PRESS RELEASES
July 30, 2007

Speech by
SHRI L.K. ADVANI
Leader of the Opposition (Lok Sabha)

At India Club, Singapore
July 28, 2007

Building a new, resurgent India

I am pleased to be in Singapore, and doubly pleased to be with members of the Indian community here.

I am grateful to India Club for inviting me to deliver a talk and thus have an opportunity for an interaction with the intellectual, business and cultural elite in Singapore.

This is the third day of my stay in Singapore, and I must confess that I have been bowled over by the unique charm of your country. I cannot quite put my finger on the source of this charm. I cannot say it is the breathtaking skyline of Singapore, which is just one of the many visible signs of it being a vibrant global trading and financial hub. I cannot say it is the neatness and discipline that is embedded in everything that exists here and in everything that is done here. I cannot say it is the amazingly rich socio-cultural diversity that is seen here, and the harmony that is apparent among various parts of this diversity.

National Resolve: the propelling power of national transformation

The charm and attraction of Singapore can be attributed to all this and more. Perhaps, its source lies in that intangible quality called NATIONAL RESOLVE. It is that one quality without which no nation, howsoever well-endowed in terms of natural and human resources, can scale great heights of success and glory. It is also the one quality which, if present in abundance among both the people and the rulers, can propel even a small and resource-poor nation to dizzying heights of achievement.

In the history of the modern world, Singapore presents one of the best illustrations of this truth.

What was Singapore like when it took birth as a separate nation-state in 1965, and what is it now in 2007? How did this incredible journey happen? There might have been many factors behind this success story. But, according to me, the root cause lies in national resolve, which then translated itself into unity, discipline, hard work, innovation and the ability to seize the opportunities to leapfrog into a higher orbit of development.

Of course, the national resolve to continually take Singapore to newer levels of achievement manifested most starkly in its political leadership. Some years ago, I had an occasion to read Mr. Lee Kuan Yew’s memoirs called From Third World to First : The Singapore Story: 1965-2000. It describes how Singapore was transformed from a small colonial outpost of the British empire into an economic powerhouse in less than four decades. Singapore’s per-capita GDP was just $400 when Mr. Lee Kuan Yew became Prime Minister in 1959. By the time he left office in 1990, it was $12,200. And when his book was published at the turn of the century, it was $22,000.

But it is not merely the rising prosperity that tells Singapore’s great success story. The real story lies in how it was achieved, how the entire population participated in nation-building and benefited from it, and how the whole society’s way of living was changed in the process. What strikes me most is the new social discipline and civic sense that Singapore acquired, thanks to the leadership’s constant attention and motivation. The fact, for example, that Singapore is the cleanest city-state in the world did not come about on its own. The fact that anti-smoking and anti-spitting laws here are the strictest was an integral part of how the leadership envisioned Singapore’s future.

Mr. Lee Kuan Yew writes in his book: "We would have been a grosser, ruder, cruder society had we not made these efforts to persuade people to change their ways.... It has made Singapore a more pleasant place to live in.”

No wonder, the number of foreign tourists who visit Singapore each year is more than double its population.

All these things are obvious to you. But I am stating this because I believe that we in India have much to learn from Singapore. Of course, not everything in one country’s success story can serve as a pattern for another. Besides, we in India have many things that we can be proud of. Nevertheless, I have no hesitation in saying that the lesson of what NATIONAL RESOLVE can do to transform a nation is something that we can profitably learn from this small but beautiful country.

India’s resurgence has already begun

Esteemed Friends, I am asked to speak today on the theme ‘Building a New, Resurgent India’. About 10 or 15 years ago, this theme would have sounded rather futuristic, something of a pious and patriotic wish of Indians but not one within the realm of realization. Today, the situation is different.

India is indeed a rising and resurgent nation, and its resurgence is being recognized by the whole world. There is a big economic and geopolitical shift currently taking place in the world, and India, along with China, is right at the centre of this shift. No discussion about the future architecture of the global economy or global security system is now complete without a reference to India’s place in it.

India’s GDP growth rate is now nearly as high as that of China. Our exports are rising steeply. Our foreign exchange reserves are swelling. The rupee is becoming stronger against the dollar. Our infrastructure is rapidly improving. Even our airports are set to become bigger and more attractive – as attractive, I hope, as the Changi Airport in Singapore.

I must acknowledge that investors in Singapore have made a significant contribution to India’s rapidly growing economy. The Free Trade Agreement between our two countries has given a big boost to our economic ties. Singapore is already India's largest trading partner in the ASEAN region.

In all humility, I must point out that the government of former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, in which I was his deputy, made a major contribution to building a resurgent India during its six years in office. We sought to popularize the inspiring slogan of making India a Developed Nation by 2020. This slogan was first given by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who has just demitted office as the President of India.

Besides making India economically stronger, our government also strengthened India’s national security. We did so by our bold and historic decision to make India a nuclear weapons power. Of course, our nuclear doctrine was – and continues to be -- entirely self-defensive in nature.

Among our government’s many new initiatives that I am particularly proud of is the one that sought to establish a new emotional connectivity between India and the Indian Diaspora. We started the process of providing Dual Citizenship to PIOs in several countries. The annual Pravasi Bharatiya Divas event started during the NDA government. Many of you have probably participated in this event.

India’s ‘Soft Power’ in Asia and the world

I am sure that many of you who have been living in Singapore for many years have observed India’s rising profile even in South-East Asia and East Asia. India and China are seen as the two rising powers that are necessary for ensuring progress and stability in the ASEAN region.

I must underscore here that the rise of a strong and prosperous India is not seen as a threat by any nation in South-East Asia. This is a big compliment to India’s long history, culture and spiritual heritage, which are testimony to the fact that India has never dreamt of one’s own progress at the expense of others.

India’s cultural and spiritual influence spread all across this region in the centuries past, and signs of this influence are seen in abundance even today. The Angkor Wat Temple in Cambodia, or the Cham Temples in Vietnam, the Hindu culture in Bali in Indonesia, the uniquely syncretic nature of Islam in Indonesia and, of course, the spread of Buddhism in Thailand, China, Korea and Japan – all these speak of a close cultural and spiritual link between India and South-East Asia.

However, the point to note is that this influence was the result of neither military expedition nor colonial subjugation. Precisely for this reason, India continues to enjoy enormous goodwill and respect among the common people in Asia – both in South-East and East Asia, as well as in West and Central Asia.

In modern times, this emotional and cultural bond has been further strengthened by Indian films and film music – both Hindi and I must add, since I am in Singapore, Tamil. I would not be surprised if Rajnikanth’s latest blockbuster Sivaji has been a big hit in Singapore, too – both among people of Indian origin and others. I am told that his films are very popular in Japan.

At another level, India’s ‘New Age’ gurus such as Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Mata Amritanandamayi and others are re-projecting the universal relevance of our cultural and spiritual values. Some of you probably know that the Swami Narayan sampraday, which has built a magnificent temple in Delhi recently, has last week inaugurated the largest Hindu temple in North America in Toronto.

In this context, it is indeed a matter of great pride for every Indian that the United Nations has recently declared October 2, Gandhiji’s birthday, as International Day of Non-Violence. This is a tribute both to the Mahatma, who is one of the greatest World Citizens of modern times, and to the land that gave birth to him.

In the language of diplomacy, this kind of cultural-spiritual influence is called ‘Soft Power’. As against the ‘Hard Power’ acquired through arms, ammunition and aggressive diplomacy, ‘Soft Power’ wins friends and brings nations closer in a common endeavour of peace and progress.

Hence, in my vision of a Resurgent India, I would like to see continuous expansion of India’s ‘Soft Power’ all across the world.

Balanced development: Big tasks confront us

Friends, while I have drawn your attention to the many good things happening in India, I must also point out that we continue to have an enormous task on our hands to banish poverty and underdevelopment in large parts of the country. Social and regional imbalances in development are indeed a matter of concern. And the party to which I belong is resolved to attend to this task with the seriousness it deserves. Indeed, in the states where the BJP is in power, we have achieved significant progress in this regard.

Gujarat is a prime example of this. It is not only the fastest growing state in India economically, but it has also achieved remarkable progress in improving the human development index of its population.

Nevertheless, huge challenges confront us. Perhaps the biggest of them – and one that can strongly propel India forward if overcome quickly – is spread of quality education. We have a huge reservoir of youthful human resources. Indeed, nearly 65% of our population is less than 30 years of age. My vision is that every single child goes to school, and every young man and woman gets gainful employment.

In this context, there is much scope for expanding cooperation between India and Singapore in the field of higher education. Through this cooperation, India can become a global hub for quality education in diverse fields such as technology, management, medicine, tourism, etc. I appeal to leaders of the Indian community here to intensify their efforts in this field.

The threat of terrorism – to India, Asia and the world

No nation – and especially a nation as big as India – can think of its resurgence by ignoring the security environment, both within and without. I have already stated that India has no aggressive designs against anybody – either in the neighbourhood or elsewhere in the world. Nevertheless, it is well known that India has been a target of a prolonged terrorist campaign, inspired by religious extremism. As events in the past decade have shown, this is now a regional and a global treat. Ironically, even the country that sponsored terrorism against India as a matter of state policy has had to confront it on its own soil. The recent violent stand-off at Lal Masjid in Islamabad is a clear pointer to this.

Terrorism and religious extremism have also threatened peace and social stability in several ASEAN countries. Clearly, the war against terrorism requires to be fought through strong regional and global cooperation. I am glad that the government of Singapore is alive and sensitive to this threat.

Friends, the challenges before India are many. There are also some threats. But I am confident that India will surmount these challenges in her onward march to becoming a Resurgent Nation. One which will soon occupy her proud and rightful place in the international community. And one that will play a major role in solving the many burning problems before mankind

I appeal to people of Indian origin everywhere, including those in Singapore, to participate in India’s march towards a bright new future.

Thank you.