The United States has led and inspired the world since World War II (Addressing crisis of global leadership; June 10). We could rely on it, knowing that it has what it takes to see things through.

Now, however, with a shift in political persuasion and a new man at the helm, the world is seeing the great nation pulling back from the world stage, preferring to look after its own affairs, and at times, appearing uncertain of its role.

This has not instilled the global community with confidence and has sparked questions on its reliability.

What does this mean for Singapore?

We have always plotted our own path, and we must continue to do so, but with greater urgency than before. We must stay ahead of the curve and make quite sure that we are in complete control of our path.

Whether it be the continued development of our port, airport, infrastructure or systems, we must always excel and be the best.

At the centre of it all, we must have a tried and tested leadership to show us the way.

There must be no let-up in how we prepare our future leaders, be it in government, industry or elsewhere.

It will not be a smooth and easy ride; it never has been, but we have always thrived on the challenges thrown at us.

Manoraj Rajathurai