheres of Influence: ASEAN and the Challenge of Change into the 21st Century by MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD Prime Minister of Malaysia 10th Singapore Lecture 15 October 1989 Trade Outlook: Globalization or Regionalization by BRIAN MULRONEY Prime Minister of Canada 11th Singapore Lecture 3 April 1991 International Economic Developments by R.F.M. LUBBERS Prime Minister of the Netherlands

04 35th SL_LectureSeriesIT.indd 20

3/8/15 11:53 am

21 12th Singapore Lecture 4 January 1992 U.S. Policy in the Asia-Pacific Region: Meeting the Challenges of the Post Cold-War Era by GEORGE BUSH President of the United States of America 13th Singapore Lecture 8 September 1994 India and the Asia-Pacific: Forging a New Relationship by P.V. NARASIMHA RAO Prime Minister of India 14th Singapore Lecture 17 January 1996 Australia, Asia and the New Regionalism by PAUL KEATING Prime Minister of Australia 15th Singapore Lecture 14 January 1997 Reforms for the New Era of Japan and ASEAN: For a Broader and Deeper Partnership by RYUTARO HASHIMOTO Prime Minister of Japan 16th Singapore Lecture 6 March 1997 South and Southern Africa into the Next Century by NELSON R. MANDELA President of the Republic of South Africa 17th Singapore Lecture 30 November 1999 China and Asia in the New Century by ZHU RONGJI Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China

04 35th SL_LectureSeriesIT.indd 21

3/8/15 11:53 am

22 18th Singapore Lecture 14 February 2000 Global Values: The United Nations and the Rule of Law in the 21st Century by Kofi A. Annan Secretary-General of the United Nations 19th Singapore Lecture 27 November 2000 Peace on the Korean Peninsula and East Asia by KIM DAE-JUNG President of the Republic of Korea 20th Singapore Lecture 14 January 2002 Japan and ASEAN in East Asia: A Sincere and Open Partnership by JUNICHIRO KOIZUMI Prime Minister of Japan 21st Singapore Lecture 9 April 2002 India’s Perspectives on ASEAN and the Asia-Pacific Region by ATAL BIHARI VAJPAYEE Prime Minister of India 22nd Singapore Lecture 6 July 2002 EU-Asia Relations: Sharing Diversity in an Inter-regional Partnership by ROMANO PRODI President of the European Commission 23rd Singapore Lecture 13 May 2003 Investments into the Future: State and Economy at the Beginning of the 21st Century by GERHARD SCHRÖDER Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany

04 35th SL_LectureSeriesIT.indd 22

3/8/15 11:53 am

23 24th Singapore Lecture 30 April 2004 Global Challenges in the 21st Century: A View from Chile by Ricardo Lagos President of Chile 25th Singapore Lecture 16 February 2005 Indonesia: The Challenge of Change by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono President of the Republic of Indonesia 26th Singapore Lecture 21 April 2005 Africa’s Season of Hope: The Dawn of a New Africa-Asia Partnership by thabo mvuyelwa mbeki President of the Republic of South Africa 27th Singapore Lecture 1 February 2006 Evolution of Enlightened Societies on Our Planet by A.P.J. ABDUL KALAM President of the Republic of India 28th Singapore Lecture 11 April 2006 Asia-Middle East Cooperation: Opportunities and Challenges by PRINCE suLtan bin abdul aziz al-sAud Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 29th Singapore Lecture 12 August 2008 Australia, Singapore, Our Region and the World by kevin rudd Prime Minister of Australia

04 35th SL_LectureSeriesIT.indd 23

3/8/15 11:53 am

24 30th Singapore Lecture 23 October 2009 Towards New Global Partnerships: Economics, Governance, Values by JAN PETER BALKENENDE Prime Minister of the Netherlands 31st Singapore Lecture 2 June 2011 by ANGELA MERKEL Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany 32nd Singapore Lecture 13 March 2012 The Importance of Governance for Sustainable Developments by HELEN CLARK Administrator of the UN Development Programme and Former Prime Minister of New Zealand 33rd Singapore Lecture 26 July 2013 by SHINZO ABE Prime Minister of Japan 34th Singapore Lecture 22 April 2014 The Future of ASEAN by HIS MAJESTY SULTAN HAJI HASSANAL BOLKIAH MU’IZZADDIN WADDAULAH Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam 35th Singapore Lecture 29 June 2015 Our Common Challenges: Strengthening Security in the Region by TONY ABBOTT Prime Minister of Australia

04 35th SL_LectureSeriesIT.indd 24

3/8/15 11:53 am