Commentary: Volume 22, 2013 The Idea of Singapore

Editor: Associate Professor Victor R Savage

Published by The National University of Singapore Society (NUSS) Kent Ridge Guild House 9 Kent Ridge Drive Singapore 119241

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Printed by XPOPRINT ASIA

MCI (P) 128 / 01 / 2013 Contents

Foreword 64 - 65 A Song for Singapore - 3 - 12 Singapore: National Ideas and Aches & Dreams City-state Branding By Kirpal Singh By Victor R Savage Singaporean Cultural Mandate Brand Singapore: Sustaining a City- 66 - 76 Maze and Minefield: state Political Economy Reflections on 13 - 20 Singapore’s Nation Branding Multiculturalism in Singapore By Lai Szu Hao By Lai Ah Eng 21 - 27 The Singapore Story: 77 - 83 Imagining Singapore 2030: The Writing & Rewriting of Language, Demographics a History and the Region By Kwa Chong Guan By Yang Razali Kassim 28 - 35 The Singapore Recipe for 84 - 93 Tracking Signs of the ‘Sacred’ Sustainability in Singapore By Lee Soo Ann By Vineeta Sinha

36 - 40 Singapore’s Foreign Policy: Maintaining Identity in Changing Unique Features Landscapes By Tommy Koh 94 - 103 Wild Greenery for Nature Conservation in Singapore Singaporean Expressions By Ho Hua Chew 41 - 48 Branding Singapore Through Singapore(an) English? 104 - 113 Singapore’s City in a Garden: By Vincent B Y Ooi 50 Years of Greening By Kenneth Er & 49 - 55 How to Look at Leong Chee Chiew Contemporary Art from Singapore? 114 - 123 How Singapore can By Tan Boon Hui Transform Itself into a Creative Centre in the Region 56 - 63 Singapore Food, Seriously On By Tay Kheng Soon My Mind By Margaret Chan

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 1 ......

Mission Statement

To foster a lifelong relationship with NUS and the wider graduate community

At NUSS, a lifelong relationship with NUS and the wider graduate community is achieved through two mutually reinforcing thrusts:

• promoting the interests of its members and NUS; and

• contributing positively to Singapore’s political and intellectual development and helping to cultivate a more gracious social and cultural environment.

As the foremost graduate society, NUSS strives to promote the interests of its stakeholders by providing appropriate platforms for all to socialise, build networks, improve connectivity and exchange ideas through a multitude of recreational, academic, political, social and cultural activities.

......

2 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Foreword Singapore: National ideasideasideas and City-state Branding By Victor R Savage

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 3 Foreword

Singapore: National Ideas and City-state Branding

Introduction: The Little Red Dot dustbins’ when its clean and green campaign was in full swing; a ‘fine’ city Singapore, our home and city-state, has because of its multiple fines for over the last three decades become a misdemeanors; a ‘nanny state’ for the place synonymous with many different top-down government controls on its global benchmarks, international awards, citizens and an authoritarian political urban ideas as well as negative system. The former Indonesian President perceptions. This issue has encased BJ (Bacharuddin Jusuf) Habibie referred these various views of the City-state to the City-state as the ‘Little Red Dot’ under the theme of the ‘idea’ of which Singapore’s power elites used as a Singapore which is meant broadly to badge of honour. For Southeast Asians, encompass impressions, opinions, colour symbolisms matter. What did thoughts, beliefs, vague notions, President Habibie have in mind when he branding or even strange views. I will also saw Indonesia coloured as Green (the include the noted urban planner Kevin colour of Islam) and in its midst this Red Lynch’s idea of ‘image’ and ‘imageability’ Dot? At face value, a ‘red dot’ might or what makes the City-state memorable, seem like a reference to Singapore’s small vivid, apparent, distinct and remarkable. location on a world map. However, unlike Yet the concern here is not the outsiders’ the Chinese, many Indonesians would not but rather the insiders’ views of the City- equate ‘red’ as an auspicious colour or to state. To capture this evolving global good luck. In wayang kulit, black, white perception and impression, this issue has and yellow are better symbolic halus tapped on important Singaporean voices (good, beautiful) colours and red is across a spectrum of fields, government sometimes associated with things kasar officials, private sector, Non- (crude) and jelek (bad or evil). governmental Organisation (NGO) activists and academics to pen their In the Javanese five-fold classification critical views on areas that have system, red, the colour of the south, made Singapore different, distinct refers to the profession of a ‘trader’ and and important in the regional and is characterised by ‘avariciousness’ and global arena. associated with ‘money’. Hence ‘red’ for the Javanese-Balinese is an apt Singapore’s global and regional image is symbolic colour for Singapore, a city of mixed with rather extreme positive and shopkeepers, money lenders and traders. negative perceptions - the City-state has Within the cultural and civilisation witnessed its share of poor publicity and context of the Southeast Asian region, criticisms. In fact, bad publicity in the the reference to a city of traders is press has not helped over the years. It derogatory. Clifford Geertz noted the has been called a ‘city of a million Javanese word for trader, wong dagang

4 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Foreword

Singapore: National Ideas and City-state Branding also means foreigner, alien and communication links and Information wanderer and thus not culturally Technology (IT) networks, states still accepted in society. Within the context remain the benchmark of global of Hindu-Javanese civilisation, traders cooperation and disagreements, and were looked upon as marginal people of ‘clash and dialogue’ scenarios. Despite low valuation in society. Obviously, globalisation and all its pronouncements civilisation in the Alam Melayu (Malay of the death of distance, a borderless World) saw cultured people in a different world and the end of geography, the light – it was not just about material or world is still hostage to states and economic wealth but also one’s national governments. While companies perfection and talents as an artistic, are said to becoming like new countries, spiritual and creative expression. states and cities are also behaving like surrogate companies. In a world of Singapore’s Global Attraction: The First competing countries, states are the World Story equivalent of commodity brand names – every state wants to project its best face The Singapore story is best told in a internationally to garner investments, couple of recent books1 by its modern industrial plants, financial loans, Foreign founder and former Prime Minister Direct Investments (FDI), skilled labour Lee Kuan Yew. His story has elicited and secure trading relationships. worldwide interest especially from Singapore is certainly a well-respected leaders and peoples in the developing brand name in the global exchange of world. What makes the Singapore story competing states. so attractive? One might ascribe four reasons for this interest in Singapore. The state has become the international benchmark for international First, the world is a jigsaw of states, be it comparisons, global standards as well nation-states, city-states and mere multi- as tracking national development cultural states, or what Benedict improvements. Singapore has garnered Anderson calls ‘imagined communities’. attention not by default but by conscious In the last 60 years (1950–2010), the and systematic government policies to global population has almost tripled from put the tiny City-state on global radar 2.6 billion to 7 billion while states have screens. The Singapore government has more than doubled from 80 to 193. worked incessantly to ensure that While we might live in a ‘global village’ Singapore’s development trajectory is through instantaneous media, 24/7 not left to chance and hence

1 Lee Kuan Yew (2000), From Third World to First: The Singapore Story: 1965-2000, Singapore: Singapore Press Holdings and Times Edition; and Lee Kuan Yew (2011), Hard Truths to Keep Singapore Going, Singapore: The Straits Times Press.

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 5 Foreword

Singapore: National Ideas and City-state Branding underpinned by its kiasu (afraid to lose) Secondly, the City-state has clearly policies and leadership concerns. The made its mark internationally in many government’s use of a combination of different sectors. It has gained environmental ‘deterministic’ (small size, reputable global attention for Changi no natural resources and vulnerable Airport and the renowned Singapore geography) and ‘possibilist’ (relying on Airlines, winner of the Best Airline science, technology, investment in Award for many years. It remains education and pragmatic governance) internationally ranked in size and ideological indoctrinations has capacity as an oil refining centre conditioned Singaporeans to believe that (second in the world), a container port they have little options to play with and (second in the world), foreign exchange to ‘stick with the devil you know than one centre (fourth in the world) and enjoys you do not know’ in the elections. one of the top 10 national per capita incomes worldwide. It also has the However, the tide is changing as distinction of having the highest-paid younger Singaporeans want their government leaders globally. Singapore voices heard. The moot question is has also gained a positive international whether Singapore can still maintain its reputation as a clean and green city, economic buoyancy, creativity and a relatively corrupt-free working global advantage as the City-state rises environment, a good public housing up global rankings with more intense system meeting 82 percent of citizen competition. Singapore’s model of housing requirements, an enviable success is thus the icon and envy of public health system and a well- many developing countries, yet, how it developed educational system. deals with liberalisation and Singapore is also known increasingly for democratisation is also being closely its soft culture. It is well known for its watched. The historical inertia of fusion foods (chilly crabs, rojak, mee Singapore’s well-known strict, stern pok , laksa, chicken rice) and film credits political system is difficult to change and awards at the Cannes and Asian and is best demonstrated in heated film festivals. More recently its F1 night debates on the Yale-NUS College race has become the ‘jewel’ in the (opening in August 2013). For global motor sporting circuit. The Singaporeans, the Yale-NUS College will combination of achievements in so be the academic yeast in signalling many different sectors has made more liberalisation; for Yale academics, Singapore a country other societies, the College is an affront and betrayal corporations, NGOs and states look to of the School’s legendary and august as possible options and alternative tradition as a pivot of open debate, methods for improving their own student protest and liberal values. economic competitiveness.

6 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Foreword

Singapore: National Ideas and City-state Branding

Thirdly, Singapore has been a model city his book, The End of Poverty. and state for the developing world. Its Singapore’s ability to shed off the economic achievements since tropical handicaps for development independence in 1965 are nothing short is clearly a plus point even though of remarkable and almost a miracle. air conditioning is used widely to Singapore, along with South Korea, Hong circumvent the tropical climate at Kong and Taiwan were often touted as the workplace. the miracle Asian dragon economies because of the sustained spectacular ii) Singapore is one of the small economic growth and development countries in the United Nations achievements. In a world where states (UN) in a sea of giant and large are falling by the wayside due to inept countries. Small countries once governments, rampant corruption and again are seen as being weak political vision, the Singapore disadvantaged politically, economic success story is a lesson other economically and strategically. developing countries want to emulate in Yet, Singapore spearheaded the three ways. informal Forum of Small States i) As a developing country in the (FOSS) at the UN to ensure small tropical world, its steady growth states are not forgotten and and development has banished marginalised. As UN Secretary- the long-held western view General Ban Ki-Moon noted in since Classical times of October 2012 at the FOSS 20th environmentalism – the idea that anniversary meeting, “Being small the tropics could not spur does not mean an absence of big civilisation and progress and ideas.” The current 105 members societies are doomed to remain of FOSS (all with populations below undeveloped. In Southeast Asia, 10 million) certainly carry political the sustained colonial perception huff at the UN and can help to of the native population was one ensure a ruled-based international of indolence and laziness because system that at least listens and the tropical climate evidently made considers vulnerable small states in people listless and tired. deliberations. Singapore’s success as a city-state in the tropical world has inspired iii) The rapid rate at which Singapore other lesser-developed tropical moved up the developmental countries. Singapore is an antidote ladder from Third to First World to Jeffrey Sachs’ environmental status within 40 years in a period deterministic credo for African of rapid economic change and countries as adumbrated in competition, in a multi-polar world

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 7 Foreword

Singapore: National Ideas and City-state Branding

and with globalising forces, gives city living delights and the Asian- hope to other developing countries Western cultural fusion. Is Singapore that development is not a pipe the future model for global cities and dream. Nothing is more valid for can this experiment be sustained? developing countries than a vivid example that change is possible Explaining Singapore’s Success Narrative with the right menu of good governance, percipient leadership, What countries want to learn from the controlled corruption, disciplined Singapore experience is often seen as labour and investments in uncovering the black box of development education, infrastructure and success. Is there indeed a black box and quality of living. state secret to national development success? In this age of globalisation and Fourthly, Singapore is unique as a transparency, can countries hide their city-state and hence international recipes for good development? Not comparisons of Singapore are not only really. The Singapore success story is made at state level but also at the predicated on many elements which all urban-city levels. With increasing countries can emulate but it is difficult to globalisation, it would seem that the influence and direct the confluence of fountainhead of creativity, dynamo of elements for dedicated and spontaneous economic growth and locus of power development goals and priorities. It is focused increasingly in cities. Three begins with percipient leadership, recent books have put cities in the pragmatic governance, non-corrupt spotlight of global civilisation: Joel leadership and a follow-up of Kotkin’s The City: A History, Doreen investments in education, health, Massey’s World City and PD Smith’s labour, infrastructure and housing, City: A Guidebook for the Urban Age. sustaining foreign inputs (in finance, The authors demonstrate how world management, skills and talents) and and global cities have become beacons ensuring that the quality of life is of a new urban golden age, the perpetually prioritised. These are noble drivers of global development, the goals better achieved on paper than at benchmarks of quality living, the voices the grassroots level. of creativity and the future addresses of global population. Therefore, At the end of the day, Singapore achieved Singapore epitomises this new urban success under rather strict authoritarian landscape of cosmopolitanism, political rule which began by accident gastronomical delights, multilingual (the opposition having walked out) and voices, multi-religious sacred places, later became ingeniously designed as modern-traditional blending, garden- part of the political process. However to

8 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Foreword

Singapore: National Ideas and City-state Branding be fair, the government delivered Yew unashamedly confessed that about political, economic, social and 70 percent of Singapore’s success story environmental goods annually which was adapted and learnt from elsewhere provided landslide endorsements for the – states and corporations. The Singapore ruling party at elections for the first 30 leadership strategy underscores what years of independence. While successful Austrian economist, Erik Reinert argued countries can be found on both sides of in his thought-provoking book, How Rich the political spectrum, authoritarian Countries Got Rich …and Why Poor governments can achieve rapid Countries Stay Poor. Specifically, improvements if they are not developing countries which are undermined by rampant and endemic progressing economically have followed corruption. In the initial stages of policies of ‘emulation’ and copying – development, correct and well-managed borrowing policies, techniques, industries top-down government policies can go a and programmes from successful long way in facilitating and focusing on developed countries. This European development. This is best seen in economist also argued that those Singapore’s trust in short and long term countries following David Ricardo’s planning (the state has plans for nearly ‘comparative advantage’ prescription every sector) which undergirded the have been doomed to economic leadership’s control of the political stagnation. If Singapore followed the process, management of Singapore’s path of comparative advantage, the City- economic momentum and ability to state would have still been a high-class respond to challenges nationally and supplier of raw materials and never taken internationally. Critics might find it hard off economically! to accept planning as a panacea for tackling problems, but Singapore’s At the time of immediate post- leadership has developed planning into colonialism, when developing states were a fine art of flexible responses to meet busy finding their own independence, changes in a never-constant pie. few leaders in the Third World saw the need to keep links with their developed However, most of the successes of colonial powers, much less learn from Singapore’s story can be broadly nailed them. What became evident in the 1960s down to two underlying factors. and 1970s were the saber-rattling calls of nationalism, xenophobic patriotism, the First, there was a willingness of the first- nationalisation of corporations, the generation leaders to borrow ideas, indigenisation of street names and places policies, technologies and management and the severing of ties with colonial systems from other countries, masters. The non-aligned movement corporations and communities. Lee Kuan was a demonstration of political

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 9 Foreword

Singapore: National Ideas and City-state Branding independence by many Third World perpetual annual formal visits to countries which Singapore remains a developed countries were always member of. In Latin America, this underscored by meetings with national movement, fed by Marxist industrial and corporate titans. He was arguments in Europe and at home Singapore’s best salesman because he created revolutionary calls to break the believed in the Singapore product – stranglehold of the capitalist system perhaps with the foundations laid, we and colonial tentacles between do not need a salesperson now as the satellite and master, between client city-state has become its own and patron, between colonised and marketing asset. coloniser. The result was economic stagnation. Singapore’s street and Singapore thus has made major game place names have remained old world changers in the path to development. and of colonial heritage, but its political It has made some creative software is Singaporean, its urban contributions to traffic congestion with landscapes are modern, its cultural its Electronic Road Pricing system (ERP) places are Asian and its society by charging vehicles a toll in entering increasingly cosmopolitan. the central city area during peak periods, a system now adopted by Secondly, despite the global other cities both in the developed and borrowings, Singapore could not have developing worlds. It has developed a achieved its success and rapid ‘garden city’ and now a ‘city-in-a- development if it had not adopted garden’ system which has become a independent policies. These policies tourist attraction over the years. The were not revolutionary or even creative iconic Marina Gardens by the Bay is the ideas – they were essentially pragmatic, icing on the city-state’s urban garden – down-to-earth calculations which a project which garnered the World proved to be radical at the time they Building of the Year Award at the were implemented. While the Third prestigious World Architecture Festival World countries were bent on (WAF) Awards 2012. Indeed, its ‘clean embedding national and patriotic and green’ national campaigns have now prescriptions, Singaporean leaders become the best tourist attractions for chose a different economic path. As the city-state. Its Night Safari is an iconic most developing countries were closing and ironic attraction in a heavily- their doors to foreign corporations, developed urban landscape. Singapore’s Singapore was welcoming them lock, best environmental success has been stock and barrel to invest – the best its recycling of water making its very marketing manager of Singapore Inc own ‘mineral’ water – NEWater. The was none other than Lee Kuan Yew. His success of Singapore water policies to

10 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Foreword

Singapore: National Ideas and City-state Branding be self sufficient (through recycling, Singaporeans arrogant, boastful, conservation, desalination and reservoir pompous and smug. Singaporeans do development) would make it totally feel a sense of pride about their city- independent from Malaysian water state and it comes through in their dependence by 2061. This will be an touristic excursions expressed in a less amazing achievement for the city- tactful and sensitive manner. Even the state in eliminating its water footprint fiercest Singaporean critics of the totally – one of the first countries Singapore government and all its and cities probably in the world to policies can end up being its staunchest achieve this. supporters and defenders overseas. Singaporeans, in short, suffer from bi- Reflections polar nationalism.

This introduction to the thematic issue The collection of essays in this volume on Singapore as a brand name and idea of Commentary provides an interesting is not meant to be comprehensive or critical testimony to what different exhaustive, nor was it aimed at authors see as the successful Singapore summarising the contributions in this experiment in nation building and volume. In fact, I had written this urban development. I leave it to you introduction before the individual to make your own judgements about essays were received so as not to be the essays and this thematic issue of influenced by what the contributors Commentary. Why this theme? There have said in their articles. This are many critical reviews by external introduction is my personal take on authors, academics, reporters, tourists Singapore’s brand identity and the and politicians about the Singapore idea of Singapore. Indeed, every narrative in development – some Singaporean will have his own ideas negative and others positive. We of what Singapore symbolises and thought it was opportune to hear from best reveals. The best statements by the views within our island country – Singaporeans on what their tiny here are the voices of Singaporeans city-state means to them often critically reviewing their own city- appears when they travel overseas. state’s achievements and pitfalls. Unfortunately, however, such Hopefully these articles will elicit statements not only endorse positive discussion, engage debate and nationalistic sentiments but also activate you to pen your own thoughts negative criticisms of other countries about the Singapore story. Every and cities. Hence citizens in Singaporean, well known or unknown, neighbouring countries especially the has a story to tell, an anecdote to share Asian countries, often find and a viewpoint to express. You have

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 11 Foreword

Singapore: National Ideas and City-state Branding the right to challenge conventional 1969 to mark the 150th anniversary of views and provide your own perspective. Singapore’s founding: In the process, your perspective will engage dialogue and help to ensure a “Singapore has been and will remain spirit of democratic discussion for more than a place on the map. It will enhancing the Singapore brand and give cause for satisfaction to all those achieving creative ideas for the future who chart man’s progress and who well-being of Singaporeans. Singapore will find corroboration in Singapore’s is after all a project in process, fed by performance that this climb up the each generation’s contributions and face of the cliff to higher levels of ideas. The idea of Singapore is here to civilisation, to a better life in a more stay in the global commons if gracious world, depends on man’s Singaporeans continue to strive to constant and ceaseless striving for make it so; though critics might take new and higher goals, depends on exception to the quest for ‘perfection’. man’s restless, organised, and This is best summed up in the words of unending search for perfection.” then PM Lee Kuan Yew on 6 February

About the Author Victor R Savage is an Associate Professor in Geography at the National University of Singapore.

12 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Brand Singapore: Sustaining a City-state Political Economy Singapore’s Nation Branding By Lai Szu Hao

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 13 Brand Singapore: Sustaining a City-state Political Economy

Singapore’s Nation Branding

Introduction What It Takes to Build a Strong Nation Brand Although a nation is not a commercial product, it has always existed as a While nations have always aspired to brand. Nation branding is essentially promote their economic, diplomatic as about reputation management. With well as military interests, it is only recently global country or city rankings on that they have resorted to the use of countless themes, interest in the branding strategies as practised in the idea and practice of nation branding commercial world. But branding a nation has intensified over the past decade. is a far more complicated job than selling Today, more and more governments fizzy carbonated water. Unlike a around the world are trying to commercial product, a nation cannot exploit the branding concepts long simply assume a brand identity by employed by business corporations discarding its historical baggage in their efforts to manage their overnight. It must also deal with existing national standing across diverse international opinions of itself in its quest sectors and interests – from boosting to promote a new image. There is also a tourism and exports, attracting need to consider the difficult trade-offs international capital, to improving on the domestic front due to diverse foreign relations. Likewise, the and conflicting interests of various Singapore government has been stakeholders. Perhaps, truly successful actively cultivating the city-state’s nation branding could be achieved only reputation as a leading global city with concerted efforts and whole-of- to attract capital and talent to propel nation coordination. In the case of its growth. Indeed, it could be Singapore, the Ministry of Information, argued that Singapore has embarked Communications and the Arts (MICA1) on this marketing strategy since it and the Ministry of Trade and Industry decided to treat the world as its (MTI) co-chair the National Marketing hinterland upon separation from Action Committee (NMAC), set up to Malaysia in 1965. The overarching encourage a whole-of-government goal has been to develop and approach to improve the overall strengthen its position as a hub brand equity of the city-state in the intertwined within the larger international arena. “NMAC takes the interconnections of cities and lead in formulating a national marketing states globally. platform to achieve a consistent and

1 The Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA) was renamed the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) on 1 November 2012. MCI oversees the development of the infocomm technology, media and design sectors; the national and public libraries; as well as the Government’s information and public communication policies.

14 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Brand Singapore: Sustaining a City-state Political Economy

Singapore’s Nation Branding compelling Singapore brand. It also audience and avoid stereotyping. serves to align and synergise marketing However, the image put up by the efforts of government agencies tourism agency may not be compatible venturing aboard.”2 with other national objectives. Furthermore, an approach that aims to Notwithstanding the limitations of find a broad consensus could end up commercial strategies in nation branding, delivering a message that lacks many governments still engage public credibility and depth. It could also relations agencies and mobilise resources dilute an existing proposition that is to create strong brands and images for already unique and compelling. Thus, their countries. Recently, MICA put up a an ‘umbrella marketing’ campaign may tender to invite public relations not be able to contribute to the companies to submit plans to enhance building of a national brand that is external perceptions of the city-state.3 highly differentiated in the competitive The plan would complement existing global market. efforts from government agencies and profile Singapore as one of Asia’s most Indeed, the focus on marketing a national liveable cities. However, to achieve brand is grossly insufficient and reality success in this new branding exercise, it must live up to perception. People is necessary to set a focussed and change their opinion of a country because credible brand narrative by highlighting of real and observable changes. a key attribute of Singapore that has Australia’s international image changed an emotional connection with the for the better after it progressively public. It is also critical that all public dismantled ‘White Australia’ policy from sector agencies are aware of the the 1950s to 1973 when the Australian brand message and their public Citizenship Act of that year declared that communications should consistently all migrants were to be accorded equal reflect the values of the brand. treatment. Likewise, Japan’s image improved after the Pacific War because Some nation-branding consultants it transformed itself from a militaristic have underscored the benefits of state into a peaceful economic strengthening coordination between the powerhouse that produced coveted tourism and other government agencies consumer goods. It takes years to build to institute ‘umbrella positioning’ for a a great brand, which could be destroyed country so as to cultivate a multi- overnight. For example, the image of dimensional image in the mind of the Dubai suffered greatly due to its massive

2 MICA Annual Report 2009, retrieved from http://app.mica.gov.sg/internet/report/2009/voices-content.swf, accessed 1 October 2012. 3 The New Paper, 27 September 2012.

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 15 Brand Singapore: Sustaining a City-state Political Economy

Singapore’s Nation Branding debt problem in 2009. With little oil in commands a premium in the market, the emirate, Dubai’s rapid economic especially under the current international growth prior to its debt crisis was mainly climate of uncertainty and volatility. This driven by its property sector. When the explains why many multi-national property bubble burst, the legend of how corporations still continue to see the emirate transformed itself from an Singapore as an attractive investment obscure fishing village and port to one of destination in industries like finance and the world’s fastest-growing and pharmaceutical despite its higher cost sophisticated cities within a generation structure. Apparently, a robust country was also shattered. brand could be a source of economic value and global competitive advantage. The brand positioning that Singapore has erected since 1965 is strong, credible and Brand Singapore – Predominantly indisputable: Singapore is a business hub Engineered and Driven by the connected to the world. Generally, the Government city-state has enjoyed international credibility and trustworthiness due to: The government has played an instrumental role in moulding Singapore’s • an efficient and largely nation branding, facilitated by one-party- corruption-free government dominant rule since 1965. Indeed, • a transparent and enforceable among the First World countries, legal system Singapore could be considered an • a well-educated and skilled exceptional case where the citizens have workforce vested the government with the mandate • political stability and social to be the guardian of nation branding, harmony. most visibly in critical areas like resource allocation and public communications.4 A robust country brand is like a rising tide The extent of government involvement that lifts all boats. This is clearly in nation branding was rather apparent illustrated by ‘country-of-origin’ effect. By when Singapore hosted the IMF-World and large, a country with a positive Bank meetings in 2006. The Singapore international image faces less difficulty 2006 Organising Committee formulated in promoting its goods and services the tagline ‘Singapore: Global City, World compared to another country with a of Opportunities’ and even launched weaker image. As a result, their the ‘Four Million Smiles’ advertising companies and products are perceived campaign to encourage Singaporeans to and valued differently. ‘Trust’ also smile more and present the city-state’s

4 Koh Buck Song (2012), Brand Singapore: How Nation Branding Built Asia’s Leading Global City, p 33.

16 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Brand Singapore: Sustaining a City-state Political Economy

Singapore’s Nation Branding best face to the world. However, national urban governance. The government campaigns of such nature could have understands that Singapore’s traditional unintentionally reinforced international competitive advantages such as media’s perception of Singapore as a reasonable operational costs and good ‘nanny state’ that interferes in infrastructure are being gradually eroded Singaporeans’ private lives via various and it is critical to strengthen the city- tools of social control. state’s brand value to grow its external economic wing and national income. Arguably, the underlying reason for Since the 1990s, Singapore has provided the attractiveness of Brand Singapore consultancy services to other countries today is the city-state’s successful in areas like urban planning and developmental experience. In 1992, the construction of industrial parks. This is Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) unambiguous acknowledgement that established the Singapore Cooperation Singapore’s brand of management and Programme to facilitate sharing of governance is a tested product that technical and systems skills that it has attracts international attention. acquired over the years with other developing countries. Singapore’s One well-publicised case of innovative ways to address the challenges Government-to-Government (G-to-G) of urbanisation and water shortages cooperation in China was the Suzhou which have been showcased using Industrial Park project. This project was platforms such as the World Cities undertaken in 1994 with the objective Summit and the International Water of bringing Singapore’s style of Week could also generate soft power economic and industrial management and help the city-state to punch above to China. Although there has been its weight. much controversy in the media as to whether the cooperation was a success, Public Sector Expertise for Export the project remains a classic example of how a small state like Singapore has Singapore’s developmental success managed to spread its influence into despite its small size and resource another country via the flows of capital constraints has often been attributed to and expertise. In 2007, Singapore and its effective governance and robust China embarked on the second flag- public policies. Hence, many regional ship G-to-G project – the Tianjin Eco- countries such as China, India and city. This project provides a platform Vietnam have expressed great interest for both countries to share expertise in learning Singapore’s expertise in and experience in areas like urban infrastructure development and planning, environmental protection, management and more recently, in resource conservation, water and

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 17 Brand Singapore: Sustaining a City-state Political Economy

Singapore’s Nation Branding waste management and sustainable brand and marketed for economic and development, as well as policies and other intangible benefits. For example, programmes to engender social the ‘Garden City’ branding could be harmony.5 Such G-to-G projects would regarded as the most successful brand strengthen Singapore’s brand presence proposition in the minds of both in China and generate spin-off Singaporeans and foreign visitors alike. opportunities for some local There are many places in the world enterprises. where nature is celebrated, but Singapore’s unique characteristic is her Apart from potential economic benefit, deliberate integration of flora into its there could be significant intangible cityscape. The effort to plant more gains from exporting Singapore’s public trees here continues today. Even as sector expertise. These encompass global warming intensifies and the goodwill from partnering countries and island is located near the equator, widening of Singapore’s influence on Singapore is still relatively cooler than the international stage. Such activities other regional countries due to tree could strengthen Singapore’s soft canopies flanking its streets and towns. power in the longer term to fight its This is something people take for major ‘perception deficits’, one of granted until they visit the towns and which is the country’s perceived cities in the neighbouring countries and arrogance and predatory behaviour in experience the blistering heat of the region. As Professor Kishore tropical climate. Mahbubani once commented, one of Singapore’s biggest challenges is to To build on the old ‘Garden City’ theme demonstrate to its neighbours that the and enhance Singapore’s reputation as old image of the island “as a parasite one of the world’s most liveable cities, on the region is wrong”.6 Singapore has the government has again gone for bold to persuade its neighbours that its and shrewd statement in rebranding economic role is not that of “a itself as ‘City in a Garden’. As former middleman taking a cut” but it “actually Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew noted, adds value to the region”.7 “Many countries now do tree planting and call themselves garden cities. To From ‘Garden City’ to ‘City in a Garden’ retain our edge and continue to improve our living environment, we Singapore’s city planning concept has have been transforming Singapore into also been packaged into a national a city in a garden. This city in a garden

5 Retrieved from http://www.tianjinecocity.gov.sg/bg_intro.htm. 6 The Business Times, 22 March 2007. 7 Ibid.

18 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Brand Singapore: Sustaining a City-state Political Economy

Singapore’s Nation Branding vision is not just about developing economy, every Singaporean can still green infrastructure. We are actually contribute something to the national building a home to be proud of, in the image. For example, a hotel receptionist next few decades.”8 or taxi driver who provides service with a smile and is able to answer enquiries The opening of the Gardens by the Bay from international visitors adeptly is in July 2012 has provided an excellent actually making a difference to Brand platform for projecting national branding Singapore. Hence nation branding, like along the theme of ‘City in a Garden’. In nation building, could also be a people’s the main garden (Bay South), the project if the individuals are willing to ecological functions of the two take ownership. Such a development conservatories and sustainable energy could strengthen the authenticity of designs of the artificial ‘SuperTrees’ Brand Singapore and at the same time, demonstrate Singapore’s leading raise the national consciousness of capability in large-scale park design. Singaporeans. This is achievable because Being recognised as a leader in greening the socialisation in schools and during is a valuable asset in today’s world due national service (for male citizens) has to rising concerns over rapid urbanisation largely prepared Singaporeans to as well as climate change. The current navigate and engage with a multicultural global attention on liveability and environment and this will facilitate sustainability thus provides a great meaningful interaction with people from opportunity for Singapore to be a different parts of the world. showcase of coordinated city planning that integrates greenery in an inspiring Singapore can also capitalise on the fashion. Surely, the city-state’s green brand equity of leading Singaporean pedigree could be considered a distinct companies such as Keppel Corporation, brand that runs parallel to the story of Fraser & Neave, CapitaLand, OCBC et independent Singapore. cetera to boost its nation branding. The most obvious way to do this is to raise Can Singaporeans Contribute to the international awareness that these National Brand? leading companies are indeed Singaporean. Simultaneously, when Despite the dominant role of the Singapore enjoys a robust international government in shaping the Singapore reputation, this could open up more brand as it mobilises both resources and business opportunities to Singaporean people to build the nation and its companies.

8 Let’s build a “city in a garden” home together, posted 14 November 2011, retrieved from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1165353/1/.html.

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 19 Brand Singapore: Sustaining a City-state Political Economy

Singapore’s Nation Branding

Apparently, the government recognises they hope to replicate its success by that one of Singapore’s most potent emulating the fundamentals of good resources is the ideas of its people. If the governance. In other words, the current Public Service’s message to premium commanded by Brand encourage ‘co-creation’ materialises, this Singapore today could be attributed to its could bring about greater innovation, effective governance, high quality of life stronger community bonding and a as well as social stability. But does bottom-up input to a country brand that Singapore also possess the capability to is already renowned for its existing stir up the emotive aspects of a brand attributes of efficiency and reliability. which could truly differentiate it from Thus nation branding is not merely about the rest? What lessons could be distilled colourful advertising with cool taglines or from its past experiences (especially national campaigns that mobilise massive those pertaining to processes and state resources. Singaporeans can also be structures) in nation branding? effective brand ambassadors for the country – by projecting who they really It is also pertinent to bear in mind that are and aspire to achieve as a people and just like any commercial brand, a nation. Ultimately, Singaporeans are the successful nation brand is one that is built ones who embody the nation brand to last. As such, constant re-inventions perpetually and securing their buy-in is could be counter-productive. How and critical for the success of the brand. what resources are really needed for the city-state to build an enduring brand? Epilogue Paradoxically, Singapore’s openness to The Singapore Story is essentially a the forces of globalisation could depiction of how an ‘unexpected’ state contradict its agenda of nation building. has progressed from Third World to Can it retain its national identity while First by virtue of its political will, aspiring to be a global city that values pragmatic institutional development mobility and embraces foreign talent? and meticulous urban planning. As a If the answer is ‘yes’, Singapore can result, many developing states have develop a top country brand with been inspired by the Singapore Story and robust self-image.

About the Author Lai Szu Hao is Senior Researcher at the Ministry of Communications and Information. His research interests include public communications, political economy and public sector governance. He has published in ETHOS, which is circulated to the policymaking community in Singapore.

20 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Brand Singapore: Sustaining a City-state Political Economy The Singapore Story: The Writing & Rewriting of a History By Kwa Chong Guan

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 21 Brand Singapore: Sustaining a City-state Political Economy

The Singapore Story: The Writing & Rewriting of a History

In 1987, Mr S Rajaratnam, then Senior Rajaratnam assured People’s Action Party Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, (PAP) members that the Party had much confidently declared that “until very to be proud of on its 10th anniversary. recently, Singapore’s past was a matter Writing in the midst of a political crisis in of supreme indifference for most relations with Kuala Lumpur, Rajaratnam Singaporeans because they believed this could still confidently declare that the island never really had a history Party had “achieved one of its remembering.” As Rajaratnam pointed fundamental aims: The independence of out, “our history began in 1819 when Singapore through merger with the Raffles landed in swampy Singapore Federation of Malaya.” In an oblique with some 40 to 50 unremarkable reference to the ongoing political crisis kampong houses and no more than 400 the Party was embroiled in, Rajaratnam Malays, Orang Laut and a sprinkling of claimed that the PAP had been able to very lost Chinese. This is not the stuff “thwart the manoeuvres of both the which enthralling history is made out of. right-wing reactionaries and the Nothing very much appears to have communist on the far left with a fair happened in Singapore – if anything degree of success.”2 happened at all – before Raffles landed in this unpromising island.” The Rajaratnam recounted the founding of argument Rajaratnam was leading up the Party in the basement dining room to, was that “though our history began of Lee Kuan Yew’s Oxley Road residence in 1819, this brief past is what made and what prompted a group of politically Singapore and its people what they are inexperienced neophytes to try to today, and it is this Singapore’s past which establish a new left-wing party against will shape their future and furnish the better-established political parties in an ingredients for a national identity.”1 increasingly divided political arena. The bulk of reflections outlined the dilemmas On hindsight, Rajaratnam has played a and choices the Party faced as it decided lead role in reconstructing Singapore’s how to progress its agenda without being past to “shape its future and furnish the co-opted by other right-wing parties or ingredients for a national identity.” In a subverted by the Communist. In terms little-known and underappreciated 1965 of genres of stories, Rajaratnam’s story reflection on the PAP’s First Ten Years in of the PAP takes the form of a romance, Power, Rajaratnam outlined the kernel of as it has all the elements of a heroic what has become the Singapore story. romance, like Edmund Spenser’s

1 Rajaratnam’s speech at an old National Museum Gallery exhibition, reprinted in Kwa Chong Guan (ed) (2006), S Rajaratnam on Singapore: From Ideas to Reality, Singapore: World Scientific Publishing & Institute of Defence & Strategic Studies), p 264. 2 PAP’s First Ten Years in Power, reprinted in Rajaratnam on Singapore, pp 180-226.

22 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Brand Singapore: Sustaining a City-state Political Economy

The Singapore Story: The Writing & Rewriting of a History narrative of the quest of St George in The manufactures and expansion of financial Faerie Queene, of a perilous journey and other business services underpinned undertaken in fulfilment of a quest for a a growing Singapore economy. grail, or in this case, a vision for a Rajaratnam could confidently explain to democratic socialist society. This journey the Singapore Press Club in 1972 why culminates in an epic struggle with the Singapore was proving its critics and Communist, in which either the hero, his other pessimists who believed that foe, or both, must die. In this case, separated from its peninsula hinterland, fortunately the hero was victorious in the Singapore would collapse. Singapore 1963 elections. according to Rajaratnam, was transforming itself from a “trading city of However this heroic struggle against Southeast Asia, the market place of the colonialism, communism and region ... into a new kind of city – the communalism for Singapore’s place in a Global City.”3 In making this claim, “Malaysian Malaysia” ended in the Rajaratnam was prescient, for the end of tragedy of Separation. Whereas the PAP the Cold War which would enable a new leaders may have put behind them cycle of globalisation and the emergence the trauma of 9 August 1965 as a of a new global economy networked foundational historical event, the around a number of world cities, was experience of that tragedy continued to twenty years in the future. haunt them and their vision for Singapore, like Hamlet haunted and By the early 1980s, Singapore was taxiing driven by his father’s ghost to a tragic down the runway to economic takeoff. conclusion. The PAP leaders acted to Rajaratnam and his colleagues could exorcise the ghost of Separation by again reflect and reconfigure their disproving the deeply-held historical memories of why Singapore had not assumption that Singapore, divorced failed, for in their recollections, the odds from its peninsula hinterland, would were stacked against it and Singapore collapse and prove instead that Singapore should have failed. Declaring open an as a city-state could survive the odds. $18 million ‘National Exhibition’ to celebrate 25 years of independence in By 1973, Singapore’s dependence upon 1984, then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew its traditional staple port functions of rhetorically asked, “We survived. Later, financing, processing, marketing and we prospered. How did it happen? The exporting the staple products of the basic attributes of nationhood were Malay Peninsula and the archipelago had missing. We were groups of diverse and been broken. Export of Singapore’s different peoples. We had no common

3 Singapore: Global City, reprinted in Rajaratnam on Singapore, pp 227-237.

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 23 Brand Singapore: Sustaining a City-state Political Economy

The Singapore Story: The Writing & Rewriting of a History past. We had no common language, In 1996, then Prime Minister Goh Chok culture or religion. We did not have Tong raised the alarm when he realised ‘the social glue’ to hold together as a that “younger Singaporeans knew very nation.” This ‘National Exhibition’ and little of the events and issues surrounding a series of other exhibitions at the old our independence.” Goh pointed out that National Museum and the National “not knowing the circumstances of Archives over the next decade Singapore’s birth is a serious gap in developed this story of how Singapore knowledge ... of how we became a survived and developed against nation, and the principles of meritocracy the odds. and multiracialism which underpin our entire society and political culture.” To However, contained in this story of rectify this, Goh proposed a National survival and development were the Education Programme to “engender a seeds of its unravelling. For as shared sense of nationhood, an Singapore developed, it also forgot its understanding of how our past is relevant past. Urban redevelopment removed to our present and future. It must appeal landmarks that were sites of memories to both heart and mind.” The National and history. New memories of Education Programme which was redeveloped sites such as Raffles Place launched the following year by then or Orchard Road had little, if any, Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, connection with memories of the old has today become a major component of Raffles Place or Orchard Road. The a more holistic national education Housing & Development Board (HDB) curriculum with the Singapore story as estates developed in the 1970s and its bedrock.4 1980s are unmemorable compared to the old kampongs. A new ordering of The Singapore story of how it our work, social and family lives succeeded against the odds to become reconfigured the old social memories a nation took definite shape in a we inherited. The political, tumultuous multimillion dollar exhibition launch in and economically uncertain past could July 1998. The Singapore Story: be forgotten in the prosperous and Overcoming the Odds moved its visitors stable present. A post-1965 generation in a people-mover around a series of of Singaporeans grew up learning to tableaux depicting Singapore’s historical forget the past of their parents as new development from the hardship of the social memories were created. Japanese Occupation through the post-

4 Ministry of Education (MOE) National Education (NE) www.ne.edu.sg, PM Goh and DPM Lee on National Education, Ministry of Education (MOE) & National Education (NE), retrieved from www.ne.edu.sg[speeches]. Also note additional NE information retrieved from Ministry of Defence (MINDEF), www.nexus.gov.sg.

24 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Brand Singapore: Sustaining a City-state Political Economy

The Singapore Story: The Writing & Rewriting of a History

World War II anti-colonial struggle for struggle to independence in a merger independence, and fight against to form Malaysia and then through the Communism to negotiations to form trauma of Separation to survive and Malaysia. How Singapore responded prosper. This rationale for making the to the dire political and economic story of the PAP the plot of The challenges confronting the nascent Singapore Story was articulated by city-state after Separation from the Rajaratnam in his address at a 1984 Federation is depicted in the concluding Pre-University Seminar. Rajaratnam section of this exhibition. This story provocatively asked his audience, “If not has been recounted in detail and the Singapore created by the PAP, then finesse by Lee Kuan Yew in his two- what kind of Singapore would have volume memoire. emerged in its place?” Rajaratnam’s response to his counterfactual question The story was further consolidated in an was to paint to his audience in his usual audio-visual documentary proposed by purple prose, the dark hues of a then Prime Minister Goh to honour Lee communist Singapore.5 Men in White by Kuan Yew on his 80th birthday in 2003. Sonny Yap, Richard Lim and Leong Weng Two years in the making, the three-hour Kam reworks in detail this articulation of multimillion dollar documentary the PAP with Singapore’s history. produced by Discovery Channel Asia was broadcast on 4 and 5 December 2005 as As a genre of writing about the past in a commemoration of Singapore’s 40th terms of the ‘Great Men’ who made anniversary. The underlying theme of history, The Singapore Story is not this documentary was that Singapore’s unusual, but it does raise a number of transformation from Mangrove to issues. The first issue is that it evokes a Metropolis, as the documentary was response from those vanquished or entitled, was in large part driven by the castigated as communist to argue for vision of a series of ‘Great Men’ from Sir their version of the past and their place Stamford Raffles to Lee Kuan Yew. in history. Poh Soo Kai, Tan Jing Quee and Koh Kay Yew have invited some of their The Singapore Story, as a story fellow political activists to join them in structured around heroes and villains, reflecting on their place in history.6 Poh’s attributes to the PAP leaders the vision, reflections on his detention in Operation leadership and gumption to lead Cold Store in 1963 offer an alternative Singapore through its anti-colonial reconstruction of the event to that in The

5 Birth of a Nation, Rajaratnam on Singapore, p 263. 6 Poh Soo Kai, Tan Jing Quee & Koh Kay Yew (eds) (2010), The Fajar Generation: The University Socialist Club and the Politics of Postwar Malaya and Singapore, Petaling Jaya: Strategic Information and Research Development Centre.

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 25 Brand Singapore: Sustaining a City-state Political Economy

The Singapore Story: The Writing & Rewriting of a History

Singapore Story. Tan Jing Quee has also 1950s and 1960s offered. Loh Kah Seng collaborated with Tan Kok Chiang and and Liew Kai Khiun have brought Hong Lysa to offer an alternative together a group of younger historians to interpretation of Chinese school activism discuss the issues and difficulties they as a struggle over issues of their identity encountered in attempting to get past as Chinese/Malayan/Singaporean.7 The Makers & Keepers of Singapore Others, like Fong Chong Pik, whom some History13 to reconstruct other multiple of us recognise as the ‘Plen’ Lee Kuan Yew understandings of our past with met, has written his memoirs,8 as has the Singapore story as one such Said Zahari.9 Lim Chin Siong has been understanding. A number of blogs and remembered by his comrades in a series online journals such as s/pores, have of tributes as a Comet in Our Sky.10 emerged to join this examination of the writing of Singapore history. The second issue is the critical examination of the historiography of this Complementing this examination of the Singapore story by a younger generation historiography of the Singapore story is of historians. Hong Lysa and Huang Jianli the attempt to reframe this Singapore lead in their critique of The Scripting of a story in a wider spatial context and National History.11 Paths Not Taken: longer temporal span. Derek Heng has Political Pluralism in Post-War Singapore been developing this approach to edited by Michel D Barr and Carl Trocki12 Singapore’s past.14 He had earlier joined brings together a wider range of Tan Tai Yong and the author of this essay Singapore and other scholars to examine to argue that Singapore has a 700-year the possibilities of history which the history.15 This reconstruction of a 700-

7 Tan Jing Quee, Tan Kok Chiang & Hong Lysa (eds) (2011), The May 13 Generation; The Chinese Middle Schools Student Movement and Singapore Politics in the 1950s, Petaling Jaya: Strategic Information and Research Development Centre. 8 Fong Chong Pik (2008), The Memoirs of a Malayan Communist Revolutionary, Petaling Jaya: Strategic Information and Research Development Centre. 9 Zahari, Said (2007), The Long Nightmare: My 17 Years as a Political Prisoner, Kuala Lumpur: Utusan Publications. 10 Tan Jing Quee & Jomo K S (eds) (2001), Comet in Our Sky: Lim Chiong Siong in History, Kuala Lumpur: INSAN. 11 Hong Lysa & Huang Jianli (2008), The Scripting of a National History: Singapore and Its Pasts, Singapore: NUS Press. 12 Barr, MD & Trocki, CA (eds) (2008), Paths Not Taken: Political Pluralism in Post-war Singapore, Singapore: NUS Press. 13 Loh Kah Seng & Liew Kai Khiun (eds) (2010), The Makers & Keepers of Singapore History, Singapore: Ethos Books/Singapore Heritage Society. 14 Heng Thiam Soon Derek (ed) (2006), New perspectives and sources on the history of Singapore: A multi- disciplinary approach, Singapore: National Library Board; Heng Thiam Soon Derek & Syed Muhd Khairudin Aljunied (eds) (2009), Reframing Singapore: Memory-Identity-Trans-Regionalism, Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press/ICAS Publ.6; Heng Thiam Soon Derek & Syed Muhd Khairudin Aljunied (eds) (2011), Singapore in Global History, Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press/ICAS Publ.14. 15 Kwa Chong Guan, Heng Thiam Soon Derek & Tan Tai Yong (2009), Singapore: A 700-year history: From Early Emporium to World City, Singapore: National Archives of Singapore.

26 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Brand Singapore: Sustaining a City-state Political Economy

The Singapore Story: The Writing & Rewriting of a History year history for Singapore is based in large identity today. As such, this essay argues, part on the archaeological excavations the Singapore Story is contemporary undertaken by John Miksic since 1984 history, which the Italian historian and and the pioneering work of Peter philosopher Benedetto Croce defined as Borschberg on 17th century Portuguese- ‘living history’ of those who had a part in Dutch rivalry for control of the waters of the making of that history or were a Singapore and Melaka Straits.16 witness to it. It is a justification of that immediate past for the present and A third set of issue the Singapore Story projection into lessons and prospects for evokes is the experience and social the future. Narrating the end of the Cold memories of living out the narrative of War raises issues of the triumphalism of the Singapore Story. As a pioneering Democracy and the ‘End of History’ as generation of poets, dramatists and Francis Fukuyama once expressed it. artists have impressed in their art forms This raises issues of the visions of social their experiences of the anti-colonial and spatial justice embedded in any struggle they lived through in the 1950s narrative of contemporary history. and 1960s; so too a post-1965 generation Visions of a meritocratic, multiethnic and of artists, dramatists and poets, and now, multicultural society underpin the film directors, are recording their Singapore Story and raises issues of the experiences of living the Singapore Story. translation of those visions into Alfian Saat agonises about his identity in government policies and plans. The multiethnic and multicultural Singapore controversy over the preservation of the in his poetry. Tan Pin Pin deploys her cemetery on Bukit Brown or earlier, the cinematic skills to document the trauma redevelopment of Chinatown, or quotas of relocating from an old kampong to a of foreign labour are contestations over modern HDB flat or the spatial justice of the policy implications of progress and exhuming an old cemetery. equality embedded in The Singapore Story of Singapore’s transformation from The Singapore Story has become an a colonial port city to a city-state and into integral component of Singapore’s a global city today.

About the Author Kwa Chong Guan is a Senior Fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies where he works on a range of regional security issues and concurrently, Honorary Adjunct Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore’s History Dept. He is also Chairman of the National Archives Advisory Committee and Chairman of the National Library Advisory Committee.

16 Miksic JN & Low Mei Gek C-A (eds) (2004), Early Singapore, 1300s-1819: Evidence in maps, text and artefacts, Singapore: Singapore History Museum; Borschberg, P (2010), The Singapore and Melaka Straits; Violence, Security and Diplomacy in the 17th Century, Singapore: NUS Press.

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 27 Brand Singapore: Sustaining a City-state Political Economy The Singapore Recipe for Sustainability By Lee Soo Ann

28 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Brand Singapore: Sustaining a City-state Political Economy

The Singapore Recipe for Sustainability

In writing Singapore: From Place to a station that Raffles sailed from Penang. Nation (2nd edition: Pearson Singapore He found the Dutch in Riau and the 2011, p 224) for my undergraduate Kerimun islands unsuitable for lack of students, I came to the paradoxical water. However, he had heard of conclusion that Singapore is no more Temasek from the Malay Annals which he than a place where foreigners sustain could read from his knowledge of Malay foreigners. I had thought that my acquired from the governor of Java conclusion would be that Singapore is before 1815. Consequently he sailed to now a nation and not just a place where the mouth of the Singapore river and as Sir Stamford Raffles planted the British the saying goes, the rest is history. flag in 1819. Singapore today is now a nation but one where foreigners sustain The Singapore location at the tip of the foreigners in economic terms. More Malay Peninsula gave sailing ships an accurately, it is a case of one kind of advantage when resting between the two foreigner sustaining another kind. I may monsoons, unlike resting in Penang which write a third edition next year, to address was already British as it was too far north. the years when Singapore was occupied With free trade as opposed to taxed trade by the Japanese and also the prevalence imposed in Dutch ports in Southeast Asia, of income inequality now. The concluding Singapore blossomed in the next fifty chapter may well be that Singapore has years. That location further enabled come full circle from being a nation to Singapore to benefit from the discovery being a place again, where there are of tin in the foothills of the Peninsula in relatively few indigenous inhabitants. the 1870s and the rubber boom which What sustains Singapore then, in its last followed in the 1900s. 200 years? Chinese junks used to sail from China to During the British trading settlement in Southeast Asia from Zheng He’s time, and 1819, Singapore was established by the Singapore was a natural landing place for East India Company out of maritime the many Chinese who sailed or shipped rivalry between the British and the Dutch from the southeast provinces of imperial at that time. Britain had returned China to the prosperity in the Peninsula Malacca to the Dutch in 1815 after the arising from tin and rubber. The Chinese Napoleonic wars and the China trade was had been in Southeast Asia for many opening up. However, located at the centuries before the British came, there narrowest part of the Straits of Malacca, being settlements in Kalimantan for the Dutch had a chokehold on shipping example, and these Chinese gravitated going to China unless the British could to Singapore when free trade was establish a station south of Malacca. It established. The Chinese in Penang and was with the purpose of establishing such Malacca were of course among the

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 29 Brand Singapore: Sustaining a City-state Political Economy

The Singapore Recipe for Sustainability first to do so as these places were currencies (silver from Spain through already British. the Phillipines via Mexico, rupees from British India and guilders from Location on the Straits of Malacca route Dutch Southeast Asia), the British to Australia and New Zealand gave government introduced an element of Singapore a further advantage when the stability (through pressure from the telegraph and the telephone linked business community) in the medium of Britain to these British colonies. With the exchange by the institution of the shift to steam from sailing ships, straits dollar which had a stable rate Singapore became a coaling depot for of exchange to pound sterling from ships sailing to Japan and China as well. 1906 to 1967. The stable straits The discovery of oil in Sumatra and dollar gave birth to local banks Singapore’s proximity to oil fields in which complemented the previous Sarawak made Singapore into an oil dominance by British exchange banks distribution centre. (so called because they stood ready to exchange various currencies into One may tentatively conclude that the pound sterling). prime maritime location of Singapore is responsible for its success in its first The British left each ethnic community hundred years as a British territory to largely police themselves and the especially when this coincided with the growth of free trade was accompanied 19th century being Pax Brittanica when by the free inflow and outflow of the British Empire reached its zenith. people. Only during the 1930s However, the location of Singapore has depression was there a limit on the never changed. What did change was the number of males allowed in otherwise capacity of foreigners to meet foreigners there would be even more severe in Singapore in safety and to make a living unemployment and consequential for themselves. The Anglo-Dutch treaty social strains. Women however were of 1824 ensured that Dutch rivalry did not not subject to quota, and considerable menace the economic growth of numbers came during the 1930s which Singapore. The Dutch had all of the 7,000 contributed to equalising the sex ratio islands of what is now Indonesia to and the consequential formation of grapple with. families and the baby boom of the 1940s and 1950s. The Japanese Foreigners meeting foreigners is not a occupation of 1942-45 put a halt to new concept but British rule was immigration and so the post-WW II impartial in its indifference to the ideological conflict with communism as cultures that met. When these well, which meant that Chinese from foreigners brought with them different China could no longer enter freely.

30 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Brand Singapore: Sustaining a City-state Political Economy

The Singapore Recipe for Sustainability

The limited self-government in 1955 The People’s Action Party (PAP) followed by full internal self- government which came into power in government in 1959 saw a different 1959 had many of these foreign-born group of foreigners entering Singapore citizens. It was not a case of Singaporeans to play an active role and these were welcoming foreigners for many of the from the Federation of Malaya (formed leaders of the PAP were from the in 1948 after an abortive Malayan Federation (in the 1959 cabinet, only one, Union in 1946-48). Singapore was a Lee Kuan Yew, was born in Singapore!). British colony until 1963 when it joined It was a case of one kind of foreigners Malaysia and Britain allowed those sustaining another kind, those born in the ‘upcountry’ to enter Singapore. Many Federation sustaining those born in Malaysians entered Singapore after China, to put it in broad terms. Of course, Singapore was separated from being there were Singaporeans born in part of the Straits Settlements of Singapore but they were in the minority, Penang and Malacca in 1946, but the for the simple reason that for the several reverse was not always so. After 1946, decades before 1946, the majority of land was a state matter, whether under those residing in Singapore were males. the Malayan Union or the Federation – In 1911, the percentage of Singapore more so after the Federation obtained island Chinese born in British Malaya was independence in 1957 so that 20 percent. In 1947, the percentage of preference was given to ownership by Singapore island Chinese born in British its citizens. Malaya improved but was still only 40 percent. Relatively few babies were born The 1957 Citizenship Act created in Singapore. Singapore citizenship and many foreign-born residents of Singapore British Malaya meant Penang, Malacca (especially those born in China) took and Singapore, for these were British advantage of the provision that they territories, unlike the nine Malay States had stayed in Singapore for the past which were ‘protected’ by the British but several years, to obtain citizenship. still having their own sovereign sultans. This explains why there were many pro- If we were to remove those born in communist Singaporeans who entered Penang and Malacca, the number of politics. Many Malaysians who entered Singapore island Chinese born in Singapore either before or after WW II Singapore would be much lower for those took advantage of this provision to two census years. Singapore citizenship become Singapore citizens. It was only before 1957, if granted according to after 1965, when Singapore separated Straits Settlements rules, would be given from Malaysia, that Singapore only to those born in Singapore which citizenship was more strictly granted. would be a minority. Singapore is

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 31 Brand Singapore: Sustaining a City-state Political Economy

The Singapore Recipe for Sustainability essentially an immigrant society, a workforce and seek further education for frontier town, and it was only during from themselves, which limited them to the the late 1940s onwards, with the onset men whom they could look up to unless of the baby boom, that those born in the men themselves became better or Singapore became more numerous. higher educated. Home ownership used to be of basic units but over the course However, these Singaporeans born in of time, there was continuous upgrading Singapore at that time were infants and with couples choosing to live ‘beyond’ children. They are now adults of course, their means, so that both husband and but then another spurt in those foreign- wife needed to work to pay off the born came from the 1980s onward. A mortgage. After the 1985 recession, the major reason is the fright Singapore first major one after the 1965 separation, leaders had after separation in 1965, of housing loan terms were extended from the 1970 withdrawal of the British armed 20 to 30 years, as the Central Provident forces whose contribution to the Fund (CPF) cut imposed to counter that economy was then estimated to be about recession meant that there was less in 20 percent. The government initiated the monthly CPF contribution to pay off anti-natal (not antenatal) policies in 1970, these loans. Couples saddled with which started with the legalisation of long-term loans were less likely to want abortion and the encouragement given larger families. to small families due to a certain structure of incentives and disincentives. What this meant was that the intake of Abortions rose to one-third of foreigners had to be liberalised, from pregnancies, and births fell. The level of ‘traditional’ sources like Malaysia to ‘non- abortions has now fallen, but is still traditional’ sources like Thailand and around 10,000 a year, though the exact Bangladesh for construction, the figure is not published. It is estimated Philippines and Indonesia for domestic that the total number of abortions over helpers and so on. The Foreign Worker the last thirty two years is equal to the Levy was introduced in 1990 to ensure number of foreign workers we now have! that the cost to the employer of Perhaps we would not have the need for employing a foreigner would be equal to such a high foreign worker population if that of employing a Singaporean, but as abortion was not legalised. Be that as it this levy was in absolute and not may, other factors came into play which percentage terms, it meant that reduced the birth rate to the low 1.2 per eventually the cost of employing a thousand level it is now. foreigner would fall. And so it is today, that the wages required to attract a Rising educational opportunities for foreigner may be high for the foreigner, women meant that they could join the but low for the Singaporean, hence the

32 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Brand Singapore: Sustaining a City-state Political Economy

The Singapore Recipe for Sustainability wage level in Singapore tends to be set economic interests in Southeast Asia, for by the foreigner. There are quota limits not only was there Peninsular Malaya, in addition to the levy, to protect the but there were also Sarawak, Sabah and Singaporean but the fact remains that the Brunei. Singapore had a substantial wage level for the average Singaporean British army, air force and navy base as has not risen much in the last ten years. well, which at its peak, accounted for 20 percent of its economy. Those who On paper, there are 3.5 million governed Singapore now need to have Singaporeans and 1.5 million foreigners, the ability of the British to manage but these foreigners are largely working different kinds of foreigners, and of large adults. However, only two million numbers too. Singaporeans are working, the others being those who are old or young or still In this talk about foreigners sustaining studying. It is true that foreigners are foreigners, who exactly is a foreigner? A needed to sustain the Singapore new Singapore citizen is a foreigner if he economy but the Singapore economy is or she was not born in Singapore and built up also of a substantial number of educated in a local primary or secondary foreigners. Foreigners are helping to school. What about the Singapore citizen sustain foreigners! If we take into who was born in Singapore and had account the fact that a substantial Singapore-born parents? portion of Singaporeans are actually foreign-born (either in China or India or These can be likened to indigenous some other place or Malaysia), the people, much like what those in Malaysia dominance of foreign foreigners is termed ‘bumiputra’. Of the 3.5 million unquestioned. Singapore is now a place citizens, I estimate that only about two where foreigners meet and help each million were born in Singapore. The other other, much like what it was then under two million people are not born here – British rule. either they are citizens not born here or just foreigners, who were obviously not Those leading Singapore now can be born in the state. likened to those who governed Singapore under British rule. This was largely a For Singapore to sustain itself in beneficent rule, for the British did not economic terms, we must not talk too ‘exploit’ Singapore like what some other much about citizens versus non-citizens. European powers did in their rule. The real conflict may lie between those Singapore did not have commodities or who were born here and those not. crops which could be supplied to the Many of those not born here have ‘mother’ country. Singapore was merely genuine aspirations to make Singapore a place from where Britain managed its their home and ensure that Singapore

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 33 Brand Singapore: Sustaining a City-state Political Economy

The Singapore Recipe for Sustainability succeeds. Many of them have now Singapore. Of course such ties between become citizens, perhaps some time them strengthen if they go to the local ago, but are still ‘foreigners’, having not secondary schools as well. It is said that been born here. The majority of those what one learns when one is a child is not born here may have aspirations to remembered longest and best. become citizens. Such a patronising attitude can spill Is there anything in Singapore’s short over into the workplace. Those citizens history that we can learn from? not born here would feel marginalised. Singapore had a minority born-in- They may go to the same local Singapore group, some of whom universities as those born here, but the contributed to the development of ties that bind at the tertiary level are Singapore and some who did not. This not that strong. Economic activity is minority was the Peranakan, so-called best done when there is a spirit of because their parents married in camaraderie among those in the same Singapore or in the Straits Settlements firm or production process. of Penang and Malacca. Some Peranakan reached out to the sin-khek Those not born in Singapore, whether (or new guests) so-called because they citizen or not, also have a strong were the immigrants from China. Many camaraderie amongst themselves, if only Peranakans did not. Peranakan culture because they did not go to the same is essentially a closed culture, they primary school as those born here. My being Chinese who assimilated the interpretation of Singapore’s economic Malay culture. To some extent, they development is that this camaraderieship are similar to the Malay ‘bumiputra’ in among those not born here, was largely Malaysia who cling on to their status responsible for the drive and the as the indigenous people. imagination which made Singapore what it is today. The economic growth and Among Singapore citizens today, I detect diversification of Singapore needs the a freshness on the part of those who integration of both sides of camaraderie. were born in Malaysia or China or Ultimately it is not citizenship which anywhere else. However those born in counts. After all, citizenship is a relatively Singapore tend to have a certain new concept and the requirements of patronising attitude to those not born in becoming a citizen today are different Singapore. There is a difference because from what they were in 1957. Then, the those born here not only cherish requirements were framed in terms of landmarks and other local paraphernalia the drive towards self-determination on not obvious to those not born here, but the part of those who wanted to vote. they also attended primary schools in Today the requirements of citizenship

34 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Brand Singapore: Sustaining a City-state Political Economy

The Singapore Recipe for Sustainability seem to be framed largely in terms of the citizens and non-citizens, those born here contribution of the new citizen towards and those not, to work together, share economic activity. experiences, learn from each other and having a common vision for the future. However, there is more to economic There are many more choices that one activity than mere citizenship in the same can make now and that is why I tend to way that there is more to citizenship than be pessimistic as to the economic just voting. The recipe for economic sustainability of Singapore as a nation. sustainability is more than just saving and Perhaps Singapore can be sustained investment. It requires people, both better as a mere place!

About the Author Lee Soo Ann is currently a Senior Fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and also the Department of Economics at the National University of Singapore (NUS). Dr Lee was formerly the General Secretary of the Bible Society of Singapore and prior to that, Professor of Business Policy at the NUS School of Business and Professor of Economics in NUS.

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 35 Brand Singapore: Sustaining a City-state Political Economy Singapore’s Foreign Policy: Unique Features By Tommy Koh

36 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Brand Singapore: Sustaining a City-state Political Economy

Singapore’s Foreign Policy: Unique Features

Introduction Since the founding of the UN, the world has become a relatively safer place for I am an accidental diplomat. I had small States. The UN Charter, the UN intended to spend my life teaching law. Security Council and the UN General However, by a twist of fate, I was asked Assembly are, however, unable to to be our Ambassador and Permanent prevent a big State from invading a small Representative to the United Nations State. The Soviet Union invaded (UN) in 1968. Although I did return to Afghanistan, the United States (US) the National University of Singapore invaded Grenada and Iraq, Russia invaded (NUS) Law School and served as its Dean Georgia, just to give a few recent from 1971 to 1974, I have spent most of examples. Iraq invaded and attempted my professional life with the Ministry of to incorporate Kuwait into Iraq. Kuwait Foreign Affairs. I have been an active was liberated by a coalition of like- participant in Singapore’s diplomacy for minded States, led by the US, with the 41 years. In this essay, drawing from my approval of the UN Security Council. experience and reflections, I will identify Kuwait was fortunate in that it is the and discuss three unique features of world’s 10th largest oil producer. In each Singapore’s foreign policy. of the other cases, the invasions were the subject of deliberations, either in Small States in a Big World the Security Council or the General Assembly or both. The invasions were Life for small States has never been easy. condemned by the Parliament of Man. It was much harder before the founding The UN’s capacity to prevent or rectify of the UN in 1945. In the pre-UN world, the aggression of big States against the fate of small States was often decided small States is, however, uncertain by the big States of their region or of the and limited. The bottom line is that world. Thus, it was not uncommon for small States continue to live in a the concert of powers to arbitrarily dangerous world. decide to alter the boundaries of small States or incorporate parts of small States Be Proactive into the territories of their bigger neighbours. In extreme cases, some One hallmark of Singapore’s foreign small States simply disappeared as a policy is that, although a small State, we result of being forcibly incorporated into are not passive. On the contrary, we are the territory of a bigger neighbour. hyper-proactive. Small States, like small This happened to Estonia, Latvia and boys, are expected to be silent, passive Lithuania, which were incorporated and compliant. Small States are seldom by Stalin, against their will, into the given a seat at the top table. Small States Soviet Union. are seldom consulted by the big States.

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 37 Brand Singapore: Sustaining a City-state Political Economy

Singapore’s Foreign Policy: Unique Features

They are usually told what to do by the of the UN and the US Secretary of State, big States. The norm is for small States were among the guests who spoke at to be reactive rather than proactive - to the forum. Singapore is the chairman be the subject of the actions of the big of FOSS and the founder is Ambassador States instead of being the actors and Chew Tai Soo. to accept their fate as small States. Singapore has defied the norm by Third, following the creation of G20, being a proactive State. Let me cite consisting of 20 major advanced and three examples. emerging economies of the world, Singapore feared that the interests of First, during the UN Conference on the other States would not be taken into Law of the Sea, Singapore found that the account. In response to this danger, negotiations at the Conference were Singapore took the initiative to establish being dominated by the coastal States a group of like-minded States, called the and the great powers. In order to gain Global Governance Group or 3G. The leverage, Singapore took the initiative to group has succeeded in insisting on a establish a new grouping called the Group linkage between G20 and the UN and has of Landlocked and Geographically submitted policy papers to G20 for its Disadvantaged States. The group united consideration. As convener of 3G, the landlocked States and coastal Singapore has been invited to attend countries which, like Singapore, were several G20 meetings. The founder of 3G hemmed in by their neighbours. The is Ambassador Vanu Gopala Menon and group consisted of about one-third of the group has 30 members from all the member States participating in regions of the world. the Conference. This gave us a voice and a weight which we would not have Be Not Afraid had otherwise. Another unique feature of Singapore’s A second example is the initiative which foreign policy is that it is not afraid to Singapore took at the UN, in 1992, to stand up for its interests. Small States are form the Forum of Small States (FOSS). usually reluctant to take on a bigger The forum consists of 105 out of the 193 opponent. Singapore has no such fear. members of the UN. The criterion for Let me cite a few examples. membership is a population below 10 million. The forum has proven itself First, in 1972, a young Permanent as an effective platform of small States. Representative to the UN, Professor S FOSS recently celebrated its 20th Jayakumar, decided to take on very anniversary. The President of the UN formidable opponents at the UN and General Assembly, the Secretary-General prevailed against the odds. Let me

38 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Brand Singapore: Sustaining a City-state Political Economy

Singapore’s Foreign Policy: Unique Features explain the facts. At that time, many UN General Assembly in 1979 was a coastal States, led by the Latin- cliffhanger. By taking on Vietnam, Americans, were unilaterally making ASEAN was taking on the whole Soviet extensive claims to the sea. Some bloc as well as the leadership of the wanted the territorial sea to be expanded Non-Aligned Movement, including from three miles to 200 miles. Others India. Many of our friends thought that wanted very extensive fisheries zones. In our cause was hopeless. Contrary to 1972, the US Geographer had published such expectations, ASEAN prevailed. a report showing that the majority of Eventually, when the Cold War ended, the UN’s member States would not Vietnam agreed to withdraw from benefit from such extensive claims. Cambodia and to seek a negotiated This prompted Professor Jayakumar to solution to the conflict. This resulted submit a draft resolution to the UN in the Paris Agreements of 1991. General Assembly requesting the Secretary-General to study how the Third, I would refer to Professor various proposals put forward by the Jayakumar’s book, Diplomacy: A coastal States would impact on mankind’s Singapore Experience. In his book, the interests. The draft resolution was author discussed several cases in which vehemently opposed by the powerful Singapore came under tremendous coastal States. France, Canada and Malta pressure from the big powers, such as jointly submitted an amendment which, the US, China, United Kingdom and the if adopted, would have killed the European Union. In each case, resolution. In the UN, it is called a ‘killer Singapore refused to yield to the amendment’. Miraculously, the vote was pressure. Singapore has shown that 46 in favour, 46 against, with 27 although we live in an unequal abstentions. Under the UN’s rules of world, successful small countries can procedure, the amendment failed to be maintain their dignity and not give in adopted by one vote. The resolution was to the unreasonable pressure of the adopted. Singapore’s victory made the big States. UN take notice of this small State and its effective diplomacy. Be Law Abiding

Second, Vietnam invaded and occupied The third and most unique feature of Cambodia in December 1978. The five Singapore’s foreign policy is the priority ASEAN countries decided to oppose we accord to international law. Most Vietnam’s action, not because it scholars of international affairs are supported the odious Khmer Rouge puzzled by Singapore’s behaviour. regime, but because it would set a Singapore’s leaders, from Lee Kuan Yew dangerous precedent. The fight in the to the present, use a vocabulary which

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 39 Brand Singapore: Sustaining a City-state Political Economy

Singapore’s Foreign Policy: Unique Features suggests that Singapore adheres to the Singapore’s adherence to international Realist school, which takes a cold-eyed, law in its foreign policy has served unsentimental view of the world. The Singapore well. This is true in our Realist worships power and is usually relations with our neighbours, such as dismissive of other considerations. How Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. can a Realist State attach so much This is also true in our relations with the importance to international law? major powers.

Singapore’s ideology is actually not Conclusion Realism, but Pragmatism. Our adherence to international law is based upon utility Let me conclude. Singapore is a small and not morality. Small States are better State. Our leaders like to say that in the off in a world ruled by law than in a ocean of life, the big fish eat small lawless world. Small States benefit from fish and the small fish eat shrimp. a world order in which interactions Singapore’s first Prime Minister, Mr Lee between States are based upon Kuan Yew, once described Singapore as international law and not power. It a poisonous shrimp. I prefer to see levels the playing field. It holds all Singapore as a small fish. It is, however, States accountable by the same rules. an extraordinary small fish. It has This is also the reason why Singapore organised the small fishes to band is a strong believer in referring together for their mutual protection. It disputes, which cannot be resolved by is a fast and agile swimmer and can out- negotiations, to international modalities swim many big fishes. The world is, of dispute settlement, such as however, a dangerous place and small conciliation, mediation, arbitration and fishes will always be vulnerable to the adjudication. Small States have a better big predators of the ocean. chance of winning a dispute with a bigger State in a court of law than in a contest of strength.

About the Author Tommy Koh is a professor of law of National University of Singapore (NUS), on secondment to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He is one of Singapore’s Ambassadors-at-Large. At NUS, he is the Rector of Tembusu College, Chairman of Centre for International Law and serves as Special Adviser at the Singapore Institute of Policy Studies.

40 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Singaporean Expressions Branding Singapore Through Singapore(an) English? By Vincent B Y Ooi

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 41 Singaporean Expressions

Branding Singapore Through Singapore(an) English?

Not long ago, Prime Minister (PM) Lee should start a new language in Hsien Loong urged new citizens to Singapore called Singlish. There are integrate into Singapore society by too few of us…we have to have a joining in the country’s community life: sense of who we are, but it cannot be based on speaking Singlish. It has “Pick up Singapore customs, to be based on your pride in being a lifestyles, norms, (and) social rules. Singaporean, you grew up here...this And if you can understand Singlish, is where you can make a difference so much the better.” 1 and you fit in.”2

This is not only an excellent observation According to PM Lee, [proper] English that the use of Singlish is very real in the should be the working language here local community but also that the and Singlish should not be a part of the discourse can be so localised that those Singapore identity. new to the country would find it hard to understand. At the same time, we might also be reminded of Ambassador Tommy Koh’s I am reminded of an anecdote regarding popular 1974 musing: a Caucasian male who approached a group of local students making Changi “When one is abroad in a bus or Airport as their study place during the train or aeroplane and when one examination period. When he listened meets a fellow Singaporean, one to their Singlish for the first time, he can immediately identify that asked them, “Excuse me, what language that person is Singaporean or are you using?” Malaysian….and I should hope that when I speak English, no one will While we might find this a joking have a problem identifying that I’m matter, PM Lee would probably not do Singaporean.” so. When asked by a student from China regarding how Singlish as a Of course, the type of English that unique language would help to bond Ambassador Tommy Koh advocates Singaporeans, he said, need not necessarily be construed as Singlish just because it is Singaporean “I think many Singaporeans will not in nature. In his own speech, Ambassor agree with me but I don’t think we Koh is characterised as someone

1 Channel NewsAsia (7 July 2012), retrieved from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1212148/1/.html. 2 AsiaOne (22 September 2012), retrieved from http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20070922-26463.html.

42 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Singaporean Expressions

Branding Singapore Through Singapore(an) English? who speaks ‘flawless English’ with a English’. Singapore(an) English (or ‘SgE’, Singaporean accent.3 Lim et al, 2010) may be characterised as a new variety of English such as What ‘types’ of English are used in Philippine English, Indian English and Singapore? Is it always Singlish versus Malaysian English. ‘proper (standard) English’? What do we mean by the term Singlish? The In Singapore, English is the language discourse of English use in Singapore is that links its main ethnicities which usually characterised dichotomously, include 74 percent Chinese, 13 percent resulting in the ‘Speak Good English Malay and 9.2 percent Indians. Movement’4 pitted against the ‘Speak According to the latest Census of Good Singlish Movement’.5 Population 20106, English is the most frequently spoken language at home In this article, I hope to offer a middle among 32.6 percent of the Chinese ground by sketching a model of English (while others use mostly Mandarin and that relates the range of domestic Chinese dialects as home languages), English use to its international usage. 17.0 percent of the Malays (while most The type of English for domestic use is use the Malay language as the home often described by linguists as language) and 41.6 percent Indians ‘Singapore(an) English’, one that goes (while others mostly use Tamil, other beyond the somewhat derogatory Indian languages or Malay). Despite and loaded term Singlish. It is this, English is the predominant Singapore(an) English that ‘brands’ language of instruction in learning Singapore and offers a common cultural institutions and can be considered discourse for the various ethnic the de facto national language (which groups/races that make up the constitutionally, and so de jure, is country’s composition. Malay). English is the leading language of administration, education, public Singapore(an) English as a ‘variety’ of signage and everyday interaction. Many English Singaporeans are bilingual or trilingual, and the linguistic repertoire of a local It may be strange to non-linguists that Chinese resident can include knowledge the word ‘English’ can be pluralised of English, Mandarin Chinese and one of nowadays, or that there are ‘varieties of the Chinese dialects (typically Hokkien).

3 Chua Mui Hoong, posted on http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bmalaysia/message/4008. 4 Retrieved from http://www.facebook.com/MySGSM#!/speakgoodenglishmovement?fref=ts. 5 Speak Good Singlish Movement, retrieved from http://www.facebook.com/MySGSM. 6 Census of Population 2010, retrieved from http://www.singstat.gov.sg/pubn/popn/c2010sr1/ cop2010sr1.pdf and http://www.singstat.gov.sg/news/news/press31082010.pdf.

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 43 Singaporean Expressions

Branding Singapore Through Singapore(an) English?

English Use in Singapore is a Range or is not recognisable by native SgE-L Continuum speakers if it was rephrased in one of the following ways: The range of English use in Singapore may be characterised as follows: *Why you liddat so? standard English (which usually means standard British/US English), SgE-H *Why so you liddat? (educated, ‘standard’ Singaporean English) and SgE-L (Colloquial Singapore While SgE-L expressions7 may be said English, also popularly known as to derive mainly from Chinese or Malay, Singlish). Standard English is the native SgE-L speakers would probably benchmark set in grammar books, also tend to agree that the expression dictionaries, classroom texts, official everyone is good (to mean ‘Hello, media and print materials. SgE-H may everyone’) is not so much Singlish (if at be considered the local H(igh)-variety all) as it is Chinglish. This expression is used and comprises ‘invisible norms’ literally translated from the Chinese that have to be distinguished from expression into English.8 those of native English speakers. Ooi’s Concentric Circles Model SgE-L, as the L(ow) variety, is used in The three aspects of English just more domestic situations and is the outlined may be diagrammatically popular colloquial variety found in represented and ‘graded’ in terms of a (among others) casual conversations, ‘Concentric Circles Model’ (Ooi, 2001) television humour programmes, online as follows: personal blogs, chat rooms and discussion forums. I would prefer the Circle 1 represents the inner circle that term SgE-L to Singlish which has comprises ‘core or standard English’ become a loaded term that is either linguistic expressions that may or hated or loved among Singaporeans. may not be traditionally Germanic/ Unlike ‘broken English’ (which has no French/Latin in origin. Non-Anglo rules), the word order in SgE-L tends to expressions that are codified and be rule-governed. For example, the standardised in dictionaries nowadays well-known SgE-L expression Why you include kungfu, sari and lychee. Circle so liddat? (‘liddat’ = ‘like that’, meaning 1 items are unmarked and deemed ‘Why do you behave in this manner?) acceptable internationally.

7 Retrieved from http://freepages.family.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~jacklee/Files/19950503-ST- PleaseUseSinglishSparingly.pdf. 8 The difference is that this is an expression recognised by mainland Chinese speakers, rather than native Singlish speakers. Search ‘everybody is good’ in Baidu.com for a list of instances.

44 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Singaporean Expressions

Branding Singapore Through Singapore(an) English?

Circle 2 (SgE-H) is the next outer circle a sentence such as I like to sleep late at containing linguistic expressions from 3am would have its corresponding meaning in either Malay (‘tidur lewat’) or Chinese (‘wan shuì’). Pakir (2009: 85) reminds us that ‘Singapore offers an example of a (tropical) vcountry where spontaneous daily interaction among speakers of several languages over a long period of time has led to (various linguistic) innovation processes’ and semantic shifts which differ from the conventional Western discourses that we tend to associate standard English with. Thus, “while Australians might find the description of ‘windy’ for homes as a negative feature English acceptable in more formal local in the (real estate) ‘for sale’ situations, but go beyond their advertisements, Singaporeans consider conventional meaning in Western ‘windy’ as ‘breezy’ and therefore a discourse. For instance, killer litter is a positive feature” (Pakir, 2009: 96). hybrid of two intriguing and yet unlikely Another noteworthy point is that juxtapositions in Western discourse, ie the sense of ‘breeziness’ would not the seriousness of ‘killers’ and the social tend to invite the charge of Singlish irresponsibility of throwing harmless among Singaporeans. garbage on the ground. In Singaporean discourse though, this productive Circle 3 (SgE-H) is the next outer circle neologism is needed in a densely containing linguistic expressions that are populated society of high-storey also acceptable in formal local situations buildings. For many expressions, the and go beyond their conventional influence from a local language or dialect understanding in Western discourse. is obvious. An example is sleep late. In However, unlike those in Circle 2, the US English, a song title such as I like to items in this circle contain loanwords and sleep late in the morning makes it clear expressions from other local languages that one gets up late in the morning; in (principally Chinese and Malay). There SgE-H, it would be much more common are no English equivalents without to refer to staying up late at night. Thus, missing local associations. Examples

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 45 Singaporean Expressions

Branding Singapore Through Singapore(an) English? include silat (‘Malay kungfu’), songkok represents the outermost circle of least (‘Malay hat’), laksa (‘a popular curry dish’) transparency (in relation to ‘core English’) and ice kachang (‘a dessert of shaved ice in having terms of non-English origin that with various flavours and toppings’ that are primed for local colloquial situations can include kachang, a Malay word for only. Makan is the Malay word for ‘to ‘peanuts’). Conceivably, Malay words eat’, paktor is the Cantonese Chinese such as durian (whose first use is attested word for ‘dating’, and kiasu is a word by the Oxford English Dictionary as early borrowed from Hokkien that means as 1588) and rambutan (coined in 1707) ‘afraid to lose out’. Proponents of the would be in this circle instead of Circle 1. ‘Speak Good English Movement’ in However, these words have stood the Singapore would probably be appalled test of time and are now accepted by the to learn that the publishers of Oxford world’s English-speaking community. Dictionaries (“the world’s most trusted Hence, the words durian and rambutan dictionaries”) have included both rightfully belong to Circle 1. kiasu and the Malay word lepak (‘loafing’) – labelling them as ‘South Circle 4 (SgE-L or Singlish expressions East Asian’ usage.10 taken from English) is the next outer circle of English-derived expressions that are Both Circles 2 and 3 would be acceptable deemed suitable for local colloquial or in more formal situations, for example informal situations only. In this circle, classroom reports, newspaper editorials structures from colloquial Chinese or and broadcast news (see Ooi, 2007 Malay are ‘filled by’ English words. Thus, and Low, 2010, for a range of other the expression ‘I follow Mother to the expressions in Circles 2 and 3). However, market’ does not mean that the both Circles 4 and 5 would be acceptable interlocutor walks behind but instead in colloquial or highly informal situations accompanies the mother. In casual only (usually speech) and contain terms conversations, blur is also used as an that are popularly known as ‘Singapore adjective, to mean ‘confused or dazed’. Colloquial English’ or Singlish. Former Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew used this example of ‘blur’ as a This way of thinking about English in prototypical Singlish feature. 9 Singapore, ranging from Circles 1 to 5, would remove a lot of the linguistic Circle 5 (SgE-L or Singlish expressions anxiety surrounding the use of a linguistic taken from other languages or dialects) expression as either Singlish or ‘standard

9 The Business Times (16 Aug 1999), reproduced in http://groups.yahoo.com/group/beritamalaysia/ message/12662. 10 Retrieved from http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/kiasu?q=kiasu and http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/lepak?q=lepak.

46 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Singaporean Expressions

Branding Singapore Through Singapore(an) English?

English’. We can use the model to I suspect that younger (Chinese) relate domestic English to international Singaporeans would not use this English usage; at the same time, it expression much, if at all, and would would help foreigners to avoid cross- prefer the corresponding Mandarin cultural miscommunication (as in the Chinese form instead. case of ‘windy’) when they first arrive in the country. In terms of the newer phenomenon of computer-mediated communication Singapore(an) English: Generational (CMC), the following excerpt is taken Changes, Technological Affordances from a personal blog by a 15-year old female teen: We should note that Singaporean English LoNG tiMe NO Blog lE..FinalLy..aFteR is not a static entity; it noticeably THe prElIms..Nw LeFt WiTh ScIencE changes over time as younger and older pRActIcAl Singaporeans prefer different expressions respectively. At the same time, the rise Writing in a blend of SgE-L and Computer- of Short Message Service (SMS), instant mediated communicaton (CMC), this messaging, blogs, twitter and Facebook teen prefers a mix of upper and lower also means that Singaporean English is case in order to identify with a younger shaped by such technological affordances female group. CMC represents the newer in an increasingly 24/7 online world. literacy nowadays, in which expressions online are mediated by the keyboard that For instance, the expression ‘see me at once signifies a blend of both speech no up’ (literally from Chinese ) and writing. was used no fewer than five times in the course of a conversation by a middle- Now, consider the following excerpt from aged Chinese lady in a popular local a Twitter post: shopping mall recently. The Coxford Singlish Dictionary11 lists it as follows: ABC @xyz how come sia omg its killing me.

SEE ME NO UP The one who posts, ‘ABC’ (whose real To be looked down upon by someone. name is anonymised here), is writing to Can also be used to accuse someone another Twitter account holder, ‘xyz’ of being condescending. “You know (anonymised for privacy too). ABC, a me for so long and still treat me like Malay speaker, uses the particle sia that? You damn see me no up, is it?” (presumably a shortening from the Malay swear word sial) to relate with 11 Retrieved from http://www.talkingcock.com/html/ lexec.php?op=LexLink&lexicon=lexicon&keyword=SEE%20ME%20NO%20UP.

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 47 Singaporean Expressions

Branding Singapore Through Singapore(an) English? his friend xyz. Omg (‘Oh my God’) is Model shows the scaffolding that is increasingly a well-known common needed for learners to move towards computer-mediated abbreviation the acquisition of (international) marker. standard English or for those new to Singapore to better understand the Conclusion English used within the country. Through its unique blend of Western Beyond thinking about English use in and Asian discourses and cultures, Singapore as either ‘standard English’ Singapore(an) English continues to or Singlish, the Concentric Circles showcase the country to the world.

References Lim, L, Pakir, A & Wee L (eds) (2010), English in Singapore: Modernity and Management, Singapore: NUS Press. Low, EL (2010), English in Singapore and Malaysia: differences and similarities, in Kirkpatrick A (ed) The Routledge Handbook of World Englishes, Routledge: London and New York, pp 229-246. Ooi, VBY (2001), Globalising Singaporean-Malaysian English in an inclusive learner’s dictionary, in Moore B (ed) Who’s Centric Now?: The Present State of Post-Colonial Englishes, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp 95-121. Ooi, VBY (2007), Reprint of ‘Asian or Western realities?: Collocations in Singaporean- Malaysian English’, in Kirk JM (ed) (2000), Corpora Galore: Analyses and Techniques in Describing English, Amsterdam: Rodopi, pp 73 - 89 in Teubert W and Krishnamurthy R (eds), Corpus Linguistics: Critical Concepts in Linguistics, London: Routledge, pp 194-212. Pakir, A (2009), Lexical variations in ‘Singapore English’: linguistic description and language education, in Kawaguchi Y, Minegishi M, and Durand J (eds), Corpus Analysis and Variation in Linguistics, Amsterdam: John Benjamins, pp 83-100.

About the Author Vincent B Y Ooi is an Associate Professor at the Department of English Language and Literature, NUS. His research and teaching interests include corpus linguistics, Asian discourses in English, dictionaries and the language of the Internet (computer- mediated communication).

48 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Singaporean Expressions How to Look at Contemporary Art from Singapore? By Tan Boon Hui

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 49 Singaporean Expressions

How to Look at Contemporary Art from Singapore?

Legends of the Fall cultures of this region. It is thus no wonder that to those more familiar with One of the enduring myths among art these images, the contemporary art lovers in Singapore has been that the so- being created today, especially when it called ‘Nanyang’ style was the distinctive seems dominated not by painting with high point and the origin of a recognisable subject matter but strange distinguishable Singapore art. Never installations, videos and worse, mind that in the 1950s, Singapore was still performances seem like the proverbial effectively a colony and part of the overall fall from the dizzying heights of Malayan sphere. To this day, many greatness. What then are the features collectors, art lovers and even senior of art-making today and how do we to artists and curators, look back at the appreciate them? Yet, to compare the art paintings, drawings and sketches of Liu of the pioneer artists’ times with the Kang, Cheong Soo Pieng, Lim Cheng Hoe contemporary art of today seems like and Georgette Chen with genuine comparing apples to oranges. Art today affection and yes, wistfulness. This is in can no longer return to the visions and contrast to their sometimes explicit styles of the ‘Nanyang’ artists because of aversion to the contemporary art that is two changes. being created by the present generation of artists. A common refrain from this Responses to Transformations in camp is that contemporary Singapore art Singapore Society is not rooted in our culture and that there is nothing that the eye can discern that First, Singapore society has changed is derived or inspired by the unique irrevocably from the 1950s. We are now environment that we live in. By this, they an urbanised society and independent are usually referring to idiosyncratic nation rather than a British colony. While juxtaposition of western painting the previous generations of artists techniques and mediums with local attempted to define our distinctive subject matter that dominated many of cultural identity vis-a-vis western culture the works of the first generation of giving rise to all the familiar descriptions artists. The archetypical image is that of of ‘east versus west’, artists working Cheong Soo Pieng’s numerous doe-eyed today tend to take the reality of the maidens with their elongated, slender Singapore nation as an important frame limbs, rifting imageries from the of reference. They are less concerned traditional wayang or shadow puppet with what we are not (that is western) figures. Languid and suffused with warm, but more with asking who we are. tender tones of ochre, green and red, the The work Inside Outside by young works are inviting to the eye and do speak Singaporean artist Charles Lim is of the artists’ clear pride in the lands and instructive in this respect. Recently

50 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Singaporean Expressions

How to Look at Contemporary Art from Singapore? shown at the Singapore Art Museum’s stationary, the waters move freely The Singapore Show: Future Proof, the beneath them alluding to the fluidity of installation comprises a wall of the Singapore identity. photographs of floating sea markers that denote the limits of Singapore’s The mobility of many of our young artists territorial boundaries. The artist in the contemporary period, many of photographed each marker from both whom have trained overseas and worked sides of the invisible line separating in many lands, has ironically driven them Singapore from other territories, which to focus even more on using their art as depicts in essence travelling in and out a way of affirming the reality of who we of the nation. A live ship radio is installed are as a people and a culture. While the alongside the photographs enabling a earlier generations came to make this real time connection to marine vessels place their home, the current generation requesting permission to enter Singapore of artists has to consider why Singapore waters. This auditory act, repeated by is still home even if they are a thousand each incoming vessel both expresses and miles away. The artist Dawn Ng had to reinforces the invisible boundaries that move to Paris a few years ago. Her contain the Singapore nation. The subsequent loneliness and separation installation Inside Outside crystallises from her native homeland, Singapore, the slipperiness of the boundaries that inspired her work Thirty-one Kinds of define us. As an island nation, our Wonderful where she decided to national space is out at sea, invisible handcraft a piece of artwork every day to the eye. While the markers are for a month using materials from the

Charles Lim, Inside Outside, 2005, Photographs & ship radio connection, artist collection, installation view at The Singapore Show: Future Proof, Singapore Art Museum.

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 51 Singaporean Expressions

How to Look at Contemporary Art from Singapore?

Parisian markets. Humourous yet materials available for the creation of art moving, the objects in this series are a have expanded far beyond the limits of testament to the invisible ties that earlier pioneers. Alongside easel painting bind the artist to her homeland across and sculptures, the exposure to other the oceans. means of art-making since the 1980s has enlarged the repertoire for artists to Indeed, the sense of loss against the encompass installation, performance art, assaults of time and history is a perennial video and photography. Part of this theme in much contemporary art created expansion of possibilities is related to the here since 2000. The threats to identity, acceptance by contemporary artists of values and destructions of the urban the primacy of concept in contemporary fabric appear persistently in the works. art. By this, we mean that more and Since the advent of contemporary art more artists believe that the ideas behind

Dawn Ng, Thirty-one Kinds of Wonderful, 2011, Various media, private & artist collections, view of ‘anger management plate’. Image courtesy of artist.

practice in the 1980s, the bulk of art created here has been inspired by issues of society, culture and values. Art for art’s sake has never really taken hold here despite the infusion of new artistic ideas from the West.

Impact of Expanded Means for Art- making

The second marked difference in Singapore art now is that the means and

52 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Singaporean Expressions

How to Look at Contemporary Art from Singapore? an artwork are just as important, and may manipulation of form and material in the even be more important than the form service of artistic concept. The idea and of the work. intention of the work now determines ever more directly the choice of medium This acceptance has important and material. consequences for art-making today. One of the most immediate is that art need This new development in the nature of no longer just be confined to the forms art is even more clearly demonstrated in of fine art as we conventionally imagine a seminal work Dear Cai Xiong (A Letter them. Instead, whatever materials could From Ho Ho Ying, 1972), from one of the serve the intentions of the artists could pioneers of contemporary art practice, now be used. This is the basis of many Cheo Chai Hiang, which is based on an installation art today. In her work Crystal actual incident in Singapore’s art history. City, the artist Donna Ong arranges a large In 1972, Cheo Chai Hiang, a member of quantity of glass bottles and containers the Modern Art Society made a proposal consciously to evoke an image of an for the society’s exhibition entitled urban skyline, with soaring skyscrapers ‘Singapore River’. Instead of the expected and modern buildings. The sparkling painting, for instance, he sent a set of glass suggests the newness and written instructions to the exhibition modernity of the city, yet the fragility of organisers, instructing them to draw a the materials also hints at the brittle square measuring five feet, stretching foundations and hopes upon which the from the gallery floor to the adjacent wall. heroic edifices of the modern city are His proposal was clearly focused on the built. The imaginative richness of this concepts of art rather than its formal work also stems from the artist’s visual properties. It was rejected by the

Donna Ong, Crystal City, 2009, Glassware, various dimensions, Singapore Art Museum collection, installation view at President’s Young Talents exhibition, Singapore Art Museum.

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 53 Singaporean Expressions

How to Look at Contemporary Art from Singapore?

Cheo Chai Hiang, Dear Cai Xiong (A Letter From Ho Ho Ying, 1972), 2005, Pencil on unprimed canvas, set of 4, 379 x 257 cm (each), Singapore Art Museum collection.

Society and Society founder, Mr Ho Ho have been doing with the paint medium Ying, who responded to Cheo in a letter in recent years. which presented the view that Art, besides being new, also had to resonate Paintings by Singapore painter, Jane Lee, with its viewers and possess unique are about painting and paint itself as an qualities. It reflected the debates that expressive medium. Instead of the had started over art’s purposes and the representative images of painting, she best methods and forms with which treats paint as a sculptural medium and artists should employ to serve the former. her paintings are literally objects of weight, texture and three-dimensional In Dear Cai Xiong (A Letter From Ho Ho form. Trained also in textiles, the artist Ying, 1972), originally written by Mr Ho weaves her paint as if they are threads in Ho Ying in Mandarin, was reproduced by a loom, building up complex layers and Cheo as an installation much later in textures that forcefully encourage the 2005. Here, in this one work, was the viewer to see her paintings as an object encapsulation of all the debates over the in them rather than a container for other nature of art, one in which contemporary imageries. In the monumental and art, informed by conceptualist ideas, visually stunning Status, the red paint eventually found its space. literally frees itself from the picture frame to become an independent element, a The primacy of concept over mere form curling carpet on the gallery floor. The as a feature of contemporary art practice intense red and sensuous threads of in Singapore today did not merely edge paint, painstakingly applied layer upon out the old pictorial representations. layer, create a compelling presence in the Rather, it should be seen as enlarging the gallery. In Status, one sees how the creative possibilities of art. This is clear freedom that privileges the concepts of when we look at what some young artists art over its need to stay within fixed

54 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Singaporean Expressions

How to Look at Contemporary Art from Singapore? formal frameworks has brought new creative possibilities to even old mediums.

The viewer is thus encouraged to embrace these new trajectories that the younger artists have followed. These trajectories represent the cutting edge of artistic development as it absorbs the full impact of globalisation and the social transformations that Singapore society is undergoing over time. To reject contemporary art because it is unfamiliar is to shut ourselves out of the future and its possibilities.

Jane Lee, Status, 2009, Mixed media, 480 x 420 x 120 cm, image courtesy of artist. Acquired with the support of Binjai Tree Foundation in honour of Chia Yew Kay, Singapore Art Museum collection.

About the Author Tan Boon Hui has been Director of the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) since August 2009. His current portfolio involves transforming SAM into a leading centre for contemporary Southeast Asian and Asian art. He leads the curatorial team building one of the most important public collections of contemporary Southeast Asian art in the world, developing international exchanges and the creation of new commissioning platforms. As Director, he also heads the organising secretariat for the Singapore Biennale 2013.

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 55 Singaporean Expressions Singapore Food, Seriously On My Mind By Margaret Chan

56 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Singaporean Expressions

Singapore Food, Seriously On My Mind

On the first night in Sydney, there were beetroot. This suggests a connection just two of us and we went to eat Thai with geography and perhaps dietary because it was the only Asian restaurant ecology. Maybe Singaporeans have a on the street. “Ahhhh,” said my Japanese laksa gene. D’Adamo theorised that our friend, “Singapore noodles, my earliest ancestors, Cro-Magnons, were favourite.” She clapped her hands in an ‘O’ blood-type meat-eaters. They were adorable kawaii way and as her such successful hunters; Cro-Magnons enthusiasm was such, I did not want to killed off all the game herds and so, tell her that Singapore noodles in starved to death. The Neolithics, who Australia and Britain is not Singapore followed, made a start with agriculture noodles. I chose laksa (yes, in a Thai evolving into ‘A’ blood types better restaurant). It came with thin beehoon, disposed to digesting grain.1 People not the ‘correct’ thick vermicelli. “Oh had become omnivorous in order to well,” I thought. survive.

On the second night, some 20 of us went The omnivore, however, faced a to eat at Temasek Restaurant. I had laksa dilemma: A wider diet meant — again — a choice that derived (I would experimenting with a wider variety of like to think), from a deep instinct rather foods and this translated into greater than a limited imagination. Again it was exposure to eating something unsafe. made with thin beehoon, but at least the And so people invented cooking and gravy was ‘authentic’. The rendang was cuisine.2 Cuisines often ritualise food ‘real’, so too the chendol. On the third safety for example, the proscription night, I hopefully suggested Temasek against pork in Middle-Eastern cuisines again, but our party had a Japanese stemmed from a concern with the pig’s majority, who voted with their feet — filthy feeding habits.3 In this way, eating dinner was at a Japanese restaurant. developed into a culture. “All animals What makes a Singaporean eat laksa feed but humans alone eat,” noted two meals in a row, when a Russian Farb and Armalegos.4 People became would not? familiar with the specific foods of their community which became their For one thing, we have langkwas, serai, “habitus”, that Bourdieuan concept of kunyit, belacan, haybee - they have “systems of durable, transposable

1 D’Adamo, Peter J (1996), Eat Right 4 Your Type, New York: GP Putnam’s Sons. 2 Rozin, Elizabeth (1982), The Structure of Cuisine, in Lewis M Barker (ed), The Psychobiology of Human Food Selection, Westport, CT: AVI, pp 189-203. 3 Harris, Marvin (2008), The Abominable Pig, in Carole Counihan and Penny van Esterik (eds), Food and Culture: A Reader, Second Edition, New York: Routledge, (1997), pp 54-66. 4 Farb, Peter & Armelagos, George J (1980), Consuming Passions: The Anthropology of Eating, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, p 3.

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 57 Singaporean Expressions

Singapore Food, Seriously On My Mind dispositions”.5 This is why it is not only I, Peanut Ice Kachang, Pagi Sore, Hoo Kee but also Lim Swee Say, Minister in the Rice Dumpling and Teck Kee Tanglin Pau Prime Minister’s Office, who must have (which were on the Fullerton Hotel laksa. This food was what he missed most spread), might be analysed and as a student in the United Kingdom in the quantified into formulae that would 1970s.6 What then might be Singapore reproduce exact tastes and textures en food? A Straits Times report on a hawker masse, over and over again. The idea food promotion at Fullerton Hotel of mechanisation might seem to be the provided some answers.7 very antithesis of a food of a people, but that is what we are all eating today, For 62-year-old Lim Soon Hock, Singapore and we are becoming fat, very fat, food is about the memories of childhood for it. Industrialisation is the latest meals with his father at food stalls along development in the human dietary Singapore River: “the stench of the evolution. It has produced a super Singapore River, the high humidity on hot abundance of inexpensive, high-density afternoons, the congestion and jostling foods which we often eat sitting in through large office crowds.” Sixty-five front of the TV or computer.8 The year-old Chan Heng Wing was adamant consequence is nightmarish: Worldwide, about traditional recipes. “Char kway obesity has more than doubled since teow has to be fried with lard,” he said, 1980. In 2008, more than 1.4 billion “God forbid the day when people fry their adults were overweight of whom, 200 char kway teow in olive oil.” million men and 300 million women were obese.9 However, Singapore’s former number one Mandarin, Ngiam Tong Dow, who was at Mr Ang Hak Seng, Chief Executive Officer the Hawker Fest with Lim and Chan was (CEO) of the Health Promotion Board unsentimental. Singapore, advised (HPB) tells of obesity in Singapore Ngiam, should industrialise and jumping from seven percent in 2004 to modernise its local food. This suggests 11 percent in 2010, and although there that items such as Ya Kun Kaya Toast, are not as many fat Singaporeans as there Hock Lam Beef Noodles, Nam Seng are fat Americans (35 percent), British (26 Noodles, Kim Choo Kueh Chang, Annie’s percent) and Australians (25 percent),

5 Bourdieu, Pierre (1990), The Logic of Practice, Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, p 53. 6 Lim in Kong, Lily (2007), Singapore Hawker Centres: People, Places, Food, Singapore: National Environ- ment Agency, p 106. 7 Toh, Wen Li (18 May 2012), Famous Hawkers’ Buffet at Riverside, The Straits Times, Life!: D17. 8 Armelagos, George J (Summer 2010), The Omnivore’s Dilemma: The Evolution of the Brain and the Determinants of Food Choice, Journal of Anthropological Research, 66 (2), pp 161-186. 9 World Health Organization (May 2012), Obesity and overweight, Fact sheet No 311, retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/ accessed 12 October 2012.

58 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Singaporean Expressions

Singapore Food, Seriously On My Mind

Ang says we are close to the tipping educated.12 This point. Ang has taken the fight to the intervention is timely, for with the rise in hawker centres since almost 70 percent dual-career families, fewer meals are of Singaporeans eat at least one meal at being eaten at home. In Singapore in a hawker centre daily.10 The Healthier 2011, the married labour force Hawker Programme, launched in July participation rate was 85 percent for 2006, is aimed at coaxing hawkers to cook men and 60 percent for women.13 A with healthier ingredients for instance, 2005 survey of 100 Singaporean and using vegetable oil instead of lard. I went, 100 Malaysian youngsters reported in September 2012, to check out a that while 32.9 percent of Malaysian hawker centre where the ‘Healthier youths had their lunch prepared Choice’ symbol (a red triangle on a at home, only 7.2 percent of young white badge) was pasted on many Singaporeans ate a home-cooked stalls. In the busy lunch period that I lunch.14 Professor May Wong, speaking spent there, I did not see anyone ask at a seminar on food choices being for high-fibre noodles or unpolished made in Singapore homes, cited a rice. My impression was that both survey of 130 Singapore women in customers and hawkers were too which respondents said they were just harassed to even think of new choices. too busy to cook. Weekends were a HPB’s CEO Ang knows the problem and frenzy of ferrying children from one he has made arrangements at some activity to another, for enrichment food places for the reverse to happen. education is high priority with Unless you specify ‘unhealthy’, you Singapore parents. Respondents also automatically get your food with less oil, pointed out that it was cheaper to buy less sugar and less salt.11 Ang hopes that pre-prepared food than to cook at in time, our tastebuds will be re- home.15 Professor Wong further

10 Long, Susan (5 October 2012), Promoting Health, One Hawker Meal at a Time, The Straits Times, Friday, Opinion: A33. 11 Ibid. This healthy food scheme is in place in hawker centres in Yuhua, Eunos Crescent, Haig Road, Geylang Serai and Marine Terrace, and in six coffeeshops in Woodlands, Bedok, Bukit Batok and Jurong East. The scheme will be extended to 25 food places by end 2012. 12 For more on the Singapore fight against obesity, see Goh, Lee Gan & Pang, Jonathan (January - March 2012), Obesity in Singapore, Prevention and Control, The Singapore Family Physician, 3 (1): pp 8-13. 13 Ministry of Social and Family Development, MSF, ‘Women and the Economy: Labour Force Participa- tion Rate (Married Females)’, http://app.msf.gov.sg/ResearchRoom/ResearchStatistics/ LabourForceParticipationRateMarriedFemales.aspx accessed 2 November 2012. 14 Lew, K & Barlow, PJ (2005), Dietary Practices of Adolescents in Singapore and Malaysia, Singapore Medical Journal, 46 (6): 282-88, p 282. 15 Wong, May (18 September 2012), Food Provision and Food Choice Decision-Making: The Changing Role of Women in Singapore, Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore Seminar Series. Wang is Associate Professor of Community Health Sciences at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles and an ARI affiliate.

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 59 Singaporean Expressions

Singapore Food, Seriously On My Mind revealed that unlike in the west, where who command respect in today’s children ate what was put in front of economy”.17 And it is western fast food them, in Singapore homes the food that our economically empowered choices were often made by children. youth want. Yan tells how a “war of This last bit of information is not fried chickens” erupted in Beijing in surprising for we know how 1989 to 1990 with the likes of Lingzhi Singaporean parents mix the Chinese Roast Chicken and Ronghua Fried penchant for growing little emperors Chicken rising up to take on KFC. The with notions of western liberalism in a Chinese eateries failed miserably. So, sure recipe for rule by child. I am sure Chinese fast-food restaurants began to we need only ask around to hear offer local fare. In 1992, the Jinghe Singapore stories similar to those told Kuaican Company, representing nearly by Yan, an anthropologist who a thousand state-owned restaurants, researched the fast-food scene in offered five sets of value meals and China. One report was of a Beijing more than 50 fast-food items cooked to family who regularly went to traditional recipes; but the business McDonald’s because the daughter folded as quickly as it opened.18 Lew loved the food. It was irrelevant that and Barlow reported that more than 89 mother did not like, and father percent of the Singaporean youths they absolutely abhorred hamburgers.16 surveyed ate at western fast-food restaurants. More than 66 percent James Watson believes that American went once a week, but some ate fast food succeeded in China because western fast food eight times, or even the industry had entered into a society more in a week.19 that was witnessing the collapse of an outdated Confucian family system. In order to understand why the Until the 1980s, he noted, few Chinese Americans succeeded when the children ate meals outside their homes Chinese failed, we need to think of and now youngsters aged three and ‘cuisine’ beyond the narrower posh four can walk up to a counter, slap down sense of the word to Belasco’s wider money and order their own food. For definition of the concept, which the first time in history, writes Watson, includes food selectivity (preferred children are “full-scale consumers cooking styles, food flavours and food

16 Yan, Yunxiang (2008), Of Hamburgers and Social Space: Consuming McDonald’s in Beijing, in Counihan Carole and Van Esterik, Penny (eds), Food and Culture: A Reader, Second Edition, New York: Routledge, (1997), pp 500-522: 512. 17 Watson, James L, China’s Big Mac Attack, in James L Watson and Melissa L Caldwell (eds), The Cultural Politics of Food and Eating: A Reader, Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2005, p 74. 18 Yan, Of Hamburgers and Social Space, pp 503-504. 19 Lew and Barlow, Dietary Practices of Adolescents, p 284.

60 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Singaporean Expressions

Singapore Food, Seriously On My Mind aesthetics) with food eating rituals, as writes about travelling through Japan well as the organised systems of eating regional and seasonal specialties producing and distributing the food.20 sold at train stations, for instance, fugu McDonald’s must be studied as an (blowfish), which is sold only at industry that retails culture. A Chinese Shimonoseki Station between November mother told Yan how she had made a and March. And of course there is the great effort to adapt to the taste of institution of the obento children lunch burgers so she could take her daughter boxes symbolising “an ideology which to eat at McDonald’s twice a week. The encodes motherhood, education, and the mother wanted her daughter to learn state.”22 about American culture and be able to type in English for she planned to buy her If Singapore would start a food revolution, child a computer. Yan writes of the what are the stories we might tell? For McDonald’s experience as a multi- one, we can celebrate our squeaky-clean dimensional social space. Eating at reputation. Ten new hawker centres are McDonald’s connected the Chinese coming up in the next five years. Dr diners with the rest of the world. Dining Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for the on foreign foods allowed them to think Environment and Water Resources told of themselves as young professionals. The Sunday Times that these new eating And because McDonald’s does not sell places would preferably be run on a not- alcohol, women feel comfortable eating for-profit basis and would probably be at McDonald’s alone. At Chinese located near community facilities to restaurants, the single woman diner is continue the evolution of the hawker surveyed as a prostitute.21 centre as a uniquely Singaporean communal space.23 Can we expect a What McDonald’s had done was create a revolutionary new concept to eating out habitus. Another example of a food in Singapore? Think how the open habitus is the Japanese station box lunch kitchen has become a standard design at (ekibento, ekiben for short), a tradition swanky restaurants. It started off as a that originated from the portable rice ball window on celebrity chefs at work but and pickles which were already written now, it is because people want to be about in the Japanese 11th century connected to the cooking they are eating literary classic, The Tale of Genji. Noguchi and they want to know that the food is

20 Belasco, Warren (2005), Food and the Counterculture: A Story of Bread and Politics, in James L Watson and Melissa L Caldwell (eds), The Cultural Politics of Food and Eating: A Reader, Malden, MA: Blackwell, pp 217-234: 219-220. 21 Yan, Of Hamburgers and Social Space, pp 507-13. 22 Noguchi, Paul H (Autumn 1994), Savor Slowly: Ekiben: The Fast Food of High-Speed Japan, Ethnology, 33 (4), 1994: pp 317-330: 318. 23 Zaccheus, Melody (21 October 2012), 3 Towns to Get New Hawker Centres, The Sunday Times, Home, p 15.

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 61 Singaporean Expressions

Singapore Food, Seriously On My Mind being prepared in sterile, stainless steel testify that easy access to wholesome environments. Have we thought of meals is crucial if the dual-income parading dishwashing systems? household is to eat healthily. And if institutional cooking sounds most I think we need an industry that produces unappetising, remember that one and delivers wholesome meals; perhaps important reason for McDonald’s to childcare centres, to be picked up by success is its standardised food. A Big parents who come to fetch their children Mac in China is likely to taste rather like home, or to be delivered to the door in a a Big Mac in Iceland or Singapore. So postal-type service. Let me tell you my perhaps we should forget about making story. I have been married 39 years, and tasty laksa with low-fat milk, and think for all of this time, every day I worried instead of unheard-of recipes and about what to cook. A few months ago, never-before-seen restaurant service, my maid was suddenly called home. My developed perhaps in annual daughter, without consulting me, competitions where youngsters sit as engaged a ‘tingkat’ caterer to deliver judges. As Gary Hamel bluntly puts it, dinner. I was appalled. I had never, ever “the conversation about ‘where we go thought of pre-prepared meals for the next’ should be dominated by family. But when I gave into the scheme, individuals who have their emotional I experienced a liberation that I had never equity invested in the future rather known before. “So this is what it means than the past.”24 This, I think, would be to be a husband,” no more worrying Singapore food for me - nothing short about what to cook, no more onerous of a culinary reformation. marketing errands. This is why I can Glossary: beehoon : (H) thin, dried, rice-flour noodles belacan : (M) fermented shrimp paste (like anchovies) char kway teow : (H) literally stir-fried rice-flour ribbons chendol : (M) green-coloured mung bean-flour vermicelli (rather like spätzle), with candied red (azuki) beans in coconut milk sweetened with palm sugar hay bee : (H) dried shrimp kawaii : (J) cute kunyit : (M) tumeric

24 Hamel, Gary (2012), What Matters Now: How to Win in a World of Relentless Change, Ferocious Competition, and Unstoppable Innovation, San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. (This quote comes from a blurb on Hamel’s book, Leadership Now, ‘Leading Blog’, http://www.leadershipnow.com/leadingblog/ 2012/05/what_matters_now.html accessed 13 October 2012.

62 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Singaporean Expressions

Singapore Food, Seriously On My Mind laksa : (H) thick, freshly-made, rice-flour noodles in spicy-coconut gravy. I propose that this word is not Malay, but derives from the Hokkien luak sha (‘spicy sand,’ because the thick gravy resembles an old Hokkien dish that used ground peanut which looked ‘sandy’. Only Chinese, not Malays cook this dish. langkwas : (M) galangal rendang : (M) beef slow-stewed in a dark, coconutty curry. serai : (M) lemongrass tingkat : (M) tiffin-carrier

H=Hokkien; J=Japanese; M=Malay

About the Author Margaret Chan is Associate Professor of Theatre/Performance Studies at the School of Social Sciences, Singapore Management University. Margaret Chan was a food writer for 18 years from the 1980s to the 1990s. She is an anthropologist researching spirit possession as well.

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 63 A Song for Singapore - Aches & Dreams By Kirpal Singh i I dream of a Singapore that gives me the freedom I yearn for But the ache is the need to be circumspect, careful, sensitive I dream of a Singapore which will enjoy poetry readings But the ache is that seats remain empty even when there’s no charge! I dream of a Singapore which the world celebrates for its verve But the ache is many of us don’t even know the word! I dream of a Singapore where our schools, colleges, universities will educate But the ache is that for now we mostly only graduate urchins making money I dream of a Singapore that will allow the homeless to be secure But the ache is the coldness of cement is where these sleep I dream of a Singapore where the opposition in politics will be always welcomed But the ache is it is a cruel world out there and the opposition is lonely I dream of a Singapore where my children will hear and sing with joy But the ache is my children find unsmiling faces and most out of key I dream of a Singapore where the nites are delectably full of dreams But the ache is that for most the nites are sleepy with nightmares I dream and I dream and I dream of my wonderful and glorious Singapore But the ache is no one else wants to dream these dreams with me. ii My ache is that so many don’t know my beautiful lion city But the dream is that one day they will My ache is that Singapore gets maligned again and again But the dream is that soon those maligning will know better My ache is that Singapore is still seen as a cultural desert But the dream is that culture will flow in the veins of all My ache is that Singapore remains insecure, afraid to be bold But the dream is that soon we will know the difference

64 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE My ache is that my people don’t want to know me well But the dream is that many are starting to be curious My ache is that so much humanity is wasted as we make loads of money But the dream is that humanity will triumph and money will be just money My ache is that no one comes to Singapore to gain intellectual capital But the dream is that my students will challenge this and retort My ache is Singapore is trying too hard, too hard to be global But the dream is that we will become the hub of hubs, the global city My ache is, my ache is deep and I cannot fathom how to sing But the dream is that music is going to flow, embracing all. iii These dreams and these aches find an outlet In staccato and in verse symbolizing poetry The leaves remain green while turning brown As the clouds explode with thunder and rain These aches and dream bring out memories Charting courses, redrawing history, remembering We move and mark our journeys with significance While the sun and the moon and the stars shine. Dream and aches. Aches and dreams- Our life, our living, our existence, our Singapore Framed and reframed, planned and unplanned Beckons the writing of a real song, a real poem.

About the Author Kirpal Singh is an internationally-acclaimed poet, scholar, critic and creativity guru and currently the Director of the Wee Kim Wee Centre at the Singapore Management University where he oversees the new Arts & Culture Management Programme.

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 65 Singaporean Cultural Mandate Maze and Minefield: Reflections on Multiculturalism in Singapore By Lai Ah Eng

66 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Singaporean Cultural Mandate

Maze and Minefield: Reflections on Multiculturalism in Singapore

Anthropological Reflections The notion of ‘ethnic group’ and its characteristics of ancestry, culture, To work on multiculturalism in language, religion, history and identity Singapore is to wander in a wonderous are central to multiculturalism. It is their maze of its diversities and their combinations in intergroup ethnic limitless combinations and exchanges. relations, often intersecting with class, However, it is also to walk into a that play out in multivariate ways which minefield of complexity, challenge give it substance and meaning. ‘Ethnic and conflict in which one can easily group’ itself can be problematic, such as get confused and lost, encounter the assumptions of homogeneity and misunderstanding and misjudgement, cultural fixity and superimposed and experience uncertainty and membership. In the Singapore context, anxiety. As a resident anthropologist, historical and social circumstances have I find the terrain of Singapore’s brought diverse peoples together and multiculturalism at once both maze and colonial and postcolonial projects and minefield, selective aspects on which I agendas set the stage for their interaction reflect here. with strong Chinese, Malay, Indian, Eurasian and other ethnic markers and Race, Ethnicity, Culture identities.

Many today would object to the use The Maze and Minefield of of the term ‘race’. Inherited from an Multiculturalism era when biological race and white supremacist ideology underpinned Cultural diversity British colonial rule, it continues to be used uncritically and Singapore’s cultural diversity immediately indiscriminately, in official and social brings to mind foods, costumes, dances, life. When Singaporeans refer to ‘race’ religious sites, events and various or allege ‘racism’, they usually manifestations of cultural identities that mean ethnicity/ethnic group and are also often hybridised or localised ethnocentrism with ignorance and versions of some original sources. prejudice based on social rather Tourism and state representations may than biological attributes. The appropriate or rework some of these term ‘ethnicity’ better replaces that raise issues of authenticity while ‘race’, although ‘racism’ is more critics view them as superficial, firmly established in usage than essentialised, stereotyped and ‘ethnocentrism’. Similarly, I prefer the detracting from real issues. However, terms ‘multiethnic’ and ‘multicultural’ my anthropological observations over ‘racial’ and ‘multiracial’. remind against underestimating how

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 67 Singaporean Cultural Mandate

Maze and Minefield: Reflections on Multiculturalism in Singapore much Singaporeans embrace them erupt unexpectedly. Even peaceful and meaningfully as part of their lives. enjoyable processes of food hybridisation Indeed, a multicultural journey of events may have politics simmering ‘in the pot’, will fill virtually every week of every such as when origins and shared month in an entire year. Thimithi heritages are contested. Is sambal firewalking ceremony, Hari Raya Puasa, belacan Peranakan or Malay? Backed by Tamil church service, Nine-Emperor-Gods the promotional powers of museums, processions – these are the living and tourism and donorship, Chinese symbolic expressions, identities and Peranakan culture with its cuisines, heritages of various ethnic, cultural and costumes, patois and pantuns now religious communities that involve passes off as a distinct culture. This may participants as kin, friends, neighbours, please Peranakans and fascinate co-residents, co-religionists and co- tourists but the understated recognition ethnics. Through them, the sense and of Malay and Southeast Asian roots, essence of belonging and community are hybridisation and shared heritages upset regularly experienced and revivified. others because it marginalises their These celebratory and heritage aspects contributions. And why is Thaipusam of Singapore’s multiculturalism speak of regulated for ‘noise’? Why is a Singapore a diversity that is taken for granted but Soka contingent allowed in the National which did not come about overnight – it Day Parade but not other religious is one that has developed over time and groups? Why is the ban on public generations and is still evolving. How processions celebrating Prophet they came to coexist, whether merely Muhammad’s birthday still enforced tolerated or appreciated, generalised or when conditions have changed drastically localised, ‘original’ or hybridised – this is from 1964? Many questions and issues the wondrous maze and grand narrative can be raised in the new politics of of Singapore’s multiculturalism, to be heritage and culture in Singapore’s appreciated in their historical and multiculturalism. social significance. Sharing common spaces However, the maze is also a minefield. Diversity immediately throws up multiple Nowhere is the maze and minefield of contexts, relationships and problems, multiculturalism most navigated by with their consequent politics that raise Singaporeans than where the vast questions about its durability and ability majority live – in the Housing and to make people cohere as a society and Development Board (HDB) public housing community. Cultural politics, such as heartland. Here, a cultural and symbolic that of heritage, space or memory, map can be drawn of the local may lurk beneath celebrations and community’s ethnic-cultural diversity

68 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Singaporean Cultural Mandate

Maze and Minefield: Reflections on Multiculturalism in Singapore through everyday exchanges and this type of place, must get used to it. The especially during special events, be this wedding lasts only for two days, our the Malay wedding, end of Ramadan Chinese funeral also lasts for about two prayers, Seventh Moon Festival or days, about the same. What for get Chinese funerals. In this multiethnic angry? What for complain? (Ah Sin) context, ethnic special occasions, because of their powerful emotional At first astonished, felt angry. So much and symbolic contents, also act as noise, cannot sleep. Next day got to work markers in relation to others. Their isn’t it? Also, so much ash. But after a highly-public nature in common while, accept it. Just shut window and spaces immediately necessitates the go to sleep. Must accept lah, Chinese got negotiation of their diversities and their own way. Living together, give and boundaries, as these examples of Malay take. In Singapore, must accept each weddings and Chinese funerals show: other’s way. (Ali)

There is at least one most weekends, I am not worried by other people’s and it is usually on Sundays so we religions.. We just have to respect it no hardly have any rest. They are very matter how stupid or silly you think it is. noisy. Like last week, they even had Every person has his own way of praying. dancing at night, and the night before Actually, in the end, everybody prays to already the music started. For such a the same God, just different way of special occasion, they should hold it in praying. (Rita) the community hall or hotel, why in the void deck? What kind of wedding is it In their negotiations, residents’ anyway, with people looking and approaches range from ethnocentrism walking past? (James) and ignorance to tolerance, acceptance and appreciation. However, the potential I notice that they really make it nice for ethno-religious tension exists. with atmosphere. Everybody comes to help do the preparation, cooking; The allocation of void deck space for people come in and out, play the Malay weddings and Chinese funerals drums. And the costumes that the was a major source of tension and test bride and groom wear are really of HDB’s impartiality in the early years of traditional and grand. I really like their resettlement and shared living. This was wedding, it is full of tradition, not like because wedding preparations, including us Chinese. (Julie) void deck bookings, could be made in advance, but wake preparations which I have heard other people say it is so noisy take place only upon a resident’s but I don’t hear it. I don’t mind. Live in unpredictable death may be immediately

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 69 Singaporean Cultural Mandate

Maze and Minefield: Reflections on Multiculturalism in Singapore made in the void deck without first then. Every new housing estate, new obtaining a permit. It had thus occurred generation and new resident, including several times when a Malay wedding and the new immigrant, needs to be a Chinese funeral both took place at the socialised into navigating diversity with same void deck on the same weekend! civility, competency and sensitivity. Here, the approaches in navigating In the past, both sides just ignored each boundaries and managing disputes that other; even though in same void deck, use have evolved over time to become different ends of it. HDB’s part here norms – expectations of residents’ civil depends. It can directly intervene or not behaviour, HDB rules, use of mediators’ intervene. If intervene, then may ask the negotiation skills and personal Chinese to stay, the Malay to move to intercultural knowledge – are crucial. another location even though they booked in advance. Explain to the Malays Racism, structural inequalities that according to Chinese custom, once coffin is put there, cannot move it. But if I have always looked for signs of equality don’t intervene, then we tell the Chinese in Singapore’s multiculturalism. I did find to go and speak to the Malay themselves. some, but have also often encountered HDB will give them permit if they can evidences and responses such as convince the Malays of the need to “What multiculturalism? The Chinese change place (HDB estate officer). are the majority everywhere”, “There is ethnic discrimination and racism” and Both approaches were used but “Singapore is becoming Chinapore”. obviously still risked antagonising and discriminating against Malay residents. The government’s ethnic-based Chinese- HDB thus decided that the first-come- Malay-Indian-Others (CMIO) approach first-serve principle be strictly adhered to has been blamed for racism’s prevalence no matter how strongly one party might and divisiveness. Deeply entrenched feel about the inviolability or significance into government systems, it has of its event. permeated every major field and level, affecting mindsets, policy- These examples from my research 25 planning, resource allocation, political years ago are as valid today. Special representation, population profiling, occasions remain part of the public housing , educational performance community’s public and cultural life and and the like. Thus for example, most residents have come to accept and educational performance by ethnicity is respect them as aspects of their highlighted regularly and the ethnic multicultural environment. However quota policy for public housing to prevent tensions are likely to recur every now and ethnic enclave formation is implemented

70 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Singaporean Cultural Mandate

Maze and Minefield: Reflections on Multiculturalism in Singapore even for rental housing. This ethnicised bigotry and lacks historical and mindset, irrespective of context and sociological understanding as to why relevance and to the exclusion of other Malay numbers are high in drug criteria particularly class and other addiction or Chinese predominate in structural inequalities, has major gambling addiction, but will consequences on the conceptualisation, consistently highlight the Malay analysis and solution of problems. The proportions. Thus, some among the focus on ethnic groups has the effect of Chinese majority are likely not to tending towards strong cultural see the ethnic profiling of Malays, explanations, easily relying on cultural the ‘ability to speak Mandarin’ stereotypes and reinforcing them. The requirement for jobs, or speaking in common stereotypes of the hardworking Mandarin for work matters in the Chinese and lazy Malays, for example, are presence of non-Chinese colleagues supposed to represent ethnic cultural as racist, discriminatory or capital and deficit respectively. It further insensitive. That minority members leads to the seeking of cultural solutions encounter job discrimination due to presumed best provided by their ethnic ‘race’ and language (the top two groups, hence the ethnic self-help complaints received by the Tripartite organisations’ existence. Alliance for Fair Employment) escapes them. For those Chinese Further intertwined with unequal with an ethnicised approach, it is ethnic majority-minority relations, this about possessing superior, powerful approach tends to be selectively biased or numerical majority cultural values, singling out Malays and other minorities resources and knowledge. But for for their supposed cultural propensities some minorities on the receiving in problems. How else to explain ethnic end, racism can be internalised, profiling, such as that reported in a news with negative self-perceptions article that 48 percent of drug offenders of inadequacy, stigmatisation, in 2011 were Malays but not the marginalisation and fatalism. ethnicities of the remaining 52 percent, or the absence of ethnic profiling of The singling out of Malays is particularly gambling addicts and patrons of ignominious, with roots in history and underaged prostitutes, the vast majority prejudice – the ‘lazy native’ worldview of whom are Chinese? and an ethnic division of labour during colonial rule – now sustained by This ‘institutionalised’ racism has its structural inequalities, policies and rationale based on claims of ‘objective’ ethnicised approaches. The resultant fact and reality or simplistic reality is one in which Malays comparisons by ethnicity. It disclaims disproportionately constitute the poor in

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 71 Singaporean Cultural Mandate

Maze and Minefield: Reflections on Multiculturalism in Singapore

Singapore and are more affected by An opening up of discussion, civilly problems such as unemployment, and safely, is overdue and which homelessness and educational difficulties needs to question and go beyond but the dominant view is that they current cultural frameworks and have only themselves to blame. Post- interpretations. Issues should be September 11, Islamophobia and other addressed for what they are – as social developments such as Islamic militancy and national issues. Specific ethnic elsewhere have added a new layer of dimensions should be included where prejudice and suspicion against Malays they are judged significant and and Muslims. relevant. They are not always useless or harmful when analysing problems Racism is notorious for entrenching and seeking solutions. It is how they inequality and poverty which in turn are used in intersection with other key exacerbates it and causes ethnic social indicators and in context and tensions. Today’s concern is that appropriate to the issue at hand. racism will get worse with growing inequalities that have widened income Equality in citizenship is a core principle gaps and reduced economic mobility in multiculturalism. As such, there and the workings of meritocracy. So must be fair and just treatment for all how do we address ethnic divisions and this must be perceived to be so. and issues towards their reduction The Government must take the lead in and solution and towards equality not racialising socio-economic and cohesiveness? problems and addressing structural inequalities as national problems. With The state racialised CMIO model has been regard to Malay citizens, there is one severely critiqued for its essentialism, other specific issue to address - loyalty rigidity, and the consequences of ethnic and belonging. The doubt on Malays’ consciousness and divisiveness. loyalty to Singapore is a ghost from However, state demarcation of ‘race’ and the past that must be put to rest religion with out-of-bounds (OB) markers immediately. and a highly punitive legislative approach generate fear and censorship, making Immigration, integration and citizenship some issues difficult to be discussed publicly. But viewing inequalities in The tremendous scale, speed and ethnic majority-minority terms has its intensity of recent immigration have own dangers – it implies that majority enlarged and complicated the minefield equals oppressor and minority equals of Singapore’s diversity and oppressed and stereotypes members multiculturalism profoundly. In 2012, of both. Singapore’s population had grown to

72 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Singaporean Cultural Mandate

Maze and Minefield: Reflections on Multiculturalism in Singapore

5.31 million from 4.028 million in 2000 On the other hand, locals have been and 3.047 million in 1990, with the raising economic and social issues such increase due mainly to the new citizen, as depressed wages, soaring housing permanent resident and foreign worker prices, high costs of living and over- populations under the government’s stretched public facilities linked to immigration policy to sustain economic immigration, discrimination in favour of growth and to address declining fertility ‘foreign talent’ and unfair competition in and an ageing population. The majority education such as through places and of immigrants are Chinese-Malaysians, scholarships allocated to foreign People’s Republic of China (PRC) students. Locals also complain about Chinese and Indians who fall into two immigrants’ anti-social behaviour and broad categories – skilled ‘foreign their disregard for local norms, as well as talent’ and unskilled ‘foreign workers’ question the loyalty of internationally – that receive differential offers of mobile immigrants who take up permanent settlement and permanent citizenship and permanent residence for transience respectively. ‘strategic’ reasons. Some citizens feel overwhelmed and displaced in their Problems arising from immigration sense of familiarity, place and social have come home to roost quickly. order that they have established over Immigration-linked economic, social and time and generations prior to the arrival cultural issues reflect disconnects, of immigrants. Some also feel that the tensions and divides between locals and government lacks understanding of immigrants along intertwining ethnic, citizens’ concerns and adds insult to nationality and class lines and pose injury in its calls to locals to welcome challenges to integration, cohesion and foreigners. Some controversial behaviour citizenship. They also serve to question by individual immigrants such as in the the sensibility of current immigration ‘curry’ incident (2011), the ‘PRC scholar’ policy and the government’s vision of incident, the ‘Ferrari’ incident and the development. ‘Amy Cheong’ saga (all occuring in 2012) have further served as lightning rods that Locals have been criticised for their convey online resentment against treatment of unskilled foreign workers: immigration. In general, issues and employers for flouting employment laws, sentiments about immigration are raised abuse, exploitation, and not respecting by Singaporeans of diverse class and their human rights; and ordinary ethnic backgrounds. Indigenous Malays Singaporeans for intolerance, prejudice, additionally express unhappiness over racism particularly towards darker- the framing of Singapore as an skinned immigrants and xenophobia ‘immigrant’ society and over the large particularly towards the PRC Chinese. influx of PRC Chinese which they see as

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 73 Singaporean Cultural Mandate

Maze and Minefield: Reflections on Multiculturalism in Singapore further Sinification of an already Chinese- relatively problem-free cultural dominant Singapore. integration such as between local and PRC Chinese. The minefield that massive immigration has created is challenging to navigate, Locals’ anxieties over immigration can as both locals and immigrants claim be easily viewed as ‘anti-immigrant’. rights and responsibilities. Mutual Indeed, there are prejudiced, racist and adjustments and the rules of civility- xenophobic individuals. However, the hospitality and openness apply unpacking of their sentiments shows equally to both sides. However, reasonable grounds for their strong immigrants additionally need to make feelings against massive immigration. adjustments to prevent enclave Taken together, their anxieties formation. They also need to see their are about being disadvantaged by presence in Singapore beyond their economic competition and social personal contributions, qualifications, citizenship, and should not be confused experiences, interests, rights and as inherently ‘anti-immigrant’. There sacrifices. They need to learn more is resentment but thus far no about local and regional diversities in coherent nationalistic ideology histories, cultures and norms which against immigrants or organised efforts precede their arrival. The dominant calling for their expulsion. In general, idea that Singapore is an immigrant locals are not against immigration per society is contestable. Many Malays se but are for a review of immigration are indigenous while others with policy’s excessive openness and its backgrounds of earlier immigrant consequences. Nor have there been generations should be viewed as having any major acts of provocation and distinct local histories, cultures and violence against immigrants. On the identities. Cultural similarities between contrary, there are strong ground locals and immigrants should not be practices and codes of civility including assumed, imagined or exaggerated, hospitality, tolerance and conflict such as under ‘Chinese-ness’ or avoidance, for convivial social ‘Chinese diaspora’. For Indian and interaction and the maintenance Chinese immigrants, their official of social order. Honed through classification under the same ethnic generations of intergroup and categories as local ethnic Indians and interpersonal relations, these are Chinese is a misfit that is based on false increasingly tested as massive assumptions of common cultural immigration disrupts, destabilises identities. This can lead to misplaced and complicates the more gradual judgements and expectations of processes of multiculturalism already common values and behaviour and in place.

74 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Singaporean Cultural Mandate

Maze and Minefield: Reflections on Multiculturalism in Singapore

The economics of massive immigration which society’s members, irrespective within Singapore’s intensely competitive of cultural differences, must feel they environment has brought about new belong to it, have a stake in it and are dimensions of inequality and involved in its development. It also unfairness, while the cultural politics of involves civil negotiation for a race, space and place play out in citizenship that must be seen to divisive ways. Before new economic embrace and manage differences in and population targets are set and an equal and fair manner. A cohesive rationalised, the lessons from multicultural society is not without immigration ought to be clearly learnt. divisions, tensions or conflicts, but Immigration and population policies, these should not be overwhelming and citizens’ concerns and interests, frequent and there should be many economic growth and distribution effective ways – through institutions, issues — how these and other major mechanisms and attitudes – to reduce issues are addressed in the foreseeable or eliminate them. The minimum future will affect the conduciveness conditions of tolerance without abuse or adversity of conditions for local- and maximum conditions of inclusion, immigrant relations. For multiculturalism exchange and appreciation should to prevail and to ensure extreme apply. nationalism does not take root, immigration needs to be carefully The future of Singapore’s multi- managed. Two principles ought to be culturalism is hard to predict as its remembered. One is that immigrants, maze-minefield terrain is inherently once they are allowed to enter and increasingly challenging to Singapore, are entitled to decent and navigate. But what makes Singapore dignified treatment. The other is that exceptional is its unique form of Singapore is not merely a convenient diversity and multiculturalism. Those global city for people to flow in and out who choose to live and remain in it but a country where citizenship and will understand its essences and belonging is what is meaningful, rightful possibilities. We need to see the cup and at the heart of it. positively as half full. May Malay weddings, lion dances and cultural Conclusion events always grace our public spaces as symbols of Singapore’s I write in a time of flux in which multiculturalism. disconnects and divides threaten multiculturalism and cohesion. A cohesive multiculturalism involves strong bonds and stakeholdership in

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 75 Singaporean Cultural Mandate

Maze and Minefield: Reflections on Multiculturalism in Singapore

About the Author Lai Ah Eng is currently on a joint appointment as Senior Research Fellow at the Asia Research Institute where she researches on migration and multiculturalism and the University Scholars Programme where she teaches a module on religious issues. She has published extensively on local issues and also pursues issues of public interest in several committees and organisations.

76 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Singaporean Cultural Mandate Imagining Singapore 2030: Language, Demographics and the Region By Yang Razali Kassim

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 77 Singaporean Cultural Mandate

Imagining Singapore 2030: Language, Demographics and the Region

Preamble: Vision 2030 nation-state, the key determinants of which are political stability and economic As Singaporeans embark on a rare viability, both in turn dependent on the moment of introspection and ponder cohesion of the various communities. their future in a national exercise called ‘Our Singapore Conversation’, one Arising from these constants, question must not be forgotten: How will government leaders proclaim without we look like to the outside world, fail three unchanging principles especially the immediate region, by of governance - multiracialism, 2030? To put it in another way: What kind multiculturalism and meritocracy - which of Singapore will it be from the guide the Singaporean nation-state perspectives of our neighbours three through the choppy waters of time as a decades from now? Will we become polyglot nation. These three principles even more enmeshed with our have shaped the process of nation- surroundings? Or will we, on the building as the founding leaders of contrary, become more different, more Singapore walked a tightrope between distant and more detached and aloof forging a multiethnic, multi-religious and from our neighbours? Whichever way it multicultural nation and pursuing their turns out, will the future face of early politics of identity, at the heart of Singapore strengthen or compromise which were language and culture. the Republic’s position as a nation-state by 2030? Generational Change and Continuity

These are fundamental questions. In fact, The evolution of Singaporean society they are as fundamental as the ones that has gone through two generations – modern Singapore’s founding fathers the Lee Kuan Yew era and the Goh Chok grappled with since independence in Tong era – and is now being steered 1965. The answers will depend very through the third, the Lee Hsien Loong much on how Singapore society will have era. Prime Minister (PM) Lee has evolved three decades hence. Needless recently signalled that he does not to say, so much already has changed over expect to be in office till age 70. In the last six decades since Singapore was other words, before 2030, there will be thrust into existence as an independent a new prime minister. When PM Lee state in a region that was ambivalent to, hands over to his successor, the if not unsure of, its arrival. Yet, there are transition will be just as equally shaped clear constants that have defined, and by the forces of change and continuity: will continue to define, Singapore as it Like his two predecessors, PM Lee will moves forward. The primary and be stepping down in his 60s but unlike overriding constant is its survival as a them, he will be handing over to a

78 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Singaporean Cultural Mandate

Imagining Singapore 2030: Language, Demographics and the Region leader who, for the first time, will come rationale is to signify Malay as the from the post-independence generation. national language, Mandarin as the language of the majority ethnic group But what will the Lee Hsien Loong era in Singapore and English as the working leave behind and what kind of nation will language of all Singaporeans. Together the next PM take over? How similar or with Tamil, the three make up the four how different will the fourth PM be from official languages. Indeed, upholding his predecessors? Will he stick to the the same language policy can also be principles of governance and leadership observed at the annual conferences of that have guided Singapore since the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP), independence? How will the new leader where the Party’s Secretary-General, balance the imperative of leading who is the PM, similarly speaks in the Singaporeans into the uncharted future three languages, and in that order. while not forgetting the past so that the Singapore of 2030 is not something Why did the PM still speak in Malay first totally strange? instead of English or Mandarin? It was a political statement, no doubt. PM Lee Language, Politics and the Region was continuing a conscious policy that, at first glance, is more symbolic than There will be many challenges, of course, substantive. Like his two predecessors as the future PM straddles between Mr Lee Kuan Yew and Mr Goh Chok change and continuity. However, one of Tong, PM Lee was upholding the the unbending core issues three decades national language – something he has from now will be the role of language in been doing without fail at every NDR nation building in a country that will be since he became PM in 2004. Yet, if we increasingly diverse due to immigration. think more deeply about it, we will In this respect, there is one convention realise that the symbolism is loaded that has always been upheld but seldom with subtle signals about what we are talked about and yet, is actually as a nation. significant. At the National Day Rally (NDR) in August 2012, PM Lee spoke in Whenever the PM speaks in Malay – three languages – Malay, Mandarin and and Malay first – it is no exaggeration English – in that order. They were not to say that it evokes a certain emotion mere translations of the same speech but – for Singaporeans as a whole because messages tailored specifically to the their PM has that rare mastery of different audiences and constituencies. languages to connect with the This sequence of speeches has been people; for the Malays in Singapore, customary since the first NDR after whom the Constitution recognises as independence in 1965. Presumably, the the indigenous people because the PM

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 79 Singaporean Cultural Mandate

Imagining Singapore 2030: Language, Demographics and the Region speaks their language; and for the are largely perfunctory, they remain a political leadership because the PM is key shaper of the consciousness of able to send a powerful, though Singaporeans of where they belong in unstated message about the genesis, their collective memory as one people history and uniqueness of Singapore as in spite of their diverse origins. Equally a nation-state. In an age of instant and important is the message to the outside global communication, it is a message world that Singapore sees itself very that is invariably heard around the much a part of Southeast Asia, despite region and increasingly at the people being an independent and highly level as well. For instance, in a blog globalised nation-state which is posted in the EC Malaysian Blog majority ethnic Chinese located in a entitled ‘PM Lee’s Malay Speech at Malay sea. There is an unstated reason National Day Rally 2012’, blogger for this display of tolerance and mutual ECGMA writes: “PM Lee Hsien Loong accommodation – to be the living speaks the Malay language antithesis of whoever is not tolerant or impressively, better than many of us in accommodating. There is yet another Malaysia, including local politicians rationale, best captured in the words of and me!”. Singapore’s first prime minister.

Beyond the symbolism, the subtext On 3 October 1965, two months after between the lines each time the PM separation from Malaysia, the man who delivers his annual direction-setting was responsible for the national address in Malay, followed by Mandarin language policy, then PM Lee Kuan Yew, and English, comes in layered meanings said, “Why have we to accept Malay as for two different audiences. For our National Language? For on principle, Singaporeans, the first and probably that is correct. Why must we have four the most significant is that despite four languages, and at the same time let them decades of independence, Singapore have an equal position? The reason is, does not forget its roots. It may be a this is good for our country. We can legacy of Singapore’s early political become a model, not only for the whole history forged by the battle for merger of Southeast Asia to see, but also for the with Malaysia that Malay remains the Afro-Asian countries to see.” A year later, national language. But it is a legacy at the opening of a Tamil school on 19 that also has its utility as a unifier of a December 1966, Mr Lee expanded on multicultural nation. Thus the national this, spelling out the need to give space anthem is still in Malay and uniformed to each community its language, culture groups – the military, police and civil and identity, “But to each also must be defence – go by drill commands in given the maximum of common Malay. While it is true that all these denominators without which you and I

80 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Singaporean Cultural Mandate

Imagining Singapore 2030: Language, Demographics and the Region will never be able to understand each the face of the demographic trends other…And so it is that we have currently sweeping Singapore which will designated that Malay should be our have significant bearing on the future? National Language.” Impact of Changing Demographics In other words, the Malay language was meant to be the bridge linking the On 29 January this year, the Government various communities even as all the stunned Singaporeans with a White main languages are given equal status. Paper that projected a population growth By making Malay his first language of of up to 6.9 million by 2030, up from the delivery at every NDR, the current PM current 5.3 million. Describing 2012 as a signals that this policy remains valid. turning point in the trend towards an The message for Singaporeans is this: ageing society, it was disclosed that Even as the little red dot continues to almost half the projected population will differentiate itself from the region as a comprise foreigners as the government strategy for survival, using Malay as the pursues a policy of active though national language is a core policy as moderated immigration to offset the provided for in the Constitution. It is declining demographics. After intense an important signal that while debate in Parliament and within an Singapore will be increasingly different anxious populace, the Government as it evolves into a future entity, it will adopted an amended White Paper, still be anchored to the region and its moderating the projected population past in terms of its identity as a nation- growth. The anxieties of Singaporeans state. It is a fine balancing act whose over the impact and implications of the deep significance will only be demographic trends however, remain appreciated when lost. strong at the people level, having surfaced as a major political issue in the So, will the future PM in 2030 be able last general election of 2011. National to perpetuate this policy? More leaders stress that immigration is critical importantly, will the next PM want to to the survival of Singapore in the long continue this policy? Will he have the term. Yet, as with most countries felicity for the language to help him receiving immigration, this trend is sustain it and communicate his vision, causing restiveness and a sense of policies and ethos, bearing in mind that disempowerment. But the fear of he will be a product of post-Separation further political backlash on the PAP Singapore in which Malay as the national government has led to the pace of language is more symbolic than immigration being tempered, even as the functional? How will the Government broader policy of remaining open to uphold this constitutional imperative in immigration is sustained. At the same

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 81 Singaporean Cultural Mandate

Imagining Singapore 2030: Language, Demographics and the Region time, we are beginning to feel the discomforting change. Notice how palpable sense of unease and dislocation Singaporeans of diferent races became leading to Singaporean society coming uneasy with Singapore Mass Rapid closer together. ‘Core Singaporeans’ – Transit’s (SMRT) attempt to translate the those born and bred in Singapore – are names of local train stations from English seeking comfort in each other as they into Mandarin only, ostensibly to make it adjust to what they feel as unsettling easier for tourists from China. The change. In the process, we are noticing growing clamour for more sensitivity a heightened sense of common identity towards local feelings forced SMRT to among the core Singaporeans. PM Lee drop the project. spoke of how we are beginning to see Singaporean-Chinese being different Going Forward from China-Chinese, Singaporean-Indians being different from India-Indians, and In the years to come, as the pressures of possibly Singaporean-Malays too from demographic change increase and as other Southeast Asian-Malays. In the Singaporeans clutch at straws that can cyberworld, we see the forging of the bind them even more closely as well as Singaporean identity being reinforced by anchor them for a sense of stability, they the unpleasant side effects of will see the value of the bridges that forge immigration, and people developing their common Singaporean identity. Such closer bonds amongst themselves as core bonds will take many forms. These will Singaporeans. inevitably include the languages that they have grown up with and been moulded The best example of this is the Amy by – be they English, Mandarin, Tamil, Cheong controversy which saw non- Malay and even Singlish. And it is under Malay Singaporeans coming to the such future circumstances that the role defence of Malay Singaporeans in the of the national language may prove its face of what was described as the racist utility as the glue that it was always rantings of the Malaysia-born Australian meant to be. Will the national language Amy Cheong who was unhappy with the still be upheld then or will the tide of noise from Malay weddings held in immigration lead to its further erosion or Housing & Development Board (HDB) neglect? Should we allow this to happen? void decks. Even PM Lee had to come down on her. If the Amy Cheong saga is Indeed, will English remain the working any indicator of the future, the core language in Singapore as the rise of China Singaporeans from the different leads to its economic preponderance? communities will increasingly huddle Will immigration over time lead to the together and seek comfort in their emergence of a generation of ‘new common bonds in the face of Singaporeans’ who do not have a strong

82 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Singaporean Cultural Mandate

Imagining Singapore 2030: Language, Demographics and the Region appreciation or attachment, if at all, to Day or on other official occasions, it is the history that made Singapore unique also the language of command in the such that a minority language can armed forces. It should be much more become the national language? Will than that.” there be the political will on the part of future leaderships to retain Malay as the As Asia rises further by 2030, driven by national language to bind the multiracial new economic powers such as China, and multicultural nation? India and possibly Indonesia, the government’s long-standing language As we ponder our future, we may have policy of giving equal treatment to the to consider the fundamental forces that four languages while making Malay the keep the idea of a Singaporean Singapore national language will increasingly alive – and the uniqueness that makes prove far-sighted. In recent years, Singapore what it is today. There may students have been allowed to take up well be a need to ‘revive’ the national third languages for their economic value. language beyond its current symbolic In future, as Singapore plugs further into role precisely because of the need to bind the globalised world and language anew everyone – including the new options are widened, there may be a citizens – to the idea of a Singaporean need to strengthen the anchoring and Singapore. In schools where future stabilising role of the national language. generations are shaped, our children, be While Chinese, Indian and students of they the offsprings of core or new other races should feel free to take up Singaporeans, will need to be exposed in Malay as the national language, Malay a more purposeful way to the importance students should fortify their own mother of all the major languages – including the tongue and at the same time not feel national language. As one Singaporean inhibited to take up Mandarin or even Chinese blogger, gintai, says in his post Indian languages as a third language so entitled ‘Malay is still the National that they too will benefit from the rising Language of Singapore’: “I feel that if influence of the new economic powers. Malay is accorded with the National In this way, the Singapore of the 21st Language status, then it should be century will rise with Asia and yet remain treated as such. Not only our National the cohesive nation-state that it is meant Anthem is sung in Malay on National to be.

About the Author Yang Razali Kassm is Senior Fellow with the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU). He is also a community activist and was previously Chairman of the Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP).

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 83 Singaporean Cultural Mandate Tracking Signs of the ‘Sacred’ in Singapore By Vineeta Sinha

84 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Singaporean Cultural Mandate

Tracking Signs of the ‘Sacred’ in Singapore

Introduction urban planning for the island has been far from totalistic, universal and The constitution and design of absolute in its reach. There is firm Singapore, from its founding as a evidence that the planning and spatial trading port in 1819 through colonial ordering of the island have been times, to nationhood and into the fragmented and selective. As such, present, have been dominated by the numerous physical sites across the discourse of planning. The idea of land island have ‘escaped’ land planning scarcity referring to natural resources exercises and urban renewal initiatives. as well as limited physical dimensions) Religious structures may be ‘places of has also seen the state assume sole worship’, represent sacrality or house responsibility for making decisions physical representations of divinity, in about how available land is to be the form of shrines, altars, temples, utilised, producing a situation of churches, suraus and mosques. In bureaucratic control of land use in Singapore, the intersecting discourses Singapore. Students of religion of urban density, land scarcity and typically survey and count religious urban congestion and the need for structures and this accounting is used urban renewal, modernity and as a register of urban religiosity. In this development, have historically paper, I map urban religiosity in confronted the widespread desire Singapore by looking beyond ‘places of amongst citizens to secure ‘spaces for worship’ as sacred spaces to discover their gods’ in the built environment of or uncover other urban sites/spaces/ cities. Geographers, sociologists, locations where sacred indicators have anthropologists and urban planners been inserted and embedded. Here I alike have been drawn to theorise distinguish between ‘places of worship’ Singapore’s urban religiosity. By now and what I denote as ‘signs of the their scholarly efforts have produced a sacred’. A focus on the latter enables a body of scholarship on the subject and more inclusive mapping of the field as narrate a familiar story. We know of the it captures ostensibly secular spaces state’s policy on land use with respect which are marked by sacred signs. This to allocation, building, demolition and short paper tracks signs of the ‘sacred’ acquisition of land for religious in the densely populated urban city of structures (Kong, 1993) in which Singapore. religious structures receive less priority as compared to collective secular Finding Spaces for Gods in the City concern relating to housing, education and health needs of the citizenry. With Singapore is a planned city and an regard to provision of space for places urban environment par excellence. Yet, of worship, various statements have

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 85 Singaporean Cultural Mandate

Tracking Signs of the ‘Sacred’ in Singapore reassured the citizenry that the commercial spaces and so on). One government will ensure that adequate notices that churches, mosques and land will be made available (particularly temples face the twin problems of in the Housing & Development Board being ‘homeless’ and ‘mobile’ (HDB) estates) as far as possible. But it reflecting the transience and is also clear that religious communities impermanence of their existence, do not receive any special treatment or thereby illustrating the tensions in the favours in this regard (ibid) but instead location of scared spaces in a secular have to abide by the rules of the realm. Indeed, concerns about where market in securing parcels of land, what sacred sites can be located in the city more at a price, for their edifices. and for how long with any degree of We also know that government certainty pose challenges for religious pronouncements about land in general communities. If public spaces are not and specifically for community and legitimately provided for sacred sites, religious purposes have consistently where in cities can gods be lawfully highlighted its scarcity, its immense housed? Which alternative ‘spaces’ can value and the need to use it rationally then be identified as being suitable (Sinha, 2003). The idea that Singapore for habitation by gods and thus is ‘land starved’ is part of this discourse appropriated? and Singaporeans are implored to accept the fact of ‘land constraints’. A brief historical gaze is helpful for The urban renewal programme, grounding the present discussion. By initiated in the 1960s, with its discourse the 1950s, the physical landscape of of a forward-looking and progressive Singapore was marked with sacred sites orientation has confronted, literally and religious structures of a wide and/or physically, the existing built variety of shapes and sizes across a environment of the city and claimed as range of numerous religious traditions. victims a range of religious structures. Some of these were ‘proper’ places of Having to ‘make way’ for modernity and worship while others were less development has raised problems formalised and appeared in public - about whether ‘places of worship’ can outside homes, in residential units, have any permanency of existence in within places of work, along pathways the city. Religious structures and and roads, under trees or along the edifices affected by urbanisation are railway tracks for example. Many of constantly sourcing for appropriate these were subsequently labelled locations with some having moved into ‘unauthorised structures’, but their unconventional ‘secular’ sites (for ‘unsanctioned’ status was not an issue example former cinemas, community until they literally got in the way of centres, auditoriums, homes, development projects. I contend that

86 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Singaporean Cultural Mandate

Tracking Signs of the ‘Sacred’ in Singapore these sites remained unmarked, in part the island’s physical landscape but also due to their location in ‘outlying’, rural erased individual and collective parts of Singapore but also because memories of places and practices that their presence was not then a ‘used to be there’. In the course of my ‘problem’. They thus seemed to remain research on religion in Singapore (and outside the purview of administrative Hinduism in particular) over the last two and planning concerns and were in decades, I have had the opportunity to fact rendered invisible. In fact, this observe the island’s religious landscape official ‘deliberate knowing non- and document both its dynamics and the attention’ to illegitimate religious shifts within. The ethnographic data I structures is an exercise of ultimate have collected from Singaporean Hindu state power, merely giving the impression domains point to the existence of a range that the authorities are unaware of of informal sites, which I have called their existence. Indeed, these religious ‘home temples’ and ‘jungle temples’, in structures and their locations continued addition to registered Hindu temples. In to exist and grow in Singapore well into these ‘unregulated sacred spaces’, the 1960s and 1970s, until their presence devotees are free to express their became ‘problematic’ due to the religiosity and where one witnesses some potential development utility of sites resistance to attempts to standardise or they occupied. Fundamental to the idea centralise worship (Sinha, 2005). I have of planning is the imposition of order and spoken of these domains as ‘realms of structure and hence control over physical possibility’ and suggested that they have landscapes, the built environment, the emerged as alternative spaces for populations within as well as the housing deities in urban centres such as practices they engaged in. The continued Singapore where land is scarce and more existence of these sites and practices has importantly, too expensive for individuals been crucial for enabling a particular form to secure exclusively and permanently of religiosity on the island of an animistic for religious purposes. I see these as variety, which has been clearly affected strategic innovations and to some extent, by alterations in the physical landscape as expressions of resistance to of the island more recently. bureaucratic, state-led and often ideological (led by official Hindu bodies) Against this background, a turn to the attempts to streamline, sanitise and present and a survey of the religious ultimately, eliminate plural conceptions landscape of the island is revealing, of sacred spaces and more importantly, instructive and perhaps, reassuring. a range of religious practices. Singaporeans have witnessed aggressive urban renewal initiatives in the last 40 In the midst of dramatic spatial years. These have not only reconfigured reconfigurations of the island, I find it

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 87 Singaporean Cultural Mandate

Tracking Signs of the ‘Sacred’ in Singapore striking that these ‘signs of the sacred’ which was literally held in the swimming continue to be visible despite urban pool! While these are interesting renewal efforts that have culminated in creative strategies, they are episodic and erasing many ‘unauthorised’ religious occur intermittently. In contrast, in the structures and the styles of religiosity sites I discuss next, one sees the carried therein. So in contemporary embeddedness and insertion of sacred Singapore, where does one find the signs and symbols in secular spaces that ‘sacred’ in the city? The sites I discuss function to reproduce everyday life in next will no doubt be familiar to Singapore. I begin with the observation Singaporeans who are the very agents that the ‘signs of the sacred’ are pervasive whose everyday religious practices in a myriad of secular sites across the embody and produce evidence of the island. In my survey, these latter include ‘sacred’ outside of religious structures. commercial spaces (cafes, restaurants, This material also allows me to highlight provision and sundry stores, jewelry unconventional, alternative, ‘third’ shops), public car parks, hawker centres spaces that religious practitioners and wet markets, residential spaces colonise and which are infused with (open fields and car parks in HDB estates), religious meaning, thus ‘messing up’ the construction sites, industrial spaces, carefully demarcated and policed pavements and road intersections as well boundaries between secular and sacred as the base of trees along roads and sites. Methodologically, the lessons in highways. It is important to highlight that this notice are enormous for throwing these are functioning and active sacred wide open sites where one looks for sites which are utilised by individuals in evidence of religious expressions in the the course of their daily lives. modern, urban landscape. To begin, hawker centres and wet The incidence of using ‘secular’ spaces markets are sites that continue to be for religious events is neither new marked by sacred signs across religious in Singapore nor unfamiliar to traditions. For example, the altar for the Singaporeans. We know of various Taoist deity, Tua Pek Kong, at Clementi religious festivals, for example, religious Avenue 2 sits in makeshift premises as processions that are held in sports the hawker centre and wet market (its stadiums given the restrictions on foot permanent site) is currently undergoing processions along public roads. In other renovation. Yet, even in this moment of innovations, the Shri Krishna Mandir in transformation, the altar has been Singapore organised its ‘Boat Festival – sustained by devotees on a daily basis. the Boat ride of Sri Sri Radha Madana On the days that I visited the site, I have Mohan’ – on 3 September 2006 at the seen lighted oil candles and joss sticks, Jalan Besar Swimming Complex, an event fresh oranges and other food offerings

88 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Singaporean Cultural Mandate

Tracking Signs of the ‘Sacred’ in Singapore

Figure 1 placed before the deity (Figure 1), not to holders alike offering prayers at the altar. mention a number of devotees praying In a final example, over at Tekka Market at the altar. The grand altar of Tua Pek (Figure 4), tucked away in the corner on Kong, sitting between the hawker centre the second floor (which is populated by and the wet market at the Ghim Moh a mix of Indian and Chinese merchants) Market (Figures 2 and 3), tells the same is an elaborate altar that houses story. The altar was established and is sustained by the hawkers and stall holders for a deity, who I was told is ‘in charge of everything – floor, land, people, business’ and for whom an elaborate festival is held in July every year. This is an active site with customers and stall-

Figure 4

Figure 2

Figure 3

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 89 Singaporean Cultural Mandate

Tracking Signs of the ‘Sacred’ in Singapore representations of Hindu and Taoist seen a number of Indian and Chinese deities (Figure 5). I was told that this altar devotees offering prayers at the altar. is estimated to be 10 years old and was Another space where I have seen small established by an Indian merchant. The and large altars of the Taoist deity, Tua altar is now ‘patronised’ by all businesses Pek Kong, are the public car parks (many who collectively maintain it. In addition of which are in the basement of to the Hindu deity Ganesh, there are buildings). The altar at the entrance of images of Kuan Yin, Monkey God and the basement car park of Holland Village Buddha before whom fresh flowers, fruits Shopping Centre is a typical example and lighted oil candles and joss sticks are (Figure 6). Again this is an active site and placed. On days of my visits to the site, had been founded by the individual who an audio recording of devotional Hindu manages the premises, a scene that is songs and mantras was audible and I have replicated in numerous car parks across the island.

A visit to restaurants and shops in Singapore’s Little India shows how easily and comfortably religious altars find a place in commercial establishments. An assortment of big and small religious altars housing a range of divine representations are visible alongside or behind cash registers in many Indian restaurants in the area. Gold and jewellery stores (run largely by members of the ethnic Chinese community) are also marked by the prominent presence of altars carrying Hindu and non-Hindu

Figure 5

Figure 6

90 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Singaporean Cultural Mandate

Tracking Signs of the ‘Sacred’ in Singapore divinity, which are ritually Figure 7 attended to with fresh flowers, fruits and Indian sweetmeats (Figure 7). It is less common to find sacred signs in industrial spaces but I know of at least one Hindu temple that has been housed within such premises. I have also seen makeshift religious altars in construction sites which last as long as work is being done but which cease to exist thereafter. These are dedicated to gods of the Hindu, Taoist or Buddhist pantheon and often established by Indian or Thai construction workers. In the past, it was I was told by its caretaker, were set up rather common to find religious altars about 60 years ago. The shrines, along roadsides, under trees or set up in dedicated to the deity Tua Pek Kong and open public spaces. The opportunities for Na Tuk Kong (tree deity), sit under a such practices have diminished in the cluster of trees in full public view. I was present but have not disappeared told that the site has by now achieved a entirely. One conspicuous example is visibility and reputation having been found at the junction of Clive Street and featured in a number of local magazines Dickson Road in Little India (Figure 8). and brochures, including being Here, one finds a set of three shrines that, acknowledged by the Singapore Tourism Board and the local media. Figure 8 The site is popular with Thai workers and a sign (written in Thai) displayed at the shrine implores devotees to not make any offerings of pork to the deities. Other offerings, however, are welcome and when I visited the site, I saw a regular stream of visitors who come to pray and also

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 91 Singaporean Cultural Mandate

Tracking Signs of the ‘Sacred’ in Singapore make donations for the upkeep of the challenge or negotiate these inevitable shrines. These instances of deliberate processes of modernity and urbanisation and straightforward incorporation of without eliminating places of worship? sacred symbols in otherwise profane Are these two value systems necessarily spaces challenges and problematises incompatible and irreconcilable? There the simplistic ‘sacred-secular’ dichotomy. are good counter-examples from Given the evidence presented, sites I Singapore and Malaysia to the idea that have just described cannot continue to modernity must be hostile and be defined as either ‘sacred’ or ‘profane’; antithetical to religious sensibilities. rather these spaces are layered with Could these instances present a model shades of both secularity and religiosity, that allows for the successful and which find easy co-location in the feasible embedding of religious sites same site. within otherwise secular, modern spaces? The evidence presented here Appropriating Urban Spaces for shows that religious practitioners can Religious Purposes negotiate the constraints of urban, cosmopolitan, multiethnic milieu. One The approach adopted here has been strategy is for individuals to colonise inspired, in part, by an apparently existing spaces for religious use and ‘to simple question posed by Elizabeth create or make space’ for their McAlister, “How shall we think about religious needs. Many of the sites I and talk about studying religion and have listed can be seen as private place” (2005:249)? Scholars have spaces, which in the Singapore context questioned how religions are grounded are largely unregulated. But these also in urban spaces and the latter re- have a clear public character as everyday imagined consequently (Siemiatycki, spaces which see individuals of diverse 2005) as well as articulated the shape religious, class, ethnic background of everyday religion in modern societies interacting. We have seen that even in (Ammerman, 2007) in terms of how densely urban settings where land is individuals experience religion and how scarce and highly valued and its use these are manifested in a set of social highly rationalised, individuals can and institutions. The data presented here do find ways and means of inserting suggest that individuals are able to ‘signs of the sacred’ therein. This reclaim these public spaces through suggests also the dynamism of urban alternatives meanings and symbolism spaces which do not necessarily resist that are assigned to them. The such appropriation not to mention their contestations over physical space capacity for acknowledging a different reveal the collision of religious and kind of rationality, albeit within highly secularist ideologies. How does one instrumentalist and pragmatic frames.

92 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Singaporean Cultural Mandate

Tracking Signs of the ‘Sacred’ in Singapore

References Ammerman, Nancy Tatum (2007), Everyday Religion: Observing Modern Religious Lives, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Kong, Lily (1993), Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, Vol.11: pp 23-45.

McAlister, Elizabeth (2005), Globalization and the religious production of space, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 44(3): pp 249-255.

Siemiatycki, Myer. (2005), Contesting Urban Space: The Case of the Eruv, Journal of International Migration and Integration 6(2): pp 255-270.

Sinha, Vineeta (2003), Merging different sacred spaces: enabling religious encounters through pragmatic utilization of space?, Contributions to Indian Sociology, 37, 3: pp 459-494.

Sinha, Vineeta (2005), A New God in the Diaspora? Muneeswaran Worship in Contemporary Singapore, Singapore: Singapore University Press and Nordic Institute of Asian Studies.

About the Author Vineeta Sinha is an Associate Professor and teaches at the Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore (NUS). She is currently Head of the South Asian Studies Programme at NUS. Her research interests include the following: forms of Hindu religiosity in the diaspora, critique of concepts and categories in the social sciences, religion and commodification and religio-state encounters.

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 93 Maintaining Identity in Changing Landscapes Wild Greenery for Nature Conservation in Singapore By Ho Hua Chew

94 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Maintaining Identity in Changing Landscapes

Wild Greenery for Nature Conservation in Singapore

Introduction Sensing and Processing (CRISP) and NUS reveals that the total green area has The economic progress of Singapore has actually increased by 11 percent from generated the impression throughout the 1986 to 2007 (The Straits Times, 25 June world and among visitors that Singapore 2008). A large portion of this comes from is a global city crammed with high-rise the greening of the reclaimed lands that almost everywhere. This impression is are lying fallow for several decades, such also inculcated in the minds of most locals as at Pulau Tekong and the Changi Coast. by the litany of pronouncements from the government and professional circle that These satellite studies have generated Singapore is land-scarce. Undoubtedly, optimism among nature conservationists Singapore is a relatively small nation that there is still enough room for but this does not necessarily entail biodiversity conservation, given that land scarcity. about half of Singapore is still undeveloped or not covered in concrete. Singapore’s Remaining Greenery This is bolstered by the sightings of nationally endangered wildlife not only A recent satellite study by a team from within the forested Nature Reserves but National University of Singapore (NUS) outside their boundaries as well, most reveals that the total green areas of notable being that of the Oriental Pied Singapore is 56 percent (Yee, ATK et al, Hornbill, the Straw-headed Bulbul and 2011). Out of these, 27 percent is the Sunda Pangolin with the last two actively managed areas such as parks, listed in the International Union for the gardens, lawns, golf courses etc, and 29 Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List percent is ‘spontaneous’ or what I of Threatened Species. would call ‘wild vegetation’. Out of the 29 percent of ‘spontaneous’ or ‘wild The Singapore Green Plan vegetation’, the majority (22.5 percent) is forest of various types, including For Singapore, such a concern for more mangrove (0.9 percent) and freshwater nature conservation effort is not swamp forest (0.4 percent). The rest unwarranted as only about 5 percent of are scrubland (5.9 percent) and the total land area inclusive of reclaimed freshwater marshland (0.1 percent), lands comes under the ‘Nature Reserve’ both of these making a total of about designation (MEWR, 2009). These are: 6 percent. Bukit Timah, Central Catchment, Labrador and Sungei Buloh, which have This is astounding to most Singaporeans, a statutory protection status. And as more so when a collaborative satellite such, have a stronger level of protection study by Centre for Remote Imaging, compared with the other areas

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 95 Maintaining Identity in Changing Landscapes

Wild Greenery for Nature Conservation in Singapore recognised as of biodiversity importance nature reserves. The government has in The Singapore Green Plan (SGP) but are announced recently that 20 new parks designated merely as ‘Nature Areas’. will be created over the next five years, ‘Nature Areas’ are officially understood but this will merely add to the “green to be areas that are to be left untouched space” for public parks (The Straits Times, only so long as they are not required for 19 February 2012) – if the total area development. In this scenario, the future involved has not been already included survival of the ‘Nature Areas’ will be in the Blueprint estimate for public parks. completely subjected to economic vagaries. This has come about for ‘Nature Biodiversity in the Unprotected Forests Areas’ in the original SGP (1993) like Khatib Bongsu (South Simpang), Mandai Whatever may be the case, there should Mangroves, Pulau Semakau as well as for be more attention given to the the four Coral Zones (St John, Hantu, conservation of natural habitats and its Sudong and Semakau), which were all wildlife. Of these, the mangrove forest delisted in the revised SGP (2012) to leave demands urgent attention, given that them open in the immediate future for only about 1 percent of the original 13 development plans. The remaining percent that existed when Stamford ‘Nature Areas’ are either completely Raffles landed in 1819, is left with the designated as nature parks (eg Kranji larger remnants at Sungei Buloh Nature Marshes Park) or are patches of wild Park, Pulau Ubin and Pulau Tekong. greenery within established public Although relatively very small in the parks (eg Serapong and Mount Embiah global context, they harbour a total of 35 in Sentosa). ‘true’ mangrove species, which amounts to about half of such identified by IUCN. According to National Parks, for There is only one known species Singapore as a whole, only “10 percent extinction so far. Although small in area, of the land … is set aside for nature these mangrove patches can have reserves and parks….” (The Straits Times, surprises. For example, Bruguiera 25 June 2008). This is carefully clarified hainesii listed in the IUCN Red List as in the government’s Sustainable critically endangered with 250 mature Singapore Blueprint, that “out of this 10 individuals extant globally, has been percent of Singapore’s land committed as found recently in Singapore (Yang et al, green space, only about half are gazetted 2011). Mangroves with their intertidal nature reserves” (MEWR, 2009). Given zones are also important habitat for this statement, one would not expect wetland wildlife, such as the local more than 5 percent of Singapore be critically endangered mammals, the dedicated to the protection of nature or Smooth and the Small-clawed Otters. At biodiversity that comes with setting up Sungei Mandai, for example, apart from

96 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Maintaining Identity in Changing Landscapes

Wild Greenery for Nature Conservation in Singapore the presence of many locally endangered for nesting sites, generally using mature tree mangrove species such as Albizias (Paraserianthes falcataria), Sonneratia ovata, Intsia bijuga, which are usually the tallest trees Lumnitzera racemosa etc, such wetland around outside the central Nature habitat is also important as a feeding Reserves (ie Bukit Timah and the ground for migratory shorebirds (plovers, Central Catchment). The Changeable sandpipers, egrets, etc), as well as a Hawk-eagle and the Grey-headed Fish breeding ground for the Mangrove Eagle are listed in The Singapore Red Horseshoe Crab (Friess et al, 2012). The Data Book (RDB) as endangered highest density of the Mangrove (Davidson et al, 2008; Tan, 2011). Horseshoe Crab in Singapore is in this area (Cartwright-Taylor et al, 2009). The Where such forests are contiguous or Mangrove Horseshoe Crab is now close to the central Nature Reserves, they recognised by IUCN as one of the three have become extra habitats and/or Asian Horseshoe Crabs in urgent need extended foraging grounds for many for conservation action for its long- species of wildlife that are usually term survival. associated with these denser, older forests. This is apart from serving as Also of fundamental ecological indispensable buffers for them by importance are the unprotected reducing the edge effects (such as ‘spontaneous’ or wild dryland forests dehumidification, alien species intrusion, outside the Nature Reserves, existing in etc). For example, at Bukit Brown, which patches of varying sizes mostly in the is an open cemetery in its origin decades northern, western and eastern sector of ago but now transformed largely into a Singapore. On a rough estimate, these forest due to neglect, many forest bird come to about 18 percent of Singapore’s species have been regularly sighted such land area (figure not given in the 2011 as the Asian Fairy Bluebird and Red- satellite study). Although of more recent crowned Barbet, Asian Red-eyed Bulbul vintage with their plant diversity lacking and Chestnut-bellied Malkoha (Ho, 2012). in the rich diversity within the Nature While at the forest patches along the Reserves, some of them have been found former Malayan Railway, typical forest to harbour nationally interesting and species like the Copper-cheeked Frog and endangered wildlife, such as those the Banded Malayan Coral Snake, a located at Khatib Bongsu, Kranji, nationally vulnerable species, are Clementi, Bukit Brown and so on. surprisingly recorded (NSS, forthcoming). Resident Eagles, like the White-bellied Sea Eagle, the Changeable Hawk-eagle Apart from the birds, other wildlife that and the Grey-headed Fish Eagle have are regarded as residing strictly in the resorted to these forests in many places denser forest of the central Nature

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 97 Maintaining Identity in Changing Landscapes

Wild Greenery for Nature Conservation in Singapore

Reserves are also seeking new pastures excluding the reservoirs, a very small outside it - as evident in the roadkill of a patch of forest indeed. This, lying more Banded Leaf Monkey along Upper or less in the heart of Singapore, is Thomson Road (Andie Ang, NUS, personal becoming to a large extent a ‘habitat communication), close to the forest at the island’, being increasingly surrounded by Tagore area, as well as the recent a sea of inhospitable landscape with the sightings at Bukit Brown of the Malayan many concrete developments around its Colugo (NSS, 2012a) and, forest periphery. Being increasingly isolated, butterflies such as the Banded Line Blue many of its forest-associated wildlife (Prosotas lutea sivoka), a new record for would be faced with isolation in their Singapore (The Straits Times, 2 November gene pool, undermining their prospect 2012), and the critically endangered for long-term survival. Also, those Golden Royal (Pseudotajuria donatana species that are currently doing well and donatana) (Anuj Jain, NUS, personal have increased their population require communication). room for expansion once the carrying capacity of the forests for them is Their Importance for Wildlife Survival exhausted. Eliminating these forests and substituting them with the manicured In view of this, more could be done to and sparse park greenery will not bolster bolster the viability of the central Nature their survival in the longer term. Reserves for biodiversity by roping for conservation of other important forest Also, these outlying forests will play an areas – especially those at the Mandai increasingly significant role as stepping Lake Road and areas north of Mandai stones or green corridors for forest Road, as well as the patches to the south wildlife as Singapore pushes for more and east of the Central Catchment such economic and population growth, leading as those at Bukit Brown, Yio Chu Kang and inevitably to the drastic curtailment of the Tagore area. This is ecologically existing greenery. There are two aspects imperative, given the recent surge in to this role: one, for the dispersal of forest the curtailment of these forests for wildlife coming down from the Malay housing and other developments to Peninsula, and the other, for the dispersal accommodate the officially projected of wildlife to the remaining forest patches increase in Singapore’s population to six in parks especially those in the Southern million or more. Ridges which are already severely fragmented and isolated by downtown Their ecological value is best appreciated expansion. That such dispersal has been in view of the fact that the protected going on over the decades is evident in forest in the central Nature Reserves the proliferation of Wild Pigs from Tekong amounts to at most about 2,000 hectares and Ubin to many parts of the main

98 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Maintaining Identity in Changing Landscapes

Wild Greenery for Nature Conservation in Singapore island. This is also evident in the cuckoos, raptors etc seeking congenial increasing sightings of the nationally climes during winter in the temperate endangered species such as the Oriental zone. A very good example of this is at Pied Hornbill, the Red Junglefowl and the Bidadari, a suburban woodland in the Straw-headed Bulbul, which were all at former Muslim cemetery, which has a one time restricted mainly to Ubin if record of 53 migratory dryland bird sighted at all, but now recorded in many species (in contra-distinction to the patches of forests on the main island. The wetland species found at Sungei Buloh), Straw-headed Bulbul, listed in the IUCN which amounts to 55 percent of the Red List as vulnerable, is now evidently national total (96) for such birds recorded thriving in Singapore (Ho, 2000; Tan, in Singapore. Two of these migrants are 2001). For facilitating input of fresh blood in the IUCN Red List - the Japanese from the north, the patches in the Paradise Flycatcher and the Brown- northern sector in areas such as Pulau chested Jungle Flycatcher. The protection Ubin, Pasir Ris, Lorong Halus, Khatib of such patches will be a significant Bongsu, Ulu Sembawang, Woodlands, contribution on the part of this small Kranji, the Western Catchment, etc are nation towards transboundary or crucially important. transnational biodiversity conservation (NSS, 2012b). Concerning dispersal of forest species from the central Nature Reserves to the Their Ecological Services for Humans other forest patches in established parks, in particular those in the Southern Ridges Irrespective of whether they harbour like Mount Faber, Kent Ridge, Telok rich biodiversity or not, it must not Blangah, etc, the forest patches along the be forgotten that they provide Railway Corridor such as that along important ecological services that we, Clementi Road and Alexandra have great Singaporeans, tend to take for granted - potential. For whatever forest wildlife (eg such as carbon sequestration, flood the Greater Coucal, Abbot’s Babbler, etc) control and cooling of ambient heat. The that still survives in these patches, the loss or reduction of these free services main way for rejuvenation is from the will make life here uncomfortable north as the Straits of Singapore is a and more costly. That trees play a formidable barrier to dispersal for forest tremendous role in carbon sequestration species from Indonesia. is well-known to all concerned with the crisis of global warming. The recent Moreover, these forests are also unusual spate of flooding downtown important serving as refuelling stations under heavy rainfall with the concomitant and havens for hosts of migratory birds financial losses to business is an apt such as the flycatchers, warblers, pittas, reminder of what happens when

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 99 Maintaining Identity in Changing Landscapes

Wild Greenery for Nature Conservation in Singapore woodlands have disappeared. The study the impact of the ‘urban heat-island natural greenery that had been wiped out effect’ and its consequent environmental over the decades of development would and economic costs - under the scenario have acted as sponge to the deluge, that all the existing greenery will be helping to reduce or slow down its runoff, cleared for development, except the 10 lessening the excessive discharge into the percent set aside for the Nature Reserves existing monsoon drains and canals. and parks. Does it make any iota of sense to say that Singapore’s development is Concerning the role of forests in sustainable when a massive proportion mitigating the so-called ‘urban heat island of the existing natural means of carbon effect’ due to urbanisation, a recent study sequestration is going to be destroyed by Dr Matthias Roth, an atmospheric and that as a consequence, will enlarge scientist, from NUS should be seriously further this small nation’s already taken into account (The Straits Times, 6 gargantuan eco-footprint? November 2012). According to Roth, Singapore’s average night-time and day- Nature Conservation for Singaporeans time temperatures have increased significantly. What is of grave concern is More and more Singaporeans are coming that “greater urbanisation in downtown to realise the value and importance of Singapore means that in the last 40 years, these wild or ‘spontaneous’ greenery in the difference in night-time temperatures their daily lives. This is manifested in the between the city centre and the recent escalation of protest against the undeveloped areas has doubled …. Today, projected development of condominium urban areas can be up to seven degree and housing estates right smack into Celsius hotter at night than in rural areas them such as at Sungei Ulu Pandan, Bukit such as Lim Chu Kang, compared to 40 Brown, Pasir Ris, Dairy Farm, Tanah years ago, when the difference was about Merah, Bidadari and Punggol. The 3.5 degree Celsius”. With the increasing commitment and passion of these folks dependency day and night on artificial air are expressed in formation of local conditioners, energy consumption and committees, organised meetings and cost would escalate as Singapore clears petition campaigns. more of its remaining forests and replaces them with a concrete jungle. According This is indeed a very refreshing new to Roth, simply “keeping trees here and trend, given that in the past, those of such there” may not help to mitigate the persuasion tend to rely on established effect. What is needed are “medium- Non-governmental Organisations (NGO) sized parks and nature areas”. to launch such conservation campaigns. To view this trend simply as residents Given this, it is of utmost importance to fighting to preserve the value of their

100 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Maintaining Identity in Changing Landscapes

Wild Greenery for Nature Conservation in Singapore home properties is a gross misperception, been devastatingly tilted against nature, considering that the support given to the with the modernisation of Singapore into nature conservation cause at Bukit Brown a first-world nation. Only 1 percent of the and Bidadari comes from Singaporeans original 13 percent of the mangrove who are living outside these areas, which forests are left, while for the original are degazetted graveyards. Even at forests that were present when Stamford Pasir Ris, the petition drive garnered a Raffles landed, less than 5 percent is left significant support from around the (mainly in the Nature Reserves). What Housing & Development Board (HDB) we can talk meaningfully about is heartland (Cherry Fong, Pasir Ris compensation for what has been lost. Greenbelt Committee, personal What we see now is some sort of communication). recovery but of course this will not be allowed to run its full course given the Voices are rising among the general government‘s plan for further economic population of Singapore other than the growth and a population increase to six so-called greenies, saying that enough million or more. Conscientious planning, is enough, as they are seeing the design, revamping and intensifying the tremendous erosion and disappearing use of old housing estates and brownfield of this wild greenery all over Singapore areas should seriously be the way to go. in the last few years and are beginning to feel the loss of values embedded in However, if development is to be at the them like scenic landscapes and local expense of destroying all these remaining green landmarks, free air conditioners, wild forests and greenery, leaving only 10 neighbourhood arenas for nature percent for nature reserves and parks, appreciation, etc, which they have the sense of being at home for a taken for granted and suddenly significant proportion of Singaporeans, threatened with extinction. will be drastically diminished, I believe. For many nature lovers and Concluding Remarks conservationists, myself included, this sentiment turns into outrage when it is What is pertinent now is that we should realised that these invaluable and lovely realise that talk of having a balance forests are ravaged for expensive between nature conservation and condominiums while the many golf economic development is simply courses serving a minuscule proportion meaningless because the balance had of the population remain intact. References: Cartwright-Taylor, L, Yap, VB, Hsu, CC, & Lee, J (2009), Population Structure and breeding pattern of the mangrove horseshoe crab Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda in Singapore, Aquatic Biology Vol 8, pp 61-69.

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 101 Maintaining Identity in Changing Landscapes

Wild Greenery for Nature Conservation in Singapore

Davison, GWH, Ng, PK & Ho, HC (eds) (2008), The Singapore Red Data Book: Threatened Plants & Animals of Singapore (2nd edition), Singapore: Nature Society (Singapore).

Geh, M (2010), The Greening of the Global City. In: Chong T (ed) Management of Success: Singapore Revisited, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore.

Friess, DA, Phelps, J, Leong, RC, Lee, WK, Wee, AKS, Sivasothi, N, Oh, RRY & Webb, EL (2012), Mandai Mangrove, Singapore: Lessons for the Conservation of Southeast Asian Mangroves, The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, Supplement 25.

Ho, HC (1999), The Place of Nature in Singapore. In: Kwok, K-W, Kwa, CG, Kong, L & Yeoh, B (eds), Our Place in Time: Exploring Heritage and Memory in Singapore, Singapore Heritage Society, Singapore.

Ho, HC (2000), The Straw-headed Bulbul in Pulau Ubin: Its Breeding Population, Distribution and Species Habitat Requirements with Recommendations for Conservation, MSc Dissertation, University of East Anglia.

Ho, HC (2011), Nature Conservation for Sustainable Development in Singapore. In: Savage, VR & Lye, LH (eds), Environment and Climate Change in Asia: Ecological Footprints and Green Prospects, Singapore: Pearson Education South Asia.

Ho, HC (2012), Nature Society (Singapore)’s Position on Bukit Brown, Nature Watch, Vol 20, No 2.

Lim, KS (2011), Pocket Checklist of the Birds of the Republic of Singapore, Singapore: Nature Society (Singapore).

MEWR (2009), A Lovely and Livable Singapore: Strategies for Sustainable Growth, Singapore: Ministry of Environment & Water Resources (MEWR) and Ministry of National Development (MND).

NSS (2012a), Two New Mammals Records for Bukit Brown, Nature News May-June 2012, Newsletter of the Nature Society (Singapore).

NSS (2012b), Conservation Proposal for Bidadari as a Nature Park, Report of Conservation Committee of Nature Society (Singapore).

102 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Maintaining Identity in Changing Landscapes

Wild Greenery for Nature Conservation in Singapore

NSS (forthcoming), Pathways Forward: Envisioning Singapore’s Railway Land as a Continuous Green Corridor, Nature Society (Singapore).

Tan, KH (2011), The Status and Distribution of the Changeable Hawk-eagle (Nisaetus cirrhatus) in Singapore, Report of the Bird Group’s Bird Conservation Research, Nature Society (Singapore).

Tan, T (2001), Population Distribution of the Straw-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus zeylanicus in Singapore and strategies for Conservation, MSc Thesis, University College, London.

Singapore is getting greener (25 June 2008), The Straits Times.

Coney Island set to become a nature park (19 February 2012), The Straits Times.

Wild Things (2 November 2012), The Straits Times.

Nights in city centre hotter due to growing urbanisation (6 November 2012), The Straits Times.

Yee, ATK, Corlett, RT, Liew, SC & Tan, HTW (2011), The Vegetation of Singapore – an Updated Map, Gardens’s Bulletin Singapore, Vol. 63, 1 & 2.

Yang, S, Lim, RLF, Sheue, C-R, Yong, JWH (16 October 2011), The Current Status of Mangrove Forests in Singapore, Paper presented in Nature Society (Singapore)’s conference on ‘Nature Conservation for a Sustainable Singapore’.

About the Author Ho Hua Chew is currently the Vice-Chair of the Conservation Committee in the Nature Society (Singapore). He was involved with the formulation of the conservation plan for Sungei Buloh and the Master Plan for the Conservation of Nature in Singapore.

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 103 Maintaining Identity in Changing Landscapes Singapore’s City in a Garden: 50 Years of Greening By Kenneth Er & Leong Chee Chiew

104 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Maintaining Identity in Changing Landscapes

Singapore’s City in a Garden: 50 Years of Greening

Singapore - The Garden City argue, this is a case of environmental possibilism1 - where the Garden City is On 16 June 1963, former Prime Minister an engineered landscape and a product (PM) Lee Kuan Yew planted a Cratoxylum of ‘Man’s intervention in Nature’. It is formosum at the Farrer Circus. This the archetypal demonstration of the signified the launch of Singapore’s Singapore government’s efficiency in greening programme, a sustained effort planning and pragmatic approach in that has spanned the last 50 years. The governance. tree-planting site at Farrer Circus has been replaced by road development This paper reflects on the key success which reflects the rapid rate of urban factors that have brought about the renewal and the challenge of balancing Garden City, and shares the optimism development with urban greening in ahead as Singapore seeks to transform Singapore. Despite this, Singapore is itself further from a Garden City into a today recognised as a premier tropical City in a Garden. garden city. The National Parks Board (NParks) maintains 1.4 million trees and Growing the Garden City 63 square kilometres of gardens, parks and nature reserves (equivalent to 9 In 1992, the United Nations lauded percent of Singapore’s land area of 700 Singapore for its green policies and square kilometres) that provide a verdant integration of environmental concerns backdrop for leisure and recreation in a into development policies. In 2008, Dr highly urbanised city. This is expanded Ahmed Djoghlaf, the then Executive further by a concerted effort to connect Secretary of the United Nations the greenery into a green landscape Convention on Biological Diversity, visited matrix that envelops the city-state, Singapore and was so pleased with bringing forth the notion of a city in a Singapore’s conservation model that he garden. More than 200 kilometres of remarked to the local media, “I am park connectors have been implemented, extremely impressed by Singapore and with a target of 300 kilometres to be never imagined that you would have such completed by 2015. greenery and nature in the heart of one of the most populated cities in the Singapore’s growth as a Garden City did world. Singapore is already going in the not come by chance. As some would right direction but my plea is that the

1 Savage (1997) posits that Singapore’s success as a Garden City hinges on environmental possibilism, which upholds the “view that humans, by virtue of their culture, intelligence, pragmatic philosophy, technology, organisational abilities, among other things, are active participants in human-nature relations. The possibilists thus see environment as setting opportunities and possibilities in which Man is the final arbiter and judge of its use.”

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 105 Maintaining Identity in Changing Landscapes

Singapore’s City in a Garden: 50 Years of Greening

Former PM Lee did not just provide the vision but was personally involved in the greening of Singapore. This was best illustrated as Singapore prepared to host the Commonwealth Prime Ministers’ Conference in 1971. He directed the greening of the city-state by expediting the Rooftop Garden in public housing estate planting of roadside trees and shrubs, and (Edgefield Plains) providing a budget of $1.2 million for this. experience you have accumulated, He also set up the Garden City Action you share with the world and your Committee (GCAC) to plan, co-ordinate neighbours.” The success of the and implement greening measures to Garden City has come about because spruce up the city for the conference. The of several key factors, of which four are GCAC would continue thereafter to co- highlighted here. ordinate efforts amongst public sector agencies to transform Singapore into a Strong government commitment Garden City. This was instrumental as the Garden City initiative would require a When former PM Lee launched whole-of-government effort and silos Singapore’s greening programme in across agencies had to be broken down 1963, he saw this as both an economic for this to succeed. The report of the and social imperative. The Garden City GCAC would be submitted monthly to was a deliberate strategy to differentiate him then. He would track the progress Singapore from other developing of the work and would also provide countries by turning the city into a suggestions to the committee. tropical garden city with well-maintained greenery. He believed that this was The successful transformation of the most cost-effective way to impress Singapore into a Garden City in a upon visiting dignitaries and investors of relatively short period of time is the commitment and efficiency of the attributed to the personal attention from government. He also felt that this was a the political leadership, as well as the good way to raise the morale of the ability of agencies to work across people and gave them a sense of pride boundaries. Over the years, the in their environment and in Singapore government continues to emphasise the (Lee, 2000). importance of greenery as providing a

106 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Maintaining Identity in Changing Landscapes

Singapore’s City in a Garden: 50 Years of Greening quality living environment amidst a merged under the NParks in 1996. The growing population. presence of the Parks & Trees Unit within the PWD allowed for the sustained effort Greenery provision as part of national in roadside tree planting and provided development the much needed close co-ordination in the development of a road code which Singapore is probably one of the few incorporated tree planting. countries where the government agency mandated to manage and The transition from PRD to NParks develop its green assets resides within marked a paradigm shift in the emphasis a Ministry that is responsible for on the role of parks, gardens and infrastructure development and not the greenery in Singapore. In the years environment. There are good reasons leading to the formation of NParks, the for this and has, in fact contributed development and management of green immensely to the development of the spaces was seen largely from the Garden City. viewpoint of green infrastructure. NParks focused on the value propositions of In the late 1960s, the Parks & Trees Unit parks, gardens, nature reserves and was set up within the Roads Branch of the green spaces from the viewpoints of Public Works Department (PWD) in the leisure lifestyle and social well-being of Ministry of National Development Singaporeans and residents. This shift in (MND). This later became the Parks and focus was greatly facilitated by the close Recreation Department (PRD), which was working relationship between the NParks

Streetscape – Mandai Road

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 107 Maintaining Identity in Changing Landscapes

Singapore’s City in a Garden: 50 Years of Greening and Urban Redevelopment Authority Continual professional development and (URA). Being in the same Ministry innovation allowed for greater alignment of vision that the provision of green spaces for Central to the sustained growth and recreation and the safeguarding of our maintenance of the Garden City was natural heritage were critical to making the strong pursuit of professional Singapore more distinctive and liveable. development and a culture of The Parks and Waterbodies Plan in 2001, innovation. In the early years, research which mapped out a vision for the next teams were sent overseas to source for 40 to 50 years, is the result of that close fast-growing tropical trees that will working relationship. To the benefit of green up the city. This was coupled by future generations, the Concept Plan the greening of concrete structures aimed at doubling green spaces from the such as retaining walls and flyovers, current 2,500 hectares to 4,500 hectares. with an ivy-like creeper Ficus pumilla. This was further enhanced in Master Plan Bougainvilleas were introduced so that 2003, where an additional 1,200 hectares they would cover the vehicular impact of green spaces and 120 kilometres of guardrails. Planting troughs were also park connectors were set aside along creatively designed on overhead with a total of 18 nature areas and four bridges, so that Bougainvilleas and nature reserves reflected in land use other flowering climbers could adorn plans. It is interesting to note that until and soften these structures. the revision of the Parks and Trees Act in 2005, the provision of a green buffer in The spirit of professional development new residential and commercial continues to prevail. The Centre for developments was stipulated under Urban Greenery and Ecology (CUGE) URA’s Planning Act. was established in 2007 to develop expertise in the industry and share Aside from centralising greenery knowledge on urban greenery and provision within the ambit of the MND, ecology. This filled a much-needed gap there was a clear direction from the onset in the training of horticulturists and that greenery provision was integral to arborists within NParks and the national infrastructure development. industry. Standards were also set and The Parks and Trees Act, which was benchmarked internationally. For enacted in Parliament in 1975, provided example, the Certified Arborist legislation that stipulated the provision Programme, a certification accredited of green verges along roadsides and the with the International Society of conservation of mature trees in the Tree Arboriculture, was introduced to Conservation Areas around Bukit Timah ensure that the highest standards in and Changi. tree care were maintained.

108 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Maintaining Identity in Changing Landscapes

Singapore’s City in a Garden: 50 Years of Greening

In tandem with continual professional areas together to improve biodiversity. development, there is a constant search Making use of under-utilised spaces for new innovations to advance the like drainage and road reserves to Garden City. The following three provide paths for cycling, jogging and examples illustrate this. As the greenery rollerblading, 200 kilometres of PCN infrastructure was established, greater have been completed today, and will attention was paid to conserving be expanded to 300 kilometres in 2015. biodiversity in the city (Ng, 2008). A As the network grew island-wide, so did concerted effort was made to not only its popularity as shown by a NParks restore our natural habitats within the survey that found that the number of nature reserves, but to ensure that the visits increased from a mere 1 percent biodiversity within the reserves would of surveyed population in 2006 to 26 persist over time. For this to succeed, it percent in 2011 (Poon, 2013). By planting was necessary that animals and plants be trees and shrubs that attracted animal allowed to disperse between insular life, surveys of various park connectors habitat remnants. This ensures the have also turned up rich birdlife as well exchange of genetic materials between as butterflies and dragonflies. populations and insures against extinctions due to the outbreak of Progress of efforts to enhance urban diseases or natural forces such as wind biodiversity, such as by creating island- and fire. The ongoing development of a wide ecological corridors and habitats, 50-metre wide Ecolink to serve as a is monitored using the Singapore Index bridge for wildlife across the Bukit Timah on Cities’ Biodiversity. Developed in Expressway, linking the Bukit Timah collaboration with the Secretariat of Nature Reserve and Central Catchment the Convention on Biological Diversity, Nature Reserve, is one such strategy. the Singapore Index is currently being tested by 70 cities worldwide as a self- The Park Connector Network (PCN) was assessment tool for native biodiversity first conceived in the early 1990s to in the city, ecosystem services provided provide Singaporeans with additional by biodiversity in the city and recreational opportunities as well as to governance and management of link fragmented nature conservation biodiversity in the city.

Gardens by the Bay

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 109 Maintaining Identity in Changing Landscapes

Singapore’s City in a Garden: 50 Years of Greening

Yet another example of innovation is the distribution of the fruits and was newly opened Gardens by the Bay where eventually ceased. Efforts to bring the the disciplines of architecture, landscape community onboard the Garden City architecture, engineering, horticulture initiative was further revived when and applied botany were integrated to NParks launched the Community in create unique vertical gardens on Bloom programme in 2005. The objective Supertrees and gardens within cooled was to inculcate a gardening culture in glass houses that are powered by Singapore. Since its inception, more than horticultural waste from the Garden City. 500 community gardens have been established in private and public Long-standing partnership with residential estates, schools, hospitals and community even office precincts. This has proven to be successful as people from all walks of The PRD and NParks have had a long life come together to form gardening association with the community, which interest groups and work together to have played many roles to help establish beautify their community gardens. They the Garden City. Community ownership are akin to self-help networks that for the Garden City is encouraged share knowledge on horticulture and through several initiatives. In the mid collaborate in the maintenance of their 1980s, the PRD actively planted fruit trees gardens. NParks merely provides in housing estates. The resident guidance and advice (Longman, 2007). committees would look after the trees and harvest the fruits for distribution to In addition to creating a greater sense the residents. This was labour-intensive of ownership amongst the community and also brought about friction in the for the Garden City, NParks has also

Community In Bloom

110 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Maintaining Identity in Changing Landscapes

Singapore’s City in a Garden: 50 Years of Greening been proactive in engaging the Non- From Garden City to City in a Garden government Organisations (NGOs) on nature conservation. At a time when The future is one of optimism. In 2011, engagement with NGOs was rare, NParks unveiled plans to advance the NParks worked with the Nature Society Garden City to a City in a Garden. This (Singapore) (NSS) to conserve 85 was a vision first developed by the then hectares of mangrove wetlands at Chief Executive Officer of NParks, Dr Kiat Sungei Buloh as a bird sanctuary in Tan, as early as 1996. More than just 1988. Sungei Buloh eventually became semantics, the vision comprises of three a nature reserve in 2000. More telling tenets: a verdant metropolis rising out of was when NSS submitted a petition on a pervasive landscape matrix of tropical the proposed development of a golf greenery; a vibrant urban ecosystem course at Lower Pierce in 1992 resulting thriving with biodiversity within a

Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve in NParks managing to persuade seamless network of streetscape Government to halt the project (Tan et greenery, parks, gardens, nature reserves al, 1995). Yet again in mid 2001, the and skyrise greenery; and a strong sense NSS appealed for Chek Jawa, a 40- of community ownership within a quality hectare intertidal area at Pulau Ubin living environment. that was about to be reclaimed, to be conserved. Following a detailed report While this vision will build upon the of the biodiversity of the site by the NSS foundations of the Garden City by and the marine biologists from the intensifying streetscape greenery and National University of Singapore, a developing destination parks with decision was made to defer the strong thematic identities, it will reclamation work for as long as Chek further advance the Garden City by Jawa is not required for development. focusing on the urban ecosystem. This

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 111 Maintaining Identity in Changing Landscapes

Singapore’s City in a Garden: 50 Years of Greening

is far more challenging in concept than Round Island Route as an extension of merely beautifying the city with the Park Connector Network seeks amenity plantings for shade and to to connect not just parks, but soften the harshness of the urban communities. This will capture the environment. It moves the paradigm imagination of Singaporeans and bring from biodiversity conservation within a nation of people of different the Nature Reserves alone to generations together. Last but not conservation outside the Reserves. least, the Singapore Botanic Gardens, This will be achieved by the a rich repository of botanical development of a more amenable discoveries in this part of the world and landscape matrix through habitat a bastion of heritage and shared restoration and enhancement within memories amongst Singaporeans, will parks, park connectors and streetscape continue to be enhanced as a world- greenery. The focus on creating a sense class botanical institution. of community ownership goes a step further beyond just community The City in a Garden vision will take gardening. The energy and enthusiasm time to develop. Like the Garden City of the younger generation will be that we know of today, it will harnessed and brought to bear in the strengthen the identity of the stewardship of our Nature Reserves Singapore landscape and make our and areas through the Community in small city-state truly unique. Nature programme. In tandem with this effort to engage the community in co-creation, the development of a

112 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Maintaining Identity in Changing Landscapes

Singapore’s City in a Garden: 50 Years of Greening

References Ng, Lang (2008), A City in a Garden, Ethos, World Cities Summit Issue, June, pp 62-68.

Lee, Kuan Yew (2000), From Third World to First: The Singapore Story: 1965-2000. Singapore Press Holdings and Times Editions.

Longman, Simon (2007), Community in Bloom, Ethos, pp 2 & 29.

Poon, Hong Yuen (2013), The Park Connector Network: Linking People and Nature, Urban Solutions, in press.

Savage, Victor (1997), Singapore’s Garden City: Translating Environmental Possibilism, in Ooi, GL and Kwok, K (eds), City and the State: Singapore’s Built Environment Revisited, Institute of Policy Studies and Oxford University Press, pp 187-202.

Tan, WK, Lee, SK, Wee, YC, Foong, TW (1995), Urbanisation and Nature Conservation, in Ooi, G L (ed), Environment and the City: Sharing Singapore’s Experience and Future Challenges, Institute of Policy Studies and Times Academic Press, pp 185 - 199.

About the Authors Kenneth Er has been involved in the development of Gardens by the Bay and was previously Assistant Chief Executive Officer (Corporate Development Services) in NParks. He is currently Chief Operating Officer in Gardens by the Bay and concurrently Assistant Chief Executive Officer (Projects) in NParks.

Dr Leong Chee Chiew has been involved in the development and management of the Garden City since 1983. He is currently the Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Professional Development Services) and Commissioner of Parks & Recreation, NParks.

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 113 Maintaining Identity in Changing Landscapes How Singapore can Transform Itself into a Creative Centre in the Region By Tay Kheng Soon

114 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Maintaining Identity in Changing Landscapes

How Singapore can Transform Itself into a Creative Centre in the Region

Everything that happens in the world 2022 - how the new imperatives to affects Singapore. When the big powers transform ourselves came about. sneeze, we get a cold. Singapore is a Strangely, it began in the heart and in the third-world orphan that refused to be heartlands. The need to re-integrate put down so its only way was up and so head, heart and hand was long it succeeded under the umbrella of awaited….life felt incomplete in the its Western stepparents. However, fragmented state. Singapore’s will to succeed was based on its own vision and discipline. But that The spark came about by a mindset discipline had a cost. The cost was the change among a disenchanted bunch of decline in authentic identity, lack of self- bright young civil-servants and their confidence and low on creativity. Initial counterparts outside. Returned scholars creativity gave way to reliance on the who had breathed a freer sort of air felt best of others but not its own. While the atmosphere stifling. So they fretted, success brought pride, that pride was fearful at first to challenge the established brittle; easy to take umbrage. Taken views but by degrees, raised innocent but together, these put the brakes on probing questions with prickly humour. stepping out of the box. This set off a chain of actions and reactions that led to rapped knuckles and This piece of fiction is an imagination red faces. It would have been left there of how Singapore might find the but the rediscovery of lost threads in their courage to be creative all over again. own history and culture expunged from This time, it is not the 60s sort of dire their consciousness brought an added necessity that drove it but necessity of sense of purpose and self-identity. Life a different kind; it is an internal after that seemed short-changed. necessity to survive by becoming herself in a much changed world. How Singapore’s illiberal democracy had did this need arise? Usually at mid-life, succeeded but it raised a feckless people people think again. Singapore is and this disturbed members of the new experiencing its own mid-life crisis but thinking elite to no end. The stage was a crisis is always both a challenge and set for change…. an opportunity. How Singapore will remake itself was the challenge. How Singapore in 2022 it built on its strengths was its opportunity and some things in the After the 2016 General Elections (GE), the world could be bought cheap. ruling party saw more losses despite having courted the electorate for the past As I write this piece, I imagine it five years. The People’s Action Party (PAP) backwards from the vantage point of had lost a Group Representation

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 115 Maintaining Identity in Changing Landscapes

How Singapore can Transform Itself into a Creative Centre in the Region

Constituency (GRC) in the 2011 GE; the way to East Coast Parkway to house this time they lost several Single at least a million new people and became Member Constituencies. It was a the high-tech creative centre of the new new phenomenon indeed. Several Singapore. This 23-kilometre belt was Independents emerged victorious. It started in 2017 and progressively became was a signal of the change in the polity; a the workplace, waterfront residential rise of conscience politics; no ideology, zone and playground of the super smart no party, just individuals wanting change. and super creative. This became the new creative heart of Singapore and it Something fundamental had happened attracted foreigners mixed in with smart in Singapore. Singaporeans wanted locals and talent from all over the world more heart and less dread. This GE including Asia. The brightest and the best led to another crisis in government. from everywhere came here to work, live, Government and Party were till then seen learn, play, farm and heal, and it became as one and the same but now, both split the cradle and incubator of Asia’s new internally and between them, top civil ideas, new products and new enterprises. servants were openly challenged by All came, attracted by the sheer vibrancy younger members. News filtered out of it all. from behind the closed doors. The ultra- conservative cabinet ministers were also New Planning Methodology challenged by ambitious young leaders. The time, it seemed, had come for the The new planning ideas came new in both the civil service and in about because of a new planning the Party. methodology called 3D planning. The mismatch between new ideas and old The New Singapore Plan planning methods was finally resolved. The old method was based on the After the 2016 GE, a new-look civil service matching of demographics to land use. eager to implement new ideas adopted These projections were based on a plan which had gathered dust since existing building and occupancy 2013 on how to turn Singapore smart typologies and building norms. Based at the grassroots level while on these, infrastructure, roads, water accommodating a large influx of smart and electricity were allocated. This foreigners without stressing out the methodology was taught in all planning existing living environment of Singapore. schools in the West and applied The proposal was for a large area on the everywhere. They were premised on South Coast of the Island stretching from large land masses but were not Pandan Reservoir which included the appropriate for small places like National University of Singapore (NUS) all Singapore. This led to mistaken notions

116 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Maintaining Identity in Changing Landscapes

How Singapore can Transform Itself into a Creative Centre in the Region of land shortage as there was a great GE became necessary and a more deal of slippage in the floor area equitable situation was created for a outcomes. Inherent errors occurred while. New values needed to be because floor space ratios were not fostered. Democratising the social computed island-wide and re-allocated space, meaningful work, better family appropriately. and community life, more involved participation, enlightenment, identity, Innovation in building design better education - all these required a accelerated thereafter. The stagnation different approach than the carrot and in design ended. The architectural stick method. Incentivisation which is profession had a lot of new thinking to external had to shift to internal do. Stacking, weaving, clustering, motivation. The Maslowian hierarchy mixing and so on were found to be had changed in the advent of the capable of optimising land usage while information culture. As people know being consistent with livability and more, they demand dignity and self- synergetic criteria. Accordingly, this actualisation at every stage of the new methodology opened up many ladder of needs they happen to be at. new possibilities in social design, Governments are compelled to match physical planning and innovative up to this new situation. architectural design beyond style. Addressing the Knowledge Gap Maintaining Social Cohesion The digital divide was overcome but At such a rate of change in Singapore, the vision gap was more difficult. If there were two widening gaps - the nothing was done to address this gap, income gap and the knowledge gap. there will be trouble. This gap was in Both threatened to tear the cohesion the heartlands – the Housing & apart. Without trust, the much-needed Development Board (HDB) estates. disruptive changes would be held back While education had always been a by negative social sentiments. priority thanks to the schools, the expansion of the polytechnics and the Addressing the Income Gap Institutes of Technical Educations (ITE), the setting up of many more While voluntary reductions of universities and trans-location of many Ministers’ pay made an impression, it foreign branch campuses to Singapore, was the raising of minimum wage at the raising the general knowledge of lowest wage level that helped mollify ordinary Singaporeans lagged behind. the negative sentiments. A whole slew This was the urgent task but few had of cost-cutting measures after the 2016 any ideas how to do so. Some new

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 117 Maintaining Identity in Changing Landscapes

How Singapore can Transform Itself into a Creative Centre in the Region ideas were thrown up in the financial, sports and civil-society facilities ‘National Conversations’ in 2012. into one large interlinked network. The effect was literally electricfying! As this Inserting Smart Webs into HDB Estates took place over the past 10 years, a new lease of life burst forth and a vibrant There was only so much that creativity became evident. The hitherto management, education and incentives placid and kiasu mentality gave way to could do. A change in the hearts and more expressive and entrepreneurial minds of the masses had to happen. The behaviour. problem was how? This is where the idea of Smart Webs got dusted off and was People, as they went about their daily implemented. routines, found themselves enjoying the liveliness of the Smart Webs. They Density there is, but what was missing naturally imbibed through chance was synergy. The Smart Webs did the encounters with neighbours and new trick. There was first the need to shift friends with new ideas. This is what high from the prevailing mechanistic way of signal density and high signal diversity seeing things, to the more complex means as found in high-functioning biological way. Richard Florida’s call for organisms and successful cities. These bohemian culture which only resulted in are the natural results derived from bartop dancing being allowed, had to go having a well-endowed nervous system: much further. Sidewalk cafes, street art, school students, parents, teachers, office Inserting a Central Nervous System workers, artists, designers, research labs, (CNS) into HDB Estates prototyping workshops, performance theatres, adult education studios and the In the biological imagination, a housing like mixed in with coffee shops, street estate began to be thought of as a living stalls, groceries, restaurants and so on. organism and not as an efficient The interaction between retail mechanism only. As such, the planners, commerce, social clubs, civic activities, architects and policy makers realised that educational provisions, humanitarian what was needed was to emulate how institutions and galleries all combine to high-functioning organisms work. The produce a wonderful experience, human system was the most complex. everyday, for everyone. Realising this, the planners, architects and policy makers, backed by the Bukit Brown and the Rise of an community, began to plan and Authentic Singaporean Identity implement the link up of all the commercial, educational, artistic, The popular movement to save the Bukit

118 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Maintaining Identity in Changing Landscapes

How Singapore can Transform Itself into a Creative Centre in the Region

Brown Cemetery turned up many stories the nuts and bolts of the successful of long gone social heroes; heroes who enterprises - the taxi business, the made a difference in helping their fellow supermarket and insurance businesses man. Sentimentality and nostalgia wanted to pioneer new areas of turned into self-discovery and thus enterprise. The NTUC’s huge capital authentic identity. As the stories of the resources fuelled the new ambitions. The lives and deeds of long ago Singaporean grassroots sections of NTUC began to heroes circulated through the social hear about the very successful co- media, a new self-appreciation began to operative movements in other countries, form. These raised the level of self- notably in Mondragon in the Basque respect and an authentic self-confidence Country of Northern Spain. The NTUC among Singaporeans laid the foundation decided to send a study team to see for the new Singapore they wished to for themselves what was happening come about. This was a new politics. there. They thus began to see themselves no longer as nucleated individuals driven by Learning from the Mondragon the economic imperatives of separated Experiment lives but began to see themselves as a self-respecting community with The NTUC delegates were greatly respectable values and community surprised and inspired when they spiritedness. To the extent that saw the Mondragon Experiment. government failed to see this was the Mondragon is a fiercely independent extent to which they were seen to have culture; they were very self-reliant. lost touch. And so, there was a shift in From very poor circumstances after outlook which contributed to the tide of World War II, they built up a series of change that was gathering momentum very successful co-operatives. since the 2011 GE. Government was hard pressed to respond. It did not know Started in 1956 from humble quite how. beginnings, Mondragon is today the largest and most successful co- NTUC Leadership New Role in operative enterprise in Europe. It has Fostering Co-operative Enterprises in a 100,000-strong workforce in 27 Singapore worker-owned and operated co- operative enterprises. The worker- Other organs of the state were also owners hire and fire their managers stirring beneath. Meanwhile, some evaluating them at annual General sections of the National Trades Union Assemblies. They have their own bank, Congress (NTUC) were restive. These supermarket network which has lower minions in NTUC who implemented expanded into Spain and Europe, their

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 119 Maintaining Identity in Changing Landscapes

How Singapore can Transform Itself into a Creative Centre in the Region own university, research labs and took the forms of compulsory schools for their children. They have schooling, a multi-track path through their own pension scheme and share ITEs, polytechnics and finally to the profits according to a point system universities in a vast integrated which they decide for themselves. network that served Singapore well in They provide jobs for life for their its time. As new challenges emerged members. Changes in economic in the wake of the global slowdown, a prospects do not result in layoffs but in twist in the system became necessary. redeployment to other co-operatives and/or assignment to skills re- Manpower planning and education was education courses that lead to always integrated. When the manpower subsequent reassignment. Relocation planners re-did their labour force costs are borne by the central co- projections, they began to take into operative. Too good to be true, account a 600,000 potential Singaporean economists who came to evaluate and workforce which was hitherto left out in measure their output efficiency are their calculations. They found that if astounded that theirs is much higher there was a change in the education than that of comparable propriety system by introducing the German work/ enterprises elsewhere. Productivity is study system into schools and even in higher per worker because they work higher education, this would liberate happy. Asked if they were communists, many 16 to 24-year olds into the their reply is that they are not workforce productively. Moreover, if ideological but are just being practical. spatially schools and training institutions They have shown that they can function were reconceived and disaggregated and in the capitalist environment of Spain located into the new HDB Smart Webs, and the European Union (EU). An there would be multiple advantages in American team from the United efficiency and knowledge acquisition. Steelworkers union studied the Finally, if the National Service military Mondragon Model and tried to adapt stint was shortened to one and a half it to the United States of America (USA) years with the balance of one year with some success. devoted to working for points which count towards Co-curricular Activity Revamped Educational Institutions (CCA) credits required in higher education and in the enrichment of job curricula It has been long realised that creative vitae, there would be a significant boost intelligence, diligence and resolute to the needed workforce with the added application are the keys to Singapore’s advantage in students having work success, hence the emphasis on experience and matured sense of realism education from the beginning. These as well.

120 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Maintaining Identity in Changing Landscapes

How Singapore can Transform Itself into a Creative Centre in the Region

Character Education institutions including the People’s Association and community centres In line with these moves, school also underwent radical review. education also got a boost in its drive Community centres ceased to be a toward including character development. point location but became a ‘network Hitherto character education was hard to Community Centre System’. Schools fit into the largely book-based learning and ITEs also became ‘distributed system and refocusing this way meant learning webs’ integrated into the HDB character development became the core Smart Webs. curriculum. Education thus became holistic through the introduction of the Unlike the ‘hub and spoke’ concept within new 5Cs - Courage, Curiosity, Creativity, the old mechanical model, schools were Compassion and Collaborative ability and no longer seen as a centralised cluster of these values replaced the old facilities but as a web of classrooms, materialistic and selfish 5Cs which were laboratories, halls, lecture theatres and previously touted as Cash, Condo, Credit libraries meshed into the communities Card, Country Club and Car. A much they serve. Inserted into the larger deeper level of personal and community intelligent HDB webs they contributed to motivation came about. it and benefitted from it as well. There was much synergy and economy The boost to education was through achieved through co-location. For recruiting suitable teachers from all over example, school canteens could either be the world in addition to talented and open to the public or food could be passionate locals into our schools and obtained from nearby food centres to universities, the polytechnics and the ITEs mutual benefit. These are some of the as well. At last, this was the new obvious synergies obtained along with foundation put in place after years of many other activities such as with sports, tweaking the education system. in the arts and the use of classrooms by the community. Empty classrooms would Changes in the Civil Service serve for adult education in the evenings, holidays and weekends, and so would A major transformation that led to the the empty assembly halls and the likes. ‘new’ civil service and ‘new’ government came into existence after the 2016 GE. Ageing in Place with Dignity and In line with the revamping of the Purpose physical space of Singapore through the ‘Southern Intensification’ and the Those aged from 55 to 75 years old who insertion of Smart Webs into all HDB were previously regarded as marginal estates, the changes in the educational to the workforce found new life.

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 121 Maintaining Identity in Changing Landscapes

How Singapore can Transform Itself into a Creative Centre in the Region

Through job redesign and co-locating certainly has to face. 2022 was no jobs within the Smart Webs in HDB different from 2012 in that sense. The estates, retirees found satisfying jobs uncertainties and the vulnerability of close to where they live. They also Singapore are a constant. Survivability received special skills training in the of Singapore cannot but be premised on Smart Web, rubbing shoulders with its total intelligence. This is what was school-going kids and being in the heart achieved in the 10 years from 2012 of things. Rather than languishing in to 2022. the assigned old folks’ corners, they found dignity and livelihood in many All these changes were added into the new occupations – tending to organic Smart Webs in the HDB estates. ITE vegetable and herb farms in the public Version 2, Polytechnics Version 2, spaces, in jobs found in the Schools Version 2, Community Centres decentralised healthcare facilities, Version 2 were all spread along the supervising the local traffic, running Smart Webs and together with local community micro-credit banks, commercial and other facilities created providing cultural and educational the pedagogical environment. inputs through their accounts of time past to school children, running the Together with the Southern local libraries, managing the post Intensification, pressure on the rest of offices, food centres and so on. The the island abated. The population retirees want to be useful and thus stabilised at 6.5 million and the respected, and they want to live near transformation of the HDB estates with to their friends and family. These the insertion of Smart Webs raised the can all be achieved in and near the entire level of intelligence of the Smart Webs. population. They were also happier. The total fertility rate began to rise Survivability and Creativity even as the ageing population climbed. Singapore having survived the global These are twin concepts. The scope for financial crisis also became the new the Singapore economy in the tough creative centre of Asia...... times is to be expected and best served by smart people. The timely implementation of the Smart Web in the HDB estates combined with the work or study character development education system at all levels of learning has put Singapore in good stead for the uncertain future that it

122 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE Maintaining Identity in Changing Landscapes

How Singapore can Transform Itself into a Creative Centre in the Region

About the Author Tay Kheng Soon is a practicing architect and adjunct Professor at NUS School of Architecture. He is a recipient of the Singapore Institute of Architects Gold Medal for lifelong contribution to architecture and the profession. He is developing, at Kampung Temasek in Johore, ‘the school of doing’ to provide Singapore students and teachers actualised learning and cultivate love of nature.

THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 123 Disclaimer The views and opinions expressed or implied in Commentary are those of the authors or contributors and do not reflect those of the Editors or The National University of Singapore Society.

124 COMMENTARY VOLUME 22, 2013 THE ideaideaidea OF SINGAPORE