Singapore' minister of finance was recently interviewed over Al-jazeera on the economic prospects facing Singapore during the current worldwide economic recession.

The most refreshing dimension of the interview was the absence of resorting to a ‘blame game' especially against the American-style capitalist system. At best, America and other defaulting nations failed to recognise the early fiscal warning signals and thereby simply ‘got it wrong'. At worst, the current problem arose from Americans living beyond their means.

The Singapore case was well-presented as one of being at the ‘receiving end' of the melt down. It was a comprehensive and transparent appraisal of the overall situation in the ‘big picture' and a somewhat bold projection that the current policies and the new strategies being put in place to result in the desired outcomes.

In fact, the analysis was rather more in the nature of a university lecture rather than a projection of the future direction for change. Indeed, the discussion was essentially status-quo oriented and specifically well ‘within the box' in a situation where new political structures and initiatives to break out of the impasse were omitted. These would have been crucial if real and meaningful improvements are to ensue.

It is important that the entire Iskandar Development Region (‘IDR') plan proposals, therefore, be framed and developed within a clear ‘theoretical' perspective of charting the kind of initial structural changes that need to be made.

This is because, after the years of political independence, the Plan can be seen as a microcosm for ‘taking stock' of past developments and indeed, offering the defining possibility of redressing some of the shortfalls in Singapore's own past Development Plans.

Central to this concern is necessity of identifying some of the fundamental constraints to the Plan proposals, as well as formulating and implementing the re-structuring of certain institutional structures causing these shortfalls

The IDR proposal, therefore, theoretically and conceptually offers a new and dynamic potential platform from which to address and redress the above-mentioned scenario through the revival and modernisation of the strong and multiple ties that have existed between Johor and Singapore ever since the region came under the sway of British Imperialism in the late 19th century.

Indeed, it needs to be emphasised from the outset that the island of Singapore was, in fact, a territorial part of the state of Johor when Sir Stamford Raffles ‘acquired' the island for Britain.

But its importance even at its inception, was recognised not just as being an island as such, but rather as the potential central point and focus for future trade and commerce for the entire region of the Malay States and even for the adjoining territories of Indonesia.

Raffles' foresight has therefore resulted in the exchange of countless official and personal relationships continuously over the past century between these territories so that such relationships today are now a matter of daily occurrence.

These cumulative relationships should now be reflected in the pattern of trade and prosperity of Malaysia and Singapore so that the IDR could move on to wider arenas at more sophisticated levels.

It may be useful to understand that the geopolitical perspective in the historical development in the relationship between Johor (as part of Malaysia) and Singapore has essentially been one of the ‘Satellite-Hinterland'.

That is to say that while on the one hand Singapore as the ‘satellite' was dependent on the ‘hinterland' of Malaysia for much of its natural resources including water, Singapore's rapid and dynamic rate and pace of development and modernisation enabled it to function as a ‘magnet' to draw and drain the economic and human resources of the hinterland towards its own development.

On this basis, it can be argued that the model of development under IDR needs to be carefully considered. While it is clear that as a growth area it should represent the best that both countries can offer in terms of value-added activities and human resource development activities for the people, it cannot be ‘conceived as a clone of Singapore or a Singaporean enclave in Johor', either.

Both the Johor and Singapore governments are clear that the IDR offers a challenging opportunity for both counties to maximise the application of available up-to-date sophisticated high-tech resources for the development of the region.

It is important, however, that this should happen within a social climate which also recognises the specific needs of each country; and in particular, the need to identify and overcome constraints each may face towards achieving joint development goals.

This calls for a special mutually-cooperative and supportive relationship that should not only enhance the effectiveness of the immediate objectives themselves, but more importantly, contribute to Singapore's long term development.