Last week, the hubby and I had the chance to be mesmerized once more by Singapore’s world class infrastructure, sustainable management and culture of excellence that permeates its people and institutions.
We last visited Singapore in February to attend the graduation rites of our daughter, Kitch, for her Master of Laws (LLM) degree from New York University (NYU). Her parents, brothers, aunt Nenen and cousins beamed with pride as she delivered the commencement speech which she shared onstage with Michael Ceulen from Belgium. They and their batch mates from 20 countries studied in Singapore for a year under the dual Master of Laws program called the NYU@NUS Program, co-established by NYU and National University of Singapore (NUS). Both institutions are distinguished universities, ranking 10th and 24th, respectively, in the 2011 QS World University Rankings in Law.
Under the NYU@NUS Program, students earn two LL.M. degrees from said institutions and are eligible to sit for the New York Bar exam while studying in Singapore, Shanghai and New York City. NYU Law professors fly to Singapore and teach at the NUS campus for the majority of the credits during the summer. “Most students complete the NYU LL.M. in Global Business Law by the end of December. Students then can choose a specialization, such as Corporate & Financial Services Law or Intellectual Property & Technology Law, for their second LL.M. from NUS.” https://www.law.nyu.edu/llmjsd/llmsingapore/index.htm
So, last week, we went back to Singapore’s sprawling NUS main campus to celebrate with our daughter her second LLM degree in a span of five months. This recent visit was more relaxed and gave us the chance to roam the streets and places which make Singapore stand out globally as a center not just of commerce but of sustainable living.
Singapore is the world’s model of efficiency and excellence because its institutions and of course, the officials, value the human capital. Observing the environment and the lifestyle in the small city state, one easily recognizes that the basic needs, health, safety, convenience and comfort of the 5.4 million constituents are top notch priorities of the government.
Looking at the well-planned housing communities, development projects and the skyscrapers amid the greenery-filled landscape, floodways and 15 reservoirs, with the distinctive wide pedestrian walkways, one cannot imagine the squalor and urban decay that the vibrant city state once faced in the 1960s. Five decades later, with a strong political will and long-term planning, Singapore is transformed, with around 85 percent of the citizens now living in government-built public housing.
Its road network provides for wide sidewalks that pedestrians and bikers can easily traverse without fear of being hit by vehicles. Walking is a healthy option that most residents and guests take daily. While Singapore’s climate is hot, being located near the equator, one does not feel it because parks, trees and gardens abound. I understand that each district is required to put up public parks where families and friends converge.
Take note, our Local Government Code requires municipalities and cities to establish “tree parks, greenbelts, and similar forest development projects.” But Filipinos are not complaining. Thus, our local authorities do not feel the need to deliver this essential service. Now that the National Greening Program has been launched as a climate change mitigation and adaptation strategy, it is best for the President and DILG Secretary Robredo to call the attention of and stress the utmost urgency for the LGUs to comply with this mandate soonest.
Travelling, not just walking is a breeze in Singapore. Its transportation system is among the world’s best. Residents and transients alike bring along the EZ Link card for payment of bus and train fares. Tap ups or reloads of the card can easily be done in MRT/LRT stations, and bus interchanges, even in Seven-Eleven convenience stores at 10,000 contact points (www.ezlink.com.sg).
Singapore’s thrust for innovation, creativity, service, entrepreneurship and world-class education has reaped laurels and awards for the country. Its excellent teaching and learning standards are widely recognized. In the 2011 QS Asian Universities Ranking, NUS ranks 3rd and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) landed 17th among the top fifty universities in Asia (University of the Philippines placed 62nd and Ateneo de Manila, 65th). According to the QS World University Rankings by Subject, NUS is first among the Asian universities in Accounting and Finance, Economics and Econometrics, Law, Sociology, and Statistics and Operational Research.
The prestigious World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report 2010-2011 rate Singapore’s institutions “as the best in the world, ranked first for both the lack of corruption in the country and government efficiency.”
How did the Philippines stand in the latest Global Competitiveness Report? It ranked 85th, a slight improvement from no. 87th in 2009-2010, out of 133 countries, with corruption and government inefficiency cited as the most problematic factors for doing business. (www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GlobalCompetitivenessReport_2010-11.pdf)
Well, as they say, no way to go but up, right? There are strong reasons for being optimistic. Now that Ombudsman Gutierrez has stepped down, the Office of the Ombudsman has started filing cases against influential public officials who fused public and private interests as if they are birthrights.
As citizens, we should seriously instill integrity, principled leadership and culture of excellence as personal, business and public sector ethos. We can still regain the lost opportunities and feel anew that sense of pride that our elders felt decades back about our nation—as Singaporeans feel for their country— but only if we do our share and actively participate in nation-building.
Our collective fate and the quality of our lives are up to each one of us. Quoting the NUS president Prof. Tan Chorh Chuan’s speech to the graduates, “No matter what you elect to pursue, if you do so with commitment, imagination and courage, you will find fulfillment in your work and lives…”