S'pore's strongest defence lies in its internal cohesion: Chan

A divided society would end up being more vulnerable, says minister

- Gabrielle Chan

Beyond physical attacks, the greatest threat to Singapore would be damage to its social fabric, said Education Minister Chan Chun Sing, because a divided society ends up being more vulnerable.

Singapore's strongest defence lies in its cohesion and capabilities, he said, addressing polytechnic students during a dialogue on Sept 30 as part of events to mark 40 years of Total Defence.

"If you read the history of many countries that have fallen, chances are that the vast majority of them fell even before the first shot was fired," Mr Chan said. "They fell because their countries were divided, and they started attacking each other on their own."

Apart from internal cohesion, "real capabilities" are also needed to protect against potential disruptions, for example, in the running of the country's transport system or in the security of computer networks, he said.