Meet The Ambassador

Ambassador's Gala Ball: Remarks by Ambassador Frank Lavin
September 3, 2004

Thank you Kristin, Nick and the Board of Governors of AmCham for hosting this Gala Ball.

Thank you Ambassador Tommy Koh and Siew Aing for joining us tonight.

I would also like to thank the sponsors whose contributions are so magnificently displayed, especially AIG, Motorola and American Express.

I want to thank the donors who have contributed to the auction.

Finally, let me thank the Black Tie Committee members and the AmCham staff which has been working for months to pull together this extraordinary evening.

To the American community here tonight, thank you for coming. I confess to some ambivalence about this evening. The idea of a gala in my honor seemed a bit much. It called to mind a comment Casey Stengel made at an award dinner. As he was presented the award, he commented, “I don’t really deserve this. But on the other hand, I have arthritis, and I don’t really deserve that either.” So whether I deserve this evening or not, I am deeply grateful. AmCham has been at the heart of our achievements here, and Ann and I are honored by this gala.

I do have a little trepidation about this evening. I bumped into a friend a few weeks ago – I am sure she is here tonight – and she said, “I’m looking forward to your farewell.” When I appeared puzzled, she added, helpfully, “the AmCham Gala.” So is this evening a gala, or is it some sort of camouflaged farewell? It is never completely clear in the U.S. system how long these assignments last, but allow me to clear up any misunderstanding. I’m not trying to make a political statement, but I should inform you that I have already spoken with Governor Jeb Bush of Florida and he has consented to me staying on for eight more years under him. Well, at some point in life we all move on. But moving on professionally, or even geographically, does not mean we move on from the permanent things – our friends, our families, or our values.

So in that spirit, I am delighted to be here this evening. Ann and I view AmCham gatherings as a sort of extended family reunion. I am proud of the fact that I was a member of AmCham Singapore when I worked here in banking. During that time I had the chance to work with many of the companies in this room. So it is no exaggeration to state that it is from your ranks that I come and it is on your side that I stand.

Let’s take a moment to celebrate the American Chamber, the U.S. companies, and what we have built in Singapore. The American community is a large part of what has made our stay so singularly special. We have worked together steadily and well to nurture America's relations with Singapore and the region -- and we have had some fun times along the way.

The theme for this year's ball is Trade, which is most appropriate. Trade is what brought most of us to Singapore. In fact, when I presented my credentials to President Nathan on September 10, 2001, I believed that trade would be at the top of my agenda. A few hours later that all changed. Terrorism became the top priority. On top of the violent attacks of that day, I was informed soon thereafter that my Embassy along with those of our British and Australian neighbors had turned up on the top of Osama bin Laden's To Do List. The terrorists' plan was to simultaneously drive truckloads of explosives into our embassies and some buildings downtown.

As one would expect in high-stakes counter-terrorist operations, there were some tense moments, but as we all know, the plan was thwarted thanks to the swift work of the Singapore Government. Afterwards, a friend commented, “You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.” “No,” I replied, “I’m in the right place at the right time. Because I had the chance to make a difference. The chance to provide leadership. The chance to deal with a crises.”

And so it is in this era in which we live. We face certain challenges and we have to deal with them, from potentially life-threatening issues such as terrorism and SARS, to everyday challenges of economic volatility, and success in the market place.

These are the challenges our Embassy deals with every day. We typically work with the Singapore Government on these issues because both our countries tend to see these problems pretty much the same way. And these challenges require the understanding and cooperation of the American community here. The AmCham serves as a key link to that community.

We can recall some of the highlights of the past few years…

• The 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony, which brought together 15,000 Americans and Singaporeans.
• The AmCham briefings enabled me to keep the community informed about what was really happening, and to hear your views.
• AmCham's Corporate Community Day gave us an opportunity to help out the broader Singapore community, showing Singapore that Americans are good corporate citizens.
• The AmCham business missions to Indonesia, China, and India.

But perhaps first among all the initiatives was the vital role AmCham played in crafting and supporting the U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement. It took three years of negotiations to reach this agreement, which remains not only our most comprehensive FTA but also our only FTA in Asia. May I ask you to join me in recognizing the individual who led the Singapore side of the negotiations, Ambassador Tommy Koh?

Let me leave you with a final thought. I commented a few minutes ago that I happened to be at the right place at the right time. I can build on that statement. We are, those of us in Singapore, all at the right place at the right time. We are away from our family and many of our friends, and we deal frequently with an uneven business environment in the region. But political turmoil has subsided, economic growth is back across the region, and terrorism has declined markedly in the region. The good news is in ascendancy. There are opportunities in front of us. The doors to commerce are open. We have every reason to believe this year can be one of peace and prosperity.

You honor me tonight. Let me return the favor. It has been a high honor to work with and for the splendid individuals and companies in this room. Tonight, let us enjoy this fine wine because come Monday, we will be back in the fields picking the grapes. Thank you all for your support and your friendship.