What is wrong in trying to eye Singapore or Dubai?

There was much disdain in the usual circles the moment the Prime Minister forcefully made the point that Malta should aspire to be the Singapore and or Dubai of the Mediterranean.

Those who traditionally tend to opt for a one dimensional approach instantly dismissed this as a pretext for justifying high rise buildings and land reclamation.

While Dubai has proved to care far more about green growth than we do in Malta and in Europe itself – far, far beyond the customary green wash that one might expect them to rely on – their commitment to the development of a green economy and plans for the post oil future in the Emirates is tangible and easy to identify and confirm.

Which brings us to Singapore.

To dismiss Singapore as the wrong country to try and emulate shows a poor reading of the considerable strengths of this particular country.

I might be somewhat biased in the sense that the country has always impressed me ever since I first visited it for the first WTO Ministerial Conference in December, 1996 but having traced the development path that it has consistently pursued since then I cannot but refer to its progress with awe and admiration for its achievements. In spite of its being like Malta, a small island without any resources of its own.

To try and rubbish Singapore means turning a blind eye to the following :

•  That is it developing fast as a hub for trading and wealth management

•  That it eyes commodity trading the same way that it does regarding forex trading

•  That it has exploited its position as the world’s largest bunkering port

•  That it has straddled sea lanes to and from other Asian countries, including China

•  That it has overtaken Tokyo as the largest regional hub in Asia

•  That it is very strong and dynamic on logistics

•  That it has its lifestyle as one of its attractions so much so that only last week the FT spoke of it as being largely pollution free, unlike Hong Kong, and has more urban green spaces than many neighbouring states

•  That it is closing in on London and New York in certain financial services

•  That research and innovation are among its uppermost priorities

•  That its key to success was and remains that of modernity, efficiency and open trade

•  That its success has depended on its ability to leapfrog geography

Most of the countries that attended the recent UN Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity showed particularly during the High Level Segment that I attended that not only is Biodiversity a priority for us all, but most importantly that it should be addressed within the context of sustainable development. By taking on board various socio-economic, environmental and cultural considerations and aspects.

No wonder the general theme of the conference was all about biodiversity and sustainable development. This was also reflected in the Gangwon Declaration that we committed ourselves to. Both as EU member states and as a Union itself. On the basis of our pre-S Korea consultations held in Brussels at Ministerial level only a few days earlier.

Symbolic as it may have been as a gesture, it was interesting to see a particular proposal floated and adopted – that proposed by the Korean government to designate borderline areas, such as the demilitarized zone (DMZ) as a space for reconciliation and peace. Particularly since public access to the zone was forbidden for some 60 years, and it is believed that more than 3,500 rare varieties of flora and fauna inhabit the area.

While Korea intended to include this specific reference in the declaration, some Latin American countries expressed the opinion that the efforts to promote peace in border areas should not be confined to the two Koreas only. So much so that the draft wording was changed to take account of trans boundary protected areas too.

The Danish Environment minister whom I had occasion to meet was optimistic about this process. Particularly since she felt that this year’s Gangwon Declaration will help to decrease the loss of biological diversity and to achieve the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.

A most important meeting I had in S Korea was with the Global Green Growth Institute, who are currently working on their Strategic Plan 2015-2020 ‘Accelerating the transition for a new model of growth’. Their outreach is impressive. From developing countries to wealthy countries, like the Emirates themselves.