Singapore has long contrasted with Western countries as well as larger established developed countries by its economic agility. The endless cycle of business life, with its rise and fall of entrepreneurs and new industries, is the soul and fingerprint of the island’s economy. The constant reshuffling and reallocation of limited resources to the most effective use deliver in turn, amid trepidation and buzzling, productivity and growth. As a skilled martial art Sensei, the Red Dot has used its smaller size and efficient Government to exhibit an innate aptitude to constantly reinvent itself and excel in the process. Consider how a closure of a naval base became an opportunity for maritime engineering; a painful separation led it into becoming an international must-be centre, a manufacturing cost crisis caused a move to a higher level of services and software, a shortage of talents was a cradle for the creation and expansion of a set of universities of international appeal. This is an ongoing cycle, and the next few challenges, be it say point to point flights compromising an airport hub strategy, or the northern maritime route shifting maritime activity, as real and daunting as they may seem, can and will similarly be addressed.
