Long has Singapore valued and protected her sovereignty since gaining independence in 1965.
However, as a young sovereign nation that enjoys good relations with most countries, some might have the impression that Singapore has ‘special relations’ with some superpowers.
During a recent dialogue at the Council on Foreign Relations, Prime Minister (PM) Lee Hsien Loong was quick to dismiss a reporter’s question of whether Singapore’s a “Beijing Whisperer”.
PM Lee took the chance to remind the reporter that Singapore is an independent country with its own national interests and priorities.
In a short clip uploaded on Twitter, the reporter from Time Magazine starts by introducing herself before posing the question to PM Lee.
As PM Lee was taking his ‘infamous’ sip of water, the reporter went about asking her question.
With eyes fixated on the direction of the reporter, PM Lee did a double-take when she spoke the phrase “Beijing Whisperer”.
Before she was able to complete the rest of her query, PM Lee promptly cuts her off and denounces himself from the proposed role.
Laughing off the suggestion, he announces that he’s no “Beijing Whisperer” to which the reporter asks, “Well, could you be?”
In a complete 180, PM Lee returns to his stoic state before stating that,
No we [Singapore] cannot. We are not part of the family. We are an ethnic Chinese majority country in Southeast Asia. Multi-racial, multi-religious, with independent, national interests and priorities. And they treat us as such. And we remind them that that is so.
The reporter then took to Twitter to clarify the intention behind her line of questioning while commending PM Lee.
In her tweet, she suggests that the United States have long regarded Singapore as a “Beijing Whisperer”.
She points to Singapore’s close trade ties with China as evidence and hopes in turn, Singapore can help bridge the gap between the two powerhouse countries.
She also commends PM Lee for being “very good” at dodging uncomfortable questions.
Being a small country, it’s important for Singapore to forge close ties with major countries around the world.
At the same time, we should always safeguard our national interests and mustn’t be pressurised into making unreasonable compromises.
Kudos to PM Lee for setting the record straight during the forum and reminding the world that Singapore, like all other countries in the world, prioritises our own national interests above all else.
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Featured image adapted from @historyogi on Twitter.
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