It is with great interest that I have when I read one of the articles in the latest issue of Nature. True, I am indeed proud to be a Singaporean and am really amazed at the rate the whole research industry takes off in a few years time. A sense of pride overwhelmed me when the journal tries to draw parallel comparison between Singapore and Malaysia in terms of the development of their respective research industry, only to find that there was no way for comparison. This in my humble opinion, spells of the drive and passion Singaporeans have in trying to make things work.
The journal tries to show readers the reason or rather the man behind our success: Mr Philip Yeo. I think he is indeed an amazing person. Having met him in person during the second round of interview for A*STAR scholarship (and unfortunately, I am an A*STAR reject.), I think he is amiable and has great foresight. He is a fatherly figure (who spends the whole interview time trying to change my mind to take up life sciences instead) and yet businessman like (and the main purpose in doing so is definitely because he sees more potential in that field rather than the environmental biotechnology).
But the article ends off with a point that I absolutely agree on. I think most of the times; we should count ourselves as Singaporeans, being a lucky bunch of people. We have one or two cream of the leaders who have both great foresight and vigor that are unsurpassable by anyone else, for instance, Mr Lee Kuan Yew and of course as mentioned in this article, Mr Philip Yeo. We rely on them to show us the directions, to tell us what to do and we follow suit. We rely on them to think of the future, to envision what the competition would be like ahead of us and we stay comfortably and sheltered under their shadows. Technology has not advanced to a stage where we can immortalize human beings. Perhaps it will, but moral implications will not allow us to do so. What will happen to the day when our leaders are no longer around? Will Singapore still remain as an irresistible force?
Source of article:
Nature Volume 436 Number 7052 p. 767-768
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