Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

PM's Introductory remarks at the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Lecture

"It is a particular honour and privilege to have in our midst the former Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew. I have always admired him as a visionary statesman, a towering Asian leader, and a remarkable citizen of the world. He has achieved that rare honour of becoming a legend in his own lifetime. I am therefore truly delighted, Your Excellency, to have the opportunity of hearing you deliver this year's Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Lecture.

For your many admirers in India, your role in the remarkable saga of Singapore parallels that of Jawaharlal Nehru in our own modern history. Both of you have not only been the architects, designers and builders of new nations, you have also had the distinction of realizing the dreams of your people.

Your own role in transforming a colony into a great city-state that, within one generation, leads the world in almost every indicator of human activity, is a matter of historical record and has profound significance. What is spectacular is the fact that your dynamism, your leadership and the leaders you nurtured to follow you, ensured that the per capita income of your country exceeds that of your former colonizer. I salute you and the people of Singapore on this truly unique distinction. It inspires all of us in Asia to share these dreams, and to create an Asian resurgence based on lasting peace, development and prosperity.

Jawaharlal Nehru also dreamt of a resurgent Asia. He too nurtured equally Himalayan ambitions for the country he led. If the oft-repeated prophecy that the 21st Century will be the Asian Century comes true, I am convinced it will be due to the inspiring leadership of visionaries such as yourself and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Whatever verdict history records, no one can deny that your generation of leaders dreamt big dreams, planned far into the future, and grasped the opportunities at hand.

Today, our continent is at the threshold of a new historic opportunity. There is a revolution of rising expectations sweeping throughout Asia. We now face the choice of choosing between the path of inclusive, pluralistic and participatory development, and between more exclusionist models of development. Nations such as ours have consciously opted to be inclusive societies and open economies. We want to ensure that every one of our citizens leads a life of prosperity and dignity. Given the inevitability of globalization, I do believe that all nations must deal with the challenge of pluralism as well. The message of unity in diversity is one that our societies offer to the world at large.

In conclusion, I must say that I have always been inspired by your faith in individual creativity, enterprise, and by your emphasis on a sense of national discipline. I share your abiding faith in the value of education. You have shown how through investment in education, human resources can become a nation's greatest asset. Indeed, through this strategy, under your wise leadership, Singapore completely inverted what were believed to be the geo-political and economic disadvantages of its location. I believe there are important lessons to learn from your achievements. This example, and our close and cordial relations with Singapore, underline our policy of stronger integration with South East Asia in general, and Singapore in particular. We look forward to building upon the momentum in our partnership to raise our relations to a qualitatively new level.

I therefore thank the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund, and our distinguished chairperson, Smt Sonia Gandhi, for this opportunity to hear you deliver the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Lecture. We look forward to benefiting from your wisdom today, and to continuing to have the benefit of your guidance as we work to achieve the dreams of our people."