DUMPING OF CHINESE TEXTILES INTO FEDERATION OF MALAYA

The Chief Minister: I have one final statement to make, Sir, and it is in regard to the decision of the Government to assist the Federation of Malaya by limiting the dumping of Chinese cottons into the Malayan economic unit of which we are a part and a beneficiary. Mr Speaker, Sir, I am not concerned now with the details of the decision, but wish to emphasise again that criticisms must be related to the new stage of our constitutional develop- ment. It is the clear assumption of our new constitution that it is the last stage before independence through merger with the Federation. We accept, with understanding but without loss of faith in our ultimate objective, the position that it is not the present policy of the Federation that there should be merger now.

Meanwhile, Sir, Singapore cannot afford a running bickering battle with the Federation hoping to win every time; for not only will that snot be to our long-term economic interest, but it is no way to show our readiness to share our fortunes with them for better and for worse, in riches and in poverty. This does not make us a colony or a slave of the Federation, or any other noun which is culled from the dictionary of denunciation. We must be realistic and even the partnership of equals and independents assumes a great deal of give and take.

My appeal is, therefore, that in all our discussions of issues of this kind we must start from a Malayan assumption and we must show towards the Federation the consideration we expect from them. This may not be an easy policy to follow, but again we must realistically face facts and not ignore them. And one of these facts is that if we claim to be a part of a Malayan nation seeking the rightful union which circumstances deny us today, we must act as a part of a Malayan nation here and now.

Let us remember the essential elements of policy such as citizenship, education and multilingualism which we are able to follow without question, and ask ourselves before we let loose the full flood of criticism whether the issue is important enough to put the constitution and the policies it enshrines in jeopardy. Only by trial and error, approaching each issue reasonably, can we begin to reach agreement.

There must be the will and the mood; and then our future will be the stronger together, because of the mutual confidence, the mutual co-operation which has been worked out voluntarily. As each stone is laid by agreement and cemented by mutual respect and appreciation, the joint home of Malayan independence will be the stronger and more rapidly built.