December 2008 / January 2009 - Association of Dutch Businessmen

Singapore
The influence of Mr Albert Winsemius on Singapore’s economy
The Dutch economist Albert Winsemius (1910-1996) was Singapore’s long-time
economic advisor from 1961-1984.
He was the founding father of the Dutch post World-War-II reconstruction and
industrialization programme and came to Singapore by invitation of the newly
independent nation’s government to find out what opportunities the future would
offer to Singapore.
In the spring of 1960, Dr Winsemius arrived in Singapore for the first time in his life.
It was soon to become his second fatherland. He was the Head of the United Nations
team to examine Singapore’s potential for industrialization. His first impressions were not
hopeful, there were strikes and riots almost every day. At that time, Singapore had just
attained self-government and was facing high-unemployment and growing population.
Within a year Winsemius presented a 10-year development plan to transform Singapore
from an entrepot trade port into a centre of manufacturing and industrialization.
His first emphasis was on creating jobs and attracting foreign investment. Labour
intensive industries were expanded. With his help, Singapore attracted big oil companies
like Royal Dutch Shell and Esso to establish refineries here. Winsemius also kept Lee
Kuan Yew –according to his memoires- from turning Sentosa into a military base or a
refinery and managed to make Singapore turn it in the leisure island it is today.
During his term as Chief Economic Advisor from 1961-1984, Dr. Winsemius worked closely
with Lee Kuan Yew, Goh Keng Swee and later with Goh Chok Tong. He visited Singapore two or
three times a year to review economic performance indicators and to discuss macro-economic
strategy with government planners. In the 1970s, Singapore was upgrading its industrial capacity
to use higher technological methods, including electronics. He personally went to persuade Dutch
electronics companies like Philips to set up production plants in Singapore. He also proposed that
Singapore could be developed as a financial centre, as well as an international centre for air traffic
and sea transport. Over the next twenty years, these predictions proved to be accurate.
Winsemius also advised to build a large capacity container terminal in Singapore’s harbour. In
the beginning it proved hard to convince Singapore harbour authorities, but soon after, Singapore
had the first container terminal in the region modelled after Rotterdam. Today Singapore’s
turnover in containers surpasses that of Holland.
Dr. Winsemius retired as Singapore’s economic advisor in December 1983, at the age of 74.
He died in The Netherlands on December 1996.
Source: Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Singapore
Bizz Agenda
Living Tomorrow 2009
27 December 2008 - 04 January 2009
Singapore Expo, Hall 6A
sales@premierservices.com.sg
1 st Singapore Tattoo Show 2009
09 January 2009 - 11 January 2009
Singapore Expo, Hall 6B
www.tattoo.com.sg
Receive Divine Wealth Seminar
11 January 2009
Suntec, 208-209 (Level 2)
www.wayonnet.com
The 4 th Congress of the International Society for
Vascular Behavioural and Cognitive Disorders
13-16 January 2009
Suntec
www.vas-cog.org/vas-cog2009
18
Vol.18 • No. 10 • December 2008 / January 2009