Ng Tze Yong, The New Paper 18 Mar 09;
AT A time when the world is reeling from the biggest financial crisis in decades, a United Nations (UN) bigwig has called for Singapore to step forward.
'There was a time when the international community came to Singapore's support.
'Now, maybe Singapore can think about giving back...' said Mr Kamal Malhotra, the new United Nations Development Programme Resident Representative for Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.
Mr Malhotra, 52, was in Singapore last week to talk at the Institute of South-east Asian Studies on the impact of the financial crisis on the region.
His visit comes almost 50 years after Dr Albert Winsemius first arrived here. The Dutchman led a UN mission to advise Singapore on its development and became the republic's economic czar, working without pay for the next two decades.
Speaking of Dr Winsemius, Mr Malhotra said: 'There's a lot that Singapore can now contribute back to the international community in a wide range of areas vital for the future of the world, particularly in urban management.'
Singapore could help in areas like water purification, waste management, public transport and public housing.
'These are the technologies needed to create liveable cities. In an increasingly urbanising Asia especially, there will be a strong demand for them,' said Mr Malhotra.
Looking forward, Mr Malhotra, who used to serve at UNDP's New York headquarters, said it's time for Singapore to diversify beyond manufacturing high value-added products and offering financial services.
The Singapore Government, he feels, can 'focus more on the industries where demand won't fall in a future crisis', such as food processing, green technology and manufacturing high-end IT products.
'Singapore is near to China and India and the demand for food there is unlikely to fall, even in times of crises,' said Mr Malhotra.
As for green technology, he said it will be resilient to crises because it promises cost savings.
He feels Singapore can focus more on manufacturing high-end IT products as 'there are many such products which, for many people today even in Asia, are no longer luxuries but necessities for doing business and for communicating'.
Mr Malhotra expects to see a 'prolonged slump' of three to five years, even after countries come out of recession.
'In the US, where it all started, it might take even longer,' he added.
