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Synopsis :

University Vice-Chancellor, Dr Toh Chin Chye, who is also the Minister for Science and Technology, gives a speech at the University of Singapore Business Administration Society dinner. He touches on many topics, which include:

1) business administration as a subject in the university is 'an American innovation';

2) universities are changing with changing conditions;

3) combine Accountancy and Business Management as university subjects;

4) Accountancy, currently taught at Polytechnic, over time will be a university department, together with other subjects;

5) success of a 'good school of management and accountancy' depends on 'the capacity of our own teachers' and 'the quality of the students';

6) some graduates attach a 'minimum salary to their degrees'; this is not right as a person must be 'paid according to contribution and the keenness he attaches to his career';

7) university students need to be aware of 'the larger life' outside the university, such as Singapore Ambassador and his officials being detained in Indonesia;

8) the students 'very nice, little letter' to the Indonesian Ambassador in Singapore show their 'civic-consciousness and patriotism ... and self-discipline';

9) Adam Malik, Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister, has 'his own ideals and is prepared to sacrifice his interests in the larger interests of regional co-operation';

10) Singapore government subscribes to 'law and order should prevail';

11) students must be 'conscious that they will inherit whatever system of government we have today';

12) Singapore government has learnt to take 'decisions which may not make us so popular'; a recent example is the decision to execute two prisoners recently;

13) people in Singapore need to understand why the government arrive at certain decisions;

14) government believe that 'making people happy all the time does not necessarily mean good government';

15) students are beginning to learn that university is not 'a place of fund and frolic' and 'events outside are greater than events within the university';

16) university is 'organic part of Singapore's society' and will mature; student societies have 'important part to play to inculcate into ther members the responsibilities';

17) from 1971 particularly, students 'need to be politically conscious becomes greater';

18) to regard happening to Singapore Embassy in Jakarta as 'a test of our will and the need for us to make friends witho those who wish to be friends with us';

19) Singapore has 'different standards of behaviour' and can 'take insults with dignity' and not make 'situation worse for our officials';

20) Southeast Asia can 'avoid turbulence only through regional co-operation', and need 'to understand our neighbours and our neighbours need to understand us';

21) Singapore need to be politically conscious and yet be self-disciplined'.

Dr Toh's speech continues on tape 2.

Speaking before Dr Toh is the Society's President, Joseph Low.