SINGAPORE: As the memories of the General Election in May and the afterglow of the SG60 celebrations which peaked during National Day last month start to fade, Singapore’s government is gearing up to tackle impending challenges facing the country. And it is starting to look like a difficult road ahead.
In his speech to mark the opening of the 15th Parliament on Friday (Sep 5) evening, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam was frank in his assessment of those challenges.
“The world around us is changing in profound ways. Once again, we must navigate turbulent waters,” said Mr Tharman.
One major source of uncertainty stems from the shift in priorities of the United States under the leadership of Donald Trump, whose unpredictable “America First” policy has unsettled long-standing alliances.
At the same time, two wars continue on two different continents, and the rivalry between the US and China is expected to intensify across economic, technological and military domains in a global contest for power. In this environment, Singapore faces an increasingly complex and uncertain world order.
Besides conventional military challenges, less conventional threats such as cybersecurity and hybrid warfare pose potential challenges for countries like Singapore. These could see foreign actors seeking to influence domestic public opinion via social and traditional media, disinformation or cyber attacks.
The weaponisation of trade and interdependence is also a potential flashpoint, as are tensions that could “flare up suddenly, in the region and globally”.
It’s clear the government will be expected to steer the country through all these uncertainties, even as it charts new directions for the future while managing growing domestic pressures. While this expectation isn’t new, it came through more sharply than ever in the President’s Address.
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