Commentary: Volume 23, 2014 Singapore Challenged: The Uneasy and Unchartered Road Ahead

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

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MCI (P) 121 / 01 / 2014 Contents

Editorial 59 - 64 Singapore’s Interest in LNG and Becoming a Regional 3 - 12 Singapore Challenged: The Uneasy and Unchartered Gas Hub Road Ahead Lee Tzu Yang Victor R Savage The Model City in Question The National Narrative: 65 - 71 The New Singapore Dream Singapore Dialogues Kishore Mahbubani 13 - 20 A Narrative for Winning Viswa Sadasivan Green Conversations 72 - 81 500 Shades of Green 21 - 29 Singapore’s Education and Its Geh Min Multicultural Heritage: Forging a New Dialogue 82 - 90 Singapore: Arun Bala The New Serengeti? Bernard Harrison 30 - 42 It’s Not Just the Singapore Literature Prize, But Also Foreign Relations Literature in Singapore That’s 91 - 95 Unwise for Singapore and In Crisis Malaysia to have Bad Ties in Koh Tai Ann the Future Ooi Kee Beng Sustainable Singapore 43 - 50 Reflections on Singapore’s Demographic Future Paul Cheung

51 - 58 Singapore Challenged: The Natural and Living Environment Euston Quah and Christabelle Soh

COMMENTARY VOLUME 23, 2014 SINGAPORE CHALLENGED: THE UNEASY AND UNCHARTERED ROAD AHEAD 1 ......

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2 COMMENTARY VOLUME 23, 2014 SINGAPORE CHALLENGED: THE UNEASY AND UNCHARTERED ROAD AHEAD Editorial Singapore Challenged: The Uneasy and Unchartered Road Ahead Victor R Savage

Associate Professor Victor R Savage is the current Director of Alumni Relations, National University of Singapore (NUS).

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Singapore Challenged: The Uneasy and Unchartered Road Ahead

Introduction The global status of Singapore reads impressively for 2013 — according to the “Will Singapore be around in 100 years? Standard Chartered Development Index, I am not so sure….An earlier generation Singapore ranks fourth globally for of Singaporeans had to build this place sustainable development; it is the third- from scratch — and what a fine job we largest foreign exchange centre in the have done….But after that, the trajectory world after New York and London; it is that we take will depend on the choices the top convention centre in the world made by a younger generation of for 11 years running; and it is ranked Singaporeans. Whatever those choices the 16th most peaceful country in the are, I am absolutely sure that if Singapore world in the Global Peace Index. In his gets a dumb government, we are done welcome speech to Prime Minister for. This country will sink into (PM) Lee Hsien Loong in April 2013 in nothingness” (Lee Kuan Yew, 2013:212). Washington DC, President Obama said that “Singapore is one of the most The above statement by the Founding successful countries in the world”. In Father of modern Singapore, Lee Kuan short, the City-state has become a Yew would seem dismal, worrying and visible international brand name for a yet, could be prophetic. After 50 years successful city-state that is eco-friendly, of independence (SG50 in 2015), economically vibrant, politically stable Singaporeans at all levels need to take and with a good quality of living. stock of the City-state’s achievements, issues, benchmarks and future Yet, maintaining this ‘success’ story is no challenges. Given its current status as easy proposition for whoever takes over perhaps one of the best run governments as the government in Singapore. The in the world, its booming economy, its domestic political pressures are building gleaming global city status, it would up and international competition is be difficult for younger generation coming from all quarters as Singapore Singaporeans today to believe that this embeds itself in a globalised market modelled, success story of abundance place. Every astute Singaporean is wising and first-world status could go all wrong up to the question of how Singapore is in decades. We have seen, in a short spell going to maintain and sustain itself, over of three months, how the Irish success the next several decades. The pessimists story fell apart and how Iceland had a see Singapore’s golden times ebbing soon financial meltdown — it underscores an while the optimists believe Singapore will ominous warning that economic success still survive because countries regionally is tenuous, social confidence is brittle and and globally are unable to develop political stability is fragile especially for sustainably. However, Singaporeans small countries. cannot bank on the misfortunes of other

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Singapore Challenged: The Uneasy and Unchartered Road Ahead countries and cities to compete discussion, one needs to be reminded of internationally. If the City-state is to three significant developments in sustain itself it needs to continually Singapore. Firstly, the curtains seem to reinvent itself and ensure it remains be closing on the person who developed competitive and relevant in the global modern Singapore, Mr Lee Kuan Yew. He exchange of political and economic marks the end of an illustrious and active activities, goods and services. career as the Founding Father of modern Singapore. The question is whether Given that some Singaporeans are Singapore can still develop without his increasingly cognisant of the global physical presence, political tutelage, and imperatives and regional challenges global influence? Only Mr Lee has had the facing the City-state, I thought it was political gravitas to criticise, speak freely opportune to hear from a spectrum and frankly on the world stage and still of Singaporeans, covering a variety be respected. of economic, political, cultural, environmental, educational and social Domestically, however, one wonders interests about what they see as whether he has put in place a political Singapore’s current challenges and their system that will transcend his long rein prescriptions for the management of the on political power? In Huntington’s terms, City-state. One issue which our cover one would ask whether the first- design highlights is whether Singapore generation leaders have provided the will continue to excel well and be able to institutionalisation of political processes punch beyond its weight. Given that the and institutions. In his recent book, The NUSS is celebrating its 60th anniversary Great Degeneration, the British historian this year, it seemed timely to look into Niall Ferguson (2012) argues that the Singapore’s future prospects from an “profound crisis of the institutions” ‘insider’s’ perspective. All the writers undergirds the biggest current problem were chosen for their expertise in varied of Western politics. All around the region arenas and hopefully, they bring to (Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, these commentaries, perceptions, Myanmar, Thailand, Timor Leste, and the analyses and reflections which are Philippines) the evidence of an inability pertinent to Singapore’s future national to institutionalise democratic political trajectories. Commentary remains a processes is threatening to undermine relevant platform and arena for debate, governments, political systems and the dialogue, and discussion. Enjoy this issue state’s development programmes. — there is a lot to imbibe and much more to reflect on. Secondly, the general election in 2011 and the Ponggol by-election in 2012 To better appreciate the following which set back the ruling party’s electoral

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Singapore Challenged: The Uneasy and Unchartered Road Ahead majority in parliament had definitely and political management challenges changed Singapore’s political landscape today are a lot more complex than 30 dramatically in more than 40 years. The years ago. question on everyone’s mind is whether the ruling party’s electoral slide will The 2013 National Day Pledge: continue in the next general election and New Socialism cause damage in the party’s ability to find competent persons to run the Any older generation Singaporean government. Do we accept Lee Kuan listening to PM Lee Hsien Loong’s 2013 Yew’s oft-repeated warnings that National Day rally speech will think it as Singapore does not have enough capable déjà vu. The government after a dalliance persons to form one cabinet much less and courtship with the market economy two competent ruling parties? So does and laissez-faire capitalism has returned that mean the Achilles heel of Singapore to its socialistic roots. It realised that lies in a crisis of future leadership? wages are widening, costs are increasing, Singapore is a global player on a world inflation is rising and many Singaporeans economic stage and there is no more cannot afford basic necessities or a room for parochial thinking and local quality life that they have come to expect. perceptions if the City-state is to sustain This is an ironic situation for a country itself at current global benchmarks. with the highest per capita of millionaires in the world. Like many countries, the Thirdly, the silent majority of Singapore governance system cannot Singaporeans are waking up with new tame globalisation but it has to adapt to demands and severe criticisms of it. The prescription was a return to the everything in Singapore — a crumbling 1960’s People’s Action Party’s socialistic transport system, housing shortages, policies. swelling foreign labour, demographic crowding and expensive health care. The The three tenets of socialism health, Prime Minster, no less in his 2013 housing and education were resurrected National Day Rally speech, acknowledged and the government poured in new that Singapore is in a major transition, a investments and subsidies albeit with one watershed period and much needs to be twist — there is no free ride as it still had done to meet these challenging domestic to accept Milton Friedman’s economic times. Managing the new Singapore dictum of no free lunch. Hence, PM Lee’s political equation is no easy task and it 2013 speech was all about coming back seems like loose talk to compare the to socialistic basics — give its citizens first generation of leadership with the more housing, health care and education current government leaders. Times at affordable and subsidised prices. These have changed, society has changed, public services now include also

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Singapore Challenged: The Uneasy and Unchartered Road Ahead subsidised intra-urban transportation for subsidies and affirmative action for disadvantaged groups. It has become Singaporeans. increasingly clear that the noises and criticisms by older generation and lower However, the more pertinent question is income Singaporeans are tied to fears of whether the government and society having no social security, no basic safety have the political, economic and social net in the tide of rising costs, inflation and resilience to weather the domestic and widening income gaps. If the government global storms of the future. Without is providing a budget of mass citizen national resilience, Singapore will have pacification, then failure seems greater difficulty adjusting to challenges inevitable. The future must be an in future which are not coming only from informed civil society where government climate change. Chinese resilience has and the governed can build a common been raised on a strong Confucian ethos ground on humanistic concerns for and a diet of pragmatism. Their most social equity. important book, The Book of Changes or I-Ching, began with human-nature Will the People’s Action Party (PAP) win changes followed by human to human back its lost voters and constituencies in changes, and thereby, prepared the the next election? Will its socialistic Chinese for creating, adapting and gamble provide a rejuvenation of the managing change. In Singapore, one PAP? Time will tell. The challenge wonders whether Singaporeans will however, is that if the PAP loses another adjust easily to adverse changes or has two more Group Representation society’s resilience been eroded with Constituencies (GRCs) in addition to its prosperity and politically-stable quality current losses, the ruling Party might find living? it hard to put together a competent and experienced cabinet to run the country. The City-state’s Political Dilemma That would be a scary domestic scenario — and the future of Singapore’s dynamic One of the underlying issues of our economy and stable political system will national challenge lies in the very be undermined. While it took 30 to 40 nature of the country’s political and years to develop a First World country, it geographical status. Unlike other cities will take only a couple of years to and states, the Singapore case is quite dismantle it if we do not have a different. Singapore is both a city and competent government, if our an independent state. In global governance system is impervious to the comparisons, Singapore shares ground swell of discontent, and if benchmarks and billings with both urban Singaporeans do not see the larger global as well as state comparisons. State picture in their demands for change, comparisons put Singapore at a clear

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Singapore Challenged: The Uneasy and Unchartered Road Ahead advantage because of the City-state’s institutional political mandate of small size (in area and population) as striving to do well in all sectors has paid compared to larger countries. While good economic dividends. Singapore, in Singapore might fare well vis-à-vis other short, is a global brand, and has a good countries, it is less impressive when political corporate name in the world compared with other cities. Singapore’s of cities and nation-states. Yet, per capita GDP might be better than the domestically the government’s quest to United States, but the City-state is about strive for the best has been also a subject 40 percent of New York’s per capita GDP. of domestic and international debate. Internationally, there are nagging Yet, as sociologists argue, the negative impressions of Singapore’s government’s habit of emphasising brand of democracy which the Singapore’s ‘uniqueness’ could also be a government has strenuously defended disadvantage. If Singapore is not over the years. compared with other cities and states, the City-state may be deluded that it is Singapore however faces many beyond comparison and hence, it dims seemingly endemic domestic the political problems and economic challenges that are not easily solved: challenges faced. Indeed the World natural population growth is dwindling; Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF), in population is rapidly ageing; the urban responding to the government’s population base is small; economic criticisms of global benchmarking the productivity per capita is relatively low; City-state in terms of its ecological and income disparity is on the rise. For footprint, has dropped Singapore from its example, the Gini coefficient has benchmarking exercise — this makes increased from 0.457 in 2003 to 0.478 Singapore only the poorer for its absence. in 2012 which demonstrates that When you read many of the international income inequality is widening. In publications, Singapore is often not fairness, this income disparity however featured in many of the global is not a Singapore preserve. In his comparisons on many issues. Hong Kong blockbuster book, Capital in the seems to be the preferred city and Twenty-First Century, the French economic unit of comparison. economist, Thomas Piketty shows the rich get richer over time in all This does not mean that Singapore is capitalistic economies. Clearly the not being used by international policy solutions of income disparity are organisations in many comparative not easily solved politically. However, studies. Clearly Singapore continues to taming rising expectations in a top the charts in many areas — and it developed city-state are equally demonstrates that the continuing difficult governance issues.

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The cosmopolitan city versus nationalised that the deeply-ingrained political state has become the seed of Weltanschauung (the unquestioning Singaporean discontent with regard to assumption of the order of events or foreign labour, permanent residents and facts) needs adjustment, change, and immigration/citizenry issues. Many of adaptation. Governance underscores an these national challenges stem from the important axiom in state management demographic situation as well as the where all state and non-state players economic competition in the global should be involved and where marketplace. There is no easy way out to responsibility is shared. The idea that this issue — do Singaporeans want to be politics is only for politicians and a global, open, cosmopolitan city like New government leaders is passé and naïve York and London or a national state thinking. In democracies, every citizen is veering towards ‘nation-state’ identity a political entity with rights, views and like Japan’s. While the Finance Minister votes; but more important is the need for is working on upgrading indigenous all stakeholders to realise that the upkeep productivity, Singapore’s demographic of the national ‘common good’ and situation remains stubbornly reticent ‘common-pool resources’ require at about growth. Curbs on foreign labour times sectoral and personal ‘sacrifices’ are hurting many SMEs and industries — and the minimisation of ‘free-riders’ in and in the long run Singapore’s the state system. In many developing competitive edge might lose out. On the countries, unfortunately, the power elites other hand, can Singapore afford to be are the prime free-riders while the poorer insular and xenophobic when the City- masses have to make the major national state relies on trade that is 300 times sacrifices. The nature of such national her GDP? politics has become the tinderbox of riots, strikes, revolts and rebellions in the Times have changed in the last 40 years Arab World, South Asia and Southeast and the nature of governance in Asia. Singapore needs radical rethinking and cautious implementation. The ‘top-down, The current Singapore political transition government knows best’ idea of throws up issues of the future of political governance has to make way for an leadership — can leaders separate foreign inclusive system of governance with all policy from domestic politics? In a city- national stakeholders (private sector, state such as Singapore, political civil societies, Non-Governmental leadership is a lot more taxing, nuanced, Organisations (NGOs), academics) challenging and stressful. While city engaged in decision making and mayors in countries concentrate on local, implementation of public programmes. urban and community issues, state Government leaders have to realise leaders have to deal with national issues

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Singapore Challenged: The Uneasy and Unchartered Road Ahead in relation to changing geopolitical Ecosystem (startup colony) of situations, regional politics and global entrepreneurship, creativity and competition. Mixing urban and state, innovation. States and cities, which local and global issues are not always have the entrepreneurial ecosystem politically and economically satisfactory. infrastructure, are better able to Clearly an ageing population grows capitalise on this new synergy for conservative, becomes more localised in creativity, entrepreneurship and perceptions and is risk-adverse. However, innovation. Singapore has Block 71 in in a city-state such as Singapore, domestic Ayer Rajah Crescent with 200 official and and local issues often require foreign informal startups. The government’s policy considerations and vice-versa. The investment in incubators and whole Japanese political storm of the entrepreneurs has produced results — United States (US) troops in Okinawa there are 800 internet firms in Singapore. shows that if Okinawan domestic politics Singapore can ride on this global wave by wins it can undermine Japan’s national capitalising on the historical and current security and sovereignty. Singapore has intersections of four great civilisational no luxury like Japan because city and influences: Chinese, Indian, Middle- state, domestic and foreign policy are Eastern and Western — sources of fused — both political leaders and citizens unfolding potential creativity and need to be educated on negotiating innovation. politically-sensible decisions and policy outcomes for Singapore’s sustainability as With climate change becoming a a state. In short, if domestic politics wins, pertinent topic even in a business and the state could be undermined in the leaders forum such as Davos in 2014, the global political and economic arena. stakes are growing high about finding solutions at all levels. Global warming Future Options provides a daunting problem for governments, but the silver lining is its The global economic change taking place attraction in catalysing new energy provides some hope for Singapore’s innovations, green businesses and future trajectory. There are two areas for environmental policy solutions. growth and optimism: digital information Singapore’s long-term ‘clean and green’ technology and environmental green policies, its water sufficiency initiatives, options. The Cambrian biological and ‘city in the garden’ image makes it revolution seems to be resurrecting itself an attractive base for green ideas, in a new human revolution in digital environmental innovations and creative information technology — what Alvin energy business propositions. It is no Toffler calls the “Third Wave” and The wonder that over 1,000 shades of green Economist refers to as creating a new businesses are operating in the City-state.

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Singapore Challenged: The Uneasy and Unchartered Road Ahead

It also has the ability to market its express themselves in the Cybersphere. products and policies overseas. Yet, the important message of sustainability lies In Singapore, we have controlled in the correct balance in human-nature creativity or managed innovation. One relationships and ensuring a livelihood of example of the managed creativity is the moderation, thrift and a culture of non- opening of Lucasfilm’s Sandcrawler material satisfaction. Given urbanisation building in January 2014 in Singapore’s growth around the world (over 52 Fusionopolis, which demonstrates the percent of population), Singapore’s urban American organisation’s faith in model is one global laboratory of Singapore’s creative contributions. PM experimentation, research, study and Lee Hsien Loong hopes that the Lucas inquisition. It is a City-state attracting investment will help to provide the politicians, governments, bureaucrats “creative spark” to inspire people and and academics — trying to uncover the promote creativity. However, the black box of its success. question is whether Singapore’s controlled environment can provide a Both areas of new innovations ‘creative ecosystem’. For some, the test underscore the city-state’s ethos of of domestic creativity is whether the City- sustainability which is grounded in state can produce a Noble laureate. developing the national creative quotient of its people. However, is this possible in The other downside of the City-state’s a tightly-run political environment? entrepreneurship initiatives is the low Singapore is successful in churning out social status experimental endeavours good students due to our good have. The Singapore government has educational system and universities. been too successful in providing a stable Students might produce good grades, but job environment — hence, parents want will they become independent thinkers, their children to take professions in innovative leaders and creative people? government, teaching, multi-national Over the years, expatriate professors corporations (MNCs), and banking in often tell me that our students are great Singapore. Traditionally, Singapore’s old at producing facts and figures but they rich have made their wealth in lack ‘educational entrepreneurship’. Yet, conservative long-term economic Singapore’s comfortable environment is investments — plantation, land certainly attracting attention of foreign ownership and banking. Without foreign creative peoples and encouraging young investments, Singapore industrialisation Singaporeans to think beyond the box. programme in the 1960s onwards would While the government might be able have been a flop if it relied on Singapore to manage a constrained political investors. The social stigma of environment, Singaporeans alternatively entrepreneurial failure is something not

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Singapore Challenged: The Uneasy and Unchartered Road Ahead socially acceptable, which is different their domestic housekeeping, external from Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, affairs and influences are equally Thailand, India and other nouveau-rich important for Singapore’s sustainability. societies. The new Information Singapore after all rides on two percent Technology (IT) ecosystem also favours of the global economy for its economic adaptable younger populations and sustenance. undermines experienced workers brought up in a different working In concluding this editorial on Singapore’s ecosystem. Unfortunately, Singapore’s future trajectory and challenges, let me ageing population is said to provide many end with a quote from the great British ‘obsolete’ workers in the new ecosystem. philosopher Isaiah Berlin (2013:15) in Unemployment will continue to increase underscoring that there can be no because experienced ageing workers do permanent national solutions to any of not have the IT skills and the fact is that societal ills and problems one faces: an IT ecosystem reduces labour. These are issues that many developed countries “…the study of society shows that every with ageing populations have to confront solution creates a new situation which and manage. breeds its own needs and problems, new demands. The children have obtained Reflections what their parents and grandparents longed for – greater freedom, greater The essays in this volume demonstrate material welfare, a juster (sic) society; but both optimism and pessimism. There is the old ills are forgotten, and the children optimism in Singapore’s success story and face new problems, brought about by the its global branding and high status in the very solutions of the old ones, and these, international community of nation- even if they can in turn be solved, states. Singapore can continue to generate new situations, and with them leverage on these positive global new requirements – and so on, for ever – perceptions and goodwill. Our Foreign and unpredictably”. Affairs Ministry (MFA) strives to keep goodwill and cordial ties with all states in References many camps and power relationships. However, keeping neutrality in the Berlin, Isaiah (2013), The Crooked Timber growing political schisms between China of Humanity, London: Pimlico and the US and Japan as well as the Ferguson, Niall (2012), The Great internal bickering pressures in ASEAN Degeneration, London: Allen Lane might be a lot more difficult in the coming years. Singaporeans must be aware that Lee, Kuan Yew (2013), One man’s view of while domestic issues are pertinent to the World, Singapore: Straits Times Press

12 COMMENTARY VOLUME 23, 2014 SINGAPORE CHALLENGED: THE UNEASY AND UNCHARTERED ROAD AHEAD The National Narrative: Singapore Dialogues A Narrative For Winning Viswa Sadasivan

Mr Viswa Sadasivan, an NUS alumnus (Class of ‘83), is currently the CEO of Strategic Moves, a corporate strategy, strategic & crisis communication consultancy and training firm. He is an expert in the field of narratives and was a Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) from 2010 to 2012.

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A Narrative For Winning

Of the lessons in political commentary There were two national narratives that the late S Chandramohan taught created in the 1960s. The first was the me, one stands out. He was then narrative for merger with Malaya: Director of the current affairs programmes division of the Singapore We are a small country with no natural Broadcasting Corporation. In the draft resources and limited human capability of my script for a special edition of the – survival is possible only if we then popular weekly current affairs compensate for that which we lack by programme, FEEDBACK, I described the merging with a larger, more established then Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew country. We will benefit from a common as a “politician”. Chandra told me that market, having a hinterland and the I was wrong; the term politician is security of a more established armed pejorative and refers to those who use force. It would be a bonus if we merged political power to further interests that with a country with which we already are less than noble. He said that have cultural and kinship ties. Malaya fits Singapore has political leaders who the bill. have the “intellectual sophistication and emotional integrity” to deliver on This narrative unified a series of promises. Chandra emphasised that compelling arguments that were even though some of their policies and presented to the people during the 1963 actions could appear undemocratic and campaign leading to the People’s Action even draconian, closer examination Party (PAP) government’s victory in the would show that they were based on a referendum on Singapore’s merger with “logic of accountability”. Malaya. The narrative was used as a leverage to create a collective reflex not This logic, in turn, is based on a “social only amongst a disparate people, but contract” between the government and also between the people and the the people — an understanding that in government. It deepened trust in the return for prosperity and progress, the ruling party and helped build faith in PM people agree to hard work, government Lee Kuan Yew’s leadership and vision. control and reduced freedom. The crucial point, Chandra explained, was that this In fact, this faith became so entrenched agreement was predicated on a deep and in the months that followed that it mutual acceptance of a “socio-political withstood the ultimate test when narrative” that defines who we are, what Singapore was unceremoniously severed we stand for, where we have come from, from the Federation of Malaysia. Virtually and where we would like to be. overnight, the merger narrative went up in smoke. Clearly, part of the reason why So what was this narrative? PM Lee was highly emotional during the

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A Narrative For Winning televised press conference on 9 August, If Mr Lee and his ‘lieutenants’ were the 1965 was the loss of face in having to captain and the crew of the ship that backtrack from all he had said before to sailed the rough seas, carrying us in it, persuade the people that merger was the the new narrative was the wind behind only way for Singapore to survive. the sail.

This must certainly constitute a rare This narrative formed the basis of the occurrence in political history when a much talked-about “social contract” that narrative that was imbibed by the people gave the government the licence to rule had to be dismantled and promptly with minimal resistance from the ground. replaced by another narrative Also, with the new narrative that was promulgated by the same leader! This is predicated on faith, the government had usually the recipe for the ignominious the latitude to go with its instincts when demise of a political leader. It was clearly sailing into the unchartered waters of the not so in the case of Mr Lee and the 1960s and 70s. Starting from scratch and PAP government. forced to blaze new trails for a nation in- the-making, the political leaders, often The new post-independence narrative had to lead with messianic zeal! Together worked for three reasons: the political with a team of able public servants, they leadership had already established a systematically and painstakingly built key credible level of trust with the people by institutions such as the Economic delivering on promises made since 1959; Development Board (EDB), the Monetary the leaders saw it as their duty to walk Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the the ground day and night to persuade the Housing and Development Board (HDB). people to accept the government’s agenda and belief system; and perhaps What connected them was their fervent most importantly, the new narrative belief in the new Singapore narrative, capitalised on the prevailing sense of which was essentially this: having been abandoned and was, therefore, emotionally relevant and We have become independent and can compelling. rely only on ourselves. We have learned that dependence comes with a price. The new narrative had to serve two The hard truth is that countries act to purposes: it had to get the people to protect their own interests. We are stand unquestioning, behind their small, vulnerable and have no natural leaders, and to be a clarion call for resources. Our survival depends on charging ahead towards success, rapidly building ‘core muscles’ – our almost to prove a point to detractors economy, security and social compact. and to ourselves. Our small size can be our strength – like

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A Narrative For Winning a sampan, tossed about on rough seas, will see that we have succeeded. nimble enough to quickly change course, unlike an ocean liner. We must embrace Friedman: What kind of answer is that for pragmatism. Our mantra - Hard-work an economist? and Discipline. We must be prepared to sacrifice for the future, and this includes Dhanabalan: I’m sorry but the truth is, we personal freedoms and liberties. have not the slightest clue what we will Meritocracy and equal opportunities will or should do. We just have the will and be our governing principles. To this end, the determination. We will not only the government will relentlessly seek new survive, we will prosper.” solutions and provide a good home for the people. In return, the people need to This indomitable belief with which the follow faithfully. This is our social leaders led, was matched by the faith contract. We cannot be limited by what with which the people followed the we have, but must be galvanised by what government. This was the basis for the we can become — a success story that “social contract” which was at the core will silence our detractors, and inspire of the narrative. future generations. There is no reason why we can’t achieve this. We need This contributed to the social and to believe. economic progress and prosperity of the first three decades since To illustrate the inimitable mood in the independence in 1965. The people’s Singapore of the 1960s as well as the willingness to suspend civil liberties for unquestioning faith that comes with economic progress allowed leaders to being fully invested in a narrative, here is get away with what would have been an often-recounted conversation that deemed seriously politically incorrect in took place in the 1960s between most contexts. Take these remarks American economist and Nobel Laureate, made by PM Lee Kuan Yew in his 1983 Milton Friedman and former cabinet National Day Rally speech: minister, S Dhanabalan, who was then a senior economist with the EDB: “If you don’t include your women graduates in your breeding pool and leave “Friedman: What are you going to do them on the shelf, you would end up a now that you have lost the Malaysian more stupid society… So what happens? Common Market? There will be less bright people to support dumb people in the next generation. Dhanabalan: We don’t know what we’re That’s a problem.” going to do but I want to assure you that if you came back in 10 years’ time, you There were no consequences for PM Lee

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A Narrative For Winning or the PAP government. They continued narrative that will be received without to ride on the power of the post- some measure of ambivalence. Yes, it independence narrative. However, is more difficult, but not impossible. time does not stand still. Circumstances There are three prerequisites: change and people change - so must acknowledging that ground sensibilities narratives. have shifted; discerning the deeper concerns from the symptoms; and The PAP government’s reluctance to having the interest and will to change reshape the narrative was a significant the governing approach. contributor to, what I see as, a gradual erosion of its stature and standing in “Tweaking” the system or making the eyes of the people from the 1990s incremental changes do not work when till May of 2011. people have been waiting a long time for the government to not just listen, With affluence, better education and but demonstrate that it is listening. greater exposure, Singaporeans What is needed is a bold and distinctly became less willing to accept different new narrative that is everything that the government did or unequivocal in substance and said. Having benefited from a better articulated persuasively in one voice by quality of life, the appetite for issues of the leaders — one that not only strikes fairness, right and wrong, and justice a chord with the people but is also grew steadily. Singaporeans not only something the government is capable started having opinions, but also of and committed to delivering. developed a desire for expressing them. The internet provided the Failing to acknowledge the growing platform for this. The gap between the discord between the government and people and the government narrowed. the people’s sensibilities invariably has The old “social contract” had reached consequences. Take Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s its run-out-date. off-side remark during the hustings of the 2011 General Election on the However, the PAP government failed to consequences if the Aljunied Group see the need to develop a fresh, Representation Constituency (GRC) concrete and equally potent national were to go to the Opposition: narrative and ‘sell it’ with the same evangelistic fervour as it did in the “…If Aljunied decides to go that way, 1960s. One could argue that with all the well Aljunied has five years to live noise generated on the internet and the and repent….” heterogeneous nature of society today, it is far more difficult to pitch a This remark in the language of the old

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A Narrative For Winning narrative, spoken with misplaced Hsien Loong’s 2013 National Day Rally confidence that the people continued speech came closest to articulating it. As to have unquestioning faith in their long as we do not hear a compelling new political leaders was, many believe, the narrative, the government will continue single most significant factor leading to to be identified with the post- the PAP losing Aljunied GRC in 2011. independence narrative. This is likely to The electoral result and the reaction of alienate today’s populace, especially the populace to the remark amounted the young. to a summary rejection of the post- independence narrative. Never before The government’s reluctance to move had the signal been clearer. away decisively from the old narrative of three decades is understandable, Since May 2011, we have seen a especially since it has produced discernible shift in the way the tangible results. The new narrative government operates. It clearly appears does not need to be a total rejection of to be listening and responding more. The the old one. For example, meritocracy, government is more prepared than ever equal opportunities, efficiency, and before to re-examine issues that were even having a strong, decisive considered taboo or at least indulgent in government, are all qualities that most the old narrative: direct assistance for the Singaporeans still value. What is needy, HDB flats for singles, and more important is that the core of the new help for special needs schools. There has narrative must resonate strongly with also been a dramatic, almost uncanny, the defining considerations of the improvement in the government’s ability people today – our identity, a sense of to address and solve problems, especially fairness and justice, balancing with housing and transportation. These progress and prosperity with equitable have helped the government regain faith. opportunities and aspirations, and a We have also seen a multifold increase more partnership-based principle of in public and stakeholder engagements, governance. further demonstrating the government’s willingness to listen to the people. In In short, a good narrative is one that addition, the PM and virtually all cabinet addresses three factors: it must be in sync ministers and PAP MPs have a presence with the logic of the audience and on Facebook. In short, there has been a stakeholders; there must be a clear sense profusion of ‘conversations’ since the of empathy for the people’s core 2011 General Election. concerns; and it must be congruous with the ethical considerations of the day. However, we have yet to ‘see’ a distinct new narrative emerge. Perhaps PM Lee The sooner a coherent and bold new

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A Narrative For Winning narrative is designed in a way that (NUS) has systematically moved up the resonates with ground sensibilities, the global rankings over the past decade. In better chance of gaining a buy-in from its earlier years, it focused on being a the people. This is the best way to move good teaching university. In the last seven out of the current level of flux and find years, the differentiator has shifted to a new operating equilibrium. Like research. In a few years, NUS may very societies, organisations which have well get into the top 20 list. Teaching, taken pains to develop a powerful research and facilities will be mere narrative that goes beyond stating hygiene factors then. Universities in this what they do well, to defining what ‘club’ talk more about what they stand they stand for, have found success. for, such as the fascinating ways their After all, mindshare is the basis for faculty, alumni and students contribute sustainable market share. Similarly, to making this a better, more exciting in an increasingly competitive world. Why the university has decided on marketplace, product or price its course and its causes and how differentiation has limited scope — committed it is to them, form the core of people increasingly want to be the narrative which is imbued in every associated with products, concepts and member of the university family. This ideals that make them feel good. creates pride of association.

This is what differentiates the men from Mission and vision statements are static the boys, so to speak — a certain descriptions of what you do and aspire maturity and sophistication in defining to achieve. In most cases, these fail to what your organisation stands for. The capture the imagination of stakeholders Body Shop stands firmly against animal because they do not usually present the testing, Apple for innovation boldness, context — they do not tell us where you and AirAsia pushes a revolution in the started, why you decided on this course, region where “now everyone can fly”. what trials you faced in your journey, These are not iconic organisations merely what kept you going, what your final flashing clever slogans. The sentiments destination is, and why this is important conveyed by these catchphrases are at for you and your people. the core of the narrative of the organisation — something that unifies If we examine greatness — The Roman the sensibilities of the internal and Empire, The Taj Mahal, Nelson Mandela, external stakeholders. This, in turn, The Ford Corporation, The Beatles, engenders loyalty, which is an Mahatma Gandhi, The French Revolution increasingly elusive concept today. and Singapore — the common factor would be the strength of the narrative. The National University of Singapore People have always rallied behind ideas

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A Narrative For Winning and ideals, more than products and services. Today, with so much devastation and disillusionment, with all the noise and single-minded aimlessness, the search for what is meaningful that gives hope and is authentic has intensified.

More than ever, the narrative is key — those who have the instinct for it are the true winners.

20 COMMENTARY VOLUME 23, 2014 SINGAPORE CHALLENGED: THE UNEASY AND UNCHARTERED ROAD AHEAD The National Narrative: Singapore Dialogues Singapore’s Education and Its Multicultural Heritage: Forging a New Dialogue Arun Bala

Dr Arun Bala is Senior Research Fellow with Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore. His published works include The Dialogue of Civilizations in the Birth of Modern Science (Palgrave Macmillan, 2008) and Asia, Europe and the Emergence of Modern Science: Knowledge Crossing Boundaries (ed. Palgrave Macmillan, 2012).

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Singapore’s Education and Its Multicultural Heritage: Forging a New Dialogue

Introduction Gopinathan maintains that such a process of co-construction of knowledge In recent years, a number of educationists can greatly profit by drawing upon have called for a re-orientation in reservoirs of cultural knowledge that teaching and pedagogy that would draw have hitherto been marginalised. Apart upon the cultural resources of the major from the role that indigenisation can play Asian traditions that have shaped in enhancing learning, it can also be a Singapore history — especially its resource for innovation and creativity in Chinese, Malay-Islamic, and Indian dealing with the many difficult heritages. Such a fresh alignment is environmental and ecological concerns recommended by the educationist, that we confront today. The geographer, S Gopinathan, who argues that the Victor Savage, emphasises this point: present stage of globalisation is conducive to knowledge indigenisation in Today the indigenous knowledge education, particularly because there is embodied in preliterate cultures — ample evidence in recent pedagogical especially their environmental knowledge literature that adopting such an approach through which they define the can not only enhance learning but also relationship between society and make it more meaningful and, therefore, nature, culture and ecology — have powerful and transformative. He adds: become central concerns within academic discourse after environmental This is in part a response, both to a better degradation and climate change have understanding of learning processes come to be perceived as major global bequeathed by cognitive science, and of challenges.2 the recognition that the older subject- centred curriculum and teacher- Although Savage refers to preliterate dominated pedagogy will not provide indigenous knowledge, there is also a students with the learning skills and wide body of literature which documents opportunities that are needed to meet the potential contributions of pre- the challenges of twenty-first century modern literate traditions to living. Much greater attention is now environmental knowledge.3 being paid to the need for students to critique and question codified knowledge However, there is still a general as represented in textbooks, to adopt a misconception in such calls to integrate problem-solving stance, and for students indigenous knowledge — they often and teachers to co-construct knowledge.1 assume that the indigenous cultures of

1 Gopinathan, S (2012), pp 244. 2 Savage, Victor (2012), pp 253. 3 See example: Callicott, J. Baird (1997).

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Singapore’s Education and Its Multicultural Heritage: Forging a New Dialogue

Singapore had played either no role or, but not in Chinese, Indian or Islamic at best, a marginal role in shaping modern traditions of astronomy. science and society in the past. However, recent dialogical histories of the birth of However, there is now evidence that the modern science and society suggest that Scientific Revolution also drew on the major cultures that came together in resources from the pre-Copernican Singapore also profoundly influenced the traditions of astronomy and cosmology emergence of science and society in early in the Chinese, Islamic and Indian worlds. modern Europe. This has significant The most advanced schools of astronomy implications for rethinking Singapore’s in these cultures were the Xuan Ye, education that has yet to be Maragha and Kerala traditions. These systematically explored. three schools were developed in the millennium preceding the modern era Dialogical History of Modern Natural and were often (mis)taken as the dark Science ages of European science from about 500 to 1500 CE. Each of these traditions was Let us begin by considering the dialogical built upon distinctly different conceptions history of modern science. Modern of the motions of the heavenly bodies. science is generally seen as beginning with the Copernican Revolution which The Chinese perceived the stars and the made the sun, rather than the earth, the planets as circling the Pole Star4 — the centre of orbit for the planets. This, in singular fixed point in the heavens around turn, is taken to have led to changes in which all other bodies moved.5 By physics which culminated with Newton’s contrast the Islamic tradition assumed a formulation of the laws of motion and geo-centric structure for the universe, gravity, which brought under a single wherein all heavenly bodies — sun, unified framework, our understanding of moon, planets and stars — revolved the behaviour of bodies both on Earth around the earth.6 Indian astronomers and in the heavens. It is traditionally deployed a slightly more complex model assumed that these changes were rooted in which the then known planets — in the ancient Greek tradition of science Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn

4 This is also traditionally assigned a moral salience. In the Confucian Analects 2.1, it was written: “Governing with excellence (de) can be compared to being the North Star: the North Star dwells in its place, and the multitude of stars pay it tribute”. 5 As a result, unlike the Indians and Arabs, the Chinese astronomers did not focus on planetary orbits. They were more interested in the predictions of stellar motions which led them to develop a strong tradition of star maps. Moreover, to get precise knowledge of the heavens, they built mechanical models that came to be increasingly refined from the time of Zhang Heng (78 to139 CE). 6 They also adopted the geometric approach of Ptolemy and the ancient Greeks but combined it with the Indian number system and algebraic techniques.

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— orbited the sun, but the sun, the moon also explained why the Chinese saw the and the stars revolved around the earth.7 heavens as revolving around the Pole Star. There is now increasing evidence that the Copernican Revolution was only able to Finally, the heliocentric model extended consolidate itself by drawing upon a the planetary heliocentrism of Indian portfolio of ideas and techniques from astronomy to include the earth as the Chinese, Indian and Islamic traditions another planet revolving around the sun. of astronomy. Although the three These connections between the traditions had different conceptions of Copernican theory and the earlier how the heavenly bodies moved, all of Chinese, Islamic and Indian traditions of them assumed that the earth constituted astronomy made it possible for the a stationary platform from which these Scientific Revolution to draw upon phenomena could be studied and thematic ideas, observational data, and predicted. mathematical and technical practices from these different Asian traditions. Thus, the Copernican theory which Consequently, even though the assumed the sun to be the centre of orbit Copernican theory displaced these Asian for the planets including the earth can be models of astronomy it may also be seen seen as revolutionary for all of these as integrating them together within a traditions since it gave the earth two higher synthesis.8 different motions by making it rotate on its own axis and also revolve around The Dialogical History of Modern the sun. Society

Coincidentally, these two motions also Just as the revolution in the natural connected the Chinese, Islamic and the sciences that led to modern science drew Indian astronomical traditions with the upon the traditions of Chinese, Islamic new Copernican theory. It is now and Indian astronomy, so did these recognised that the Maragha School cultures furnish many of the ideas model is practically identical to the technologies and institutions that shaped Copernican model from a mathematical early modern society. In both cases, these point of view, except for the reversal of reservoirs of knowledge came to be the positions of the sun and the earth- developed in Chinese, Islamic and Indian moon system. The rotation of the earth civilisations over the millennium 500 to

7 From the fifth century onwards, the Indians also adopted Greek epicyclic models on which to do their algebraic computations. The emphasis on algebraic methods rather than geometric methods led the Indians to a very different mathematical orientation in approaching precision knowledge of astronomical processes. 8 [0] See Arun Bala (2006), pp 145-176.

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1500 CE. This was a time when a system partnerships, contract law, banking, of trading routes were developed credit and many others), upon which not connecting these civilisations with each only Islamic production, investment and other, and also with Europe and commerce rested but also global trade”.9 Southeast Asia. According to Abu- Lughod, there were three major trading Equally important were transmissions routes — a land route in the north from the Islamic world of astronomical through the Mongol empire, a middle and mathematical knowledge, the route linking the Middle East with India astrolabe, maps and the lateen sail that and China, and a route in the south made long-distance navigation possible. passing from Europe through Egypt to Also significant were improvements in East Africa, India, Southeast Asia and iron and steel production, advanced China. textile manufacturing, better dyes, as well as techniques for harnessing wind John Hobson argues that these linkages and water energies through windmills made it possible for early-modern and watermills in industrial production.10 Europeans to draw upon a portfolio of ideas, technologies and institutions The Chinese contributions to modern from various civilisations and forge society were equally important — them together to create modern society. especially in their discovery and He documents these carefully in his development of technologies which study The Eastern Origins of Western crucially influenced the eighteenth Civilization. century industrial revolution in Europe. Hobson writes: Although it is often assumed that global commercial capitalism was instituted by “[T]he British consciously acquired and modern Europeans, Hobson maintains assimilated the Chinese technologies — that this was built upon the either the actual technology or the achievements of Muslims who had knowledge of a particular technology. In pioneered it through commercial this sense, Britain was like any ‘late networks spanning the Afro-Eurasian developer’ or newly-industrialising region. In order to accomplish this task, country in that it enjoyed the ‘advantages the Muslims had developed many of backwardness’ and was able to sophisticated financial instruments assimilate and refine the advanced including “the creation of a whole series technologies that had previously been of capitalist institutions (concerning pioneered by early developers.”11

9 Hobson (2004), pp 44. 10 Ibid. pp 43 – 44. 11 Ibid. pp 192.

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The Chinese contributions were also by the suppression of textile grounded in what has been characterised production in India by British imperialism, as the Sung Industrial miracle. In the India was the world’s largest cotton Sung era, there were many Chinese textile producer and exporter. Indian technological achievements that Hobson influence on early British textile describes as revolutionary, including an production is reflected in terms of Indian iron and steel revolution, a transportation origin that have now passed into the and energy revolution, the rise of a English language such as, chintz, calicoe, commercialised economy with taxation, dungaree, khaki, pyjama, sash and paper, printing, an agricultural or ‘Green’ shawl.12 revolution, a navigational revolution, and a military revolution. Dialogical Histories of Singapore

The British agricultural and industrial The dialogical histories of modern science revolutions were built upon these and modern society reveal striking achievements, albeit by taking them to parallels to recent attempts to rewrite higher levels of articulation. The British the history of Singapore, not from its agricultural revolution itself drew upon founding by the British Governor-General Chinese innovations such as the of Java, Sir Stamford Raffles, in 1819 but eighteenth-century iron mould-board by its founding by a prince of the Sri plough (Rotherham plough), the rotary Vijayan Empire, Parameswara/Iskandar winnowing machine, seed-drills and Shah in the early fourteenth century. horse-hoeing husbandry. The steam engine, coal and blast furnaces, and iron These read the birth of Singapore from a and steel production, so crucial to the deeper historical perspective which British industrial revolution, were also contextualises it within the trading based on Chinese inventions and networks that linked Afro-Eurasia in the discoveries. pre-modern era.13 Three recent studies which have taken this perspective are Hobson notes that the Indian Singapore: A 700 Year History by Kwa contribution to the British industrial Chong Guan, Derek Heng and Tan Tai revolution was particularly crucial in the Yong; Singapore: A Biography by Mark area of textile production. Prior to the Ravinder Frost and Yu-Mei Balasingham domination of British textiles on the Chow; and John N Miksic’s Singapore and global market, made possible not only by the Silk Road of the Sea 1300-1800. These their industrial production in Britain but new histories connect Singapore history

12 Ibid. pp 85-86. 13 See Wolf (1982), Abu-Lughod (1989) and Hobson (2004).

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Singapore’s Education and Its Multicultural Heritage: Forging a New Dialogue within the deeper maritime history of the attributes for such developments: Straits of Melaka, which served as an strategic location, fair and liberal important connecting link between China government, and most importantly a and the rest of the Afro-Eurasian region hardworking and cosmopolitan via Southeast Asia. Singapore in the population that was able to live together fourteenth century, at that time known harmoniously despite a multiplicity of as Temasek, served as an emporium cultures, languages, and religion.”14 linking its immediate Southeast Asian hinterland with China on one side and As the British Empire consolidated its India and the Islamic world on the other. hold on India as an imperial power, and China through its unequal treaty ports Although Temasek’s fortune declined along with the Middle East after the over time, by the time Raffles arrived in opening of the Suez Canal in 1867, 1819, he found it inhabited by only a few Singapore came to be a crucial node in villages and selected it as a site for a new the maritime trading network across British port precisely because he Afro-Eurasia controlled by the British recognised its early historical position as navy. This also served to bring together an emporium in the fourteenth century. diasporic populations from China, He was inspired by his experience as a Southeast Asia, India and the Middle East scholar of Malay history and his reading that have come to constitute the of the Sejarah Melayu which depicted the melange of people in contemporary founding of Melaka by a prince from Singapore.15 Singapore. In his study connecting ancient Singapore as a node in the Rethinking Education: Integrating the maritime trading networks of the History of Singapore with Histories of fourteenth century, John Miksic writes: Modern Science and Modern Society

“Singapore suddenly came back to life in It is striking to note the remarkable 1819. This awakening was catalysed by parallels in the dialogical histories of a man (Raffles) who was convinced Singapore and the dialogical histories of (correctly as it turns out) that it was modern science and modern society. In possible to revive an ancient centre of all of these cases, the leading cultures Malay culture and commerce. This revival that came together historically were the could not have taken place unless same three cultures — the Chinese, the Singapore possessed the necessary Malay-Islamic and the Indian. Moreover,

14 Miksic, John N (2013), pp 434. 15 See Kwa et al (2010), Chapter 7 entitled “Raffles and the Establishment of an East India Company Station on Singapore”. There are other historians such as Mark Ravinder Frost, Yu Mei Balasingam Chow, and John Miksic who endorse this view.

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Singapore’s Education and Its Multicultural Heritage: Forging a New Dialogue these were also the three cultures that strategies for drawing on the came together in ancient Singapore indigenous knowledge of major (Temasek). Do these strange parallels cultures in Singapore can learn from the have an explanation? It is reasonable to strategies deployed to build modern suppose that it was the maritime Silk Singapore, modern science and modern Road linking the Middle East, India, society in the past. Southeast Asia and China, that not only brought populations from these regions Bibliography together, but also facilitated the intellectual exchanges which led to Abu-Lughod, Janet L (1989) Before discoveries which were later European Hegemony: The World System incorporated into modern science and A.D. 1250–1350, Oxford: Oxford modern social institutions.16 University Press.

We have seen the educationist, Bala, Arun (2006) The Dialogue of Gopinathan and the environmental Civilizations in the Birth of Modern geographer, Savage, argue that learning Science, New York: Palgrave Macmillan. can be enhanced and be made more meaningful by linking it to processes of Callicott, J Baird (1997) Earth’s Insights: knowledge indigenisation, which can A Multicultural Survey of Ecological Ethics also draw upon indigenous knowledge from the Mediterranean Basin to the for environmental management. Australian Outback, University of However, the process of drawing on California Press. indigenous knowledge of the Asian traditions appears to be seen as a Frost, Mark Ravinder & Yu-mei strategy that has no precedence in the Balasingam Chow (2009) Singapore: A past. However, dialogical histories of Biography, Singapore: Didier Millet & modern science and society suggest National Museum of Singapore. that such a process was crucial to the birth of not only modern science but Gopinathan, S (2012) “Reclaiming also of modern society. Tradition: Implications of a Knowledge Indigenization Perspective for Asian Moreover, the cultures that came Education” in Asia, Europe, and the together to shape modern Singapore, Emergence of Modern Science: were also the cultures that shaped the Knowledge Crossing Boundaries, Arun notions of modern science and modern Bala (ed), New York: Palgrave Macmillan society. This suggests that educational pp 239 – 252.

16 A good and influential study of these maritime Silk Road linkages is Abu-Lughod (1989).

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Hobson, John M (2004) The Eastern Origins of Western Civilisation, Cambridge University Press.

Kwa Chong Guan, Derek Heng & Tan Tai Yong (2009) Singapore: 700-Year History, Singapore: National Archives of Singapore.

Miksic, John N (2013) Singapore and the Silk Road of the Sea 1300-1800, NUS Press, National University of Singapore.

Savage, Victor (2012) “Southeast Asia’s Indigenous Knowledge: The Conquest of the Mental Terra Incognitae” in Asia, Europe, and the Emergence of Modern Science: Knowledge Crossing Boundaries, Arun Bala (ed), New York: Palgrave Macmillan pp 253 – 270.

Wolf, Eric (1982) Europe and the People without History, Berkeley: University of California Press.

COMMENTARY VOLUME 23, 2014 SINGAPORE CHALLENGED: THE UNEASY AND UNCHARTERED ROAD AHEAD 29 The National Narrative: Singapore Dialogues It’s Not Just the Singapore Literature Prize, But Also Literature in Singapore That’s In Crisis Koh Tai Ann

Professor Koh Tai Ann is a Senior Associate at the Centre for Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University and was a former Editor of Commentary. Her Singapore Literature in English: an Annotated Bibliography is now available as archive and interactive digital search tool at https://eps.ntu.edu.sg/client/SingaporeLiterature/

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It’s Not Just the Singapore Literature Prize, But Also Literature in Singapore

‘People want economic development first subject. The latest alarm was set off last and foremost. The leaders may talk year by a Parliamentary question which something else. You take a poll of any revealed a further decline to a startling people. What is it they want? … They low of 9 percent (or only about 3,000 want homes, medicine, jobs, schools.’ students). ~ Lee Kuan Yew 1 That English Literature was once even a ‘Speaking off the cuff in 1968 in reply to mandatory subject alongside English a question from the audience at the Language and Maths and that such a University of Singapore, the Prime decline is a matter of serious concern Minister said that “Poetry is a luxury we among the public, testify to its perceived cannot afford” because technical centrality in education. (In contrast, no education was more important.’ 2 fuss was made over an even more drastic decline in the numbers taking History, to ‘They say people can think for only about 1,700 students.) themselves? Do you honestly believe that the chap who can’t pass primary six The decline and its causes are knows the consequence of his choice symptomatic of narrow pragmatic when he answers a question viscerally, on mindsets no longer relevant to a post- language, culture and religion?’ industrial society and unacknowledged ~ Lee Kuan Yew 3 cultural shifts within Singapore society. That schools and students drop the Introduction subject can be attributed to a series of internal policy contradictions with Since the 1980s, periodic public consequences which may be expressions of dismay would surface inadvertent or calculated, while the regarding the continuing, even perhaps, cultural shifts proceed from external terminal decline in the number of developments, chiefly Singapore’s students taking English Literature (now commitment to globalisation and to Literature in English) at O and N Levels English as ‘turbine engines’ of ever since it ceased being a mandatory economic growth.

1 Han Fook Kwang, Warren Fernandez and Sumiko Tan, Lee Kuan Yew, The Man and His Ideas, Singapore: Times Editions, 1997. Much quoted because it sums up his and his government’s ‘common sense’ and pragmatism as to what makes for (in his words) a ‘civilised life’. 2Koh Tai Ann, “The Singapore Experience: Cultural Development in the Global Village”, Southeast Asian Affairs 1980, Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Affairs, 1980, p303. Mr Lee’s unscripted and very quotable, characteristic opinion is oft-cited by academics without reference to the fact that it was personally heard by me as a then new English Literature graduate and reported in this article, where it first appeared in print. 3 Lee Kuan Yew: The Man and his Ideas. As in note 1 above.

COMMENTARY VOLUME 23, 2014 SINGAPORE CHALLENGED: THE UNEASY AND UNCHARTERED ROAD AHEAD 31 The National Narrative: Singapore Dialogues

It’s Not Just the Singapore Literature Prize, But Also Literature in Singapore

The economic significance of the arts (as they take Literature in their so-called ‘creative industries’, as part of a global mother tongues, Malay, Chinese and city’s attractive lifestyle, and so on) seems Tamil). more appreciated by state and society than its role in educational and thus Is it only and merely “Whither the human cultural development. At issue Singapore Literature Prize?” therefore is the extent to which the literature in English forms part of our “Whither the Singapore Literature Prize?” cultural heritage and identity. A corollary was one of the panels at the 2013 issue, ignored or unresolved, is the Singapore Writers Festival. It being a cultural role and function of English, prestigious national award, and usually viewed in binary opposition to the Singapore’s biggest for a single work in so-called mother tongues. (I will not, terms of cash prizes ($10,000 for the however, go into this latter issue, having winner, and proportionately smaller sums previously dealt with it.4 for the secondary Merit and Commendation Prize winners), the panel In this essay, I reflect upon three was asked whether it really encouraged seemingly unrelated developments new writing, earned the main and that seem to me to illustrate secondary winners recognition and most unresolved conflicts and contradictions importantly, gained their works and which suggest a crisis of cultural Singapore literature in general, new or identity in Singapore that is largely more readers. The panel members, two deemed impolitic to discuss beyond the former main Singapore Literature Prize groves of academe. (SLP) winners and the third a Commendation Award winner, These are firstly, a recent call to ‘overhaul’ representing respectively, writers in the the Singapore Literature Prize, which in three official languages (except Tamil) turn inadvertently drew my attention, agreed that in their experience, the secondly, to the growing dominance of award neither helped them sell more Singapore literature (and drama) in books nor gained them many new English vis-à-vis that in the other official readers despite the recognition the SLP languages, and thirdly, the decline in gave them as writers. numbers of upper secondary students taking English Literature as a subject As for encouraging new writing and new (including the probability that neither do writers, or gaining these recognition, a

4 Koh Tai Ann, “ ‘It’s like rice on the table, it’s our common dish’ “: The English Language and Identity in Singapore. In Management of Success; Singapore Re-visited, Terence Chong, ed., Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2010, p.536 -560.

32 COMMENTARY VOLUME 23, 2014 SINGAPORE CHALLENGED: THE UNEASY AND UNCHARTERED ROAD AHEAD The National Narrative: Singapore Dialogues

It’s Not Just the Singapore Literature Prize, But Also Literature in Singapore panel member noted that the same unpublished manuscripts. Publication by already established and recognised the publisher-sponsor, on top of the cash writers repeatedly win the Prize, as often award, was to encourage the winner(s) as three times in the past five to continue writing. In retrospect, the SLP competitions to date. So, as The Straits did succeed in achieving its aims of Times report declared, ‘Is it about time discovering and encouraging new literary to “overhaul” the SLP?’ works and writers in English in quantity and quality (more about which, later).5 Chairing that session, I wondered, however, whether the trajectory of the Then from 2004 (after a hiatus), no longer SLP reflects that of Singapore Literature sponsored by a commercial publisher, but in all the official languages and the school supported by the National Arts Council subject, Literature in English as well. (NAC) and organised by the National Book Were all in danger of losing their bearings Development Council of Singapore, both and sense of purpose? Are the parallel essentially state agencies, the SLP was questions, “Whither Singapore radically re-constituted as an award that Literature?” and “Whither Literature in more ‘correctly’ reflects the national Singapore?” policy of multiculturalism. This entails support for and recognition of the Whither the Singapore Literature literatures in all four official languages: Prize? From the CIMO Model back to four equal CIMO categories (i.e., Chinese, the Market Model Indian, Malay and Others, represented by English) each with its own SLP, were The history of the first phase of the SLP therefore introduced. Another change — (1992 to 2000) is premonitory of the rise opening the competition to published of Singapore literature in English which it and no longer only to unpublished work was originally initiated to promote as the — effectively jettisoned its original vehicle tacitly believed to be most likely purpose of discovering while encouraging to promote a non-racialised Singaporean new writers, new writing and an audience identity. Yet, it was trailing in quantity for such writing with publication of the and quality behind the literatures in the winning works. other official languages, chiefly that in Chinese and Malay. As writers had State agencies such as the NAC and the difficulty getting published because National Library Board now have creation literary works did not sell, the SLP and publishing grants (even much higher therefore began as a competition for in cash value) to advance these aims.

5 See Koh Tai Ann, Singapore Literature in English: an Annotated Bibliography (2008) . For the updated digital version, go to https://eps.ntu.edu.sg/client/SingaporeLiterature/

COMMENTARY VOLUME 23, 2014 SINGAPORE CHALLENGED: THE UNEASY AND UNCHARTERED ROAD AHEAD 33 The National Narrative: Singapore Dialogues

It’s Not Just the Singapore Literature Prize, But Also Literature in Singapore

Publishers in effect became pre-selectors literatures in all these languages enjoy of works for submission that they have equal support means that in an already judged to be publishable, and behind small nation, resources, writers and them, is the NAC which may have readers are thinly spread. At the same provided the publishing grant. These are time, literatures in all these languages, most likely to be works by established especially English, from other countries, names, hence the phenomenon of the compete for Singaporean readers. That same writers repeatedly winning the SLP. the SLP was originally established specifically to promote and publish Furthermore, pragmatically acknowledging Singapore literature in English (the only that only a small pool of writers exists, official language not tied to race in whether aspiring or established in each Singapore) and grow its audience, is a language category, and given the known reminder that till the 1960s before recurrent difficulty of garnering sufficient separation from Malaysia, Singapore was entries, let alone entries of sufficient the centre of Malay literary culture, and quality (some years the SLP has not been up to the 1980s, there was more local awarded), the formerly annual SLP writing in Chinese published than that in competition has not only become English, especially of prose fiction. With biennial; It is also no longer between the support of enthusiastic journals and writings in the same genre, but between the local press in those respective prose fiction and poetry, ‘comparing (as languages, some leading writers and one of the panellists noted) apples and literary critics being also journalists, the oranges’. (Drama was excluded after Malay and Chinese literary scenes 1993.) Moreover, at the next round of without state support, were each livelier, competition in 2014, non-fiction will be broader-based and had larger readerships thrown into the mix. Perhaps, more non- than that in English. Unlike the Chinese fiction, such as memoirs, biographies and newspapers, and unlike The Times of histories, is now being published and are London its British counterpart, The Straits more marketable and popular than Times significantly, did not have a literary literary fiction and poetry? Could the SLP supplement. When criticised by a eventually become the Singapore Writers Member of Parliament that ‘the English Prize awarded to mostly non-literary press is not doing enough to promote works? local writing’, it admitted ‘we have not done as much as we should to encourage Whither Singapore Literature? local writing by way of providing regular Dominance of the Literature in English space’ because of — it added condescendingly — ‘a dearth of quality The existence of four official languages writing.’ Moreover, the writing in English in Singapore and the corollary that the then, was dominantly poetry, hardly a

34 COMMENTARY VOLUME 23, 2014 SINGAPORE CHALLENGED: THE UNEASY AND UNCHARTERED ROAD AHEAD The National Narrative: Singapore Dialogues

It’s Not Just the Singapore Literature Prize, But Also Literature in Singapore popular form in terms of readership, writers who have gone on to write and while fledgling writers of prose fiction publish other works beside their winning either needed to convince publishers titles: Suchen Christine Lim, Tan Mei about their commercial viability or Ching, Desmond Sim, Paul Tan, Haresh self-publish. Sharma, David Leo, Boey Kim Cheng, Colin Cheong, Dave Chua, Alfian Sa’at, Not surprisingly then, the inaugural SLP Daren Shiau (1992 to 1998) and late- competition in 1992 crucially, was for bloomer, Rex Shelley (2000); Hwee Hwee prose fiction in English. Just as 1965 was Tan, Cyril Wong, Yong Shu Hoong, Ng Yi- a watershed year for the writing in Malay Sheng, Toh Hsien Min, Simon Tay and when the literary centre moved to Kuala Eddie Tay (2004 to 2012) and others. Lumpur, 1987 was analogously for the writing in Chinese, when English become Meanwhile, even as Literature in Malay the sole medium of instruction in the and Literature in Chinese are now national school system. Already the available as electives in Secondary working language of the nation, English schools, and despite the existence since was thus further enhanced in status and 1979 of the Special Assistance Plan (SAP) importance, and willy-nilly both its schools set up to promote the learning potential pool of writers and readers in of Chinese Language and culture and the language could only become bigger. ‘nurture bilingual and bicultural students Entries to SLP competitions in recent steeped in both’, the number of new years reflect this trend: those in English writers and readers of Singapore number more than those in the other Literature in Chinese seems to be language categories and the gap is likely declining. In 2011, the Chinese language to increase steadily. One indicator, journalist Leong Weng Kam lamented, suggesting a wider spread in depth and “Where have the Chinese readers gone?” range of talent among writers in the When in 1982, a Chinese novel by a English language category, is that the Singapore writer could easily sell 3000 awards have been won by different and copies, a bestseller now means 300 to also generally younger writers, with no 500 copies sold. At the same time, writer in English winning the SLP main published writers, ‘still active and alive award more than once, unlike in the today’, he noted, are mostly in their 50s Malay and Chinese categories. and 60s. When the panel members Xi Ni Er and Peter Augustine Goh complained The SLP has indeed served its purpose that repeatedly, as often as three times where the writing in English is in the past five competitions, the SLP concerned. The main Prize, Merit and went to the same writers, they meant Commendation Awards brought to these older writers in Chinese and Malay critical notice or prominence many with established reputations who will

COMMENTARY VOLUME 23, 2014 SINGAPORE CHALLENGED: THE UNEASY AND UNCHARTERED ROAD AHEAD 35 The National Narrative: Singapore Dialogues

It’s Not Just the Singapore Literature Prize, But Also Literature in Singapore thus have a potentially award-winning de facto national language? Yet, ironically, work to submit the policy of bilingualism in English and the student’s designated ‘mother Whither Literature in Singapore? tongue’, implemented since 1966 in Policy Inconsistencies and Resultant schools, is predicated on an inextricable Contradictions link between the ‘mother tongue’ and one’s ethnic culture and heritage, In various ways, the trajectory of the SLP implying that the English language and mirrored by that of literature in Singapore its literature is not the heritage of the owes much to internal policy Singaporean child and thus, no such contradictions or inconsistencies. For culturally nurturing connection exists. instance, implementation of the policy of This might explain why the subject linguistic parity among the Singapore Literature in English (formerly English literatures reveals the anomaly that while Literature) has been allowed to decline the national language is constitutionally in enrolment in all schools. The change Malay, Singapore (unlike Malaysia) has no in subject title to Literature in English national literature in the language, that neatly enables Singapore literature in despite the bilingualism policy neither English to be included under the rubric, the majority of students who are Chinese testifying to Singapore’s lack of a national take the subject Literature in Chinese as literature of its own while signalling its part of their cultural heritage nor most embrace of world literature, to encourage Malay and Tamil students take their ostensibly, ‘a global outlook’. respective Literature subjects. But because English — initially a colonial Moreover, despite the bilingualism policy, heritage since become global lingua the numbers taking Literature in the franca — is the medium of instruction in ‘mother tongue’ are probably low, too. the national education system, for all But it is not public knowledge what Lower Secondary students and those proportion of students nationally take the Upper Secondary students who take non-English Literature electives as the Literature in English, the Singapore component elective in Combined literary texts studied will obviously be in Humanities or for that matter, how many English. Meanwhile, the English language of the SAP schools’ ‘bi-cultural elite’ policy having resulted in most destined to fill the future ranks of Singaporeans below 50 being English- teachers, journalists and other media- literate if not also English-educated, will related professions, and those taking the literature in English in the not-too- Higher Chinese, choose Chinese distant future fill a vacuum and become Literature alongside their ‘Chinese the de facto national literature, just as Culture’ subjects and ‘enhancement English has become the unacknowledged modules’ such as Contemporary Chinese

36 COMMENTARY VOLUME 23, 2014 SINGAPORE CHALLENGED: THE UNEASY AND UNCHARTERED ROAD AHEAD The National Narrative: Singapore Dialogues

It’s Not Just the Singapore Literature Prize, But Also Literature in Singapore history, Chinese Drama and Translation. exams in Upper Secondary. (The That the Speak Mandarin Campaign is still Humanities in general have being mounted annually some 35 years correspondingly suffered, and that is since its inception in 1979 and some 50 another critical issue.) years after the introduction of the bilingualism policy in schools, says The initial and most drastic decline in something about its effectiveness. numbers was precipitated in 1978, by Meanwhile another annual campaign the Ministry of Education (MOE)’s for the past 14 years has been unexplained ‘downgrading’ of Literature. simultaneously urging Singaporeans to In an undeclared furtherance of MOE’s “Speak Good English” — even as overarching bilingualism policy and Literature which enables a more inward supposed boosting of English proficiency, grasp of the language, languishes in English Language and Literature were schools for lack of takers. merged into one subject for examination purposes under the Revised Secondary School System. Before this, English State Education Policies Responsible Literature, like English Language, was a for Decline in Numbers taking mandatory subject for all who took the Literature in School Cambridge O Level exams, the two being seen as mutually reinforcing, with Paradoxically, while Singapore literature Literature enabling students to acquire a in English (including drama) seems to be more inward knowledge of the language. trending upwards as a marker of Now, inexplicably, English was assigned a Singaporean identity, benefitting from recommended weight of 70 percent and support for the so-called literary arts by Literature only 30 percent. Evidently, the cultural agencies such as the NAC and The MOE did not see an organic link between Arts House, Literature in English as a the study of literature and language school subject is trending downwards. In proficiency, but regarded the former as a somewhat contrary yet pragmatic hindrance to the latter. Literature was and fashion, it was government language, still is perceived to be a ‘difficult’ subject ‘meritocratic’ and social policies driving for students, and thus responsible for curricular changes in the schools since lack-lustre exam results, when perhaps it 1966 that were primarily responsible for might have been poor text selection and the decline in the number of students teaching that were at fault.6 Astute taking English Literature (now Literature teachers were quick to complain that in English) as a subject for O and N Level while taught as two subjects, “English”

6 As highlighted by Lee Tzu Pheng and Koh Tai Ann in “Text Selection, Part I” and Text Selection, Part II”, Teaching and Learning: a Publication for Teachers, Vol 8 No 2, Jan. 1988; pp 15-35.

COMMENTARY VOLUME 23, 2014 SINGAPORE CHALLENGED: THE UNEASY AND UNCHARTERED ROAD AHEAD 37 The National Narrative: Singapore Dialogues

It’s Not Just the Singapore Literature Prize, But Also Literature in Singapore was examined as one subject. The merger as well as letters from the public thus violated the principle of equality regretting the fact and extolling the well- between subjects since Mandarin and known merits of studying the subject, the other ‘mother tongues’ enjoyed a 100 culminating in a feature article entitled percent weightage, English only 70 (perhaps prophetically) “End of English percent and Literature a mere 30 percent. literature?” More seriously, for the future of Literature as a school subject, it In 2002, Literature continued to be ‘a effectively penalised students who were dying subject in schools’. By then only good in Literature as their effort was 21.8 percent (7,322) of the Secondary 4 worth only 30 percent of the marks at cohort was taking it. The latest cause for most. the recent drastic decline was another policy imperative — the new subject, For all students, it meant less exposure Combined Humanities, its mandatory half to the educational and language being Social Studies, a hybrid of Civics and enhancement benefits of literary reading National (or Values) Education. Evidently and study. This ‘down grading’ explains a response to globalisation, it is anchored the drastic decline within 10 years from by two core ideas – “Being Rooted” and 100 percent previously to just 54 percent “Living Global”. Through these two ideas, of students taking the subject for O Levels the syllabus aims to develop our students in 1988, a year after English became the into well-informed, responsible citizens sole medium of instruction in the national with a sense of national identity and a education system. global perspective (italics mine).’ Just as in 1978, English language and Literature In 1994, when Dean of Arts at the were merged into one subject, this new National Institute of Education (NIE), I hybrid subject merges two subjects into noticed a large decline in numbers in one, and thereby halves the curriculum 1993 to 43.8 percent of secondary school time given to Humanities subjects like students and traced it to the meritocratic Literature. Geography, the most ‘annual ranking of schools by examination ‘technical’ of the three subjects, proved results’ implemented in 1992, which led to be the most popular. Little wonder, the to schools and students to pragmatically consequences soon emerged. Although drop Literature as a subject as it was students can take Literature in English as difficult to score in it.7 a full elective outside Combined Humanities, evidently few do — not even This generated a spate of news articles when the curriculum was revised in 2007

7 Published as “Literature, the Beloved of Language”. In The Language-Culture Connection, Joyce E James, ed., Singapore: SEAMEO Regional Language Centre, 1996; 17-33.

38 COMMENTARY VOLUME 23, 2014 SINGAPORE CHALLENGED: THE UNEASY AND UNCHARTERED ROAD AHEAD The National Narrative: Singapore Dialogues

It’s Not Just the Singapore Literature Prize, But Also Literature in Singapore and the subject re-titled Literature in was moved to ask in Parliament what ‘the English. Nor were they persuaded by a take up rate for Literature’ was. She had syllabus that cultivates ‘critical thinking been told by ‘educators and people in the skills,’ pragmatically combines a ‘global creative sector … that the quality of outlook’ with other known benefits such thought and argument, and the ability to as communicate ideas among young people had gone down’ as ‘fewer students were [building] in students socio-cultural doing Literature.’ (It was her question sensitivity and awareness, as well as . .. that elicited the shocking fact that by offering opportunities for them to explore 2012, a mere 9 percent (3,000) was a wide range of literary texts written in taking the subject .) 8 different contexts and from various parts of the world, connecting them to other This implies that on a personal and ages and cultures. It develops empathy societal level – among future parents, and stimulates thinking about beliefs and teachers, policy and decision makers, and values. These characteristics of the so on – there has been and continues to subject are aptly suited to the 21st be an educational, cultural and century, which is a time of rapid intellectual impoverishment through loss development and shifting perspectives in of an opportunity to acquire intangible many areas, including the socio-cultural habits of critical analysis, moral, and the ethical-moral. [MOE Literature intellectual and aesthetic values that can in English Syllabus (2013)] become cultural capital and the basis of life-long skills transferable to other areas Decline in Numbers taking Literature of life and work. in School: Implications Taking a subject these days is not only a Inconsistencies trip over contradictions: matter of being faced with more choices Literature being a subject that was from an increasingly large menu of school important enough (in light of the subjects (MP Indranee Rajah and Senior Singapore government’s other ambitions Minister of State, Ministry of Law and for the country, that it be a ‘thinking’ and Ministry of Education’s explanation for ‘creative’ society with ‘a global outlook,’ the decline). What is cause for concern is with English the global lingua franca as that the choices available mark a shift its working language) Nominated from the education of the whole child Member of Parliament (NMP) Janice Koh through the Humanities to the narrowly

8 See http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/parliamentary-replies/2013/02 /o-level-candidature-for-full- literature.php http://www.todayonline.com/sites/default/files/1403_AP_merged.pdf Accessed 20 Dec, 2014.

COMMENTARY VOLUME 23, 2014 SINGAPORE CHALLENGED: THE UNEASY AND UNCHARTERED ROAD AHEAD 39 The National Narrative: Singapore Dialogues

It’s Not Just the Singapore Literature Prize, But Also Literature in Singapore and directly vocational and technical for ‘intellectual’ and ‘political’ effects. earning a living, such as Media Studies, Principles of Accounts, Design and An intense, nationally-mounted effort Technology, Computer Applications, spearheaded by the National Endowment etcetera, which are properly, the province for the Humanities (NEA), significantly of tertiary vocational and professional targeted at high schools, was mounted, institutions. Indeed, so-called ‘choice’ which successfully reversed the decline, can be determined and restricted by as was reported four years later. (The NEA pressures exerted on children caught in defines “literary” reading as ‘the reading an unseen web of adult ignorance or of any novels, short stories, poems, or ambitions, unfounded assumptions and plays in print or online.’) The Chairman pragmatic policies which influence the of the NEA expressed a national concern goals and outcomes sought in education. in terms that are as applicable to Singapore: As a National Institute of Education teacher-educator (who should know) has Anyone who loves literature or values decried, ‘The fortunes of English the importance of active and engaged literature as a secondary school subject literacy in American society will in Singapore have for some time been respond to this report with grave bedevilled by adherence to a hegemonic concern. … [Literature] affords principle of pragmatism which has irreplaceable forms of focused routinely informed public policy and attention and contemplation that personal choice.’9 make complex communications and insights possible. To lose such Decline in Literary Education / intellectual capability — and the many Reading: Implications for ‘language, sorts of human continuity it allows — culture and religion’ would constitute a vast cultural impoverishment. Just how seriously other nations would take such a decline can be gauged from Of course, not every student who takes what happened in the USA when in 2004, Literature in school will necessarily a nationwide decline in ‘literary reading’ benefit from it, do more literary reading, over two decades (1982 to 2002) become a better reader and acquire generated great alarm and national critical skills; nor will one who didn’t take debate about its consequences, such Literature be necessarily deprived: their as loss of ‘cultural literacy’ and other home and specific social environment

9 Angelia Poon, “The Politics of Pragmatism: Some Issues in the Teaching of Literature in Singapore”, Changing English, Vol. 14, No. 1, April 2007, pp. 51–59.

40 COMMENTARY VOLUME 23, 2014 SINGAPORE CHALLENGED: THE UNEASY AND UNCHARTERED ROAD AHEAD The National Narrative: Singapore Dialogues

It’s Not Just the Singapore Literature Prize, But Also Literature in Singapore could have encouraged literary reading. which, through the correspondingly rich Besides, not every Literature teacher is medium of language, renders it one of the skilled and motivating. However, the most complete and broadly educational many students who are not exceptions of human arts. to the rule will fall through the net and join the growing ranks of a citizenry In a declaredly multilingual and notorious for poor English expression to multicultural nation like Singapore where the point of inarticulacy, who prefer self- four official languages are recognised and help books and are not literary book- all are theoretically but not effectively lovers and readers, necessitating an equal, where neither the language of the annual “Read! Singapore” campaign. Are ethnic majority, Chinese, nor the National we growing a society of better-trained Language, Malay, is the lingua franca, but but less-educated adults unaccustomed English is, the fact that Literature (and to the kind of complex, nuanced Drama, for the most part) is uniquely responses literary works inspire, who are inextricable from the spoken and written likely to have ignorant, narrow-minded language freights both art form and ‘visceral’ responses (to use former PM school subject with a unique cultural, Lee Kuan Yew’s words) to issues of ideological and thus political burden. The ‘language, culture and religion’ that could state must be seen to support all four have adverse political and cultural equally, and thus their respective consequences, and more so, in this age literatures. However, the state’s own of undiscriminating social media? language policies and national priorities have created contradicting, conflicting For children not exposed to wide, and negative outcomes in practice and attentive reading of a literary kind at caused willy-nilly, both the dominance of home or are otherwise in general not the literature in English nationally and encouraged to read in their intellectually paradoxically, its decline in enrolment as formative teenage years, school might be a subject in schools. And this essay has the only chance for them to encounter not even looked into the state of and literature and gain the immeasurable enrolment figures for the Literatures in benefits described so persuasively in Malay, Chinese and Tamil as subjects and MOE’s own Literature in English Syllabus the extent to which Singapore literature (2013) and the NEA statement (both in particular or literature in general from quoted above). Literature is not for other countries in these languages are nothing known as the “Queen of the actually much read. Humanities” for it is both an education of the imagination and an art that If ‘a global outlook’ (if indeed desirable) encompasses life itself in all its myriad is not to be an empty signifier, it has been variety, unpredictability and complexity suggested that a way out of our linguistic

COMMENTARY VOLUME 23, 2014 SINGAPORE CHALLENGED: THE UNEASY AND UNCHARTERED ROAD AHEAD 41 The National Narrative: Singapore Dialogues

It’s Not Just the Singapore Literature Prize, But Also Literature in Singapore and culturally confused tangle of contradictions, and which could be also a viable response to the contemporary reality of a seismic cultural shift, is to embrace cosmopolitanism in general, and in the curriculum and teaching of Literature in particular. In the fervour of and focus on nation building in our first five decades of nationhood, cosmopolitanism was rejected as inimical to two albeit mutually exclusive goals: the fostering of a cohesive national identity and maintenance of ethnic cultural roots by state-defined communities. The current government embrace of the global that includes the local and the use of English to the point that it almost defines the national identity, may make a step towards cosmopolitanism not too difficult to take – if we could move away from the strait jacket of the categories of CIMO (Chinese, Indian, Malay and Others) even as globalisation makes the population more diverse, and English even more dominant as lingua franca. Who knows, the Singapore Literature Prize might then morph into a global award open to writing not only by Singaporeans but also literary works concerning, set in and about Singapore by any writer in the world. But that discussion and what measures could or should be taken to address our cultural contradictions and priorities, reverse the decline in the study of not only Literature but also the Humanities, will have to wait for another occasion.

42 COMMENTARY VOLUME 23, 2014 SINGAPORE CHALLENGED: THE UNEASY AND UNCHARTERED ROAD AHEAD Sustainable Singapore Reflections on Singapore’s Demographic Future Paul Cheung

Professor Paul Cheung is currently Professor of Social Policy and Analytics at the National University of Singapore. He was director of Population Planning Unit of Singapore Government from 1986 to 1995 and Singapore’s Chief Statistician from 1991-2004. He just returned from the United Nations where he served as Director of UN Statistics Division from 2004 to 2012.

COMMENTARY VOLUME 23, 2014 SINGAPORE CHALLENGED: THE UNEASY AND UNCHARTERED ROAD AHEAD 43 Sustainable Singapore

Reflections on Singapore’s Demographic Future

In 1986, Dr Kwa Soon Bee, then common future. At each debate, we Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of have become clearer in our Health (MOH), asked to see me in his understanding of the Singaporean office. It was a cordial meeting and we society, with the government adjusting discussed a range of population and its policy stance correspondingly. public health issues. A few days later, I During the 1987 debate, the need for was asked whether I would like to join the the government to address issues MOH and to help establish the Population related to the costs of childbearing and Planning Unit (PPU). Having just started raising a family was brought home. The my teaching career at the University of policy package thus focused specifically Singapore after six years of post-graduate on reducing the cost of bringing up a training in demography and social family. Subsequent policy revisions in planning, I was hesitant. Eventually, I 2006 further helped reduce these was persuaded and began a joint burdens. The current debate has appointment at the MOH as Director of already led to revisions in our Population Planning Unit (PPU). My first manpower policies and we can task was to help formulate the ‘New probably expect more refinements to Population Policy’ which was announced our immigration policies in the near in 1987 by Mr Goh Chok Tong, then future. Deputy Prime Minister (DPM), to replace the ‘Stop at Two‘policy. Since then, I have As I reflect on the current debate on been a keen observer of Singapore’s population size and the critical demographic trends and helped evolve comments that have been expressed, I some of its population policies. see the need to once again revisit the demographic challenges facing Singapore Population policy in 2013 has once again and assess our scientific understanding become a hot political issue. A wide range of Singapore’s population dynamics as of views has been expressed on the the basis for our projections and desired population size, and the number/ population policy recommendations. percentage of migrant workers and many Why do we now project a population of critical (and sometimes cynical) 6.9 million when not too long ago we said comments, have been expressed in social four million would be ideal? Did we make media. Critics have faulted the a mistake in our calculations? If we are government for pushing for a larger on track in our technical assessment of population and, more importantly, for our population dynamics, what then is neglecting the citizen base in favour of our demographic future? How should we the foreigners. This debate on our as citizens of this city-state face up to the population policy is necessary and demographic challenge? This paper desirable, as we need to articulate a shares some of my reflections.

44 COMMENTARY VOLUME 23, 2014 SINGAPORE CHALLENGED: THE UNEASY AND UNCHARTERED ROAD AHEAD Sustainable Singapore

Reflections on Singapore’s Demographic Future

A Deteriorating Age Structure We know for a fact that the future rise of the dependency ratio is entirely due to Singapore has a strong registration the increase in older persons, especially system for births and deaths and our those from the baby boom cohorts. We demographic information system is have been tracking the movement of the among the best in the world. A solid baby boom cohorts for many years. There information base thus facilitates our is no escape from this ‘silver tsunami’. understanding of the changing age The size of the ageing baby boomers will structure. We have been tracking the make their presence felt in many aspects: changing age structure of residents over the demand for health care, the time. In the 1980s, when I started work management of their daily lives, the end- at the PPU, we knew that we were of-life issues, and the impact arising from entering into a period of ‘high inter-generational transfer of assets. We demographic dividend’, i.e. the are also aware that, with the rising life dependency ratio was at its lowest due expectancy (from 72 years in 1980 to 82 to the much larger working age in 2012), older persons will live and stay population relative to the ‘dependent’ healthy for much longer. At age 60, a younger and older populations. In the Singaporean male can expect to live 1980s, the index of dependency ratio was another 23 years and a Singaporean about 46 to 100, which marked the female, 26 years. beginning of this ‘dividend’ period. Graph 1 shows vividly the trough period and the While we know a lot about the impending impending surge in the dependency ratio. rise in the ageing population and the

COMMENTARY VOLUME 23, 2014 SINGAPORE CHALLENGED: THE UNEASY AND UNCHARTERED ROAD AHEAD 45 Sustainable Singapore

Reflections on Singapore’s Demographic Future challenges in the provision of support marital fertility has also declined with the services, we are still at an early stage of number of families with one or no evolving new societal arrangements to children on the rise. The consequence of accommodate and take advantage of the the combined effect is a sustained below- skills and talents of this group of healthy replacement TFR. These analyses were and educated older persons. The future based on the data from periodic surveys number and characteristics of the older and population censuses, and I think we persons have been projected regularly have a good grasp of the level and trends, and were submitted and scrutinised by including period and cohort fertility. successive Ministerial Committees on Ageing. Yet, I am surprised how little we The joint declines in the level of fertility have done collectively to add meaning and in the absolute number of mothers and fulfillment to the last 20 to 30 years directly impact the number of births we of life of many older persons. Perhaps we can expect in a given year. The declining are at the beginning of a process which numbers of the resident births (births will pick up momentum in time. I also born to resident households) and the believe that end-of-life issues will comparison between ‘resident births’ increasingly be discussed openly as this and reported ‘total births’ are shown in society confronts the challenges of an Figure 2. In the past 10 years, the number ageing population. of resident births has been trending between 35,000 to 38,000, and the The Birth Dearth divergence between the ‘total’ and ‘resident’ births has become greater with The current long-run fertility decline, more foreigners giving births in which started in the 1970s, is well Singapore. I am not sure why the documented. The ‘Stop at Two’ government continues to use the number population policy might have facilitated of ‘total’ births in some of the analysis a faster and more drastic decline. which is quite misleading. Nonetheless, the decline of Singapore’s fertility is in line with the rest of the Asian What is of concern is the successive cities. We have thus far been using the stepwise decline in the size of the ‘Total Fertility Rate’ (TFR) as the key resident birth cohorts: an average cohort indicator to track fertility trends. This will be below 35,000 in the years to come. indicator comprises of two components: I do not believe anyone would agree that the proportion of married women and a cohort of 35,000 a year is sufficient to the level of marital fertility. Over time, we meet Singapore’s manpower needs. have seen a delay in marriage timing and Moreover, what is of interest is that only an associated decline in the absolute 60 percent of the resident births are born number of married women. The level of to both parents who are citizens (around

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Reflections on Singapore’s Demographic Future

25,000 per year). In other words, four out order to appreciate the impact of of 10 births are born to families, with at changing values on the sustainability of least one parent being a migrant. I am Singaporean population. With the surprised by this change, as the steady rise of childless or singleton proportion was much lower in the 1980s. families, I think we can expect This is in line with the marriage trends Singaporean families to get even discussed below. smaller in the future.

In Singapore, procreation occurs with The nature of Singaporean families will a marriage and the family is often also evolve due to compositional deemed as the most important social changes. Marriage to non-Singaporeans institution. Government policies have has been on the rise, reaching almost 40 focused on supporting the functioning percent of all Singaporean marriages. of the family in every aspect. However, Graph 3 shows this rising trend of cross- the Singapore family is changing as national marriage. I am surprised by this well. The young Singaporean families of trend which has important sociological today are much better educated and implications. Is this a natural globally mobile. What are the values of phenomenon as a result of increased children to the modern Singaporean contacts with non-citizens locally or families? Are two or three children still overseas? We know that the marriage the ideal family size? I think we need a bureaus play a role in arranging better understanding of this issue in marriages for some of the Singaporean

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Reflections on Singapore’s Demographic Future with spouses from within the region. Will 1970s; still, the fact that it will happen this trend stabilise at 40 percent or will it soon does bring a sense of foreboding. If climb further? The data strongly suggest we do allow more migrants to settle in Singapore society has become more Singapore as citizens, this will delay the open or ‘globalised’ than ever before. It onset of population decline. Objectively, would be very interesting to see how this this sounds like a rational choice. globalisation trend would affect However, as in the case of Japan, there Singaporean family values, traditions may be other considerations far more and rituals. important than just balancing the

A key consequence of the fertility and numbers. Japan has stubbornly refused ageing trends is that the number of to go for an ‘easy’ solution of importing deaths will soon outstrip the number labour (and citizens) to ease their of births, resulting in a decline of our population concerns. In contrast, we population size. The government has may have appeared to be too eager. projected that the natural increase for While our choices may be limited as a citizens will turn negative from about small city-state, the volume and speed 2025 onwards and at that point, the of absorption are policy variables citizen population will shrink. We have that could have been more broadly known this would happen since the discussed.

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Reflections on Singapore’s Demographic Future

Our Common Future land reclamation), and we know that with proper planning, Singapore has the Our demographic trends are clear and capacity of supporting a much larger supported by undisputed evidence. We population with a high quality of life. The know as a fact that we are heading manpower needs have also surged due towards a declining citizen population to favourable economic growth. with an adverse age structure and rising dependency. This is our destiny. We will The current population projection issued be dependent on migrant workers in the by the government in the White Paper future in large numbers no matter how has taken a factual assessment of the much we increase our productivity. manpower needs of the future based on During the 1980-2000 period, our current economic scenarios, and has thus development benefited from the made a larger provision for population ‘demographic dividend’. The demand for increase. Critics have argued that our foreign workers in this period was future economic strategy must aim for manageable. With the establishment of ‘quality’ growth with minimal the National Productivity Board (NPB) dependency on foreign workers and a and the push for higher ‘total factor stronger push for productivity productivity’, there was reason to hope improvement. This is reasonable, and that foreign inflow will not be too large. indeed ‘quality growth’ rather than The population projections prevailing at ‘growth at all costs’ should be the guiding that time reflected this sentiment and principle for future economic assumed a much smaller foreign inflow, development. The government has given of about half to one million, to top up the some indications that a new economic citizen population. We assumed then that strategy may indeed be required. There a steady state for the medium term could will however be a limit of how much we prevail with a four million population size. can substitute manpower by technology, and the fact remains that we critically In retrospect, I realise that the 4-million need a foreign workforce to support and population projection in 1990 has grossly grow our economy. under-estimated the growth potential of Singapore and our capacity to Our demographic future will be shaped accommodate a larger population. It is a by how we perform on two key tasks. no-brainer that population planning in First, we have to continue to encourage Singapore must take full cognisance of the formation of Singaporean families to Singapore’s unique characteristics and slow the decline of the population and constraints as a city-state. Some of the to preserve our culture and traditions. physical constraints have been minimised The nature of Singaporean families will (such as new sources of water supply and change, and it is unclear how the impact

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Reflections on Singapore’s Demographic Future of cross-national marriages will erode the advancing the interest of Singaporeans, traditional values and practices. rather than that of the foreigners. Unfortunately, this perception of a lack Secondly, we have to find an acceptable of ‘home-court’ advantage is still widely way to deal with future population held. The reactions to the White Paper inflows which will be sizeable. Our current on Population, the riot in Little India, the population inflow is like ‘kueh Lapis’, with strike by bus drivers — all these are many layers forming a delicate structure. signals that managing our future This structure of work permits and population growth will demand the employment passes has been in government to be far more attentive than existence for many years and our society ever on issues concerning the foreign has accepted it. Recent reactions to the workforce. The need to forge a public inflow seem to focus on how foreigners consensus on our manpower policy and have impacted the lives of Singaporeans. the role of foreigners in our society is As the foreigners begin to form a critical more apparent than ever before. We mass in the labour market, Singaporeans need this shared understanding and feel that they are being squeezed out. shared responsibility to meet the future Many Singaporeans feel that they are demographic challenges and to sustain disadvantaged and even discriminated the growth and prosperity of our nation. against in their home country. In addition, the sheer number of foreigners in common places such as markets, public transport, and food outlets gives rise to a feeling of being overwhelmed by outsiders.

I believe there is good understanding among Singaporeans of our population dynamics. The facts are not disputed. We know we need an inflow of foreigners to sustain our population and economy. However, we want this to be a managed inflow, with broader consultation on how the inflow should be managed. If Singaporeans continue to perceive that they have been squeezed out by the foreigners, this will bring forth broader political and sociological consequences. The government must be seen to be

50 COMMENTARY VOLUME 23, 2014 SINGAPORE CHALLENGED: THE UNEASY AND UNCHARTERED ROAD AHEAD Sustainable Singapore Singapore Challenged: The Natural and Living Environment Euston Quah and Christabelle Soh

Professor Euston Quah is the Head of the Department of Economics and a Professor of Cost-Benefit Analysis and Environmental Economics at the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He is also the President of the Economic Society of Singapore. Ms Christabelle Soh is an economics teacher at Raffles Institution (Years 5 and 6). She was a Koh Boon Hwee scholar and a recipient of the Lee Kuan Yew Gold Medal for Economics (NTU) in 2010.

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Singapore Challenged: The Natural and Living Environment

Introduction scenario of Singapore and them being in direct competition may not be that far off The study of Economics revolves around in the distant future. The implication is the fundamental problem of scarcity. In that to achieve the same degree of the face of limited resources and economic growth, Singapore needs to be unlimited wants, how can any society be more competitive than ever. The organised to ensure that resources are increased competition from rival allocated to the right areas? The trade- economies has caused the trade-off in offs involved in the choices made and the terms of pursuing higher economic resultant conflicts in objectives present growth vis-a-vis protection and a challenge to all governments. With conserving the natural environment respect to Singapore, the most pertinent while increasing the non-material aspects challenge stems from managing higher of quality of life . With higher incomes and economic growth and the need to the satisfaction of material needs, people balance that with conserving and start demanding cleaner air and water, protecting the environment (broadly larger green open spaces, more defined as comprising the living and recreation and leisure time, increased natural environment). While all countries spaces for reflection, conservation of face this challenge, Singapore’s heritage, the arts and culture and so on. circumstances make the trade-offs especially stark. The theory is similar to that which underpins the environmental Kuznets On one hand, globalisation and the curve, an n-shaped curve that describes associated reduction in barriers to trade the relationship between growth/income and capital flows have facilitated the rise and the degree of pollution over time. of regional economic rivals. Singapore’s Beyond a certain level of income, the export and foreign direct investment demands for a cleaner environment (FDI) - led growth model is under threat would lead to less pollution and hence, a from countries such as China, which have reduction in pollution as income the advantage of cheap and abundant increases. Similarly, beyond a certain level labour to create both export of income, people are less willing to competitiveness while attracting FDI. trade-off aspects of non-material welfare While this only poses a problem for for more material aspects of growth. Singapore to the extent that such countries export similar goods and What faces Singapore then is that in light services and attract similar types of FDI of the increased foreign competition, in to Singapore, the fact that these regional order to sustain economic growth, more countries are currently looking to move aspects of non-material welfare may up the value chain means that the need to be sacrificed. However, at the

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Singapore Challenged: The Natural and Living Environment same time, Singaporeans’ demands for world, the challenge lies in further improvement in the quality of life have decoupling growth and carbon emissions. increased. Managing both sides and This requires even further reductions in striking an appropriate balance forms the carbon intensity, which may prove to be broad, fundamental challenge Singapore costly. The main factor behind our low faces today. carbon intensity is the fuel makeup in our energy production. Since 2000, we have Trade-offs between Economic Growth increased the use of natural gas, the least and the Environment carbon-emitting fossil fuel, from 19 percent to 80 percent of the total fuel The Energy Challenge mix1. Increasing the share of natural gas is the low-hanging fruit. Given the high Economic growth entails greater proportion of natural gas in the fuel mix, production (and consumption) of goods there is little scope for further reductions and services. This inevitably involves in carbon intensity from this source. higher levels of energy consumption. Further reductions in carbon intensity How best to meet this increased energy may require costly technology such as demand is a specific challenge that carbon capture and storage. This leads us Singapore faces. to the second issue of cost. To maintain competitiveness, Singapore needs to Singapore currently relies primarily on keep energy costs low. If cost were the burning fossil fuels to generate energy. only consideration, coal would definitely There are two issues with this approach. be the fuel of choice, especially when Firstly, relying on conventional sources of countries such as China have an energy from burning fossil fuels results abundance of it and hence, a cost in higher carbon emissions. Although advantage stemming from lower energy Singapore only contributes to 0.2 percent costs. However, coal emits the most of global carbon emissions, we have carbon dioxide when burnt and is the always punched above our weight in most pollutive of the fossil fuels. Again, global affairs and should also do so with the pressure to remain competitive and regards to setting an example in reducing environmental considerations pull in two carbon emissions. While Singapore has different directions. done well in this area, achieving one of the lowest carbon intensity (kilogrammes The problem is compounded by the fact of carbon dioxide emissions per dollar that Singapore is renewable energy- gross domestic product (GDP)) in the deficient. Renewable energy could

1 National Climate Change Secretariat, http://app.nccs.gov.sg/page.aspx?pageid=167&secid=193, Accessed on 26 October 2013

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Singapore Challenged: The Natural and Living Environment potentially provide a way out of the alternative sources). The cheapest and conundrum since it does not produce any easiest way is to develop a shared carbon emission. However, Singapore is smart grid involving supplies from other not blessed with the ability to rely on regional countries which already have these renewable sources. We lack the an abundance of natural renewable land mass for wind turbines and fast energy resources but this again raises flowing rivers for hydroelectricity. Solar the problem of energy security where energy is still too costly and faces the the supply source is not in Singapore’s issue of storage to allow the timing of determination. On the demand side, it energy production to match that of is also very important that both consumption. Furthermore, we lack consumers and producers are sufficient space for the buffer zone which responsive in the behaviours in the a nuclear energy plant would require. usage of energy. This requires a good understanding and application of In view of the above considerations, the behavioural economics. There is only so challenge is two-fold. In the short run, much developed and legislated we need to decide on an optimal economic incentives can affect energy mix that strikes a balance behaviour. Behavioural nudges are between cost and environmental needed to complement the concerns. In the longer term, the focus conventional economic incentives. should be minimising the trade-off between the two. On the supply-side, The Population Challenge we need to continually explore and develop less carbon intensive energy The long run economic growth rate is sources. On the demand side, we will dependent on the productive capacity of need to manage energy demand from an economy. Singapore’s ageing both households and industry. population means that all else being Naturally this is easier said than done. constant, economic growth will slow Energy needs to be cheap, clean, and down and may even turn negative. An secure. The road forward is continued ageing population means that entrants monitoring and pursuit of energy into the labour force will be outnumbered efficiency, research and development by retirees from the labour force. This on clean energy including how to make would cause a shrinkage of the labour coal usage cleaner, and energy security force and hence, a reduction in by continued diversity on sources of productive capacity and growth. supply of energy (which raises another According to the recent Singapore difficulty and often costly trade-off Government’s Population White Paper, in between reliance on a narrow range of the absence of foreign labour inflows, traditional supply vis-a-vis searching for Singapore’s population (and hence,

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Singapore Challenged: The Natural and Living Environment labour force) will start shrinking in 20252. Singapore, greater gains in productivity In the absence of productivity gains, will require an even higher level of continued economic growth requires a dynamism which is unlikely to be realised growing labour force. However, within a decade. Thirdly, while there are Singapore’s low fertility rate means that specific industries which have significant it is not viable for the labour force to room for improvements in productivity increase via domestic means. The labour (e.g. construction), the scope for force requires foreign augmentation. improvement in the overall economy’s This, unfortunately, has come with a productivity depends on the future trade-off in terms overcrowding and a relative sizes of these industries as well. resultant reduction in the quality of life It is quite likely that Singapore will not due to congestion on public transport experience significant improvements in networks and a strain on the social fabric. productivity and will miss the ambitious While improvements in productivity have productivity targets of 2 to 3 percent been trumpeted as the cure, there are annual growth in productivity over the good reasons to doubt the viability of the 2010 to 2020 decade3. productivity targets over the next decade. Firstly, large gains in productivity The implication of the above is that the are usually only enjoyed by developing trade-off between growth and countries which are playing catch-up. This overcrowding is going to remain tight for is because there are still many low- the foreseeable future. Where there are hanging fruits in the form of best trade-offs, there must exist an optimum practices and existing technology that where the marginal benefits of an they can adopt. Singapore does not fall addition to the population (in the form into this category. We have plucked most of a larger labour force and growth) is of the low-hanging fruit and there is no equivalent to the marginal cost (in longer a technological gap between us the form of the contribution to and the rest of the developed world. overcrowding)4. The challenge then, for Secondly, the rough empirics do not add the short term, is to find out the optimal up. The most dynamic economy in the population and to adjust the foreign world is arguably the United States, which labour flows to reach it. For the longer only saw an increase in productivity of 1.7 term, the focus on productivity is still percent over the past decade. For appropriate and necessary. Long run

2 National Population and Talent Division, A Sustainable Population for a Dynamic Singapore, http://population.sg/whitepaper/resource-files/population-white-paper.pdf, January 2013 3 Economic Strategies Committee, Report of the Economic Strategies Committee: High-skilled people, Innovative economy, Distinctive global city, http://app.mof.gov.sg/data/cmsresource/ESC%20Report/ ESC%20Full%20Report.pdf, February 2010 4 Quah & Soh, Optimal population: Why non-material welfare matters, 17 November 2012

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Singapore Challenged: The Natural and Living Environment solutions should, in general, try to larger. The problem is compounded by minimise the trade-off costs instead the fact that the Pulau Semakau landfill of simply managing the trade-off. site is expected to reach its capacity in Improvements in productivity increases 2016. Current efforts to expand the site the productive capacity without the need are projected to extend this to 20356. to import foreign labour and avoids the However, despite the National sacrifice of non-material well-being. Environment Agency’s (NEA) best efforts, there will inevitably be some The Waste Challenge negative impact on the nearby marine life. Both energy and population present challenges because they are There is a need to reduce the amount ingredients necessary for economic of wastes generated. One way to growth. Waste, on the other hand, generate less waste is by accepting less presents a challenge because it is a by- growth. The challenge is to find out product of growth. With growth, there how much growth and consumption is greater output and consumption — Singaporeans are willing to give up both contribute to waste. Between to enjoy a low-waste and cleaner 2000 and 2012, in line with the increase environment and implementing a in national income, waste generated (in suitable tax to discourage tonnes) increased by 56 percent5. consumption. The other way to generate less waste is to decouple Singapore’s current waste management growth from waste generation — in system primarily involves incineration other words, recycle. Recycling allows and the use of landfills. Both involve increased production and consumption trade-offs in the form of a worsened without a corresponding increase in living environment. The former causes resource usage and thereby waste air pollution and poorer air quality. It generation. In this regard, Singapore also adds on to Singapore’s carbon has thus far produced a mixed bag of emissions. The latter causes land and results. While 60 percent of total waste possibly, groundwater pollution. is recycled, a breakdown of the Furthermore, with land becoming recycling rates by materials reveals that increasingly scarce, the opportunity the bulk of the recycling is carried out cost of landfills in the form of foregone by the industrial sector. Recycling rates development projects become ever of materials more associated with

5 ZeroWasteSg, Singapore Waste Statistics 2012, http://www.zerowastesg.com/tag/recycling-rate/, Accessed on 26 October 2013 6 The Straits Times, NEA plan seeks to limit damage from landfill expansion, 23 August 2013

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Singapore Challenged: The Natural and Living Environment household use (e.g. plastics) are in attitudes. These are the big ideas and dismally low7. The challenge then is to involve a certain degree of uncertainty. change households’ attitudes and While important, they provide little in the encouraging greater household recycling. way of concrete and immediate steps However, recycling itself is not a panacea. that can be taken. Recycling waste without increasing demand for the recycled products will not For a more immediate response, the be sustainable. This subsequently often focus is to manage the challenges. This requires huge subsidies which compete involves accepting the trade-offs as a with subsidies provided to incineration given and finding out what the optimal plants. Furthermore, if waste reduction compromise is. Fundamentally, it is an were successful, there would be less exercise in optimisation. What amount of waste produced for recycling which in growth and the corresponding levels of turn, will threaten recycling firms. What carbon emissions, foreign labour, and is needed is a holistic evaluation of the waste would maximise social welfare? entire waste problem from its inception Would an additional percentage increase and generation to a cost-benefit analysis in real GDP bring about greater social of each proposed solution. The cheapest utility? This requires greater and more and most efficient way to dispose non- consistent use of cost-benefit analysis. toxic waste is to lease waste landfill sites While the Ministry of Finance (MOF) has outside of Singapore. However, this again taken steps in the right direction in is politically not suitable despite its adopting more consistent use of cost- economic appeal. Nonetheless, there benefit analyses, what Singapore still have been success stories in the various lacks is a systematic gathering of data import-export waste states in the United regarding non-market goods such as States and this perhaps, bears studying . green spaces and fresh air. More valuation studies need to be carried out Addressing the Challenges to derive society’s preferences in order to determine what the optimal trade-offs Long run solutions to all three are. Economics provides many tools to mentioned-above challenges require place monetary values on these non- delinking growth from the problems’ material aspects of welfare. There is little sources - carbon emissions, increases in to prevent the application of these tools population, and waste generation. These to the Singapore context to aid will involve new technology, new means enlightened policy-making. Additionally, of doing things or fundamental changes the act of soliciting society’s preferences

7 NEA, Waste Statistics and Recycling Rate for 2012, http://app2.nea.gov.sg/energy-waste/waste- management/waste-statistics-and-overall-recycling, Accessed on 26 October 2013

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Singapore Challenged: The Natural and Living Environment has the benefit of more visible trade-offs as necessary evils. However, a involvement of stakeholders, more paradigm shift might be in order. It might transparency in decision choices, and be preferable to redefine the objective of better informed decision-making. policies to one that pursues higher quality of life of which the focus is on the non- Conclusion material aspects of life. Here, growth is but a means to an end. Such thinking will In summary, Singapore’s challenges need a new mindset which re-estimates primarily stem from the trade-off the optimal population, energy source, between economic growth and other and waste management system — not objectives. While globalisation and from how they support growth, but from greater competition have meant that how they affect a defined quality of life. each unit of growth will require greater This may be the real challenge instead. sacrifice, increased affluence have pulled in the opposite direction with greater demands for a higher quality of life. To address these challenges, long run solutions must involve reducing the trade-offs. Concrete steps however, require short run management. This involves finding an optimal balance, which in turn requires a systematic collection of new and relevant data.

A step that Singapore could take is to set up an agency to conduct and update valuation studies regarding non-market goods and accounting for non-material aspects of growth. This agency would greatly complement what is now increasingly demanded of cost-benefit studies on project proposals and will serve Singapore well into the future by continually inferring and analysing society’s preferences.

This article was written from the conventional perspective of growth as the main objective and the resultant

58 COMMENTARY VOLUME 23, 2014 SINGAPORE CHALLENGED: THE UNEASY AND UNCHARTERED ROAD AHEAD Sustainable Singapore Singapore’s Interest in LNG and Becoming a Regional Gas Hub Lee Tzu Yang

Mr Lee Tzu Yang is Chairman of Shell Companies in Singapore and has worked with the energy and chemicals group since 1979 in a range of different markets. He is Singaporean and is active in a range of public interests.

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Singapore’s Interest in LNG and Becoming a Regional Gas Hub

Asia has entered an historic phase of This tremendous need for energy will put development that will have an impact on more stress on our water and food the way it uses energy. Citizens in systems, as well as on the climate and emerging economies are buying their first environment. All these resources are refrigerators, cars, washing machines and tightly woven — nearly all forms of all other consumer goods that are taken energy production require water — for granted in developed economies. energy is needed to move and treat These same countries are undergoing water; while producing food requires rapid industrialisation and urbanisation. both energy and water. These trends suggest a lot more energy will be used, which means more supply Increased energy needs have also led to will have to be produced fairly quickly. rising concerns about greenhouse gas emissions. On existing emissions trends, At Shell, teams of economists, engineers the world will far exceed the average and scientists have been developing, temperature rise of 2 degrees Celsius over the last 40 years, a range of regarded as the limit to avoid the worse plausible futures and their challenging effects of climate change. Asia’s implications for our energy system, governments are also increasingly facing including for Asia. We share this thinking mounting public pressure to tackle with governments, researchers, academe chronic urban pollution and to clean up and the public. Our latest edition, called the air. New Lens Scenarios, projects that energy demand could rise by as much as 80 Due to the sheer scale of our energy percent by 2050. The scenarios also needs, the scenarios project that fossil highlight the shift in economic influence fuels are expected to continue to supply from the West to the East. China and the majority of energy for decades to India together will account for the come. They expect fossil fuel majority of energy demand growth in the consumption to rise in energy terms by next two decades. about one-third over the next two decades. By 2060, fossil fuels are still Asia is increasingly dependent on energy likely to meet around 60 percent of global imports at a time of high and volatile oil energy demand, down from about 80 prices. According to the Asian percent today. Development Bank (ADB), most Asian countries will produce less than half the The team also estimates that by 2035 the energy they need by 2035, and many will world’s renewable energy sources could produce only a tiny fraction. The region grow by at least 60 percent or even will have to rely heavily on energy double. By 2060, renewable energy could imports for decades to come. supply up to four times more energy than

60 COMMENTARY VOLUME 23, 2014 SINGAPORE CHALLENGED: THE UNEASY AND UNCHARTERED ROAD AHEAD Sustainable Singapore

Singapore’s Interest in LNG and Becoming a Regional Gas Hub today, which would be a staggering rate mature natural gas markets in Asia Pacific of expansion. are Japan and Taiwan. Both markets are nearly exclusively supplied by LNG. In Significantly, natural gas will become the 2011, they consumed 87 percent of the most important energy source globally by LNG delivered to Asia, though the IEA the 2030s. The International Energy says demand growth is likely to shift to Agency (IEA) estimates there is enough China and India. technically available gas to last more than 230 years at today’s consumption levels. The region’s LNG trade is set to grow as Gas can be cooled to a liquid state, i.e. infrastructure is built in more countries. liquefied natural gas (LNG) and shipped Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and across oceans. LNG is increasingly being Vietnam have announced plans to build used to help countries meet demand regasification terminals for LNG imports. while increasing energy security, because Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and its supply is becoming more abundant Singapore are already importing LNG. and diverse. In the first decade of this Given that there has been limited century, LNG demand has doubled and it progress on intra-regional pipeline is expected to double again within this infrastructure promoting pipeline- decade. supplied natural gas trade, there is still more room for the LNG trade to In Asia, gas demand has been rising develop. Given the slow pace of the dramatically, particularly as Asia’s urban intra-regional effort, the region might populations continue to expand. In 2012, look to more regional co-operation Asia represented 46 percent of global between governments to allow inter-regional gas trade, up from 40 domestic gas prices that reflect percent the year before, according to international price movements, and in the IEA. Asia overtook Organisation this way, encourage a free and liquid for Economic Co-operation and traded-gas market. Development (OECD) Europe, the then largest importing region accounting for Singapore’s role 45 percent of global gas imports. Asia now imports almost four times more LNG Against this backdrop, Singapore is than Europe. positioning itself to benefit from this historic inflexion point in energy and Most of the natural gas growth in Asia Asian growth. It has calculated that the Pacific will be consumed in the power and region’s potential demand for cleaner industrial sectors, according to the IEA, energy, gas in particular, will rise with the power sector set to be dominant exponentially and has taken initial steps for the next four years. The two most to build its position.

COMMENTARY VOLUME 23, 2014 SINGAPORE CHALLENGED: THE UNEASY AND UNCHARTERED ROAD AHEAD 61 Sustainable Singapore

Singapore’s Interest in LNG and Becoming a Regional Gas Hub

Singapore first announced plans for a The historic free market approach to the world-scale LNG terminal in 2006, started energy sector, combined with clear building the facility in 2010 and took its regulation and a solid legal framework in first commercial delivery in 2013. This will Singapore, is an important winning help enhance energy security by condition for its gas hub ambitions. In diversifying energy supply from piped gas 2001, the government decoupled from Indonesia and Malaysia, which commercial activities from transportation currently provide the gas for generating activities in the gas sector, to enable electricity. better competition for gas prices as well as to more accurately reflect market Singapore’s LNG import terminal has forces. It also introduced wholesale initial throughput capacity of 3.5 million pricing for natural gas so that re-exports tonnes per year, which is expected to from Singapore may be competitively expand to 9 million tonnes per year in the priced. Third-party access to gas future. This is to ensure that supplies are infrastructure in Singapore has been secured for the country and to trade in guaranteed since 2008. rapidly expanding gas use within Asia. Beyond its domestic remit, the terminal Singapore also has the financial will be used for storage and LNG re- infrastructure to support gas trading. exports, underscoring Singapore’s By 2012, at least 14 companies with ambition to become the regional energy LNG trading or marketing desks, hub as Asia’s gas demand and trade including BP, Gazprom, Shell, Vitol grows. Group and GDF Suez were present in Singapore. Critical to shaping Due to its strategic geographic location, Singapore’s hub ambitions will be Singapore has one of the best prospects continued support from the in Asia to become a gas hub. Singapore government for the free market is located between gas-exporting approach to ensure continued interest powerhouses in the Middle East, from major gas players. Australasia and gas-hungry Asia, particularly China, Japan, South Korea Also key to these ambitions is the and Taiwan. With frequent calls on continued development of the ports in these countries, tankers can Singapore gas terminal in both capacity refill in gas-producing areas such as and operational excellence, to ensure Australia, Brunei or Indonesia, enabling world-class efficiency and competitive trade with Singapore on their way to costs. This will support not only trading the Middle East. This has the potential ambitions but the reliability of to transform patterns for the Asian gas competitive gas supply to the market trade. in Singapore.

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Singapore’s Interest in LNG and Becoming a Regional Gas Hub

The region eventually resulted in a shutdown of nearly 50GW of nuclear power, has The global trade of LNG is increasingly further increased Japan’s reliance on connecting markets, but there are still imported oil and LNG. In parallel, the significant regional aspects to the gas and United States shale gas phenomenon has LNG industry. Gas in the United States has driven down ‘Henry Hub’ gas prices. developed trading around hubs tied into While prices in these regions may seem piped gas infrastructure, and is well to differ considerably, the differences are known for its ‘Henry Hub’ price point in better understood after adjusting for the Louisiana. Europe’s gas market is a hybrid cost of liquefaction, transportation and of oil-linked contracts and a number of regasification to trade from one region to long-established as well as new gas hubs. the other. The residual difference would Connecting these regions are dynamically work out to be less dramatic. growing short-term and spot LNG sales, over-the-counter sales and smaller Singapore is a highly viable location for volumes of shorter durations, in addition a gas hub. While there are elements to to the typical long-term contracts. hub pricing which are attractive to the region, other contributing factors need LNG in Asia has historically been sold on to play roles — market liquidity and the basis of long-term oil-linked transparency; depth and breadth of contracts. According to the IEA, 88 trades; and a significant degree of percent of natural gas traded in Asia in government regulatory co-operation 2010 was priced by linkage to oil. Asian across Asia on energy that so far, has growth in LNG demand has coincided not been present. While Singapore can with a period of rising oil prices, resulting play a leading role in creating this, there in LNG prices growing in tandem. This has are many next steps which depend on created a debate on whether oil-linked others. pricing is best for the future, and questions whether Asia should also Conclusion develop hub prices for gas as in Europe and the United States. In order to develop a competitive and secure supply of energy, Singapore has A key point in this debate is the difference embarked on growing the LNG sector. in current gas prices between the United The development of interest from a States and Asia, which appears diverse range of world class LNG players significant. At current oil prices, Japanese will be important, as will the long-term LNG price averages an demonstration of operational excellence estimated $16/MMBtu. The Japanese by the Singapore terminal to be best-in- earthquake of 11 March, 2011, which class in flexibility and costs. The debate

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Singapore’s Interest in LNG and Becoming a Regional Gas Hub on LNG pricing is unfolding and will play a part in how the gas trade develops in the region.

For the development of Singapore as a gas hub, in addition to the domestic factors more within the control of Singapore, the pace of progress is also dependent on world and regional changes. Most critically these include the ability and willingness of regional players to co-operate and create the conditions for an effective integrated gas supply infrastructure with aligned regulatory frameworks. Singapore can prepare to be in a pre-eminent position to play this role when the time is right.

The extent to which Singapore develops its role as a gas hub will, in turn, support its objective to have a secure and competitive energy sector.

64 COMMENTARY VOLUME 23, 2014 SINGAPORE CHALLENGED: THE UNEASY AND UNCHARTERED ROAD AHEAD The Model City in Question The New Singapore Dream Kishore Mahbubani

Professor Kishore Mahbubani, the author of “The Great Convergence: Asia, the West and the Logic of One World”, has been listed as one of the top 50 world thinkers this year by Prospect magazine.

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The New Singapore Dream

It is always best to begin an article with a Clearly, the first generations of strong statement to grab a reader’s Singaporeans (including mine) wanted to attention. So here is my strong get out of poverty and enjoy the fruits of statement: when Singapore celebrates its prosperity. This was the reason for going 50th anniversary on 9 August 2015, it can for the five Cs: cars, condominiums, confidently claim that no other newly cash, credit cards and country club independent nation has developed as memberships. However, if all 5 million rapidly and as comprehensively as residents of Singapore keep pushing for Singapore has in its first 50 years. Several the five Cs, we may well have an island people have challenged this claim of that is uninhabitable. mine. However, when asked to name any other newly independent nation that has Let me state at the outset that there is done better than Singapore, they could no restriction on the amount of cash or not. In short, for the first 50 years of its credit cards which Singaporeans can development, Singapore can lay claim to acquire. Here, there are no finite limits. be number one in the world. However, given the fact that we are one of the smallest countries in the world, and Allow me to make my second strong is, after Monaco, the most densely statement: if Singapore continues on populated UN member state, it is autopilot and repeats the same goals and impossible for Singapore to satisfy the policies as it had in its first 50 years, it will demands of each and every citizen and be heading towards disaster. Bluntly put, resident in the areas of cars, the goals and policies that have worked condominiums and country clubs. in the first 50 years will not work for the Singapore does not and cannot have the subsequent 50 years. And why not? The physical space to provide these goods to simple answer is that the world has everyone. changed. Singapore too, must change. In the first 50 years, Singapore had the first- To date, Singapore has designed very mover advantage. We were ahead of the good public policies which have raised the rest of the world and our region in prices of these finite goods such as cars adopting policies which propelled us to ensure that they remain out of the forward. Today, the rest of the world and reach of most Singaporeans. However, our region have begun copying our best while demand has been squeezed by practices. If we play the same game, we higher prices, there has been no will be left behind. Therefore, we have to discernible effort to address the start playing new games. underlying factors propelling demand. Even today, no middle-class Singaporean To begin playing new games, we may believes that he has ‘arrived’ until he need to have a new set of aspirations. owns a car, even though a car in

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The New Singapore Dream

Singapore is outrageously expensive by dream! Yes, almost every Singaporean global standards. In short, a car remains reading this article will laugh at this an essential part of the Singaporean suggestion. How can well-off dream. Yet, if every Singaporean achieves Singaporeans deprive themselves of his or her dream, we will have a national owning cars? It provides the most reliable nightmare on-hand. form of transportation as well as a powerful status symbol. The minute one To prevent this national nightmare, we owns a car, especially a Mercedes, BMW have created harsher policies to reduce or Lexus, friends will know that you have the demand for cars. Paradoxically, the ‘arrived’. higher prices of cars have made them even more desirable as status symbols. I have lived 10 years of my life on another This is the reason for luxury brands ‘even more crowded’ tiny island where it trumping cheap brands in Singapore. If is not rational to drive or own a car. In the desirability of cars continue to rise, fact, it is considered downright foolish to our efforts to curtail car ownership will buy and own a car if one lives in be as successful as a dog chasing its tail. Manhattan. All this hit home one evening Moreover, if we keep alive the in Manhattan when I saw the former Singaporean dream of owning a car and chairman of Citibank, Walter Wriston and restrict access to that dream, we will his wife, Kathryn, standing on First inevitably create a disgruntled and Avenue with their arms raised and frustrated middle class. Indeed, this may attempting to hail a cab. Clearly, Walter be one reason for the rising levels of Wriston was a very wealthy man. He unhappiness in Singapore. Many could have easily bought a car (cars are Singaporeans feel that their incomes are cheap in Manhattan) and parked it rising, yet they feel that the Singaporean anywhere he liked (even though parking dream of cars, condominiums and charges in Manhattan are among the country clubs is receding rather than highest in the world). Yet, it just did not getting closer. The stark contrast make sense. The ecosystem of public between Singapore and the developed transport in Manhattan developed into world makes this clearer. In 2010, there a combination of subway trains, public were 477 cars for every 1,000 individuals buses and readily-accessible taxis. This in the European Union (EU), the highest meant that, in a crunch, you could get ratio in the world. In contrast in anywhere within Manhattan easily by Singapore, there are 117 cars for every taking public transport. Meanwhile, the 1,000 individuals. hassle of driving and high costs of parking in downtown Manhattan meant that So what then is the solution? The solution owning and using a car made even less is obvious: change the Singaporean sense. Significantly, Mayor Michael

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The New Singapore Dream

Bloomberg, one of the richest Americans, Ambassador Vernon A. Walters. During used to take a subway train to work in his globe spanning travels, his hobby was Manhattan. Former Bogota Mayor to investigate the MRT system of every Enrique Peñalosa put it succinctly, “A city he visited. He proudly told me that developed country is not a place where he could confidently declare that the the poor have cars; it’s where the rich use Singapore MRT system was the best in public transportation.” the world. I asked him why and his reply was that it was the only MRT system in Therefore, the new Singaporean solution the world that had been built ahead of is to dream a happier dream. We have to schedule, below cost and operated give up this ‘insane’ dream of wanting to smoothly. rely on a car and replace it with an ecosystem of a public transport which So the million-dollar question is: What would make it irrational to own a car. went wrong? Did we choose the wrong Such an ecosystem will include a reliable people or the wrong policies to build our and resilient Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) public transport system? There is no system and a frequent bus service, taxis doubt that we can have a vigorous debate available especially when it thunders and in response to this question and we could showers and pools of electric cars ready have many different answers. However, for rental. This failure to provide such a there is no simple and correct answer. public transport ecosystem is probably Each answer in turn reflects an opinion one of Singapore’s biggest failures in its based on a set of values. So, I would not first 50 years. We have succeeded in be surprised if my simple answer is taken creating the world’s best port, the world’s as controversial as well. best airport and the world’s best airline, just to name a few. Hence, we understand I personally believe that the fundamental the game of logistics and transportation mistake which Singapore made in the well. Since Singapore is one of the world’s area of public transport was to allow most densely-populated countries, we ideological considerations to trump should have been able to apply the same pragmatic considerations. We made degree of knowledge, skills and expertise three critical ideological errors. Firstly, we so that our public transport system would assumed that companies motivated by have developed as Singapore developed. profits were more efficient at delivering public goods than governmental bodies. We could have done it right and did come Hence, we privatised the public transport close to doing so. When I served as system. We trusted the profit motive Singapore’s Ambassador to the United more than government efficiency in Nations (UN) from 1984 to 1989, my delivering public goods such as public American counterpart was the legendary transport. The second error was to

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The New Singapore Dream compound the first by insisting that each corruption. There was also a culture of limb of the public transport system had heavy smoking. It would be fair to say to be profitable. The MRT and bus that Singapore has reduced both companies had to ultimately make corruption and heavy smoking. In the money. Indeed, for a while, each new 1970s, 26 percent of Singaporeans were MRT line had to be viable, so too the taxi smokers. From then, it declined to 22 companies. Yet, we also pay taxes to pay percent in 1983, 18.3 percent in 1992 and for good public transport and we collect 14.3 percent in 2010. The point we have a huge sum annually from vehicle-related learned from behavioural economics is car taxes, fees and charges. Why not use that it is possible to change human some of it to deliver better public services behaviour by shaping social norms in starting with better public transport? The desired directions. Having succeeded in third ideological error was to assume that other areas, could we not make a Singaporeans would never give up their conscious decision to change the culture tradition of ‘car worship’. As cars became and cult of ‘car worship’ in Singapore? more costly, we too, paradoxically turned the car into an even bigger status symbol. However, to succeed in persuading And in spending more money on roads, Singaporeans to reduce their tunnels and flyovers to ensure freer flow dependence on cars, we must in turn of traffic, we actually created a transport deliver a public transport system that is ecosystem which rewarded driving versus among the best in the world. Today, with using public transport. Indeed, several the availability of big data, we can find urban planners have made the case that out where people want to go at different traffic will expand and fill any available points in time. Instead of mechanically road space. This is why way back in 1957, creating bus routes which only ply certain the respected American urbanist Lewis set routes at certain fixed times of the Mumford advocated construction on the day, we can anticipate demand and Interstate Highway System be suspended deliver public transport that responds for two years entirely. acutely to micro-level demand data. Of course, this means that not every ‘limb’ The real solution to Singapore’s public of the public transport system will be transport woes is to challenge some of profitable. Instead of looking at the these basic, underlying assumptions. Let ‘profitability’ of each ‘limb’, we should us examine them in reverse order. Firstly, conduct an overall examination of our we can change the culture of ‘car public transport system and ask ourselves worship’. Ironically, Singapore has been a simple question: Is the system as a very good at various forms of social whole delivering the public good it is engineering. At the point of Singapore’s designed to? And can we use a independence, there was a culture of combination of fee collection and car

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The New Singapore Dream taxes to pay for the public transport first to Temasek Holdings and then to an system? If we are able to, then we will Australian company Downer Edi, and have gotten rid of one of the main local subsequently to China Architecture sources of public dissatisfaction locally. Design and Research Group, Singapore lost all the skills and experience we had Finally, we have to get rid of a final set of built up over the years. ideological blinkers to solve our public transport problem. This means that we To the best of my knowledge, we have have to stop ‘worshipping’ the private never publicly admitted that we made a sector and to stop believing that the mistake in selling off the PWD. The time private sector can do a better job than has come to do so now. The goal of such the public sector in delivering public an admission is not to assign blame to any goods. In this area, we need to develop a public officers: it would be pointless to higher degree of intellectual honesty. We do so. Instead, such an admission could should be honest and admit that like the liberate our minds from the ideological rest of the world we were misled by the assumptions of the Reagan-Thatcher Reagan-Thatcher ideological revolution revolution and open our minds to the and we believed that the private sector possibility that sometimes the public is inherently better than the public sector sector is best at providing public goods. in delivering all kinds of goods, including public goods. One of the great strengths Once we accept that premise, we would of the ‘Singaporean approach’ to have laid the critical intellectual problem-solving was that we claimed to foundation on which an excellent be rational and pragmatic. Yet, as a result ecosystem of public transport can be of becoming prisoners of the Reagan- built. We can begin to collect big data on Thatcher ideology, we made deeply the potential demand for all the ‘limbs’ flawed decisions that inevitably damaged and ‘arteries’ of such an ecosystem. We our delivery of public services. can then systematically build a total system that at least tries to meet every Let me offer a striking example that has aspect of this demand. Clearly, some of been mentioned by several retired the ‘limbs’ will be economically permanent secretaries. They have said profitable. Other ‘limbs’ will be less that it was a mistake to privatise the profitable or even unprofitable. It may Public Works Department (PWD). This however still be necessary to have these Department contained a lot of valuable unprofitable ‘limbs’. And the reason? knowledge, skills and experience which Because we are providing a public could have helped Singapore with a lot service, not a private good. of its engineering and development challenges. Sadly, when PWD was sold off To understand this critical notion of a

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The New Singapore Dream public service, think of our postal service. owning cars. It was perfectly reasonable We buy 26-cent stamps to post a letter for my generation of Singaporeans to to anywhere within Singapore. It is aspire for the materialistic five Cs. Many profitable for the post office to deliver of us grew up in poverty and believed that mail to Housing Development Board happiness only came with more and (HDB) estates because the mailboxes are more material acquisitions. situated close together making delivery easy. It is unprofitable or less profitable Now we know better. As most to deliver letters to Good Class Bungalow Singaporeans have satisfied their basic (GCB) areas because the mailboxes are material needs, and more, there is less far apart. It costs the post office much and less of a need to accumulate material more to deliver mail to private housing goods. Indeed, according to Maslow’s areas than to HDB estates. However, it hierarchy of needs, we will get more delivers equally everywhere. Why is this satisfaction and happiness as we pay so? Because mail service is a public more attention to the higher order needs service. of love or belonging, esteem and self- actualisation. Similarly, like the postal service, public transport should be perceived as a public We are truly blessed that, for the most service. We should endeavour to provide part, the basic physical and intellectual it to all the citizens and residents of the infrastructure is in place in Singapore to island, even if some parts of the system enable most Singaporeans to lead a good may experience less cost recovery than life. Indeed, we should all continue others. Here, we should take full working hard but what are we working advantage of the fact that we are one of for? We can work toward a future when the smallest countries in the world with the former five Cs become less and less no vast distances to cover. Indeed, if any important. We can begin by dropping the leading experts on public transport in the dream of the idea that having cars will world were looking for an ideal public produce happiness. policy laboratory to try out best practices and new ideas with public transport, they could find no better site than Singapore. Here all the critical factors are in place to build the world’s best ecosystem of public transport.

Thus, when we do so, the rational and pragmatic Singaporeans will progressively give up their dreams of

COMMENTARY VOLUME 23, 2014 SINGAPORE CHALLENGED: THE UNEASY AND UNCHARTERED ROAD AHEAD 71 Green Conversations 500 Shades of Green Geh Min

Dr Geh Min (MBBS, FRCS, FAMS) is currently a board member of BirdLife International (Asia) and a council member of The Nature Conservancy’s Asia Pacific Council. She is also a board member of The Climate Change Network (CCN) and a board member of the M.Sc. (Environmental Management) (MEM) Program Advisory Committee, NUS. She was President of the Nature Society (Singapore) from 2000 to August 2008 and was sworn in as a Nominated Member of Parliament serving her term from 2005 to 2006. She has also received the 2006 President’s Award for the Environment.

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500 Shades of Green

Singapore’s Garden City, conceived by the inadequate legislation, notably the lack island-state’s first Prime Minister Lee of Environmental Impact Assessments Kuan Yew, may not be original but was (EIAs). Not only has this handicapped certainly remarkable, and even unique, NParks in developing a more for its time and place. That a tiny nascent comprehensive and robust protection developing island City-state, suddenly of our remaining natural heritage but stripped of its hinterland and whose it has pushed it into rearguard action survival was questionable, could see in defending existing nature areas from cleaning and greening as complementary incursions by other government to economic development was agencies. Examples of unsustainable or visionary. Equally remarkable was the paradoxical greening resulting from the thoroughness of its top-down planning lack of EIAs include the severing of and execution. Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, our remnant of primary forest, from the There was never any question that a Central Catchment Area by an clean and green Singapore was a expressway, thus, compromising its pragmatic investment strategy “good for long-term viability. Many also question morale, for tourists and for investors” the rationale for the disproportionate (Lee Kuan Yew) and would be a dramatic, number of golf courses3 in land-scarce visible manifestation of Singapore’s Singapore many abutting or even inspiring rise from Third World to First. within nature area and reserves

The National Parks Board (NParks) is the NParks’ restricted ambit in coastal government body entrusted with conservation and the lack of any legal transforming this green vision into reality. teeth in marine areas has resulted in no Originally the Parks and Recreation Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) despite Division,1 it took on a new but important our rich marine biodiversity while land conservation role with its change of name reclamation at the iconic Tanjong Chek and the introduction of the National Parks Jawa was reversed due to strong public, Act (1996). Since then the number of non-governmental organisation (NGO) gazetted nature reserves has grown from and media action with NParks playing one to four.2 a back seat ‘advisory’ role.

Though its achievements are Realising its limited ‘hard’ power and impressive, NParks is hampered by the unsustainability of a top-down

1 When its main role was providing parks and planting and maintaining roadside trees. 2 Several reserves were degazetted between Independence and NParks inception. 3 Twenty-three 18-hole and 15 nine-hole courses.

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500 Shades of Green approach, NParks has since been Future Green Challenges farsighted and effective in cultivating public support with a diverse array of Local outreach and education programmes. It also has strong working relationships The greatest internal challenge to of collaboration, complementarism and Singapore’s greening and nature is trust with local environmental NGOs demographic. The 2013 Population such as the Nature Society (Singapore). White Paper projected a population of 6.8 to 7 million by 2030 — a 25 percent This enhancement of soft power has not growth in 15 years for what is already only resulted in the physical greening of one of the densest cities in the world. Singapore, but also a significant growth A former chief planner had even stated in the ‘green community’. publicly that doubling our population to 10 million is ‘doable’. NParks’ sister organisation, Public Utilities Board (PUB), has followed suit ‘A Quality Living Environment’4 covers and successfully launched their ABC amenities such as transportation and Waters programme to develop and includes accessibility to parks but there promote community ownership of our is no mention of nature areas. There is inland waterways and water bodies, also no evidence of analytical rigour in critical for the supply and quality of our accessing social or environmental drinking water. carrying capacity in these ambitious, economically-driven urban planning Unfortunately, National Environment projections — hence, the demographic Agency (NEA), responsible for urban impact on Singapore’s greenery is likely cleaning has been less successful despite to be a ‘3-P’ Assault. numerous valiant efforts. It would appear that nature areas inspire a greater sense Public Sector of communal ownership than urban ones. Perhaps NEA could achieve more Due to intense competition for land by closing the gap between clean and between different government agencies green and promoting a deeper the degradation, erosion and destruction understanding of ecological principles. of nature areas will certainly intensify Their Singapore Green Plan, despite its with a growing population and agencies name, is noticeably focused on ‘brown’ under pressure to acheive differing Key issues and narrow efficiency targets Performance Indicators who seem to rather than broader sustainability goals. regard nature areas and even nature

4 Chapter 5- Population White Paper: A Sustainable Population for a Dynamic Singapore.

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500 Shades of Green reserves as spare land ”to be kept as degradation from excessive human long as is practical.” While there is a impact. growing awareness of our natural heritage by younger policy makers, the Private Sector importance of ecosystem services will not be fully appreciated without Not surprisingly, the scarcity of land, the mandatory Environmental Impact popularity of nature and the pragmatic Assessments (EIAs). approach of policy makers have already resulted in increasing ‘commodification’ People Sector of nature.

The growing popularity of parks and Private condominiums hug the nature amongst Singaporeans is evident boundary of our only primary forest and and a recent survey actually showed that more are planned — built without EIAs a majority (60 percent) wanted more or consultations with NParks. It appears greenery and less development. that ‘nature at your doorstep’ for a privileged few will result in less nature However, unless our penchant for nature for the public. comes with a deeper understanding of human effects on the health of fragile Sentosa Island, originally touted as ecosystems and a sense of responsibility Singapore’s playground, is now a to protect our nature areas, they are likely playground for the global rich and famous to be overwhelmed by a populace with private condominiums and gated accustomed to a culture of consumption communities, casinos, hotels, marinas rather than conservation. and golf clubs.

NParks is faced with a dilemma as the Spatial injustice whether real or number of visitors rather than perceived, can ignite smouldering biodiversity, was the yardstick by which resentments between the haves and its performance is gauged by policy have-nots as many recent examples makers. Universal education on the globally have shown. important differences in value between ‘man-made’ green and natural Regional and Global Environmental ecosystems is essential. However, here Challenges too, NParks is faced with a Hobson’s choice as the best education involves But, daunting though our internal more exposure to nature areas and challenges are, they pale in comparison these are already overrun by competing to external threats to our clean and green public sectors and threatened by environment and future sustainability.

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500 Shades of Green

Haze Pollution classic illustration of how market fundamentalism ignores social and The ‘Haze’ is aptly named for an issue environmental ‘externalities’ resulting in shrouded in smokescreens, layers of massive costs and serious consequences obfuscation and general lack of to the economy,6 society and the transparency. Initially blamed on environment. ‘natural’ forest fires5 the smoke pollution from neighboring countries A recent, notable trend is the outburst of actually coincided with the massive criticism and complaints in social media land clearing and deforestation by by a Singapore public accustomed to multinational corporations (MNCs) clean air directed at their government for involved in logging, pulp and paper ‘not doing more.’ It should be evident production, and palm oil planting. Global that there is very little Singapore can do output of crude palm oil has been as a government or even as a nation growing rapidly and the two largest (despite our being the highest per capita producers, Indonesia and Malaysia, consumer of paper and oil palm products doubled the area for oil palm plantations in the region), unless the fundamental between 1995 to 2005 alone to 10 million cause - market failure - is addressed and hectares. The forest and their biodiversity social and environmental costs factored were victims, not culprits. into the equation

When the link was finally made, rounds Climate Change of bilateral and regional talks and task forces were organised culminating in the A truly global problem in cause, milestone Transboundary Haze Pollution distribution and effect and in requiring Agreement by ASEAN which Indonesia, global solutions and cooperation on an the lynchpin has yet to sign after 10 years. unprecedented scale, climate change is Instead various Indonesian ministers the ultimate complex environmental have defended its ‘right to develop’ and challenge that not only exacerbates all even suggested that Singapore should other environmental challenges but ‘pay Indonesia for keeping her forests,’ if seriously impacts global health, trade, she wished to continue enjoying clean air. security and the economy and society in ways we are still grappling to The ‘Haze’ is a man-made problem comprehend. Its complexity is driven by the profit motive. It is a compounded by unpredictable timelines

5 Tropical forests do not naturally combust and spread like bush fires in drier countries. 6 Estimated loss in 1997 for Singapore with health, tourism & airlines industries alone was S$97.5 to 110.5 million.

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500 Shades of Green where the window of opportunity for Singapore’s resilience & sustainability are effective action is small but the time lag proposed. between action and result is long. 1) Green Accounting How will Singapore face this challenge? Singapore places considerable emphasis Policy makers, while not unaware of the on numerical assessments such as problem, seemed to put it on the back rankings, performance indicators, et burner, at least publicly, until it appeared cetera, not merely to indicate our on the world economic stage. After that competitiveness but as a guide to track it was no longer credible for Singapore’s progress and indicate areas for reputation to underplay the issue or improvement. suppress our vulnerabilities as a small densely populated tropical island to the However, while we have consistently potential effects of rising temperatures ‘punched above our weight’ on global and sea levels. economic competitiveness ratings, our performance in environmental rankings Our financial centre, petrochemical have been generally disappointing hub and important key industries, despite our clean and green image. Our international airport, and many of our response to these unfavourable rankings reservoirs and other essential amenities was to dismiss them as ‘irrelevant’ or are set on coastal and/or on reclaimed ‘unrepresentative’ until the World land. The uncertain science of predicting Economic Forum (WEF) published an rises in sea level may mean anything from Environmental Sustainability Index (ESI) expensive adaptation measures such as in which we were near the bottom. This building sea walls and dikes or a prompted our Minister for Environment catastrophic environmental disaster. and Water Resources to register a formal objection and detailed explanation. Singapore as a global city is also highly vulnerable to effects of climate change It is perhaps no surprise that although globally from resource scarcity or our economic competitiveness pandemics to the opening of arctic trade performance indicators compare us to routes. other countries, our environmental indices are increasingly being compared Suggested Areas for Improvement with other cities, tacitly acknowledging our economic competitiveness but not While prescriptive solutions for these our ecological sustainability. challenges are beyond this article’s ambit, some suggestions for enhancing While this may be a realistic

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500 Shades of Green representation of our strengths and defend our rights in these areas. weaknesses as a ‘City-state without a hinterland’, it is not an honest appraisal In an increasingly complex and chaotic of the fact that other cities have a world filled with environmental hinterland and that Singapore, despite challenges, all information is important, land constraints and the ingenious use of especially those that highlight our regional and even global hinterlands, weaknesses. We have achieved economic cannot ignore the necessity for planning success through objective appraisal, and locating key amenities such as our honest evaluation and analytical rigour in international airport and our water order to formulate the correct policies. catchment areas within our own Our precarious dependency on water has boundaries. also been met with the same approach and determination to overcome the While environmental sustainability odds. We need to extend, broaden and rankings may be ‘like comparing apples apply this approach to environmental with oranges’, their components provide sustainability. valuable data and information which would be dangerous for us to marginalise, 2) Learning from Mother Nature alter or ignore. We have already seen how the lack of EIAs has compromised Biodata may provide the essential our environmental planning in areas such stepping-stones or alphabet to meet as flood control and climate change future environmental challenges but we adaptation. also need insight and expertise to ‘join the dots’ or read the text. Beyond depriving ourselves of critical information, we are also failing to develop The extreme complexity of life sciences the capacity to collect, analyse and and biodiversity has made deciphering, interpret this information. Importing this formulating, comprehending and expertise is not a viable alternative as quantifying them far more challenging much of it is highly location-specific. For than the ‘hard’ or mathematical sciences; the same reason, sending Singaporeans However, the inability to read the abroad to learn may only work in a limited language is not a reason to destroy the context and the real lessons have to be literature. Innumerable scientists, learnt at home instead. polymaths and thought leaders from Sir Francis Bacon to Richard Feynman and More regional and international disputes from Leonardo to da Vinci to Nassim will also be about environmental issues Taleb, have emphasised the importance and it is important for us to have the of respecting and ‘learning from Mother wherewithal to represent ourselves and Nature, the oldest and wisest’.

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Despite or perhaps even because of after the damage is done (e.g. the haze, our Garden City, many Singaporeans floods, oils spills and other man-made including policy makers have an inverted, environmental disasters), there are limited and overly utilitarian concept of inspiring examples of the ecosystem our natural environment. approach to sustainability incorporating the preventive principle. Two iconic ideas “Nature in its original and authentic form that involve water management are: 1) and in its claim to space appears to have New York City’s investment of $1 billion little place in the physical development in purchasing and improving watershed of the City-state. Nature where it can be forests and soil around its reservoirs. By managed and located to fit into overall reducing pollution and conserving water, land use development schemes seems these forests enhanced both the quantity much preferred…”(Oei). This excessively and quality of New York’s water and also narrow anthropocentric perspective is avoided a $60 billion purchase of a state- also mirrored in our promotion of ‘life of-the-art filtration plant (excluding sciences’ till recently. running costs). 2) Dutch engineers employing not just expensive pumps but Understandably, Singapore size, also planting trees (whose roots can take constraints and limited resources require in 80 gallons a day each) to maintain us to carefully select and focus on areas drainage and reduce flooding in in which to excel but this should not result reclaimed land in Holland. in a corresponding shrinkage of our knowledge base. This tunnel vision has Singapore should not neglect the forest- already restricted our ability to formulate water nexus when trying to solve our sustainable environment policies and it flooding issues rather than focusing on will be a serious handicap in an even massive and expensive engineering more challenging future. works involving a high underground water-holding area that will “take at least Many of the advantages of developing an 10 years to show results” (NEA). ‘Ecological Quotient’ such as intellectual curiosity, innovative thinking and Green Global Positioning emotional resilience are difficult to prove and almost impossible to quantify. But Singapore’s performance abroad has “ecological” thinking translated to been as stellar as that at home and ‘a new biomimicry, green technology, nature- state without a hinterland has succeeded based solutions and the optimization of in making a hinterland of the global ecosystem services are rapidly growing economy with conspicuous success’ fields of endeavor and while putting a (Leifer). Notwithstanding this, monetary figure to them is often easier Singapore’s leaders are constantly

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500 Shades of Green mindful of the City-state’s vulnerabilities ‘Garden City’ planning and more and vigilant in identifying potential recently, its successful water technology. threats to its survival. However, critics of Singapore’s green They have assiduously constructed a model point to the unsustainability of its strong web of multilateral diplomatic, consumption patterns, the size of its per economic, trade, security and capita ecological footprint (5.3 earths) institutional relationships both as a and its carbon-intensive growth. Its network for advancement and as a predilection for expensive technological safety net. solutions rather than conservation and a stronger 3R culture, its preference for Singapore upholds the rule of law and ‘weak’ rather than ‘deep’ green solutions, supports good global governance as a its lack of mandatory EIAs despite credible, responsible and proactive global being a signatory of Convention on citizen (while maintaining its sovereign International Trade in Endangered rights). Above all, the nation strives to Species (CITES) and, perhaps most remain connected, useful and relevant to disturbingly, a growing tendency to the global community. defend promote and market the Singapore model rather than learn from However, in the face of looming global others’ best practices. environmental challenges, weak areas and gaps have appeared and while The Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City creating a global hinterland for economic project, promoted as ‘China’s national growth has paid rich dividends, they now green development zone’ and modelled expose the City-state to greater on Singapore’s policies and expertise, has environmental vulnerabilities which may reportedly found the Chinese setting undermine its economic success. more stringent standards and broader targets than Singapore had to offer. Singapore’s green global presence has not been negligible though less Singapore needs to develop greater spectacular than her economic success. ecological rigour and a more sustainable The City-state has actively participated environmental perspective to its greening in international environmental both at home and abroad in order to conferences such as the Earth Summit remain relevant and credible. Otherwise, where it played a prominent role. It has in today’s world of flux, the kaleidoscope also donated generously to disaster may suddenly shift and our international relief in both funds and manpower. It standing may change from one of has also not been slow in in exporting economic high-flyer to environmental its clean and green image, urban freeloaders.

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Conclusion

Singapore’s policy makers have always prided themselves on seeing the big picture and taking a long term view but the lens they have used is primarily economic and even our greening has been narrowly utilitarian & equally short- sighted in focus.

In a future of complex environmental challenges, many of them global, it is critical that we do not view the economy and the environment as a balancing act or even a triple bottomline.

The Big Picture is the natural environment which encompasses and provides the life-support system for people and the economy. Failure to see this was possible in the past when the pressure was smaller but the exponential growth of both is increasingly pushing our environmental envelope.

It is essential we see the world through an ecological lens and make policies accordingly if we wish to ensure our future sustainability.

COMMENTARY VOLUME 23, 2014 SINGAPORE CHALLENGED: THE UNEASY AND UNCHARTERED ROAD AHEAD 81 Green Conversations Singapore: The New Serengeti? Bernard Harrison

Mr Bernard Harrison is the Principal Partner of Creativity & Design firm, Bernard Harrison and Friends, and former CEO of Wildlife Reserves Singapore.

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We have a dearth of nature-based revealed publically, but it is speculated attractions in Singapore and many of that it cost the Genting Group about them are gated. S$250 million to develop). It is currently the world’s largest aquarium (we love We are one of the smallest countries in having the ‘world’s largest’ prefix in the world (even though there are actually Singapore) containing 45 million litres 42 countries smaller than Singapore); we of water, well ahead of the next largest, have no unique indigenous species of Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, USA, fauna or flora nor do we have a minuscule which displays aquatic life in 24 million hinterland of national parks — yet we litres of water. However, Marine Life tout nature-based attractions as one of Park has now been surpassed by Ocean our tourist attraction fortes. Kingdom, next to Macau which contains 48.75 million litres. Why so brash? And is it sustainable? Sentosa also has the still operating but What we have in Singapore now struggling, Underwater World (owned by Haw Par Corporation), and We do a fairly good job of covering the the privately owned Butterfly Park and fauna and flora of tropical rainforest, Insect Kingdom, a fairly small and rivers, wetlands, mangrove forest, unexciting attraction. shorelines, seagrass beds and coral reefs in our attractions. The National Parks Board (NParks) manages the flora and indigenous On the fauna side, our jewel in the crown wildlife in Singapore. On the plant side is surely Wildlife Reserves Singapore the newly-opened Gardens by the Bay, (WRS) which operates the four great has a hefty admission price compared nature parks: Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, to its sister attraction, the Singapore Jurong Bird Park and the recently-opened Botanic Gardens which is free of charge River Safari (developed at a stiff price tag (save the entry fee into The National of S$160 million). WRS offers the locals Orchid Garden). The official (for a pretty steep admission fee now) a development cost of Gardens by the fairly broad cross-section of the Animal Bay is S$1.1 billion, but rumour within Kingdom — at least on land and in the industry has it that the more freshwater. realistic figure is S$1.6 billion if not S$2 billion — we may never know! The Hort The newly-opened Marine Life Park at Park, also run by NParks is free of Resorts World, Sentosa offers us a charge for entry, offering a butterfly cross-section of the ocean. (The capital garden and a really interesting cost of the aquarium has not been suspension bridge.

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There are four gazetted national parks in Africa, in relationship to our land area of Singapore. The Central Catchment Nature 710 square kilometres, we have 4.48 Reserve is the largest occupying 2,880 percent under National Parks compared hectares and offers trails and boardwalks to Tanzania’s 4.4 percent and South in Lower Peirce and at MacRitchie’s Africa’s 3 percent. secondary forest water catchment. It also contains Treetops Walks on a great History of our Nature Based Attractions suspension bridge. The oldest and most established national park is the 164- We have had a long and colourful history hectare Bukit Timah Nature Reserve with of nature-based attractions in Singapore. trails weaving through the primary rainforest. The two other parks are the The first Botanic Garden, initiated by Sir 130-hectare Sungei Buloh Wetland Stamford Raffles, was 26 hectares of land Reserve which offers trails and and located on the slopes of the boardwalks in wetlands and mangroves Government Hill (Fort Canning Hill). Its for a small entry fee and the 10-hectare purpose then was the experimental shoreline Labrador Nature Reserve. There cultivation of plants, such as nutmeg and are also boardwalks in the mangrove clove, to evaluate their economic value forests at Pasir Ris and along the coastal and suitability as cash crops. However, it shore at Changi. proved to be too expensive to upkeep and was abandoned in 1829. In addition, we have the islands, the most accessible being Sentosa which has some The present Botanic Gardens, located in areas of coral reefs, the rural Pulau Ubin Tanglin, was setup by the Agri- with its marine park, Chek Jawa, with no Horticultural Society in 1859 on 23 charge other than getting there, offering hectares of land acquired from Hoo Ah an area for mangrove, sandy and rocky Kay (Whampoa), an influential shore and seagrass. There are also the businessman. The Gardens expanded Southern Islands with their coral reefs. with the acquisition of the additional surrounding land. So for a small country, we offer a real cross-section of nature through our well- The role of the Gardens then was mostly managed attractions and parks. Although recreational. Growing financial difficulties we have only 31.84 square kilometres finally forced the management of the (3,184 hectares) of national parks in Botanic Gardens to be handed over to the Singapore, compared to the 14,763 Colonial Government In 1874. square kilometres Serengeti National Park in Tanzania or the 19,485 square Menageries were being established kilometres Kruger National Park in South through the influence of Europe on its

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Singapore: The New Serengeti colonies in Jakarta (1864), Bombay (1866) period! It was eventually demolished in and subsequently, in the Singapore 1998 due to structural issues. Botanic Gardens (1876). However, due to increasing maintenance costs the The 20-hectare Jurong Bird Park, opened menagerie (which actually displayed a in 1971 at a cost of S$3.5 million, was Sumatran rhinoceros for a while) conceived by the late Dr Goh Keng Swee, eventually closed in the early 1900s. the then Minister for Finance. In 1968, during a World Bank meeting in Rio de There were some small animal collections Janeiro, Dr Goh visited its zoological opened to the public by private garden and was impressed with its free- individuals and animals dealers in flight aviary and decided to establish a Singapore in the early and mid-twentieth bird park in the industrial estate of Jurong century, the most well-known being the in Singapore, to give some biophilia relief Punggol Zoo owned by a wealthy Indian to the dwellers there. The Bird Park was trader, William Lawrence Soma Basapa, designed on paper by London Zoo’s then between the 1920s and 1940s. There architect, John Toovey, with little have also been several crocodile farms reference to the site itself and suffered open to the public since. the consequences for many decades, due to the uniform and boring jelly-mould The establishment of the Van Kleef aviaries that were developed. Through Aquarium is historically interesting. In the efforts of the second Chairman, Dr 1928, Karl Willem Benjamin Van Kleef, a Kwa Soon Bee, the Jurong Bird Park was rich Dutch trader based in Singapore, in revitalised and upgraded into what it is his will appointed the Municipality of today – the best bird park in the world. Singapore (Straits Settlements) “to use its net proceedings for the embellishment of The 28 hectare Singapore Zoological the town and other ends whatsoever, but Gardens was conceived by the Chairman on no account on behalf of churches and of Public Utilities Board (PUB), Dr Ong other institutions connected with worship Swee Law in 1969, who after visiting in general!”* many zoos around the world with a particular Boy Scout Jamboree in Sydney It took the Municipality until 1935 to where he visited the Taronga Zoo left agree on using the funds to develop an lasting impressions), set aside 100 aquarium, which was eventually opened hectares of land around the Upper Seletar in 1955. Talk about a long incubation Reservoir for the development of the zoo.

*Source: Van Kleef’s Will, cited by Prof Tommy Koh in his article The Man Who Loved Singapore: Singapore- More Than Meets the Eye, SIF Publication, January, 2014, http://singaporemagazine.sif.org.sg/the-man- who-loved-singapore/

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Dr Ong felt that more of our beautiful and received as the Executive Director of the tranquil catchment area should be Singapore Zoological Gardens, from our opened for the recreation of the public. landlords, the Public Utilities Board (PUB), In 1970, consultants and staff were hired, who wanted to know what we were going and in 1971, the construction of the basic to do with this unutilised land. Dr Ong and 50 enclosures started at a cost of S$9 I were concerned that the PUB wanted million, of which S$5 million was to take back the land. Hence, we met equity and the balance, a repayable various Captains of Industry for a series Government loan. The Zoo started off life of lunches and generated an array of in debt much to Dr Ong’s great concern potential ideas. However, it was Lyn, who and subsequent worry. suggested a large wildlife attraction, based on an experience he had previously The Director of the Colombo Zoo in Sri with the Tiger Tops in Chitwan National Lanka, Lyn de Alwis, was hired as a special Park, Nepal. Seeing tropical mammals consultant, because of his experience in (especially a tiger on a kill) at night when the development of tropical zoos. Lyn did they are active is something worth a far better job than Toovey’s effort at replicating, he put forth. design and the Singapore Zoological Gardens opened in 1973. Together with ‘Had it been done before?’ was Dr Ong’s local architect Edwin Chan (whose first retort? daughter May Chan worked on the design of the Night Safari), they laid the ‘No’, said Lyn. groundwork for what is acclaimed today as one of the most beautiful zoos in ‘Then lets do it!’ said Dr Ong. the world. One may not realise it but Dr Ong’s Dr Goh and Dr Ong were visionaries, spontaneous reaction goes totally against setting up these nature-based attractions the grain of a Singaporean public servant. for the recreation of the Singapore public, It was instead the reaction of a true giving some relief to the heavy concrete entrepreneur. living of the City- state that was being created around us. So from that moment, my life (and the lives of many wonderful staff that I have The Night Safari was conceived in 1988 had the great fortune to work with) by Lyn de Alwis, after an exhaustive commenced to revolve around the review of possible ways to utilise the conceptualisation, master planning, balance of about 40 hectares of land that development and funding of the Night we had at the Upper Seletar site. The Safari. Nothing like it had ever been done review was triggered by a phone call I before in the world. It was totally unique

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Singapore: The New Serengeti and that too was the challenge. I was also Is it all financially sustainable? to learn through bitter experience over the next few years that ‘unique and never When I looked at the official price tag of been done before’ are not terms in the S$1.1 billion for Gardens by the Bay, I vocabulary of Singaporean bureaucrats started to wonder. I am no botanist nor and concepts which they are certainly not designer of botanical gardens but the comfortable with. international competition that the designers won for the design falls far In the USA, if you go to a venture capitalist short of what may be considered a and tell him that you have a unique serious botanical gardens. Yes, it’s an project which has never been done iconic architectural piece, which is most before, he will prick up his ears. Richard probably what Grant Associates and Branson certainly would! However, in Gustafson Porter, the designers, won the Singapore, if it is not tried and tested like competition for and probably was exactly Changi Airport which is based on what the Singapore planners had wanted. Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport and the Super trees — are they serious? Really Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) is based on expensively-designed conservatories (or Hong Kong’s Mass Transit Railway (MTR), biodomes) can be designed for much then it is too risky. Where is the lower cost. However, they are iconic for benchmarking and where are the best Singapore and the Marina Bay skyline — practices? We are not a nation of risk no doubt, the Cabinet bought it hook, line takers and that is obvious. and sinker!

It took the Cabinet three years to make The inspiration for Gardens by the Bay a decision to fund the $56 million for came from the Eden Project, developed the development of the Night Safari as a private millennium project in the and when they finally approved the United Kingdom (UK) by Sir Tim Smit, an project, the capital cost had escalated archaeologist cum anthropologist turned through inflation to S$72 million. musician. Eden cost £132 million (S$265 Ministry of Finance eventually gave us million). Yet, the Eden Project had a depth S$65 million through a variety of equity and breath of design and content which grants from quasi Government bodies. Gardens by the Bay can only begin to However, all said and done, we got the mimic, both as a botanical gardens and money and went ahead with the as an exposition of a sustainable lifestyle. project. It was opened to the public by Although the Eden Project is located in the then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong the middle of nowhere, in Cornwall in 1994. It has proven its worth and is accessible only by car, it receives 1.6 still one of Singapore’s premier tourist million visitors annually. That’s pretty attractions. good going for a botanical gardens.

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I say this not so much because I am challenge inherited by the current particularly sore that it took Cabinet chairperson, Miss Claire Chiang. three years to ruminate on the Night Safari project’s paltry (in comparison to Like Universal Studios, Marine Life Park Gardens by the Bay) S$56 million price is a supporting attraction for the Casino tag; Apparently they debated intently at Resorts World Sentosa and obviously whether Singaporeans would leave the cross-subsidised, when or if necessary. comfort of their homes and television sets to visit a zoo in the night in the far However aquariums do go into reaches of Mandai. Rather, I say it receivership which was precisely what because I wonder if we have lost our happened recently with the US$93 sense of proportion of capital investment million Colorado’s Ocean Journey in and subsequent operational cost of Denver, USA which opened in 1999 and Gardens by the Bay. filed for bankruptcy in 2002 with a US$62.5 million debt. It was eventually Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) is a purchased by Landry’s Restaurants for financially self-sustaining institution with US$13.6 million and was renamed an annual net profit (after tax) of Downtown Aquarium, refitted with between S$15 million to S$20 million. The restaurants and other food and beverage River Safari is the pet project of former (F&B) outlets. It was re-opened in 2005. Chairman Robert Kwan who left WRS in 2007. Coming from the commercial It will thus be interesting to see how sector as former Chairman of Gardens by the Bay manages financially. MacDonald’s Singapore, he had no qualm It is operated by NParks, hardly a about borrowing a fair chunk of money. business-savvy organization, even with (I heard that an estimated S$50 million businesswoman Mrs Christina Ong as the was actually a bank loan while the chairperson. Even though I am sure that balance of S$110 million was in the the initial capital investment is in the form form of grants and soft loans). I am of a grant, the depreciation costs on the pretty sure the previous Chairmen, S$1.1 billion structures will be a sizable both Dr Ong Swee Law and Dr Kwa Soon sum for them to generate each and every Bee, would have been scared stiff to year. The published anticipated, annual placed WRS in such a debt-servicing operating cost is $58 million, of which $28 situation. Time will tell whether the million is for the operation of the newly-added River Safari will increase conservatory buildings. the profitability of the Group or whether it will actually cannibalise on Will Gardens by the Bay be totally some of the present 3.8 million visitors supported by the Government or will to the three older parks — certainly a market forces be allowed to take effect?

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One cannot help but think of the child and S$11 for a senior citizen. Entry predicament of the privately owned and to the Night Safari is S$39 for an adult, operated Singapore Flyer, the largest S$25 for a child. A Friend of the Zoo pass single investment within the Singapore for a family of four is S$199.50. entertainment industry, which cost S$240 million to develop, opened in 2008 and Gardens by the Bay has cheaper pricing went into receivership in May 2013. for locals at S$20 for adults, S$15 for children and $12 for senior citizens Of course, many attractions are targeted (tourists charges are a staggering S$28, primarily at the 16 million strong tourist S$15 and S$28 respectively) to visit population, of which probably 50 percent both conservatories. The OCBC Skyway do not see the light of day, going straight within Gardens by the Bay is an from the airport to the casino, a quick additional S$5 for adults and S$3 for sleep in the hotel room, and returning to children. the airport. It is all still very expensive. Out of the financial reach of Singaporeans I am thus heartened to know that the Singapore Botanic Gardens is still free Can the average Singaporean enjoy and entry as with many other national parks gain from all these attractions, whether and wild places. However, realistically- recreationally, educationally or speaking, how many middle-income environmentally? Singaporean families can afford the admission charges to most of these Is it not time that we consider making gated attractions on a regular basis? A some of these gated nature-based trip to the Singapore Zoo for a family attractions more financially accessible of two adults and two children, to the average Singaporean? Many including the 20 percent discount, developing countries have a duel pricing amounts to S$73.60 before you have a system for locals and tourists. WRS offers drink or something to eat, which is also a 20 percent discounts for visitors expensive. One has the option of a (targeted at Singaporeans and PRs) to the family pass to the Zoo at $199.50, Zoo and Bird Park who pay with DBS/ which is value for money for regular POSB, UOB or OCBC credit cards. Night middle-class visitors, but people from Safari has a 10 percent discount and River the lower income group will not want Safari a 5 percent discount. to put out that kind of money on visiting an attraction. The entry fee to the Singapore Zoological Gardens is S$28 for an adult, S$18 for a The environmental conservation

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Singapore: The New Serengeti education that Singaporeans should be receiving through many of our attractions is lost because they are financially out of their reach. I sincerely believe that it is time we ensure that our local families have the realistic possibility of spending quality time to benefit socially, educationally and environmentally, from our gated nature-based attractions. This means simply making them more affordable for the lower income groups through various dual pricing schemes and specially discounts targeted at specific segments of the market.

90 COMMENTARY VOLUME 23, 2014 SINGAPORE CHALLENGED: THE UNEASY AND UNCHARTERED ROAD AHEAD Foreign Relations Unwise for Singapore and Malaysia to have Bad Ties in the Future Ooi Kee Beng

Dr Ooi Kee Beng is the Deputy Director of Singapore’s Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. He has written numerous books on Malaysia and Singapore. His shorter pieces are available at wikibeng.com.

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Unwise for Singapore and Malaysia to have Bad Ties in the Future

If one does not go back too far, one could However, it would be too much to hope divide relations between Singapore and that the bad times between Malaysia and Malaysia into the Mahathir period and Singapore are over for good or to imagine the Post-Mahathir period. Malaysia’s that the material, notional and cultural long-term Prime Minister Tun Dr reasons souring relations for 40 years Mahathir Mohamed retired on 30 prior to 2003 are no longer relevant. In October 2003, after 22 years at the helm. fact, just recently in November 2013, Those years did witness quite a bit of news that Singapore had been part of the tension between the two countries. conglomerate of nations spying on countries in the region reignited To be fair, bad bilateral relations were international tensions — calls were already there before him. Even before Tun quickly made for Singapore to apologise Dr Mahathir took over the country’s top to Malaysia. Such incidents can be post, things had been troublesome expected to arise even in the future to between the two countries. Even sour relations temporarily. The fact that Singapore’s founding father, Mr Lee memories tend to be long on both sides Kuan Yew mentioned in his book From in relation to troubles with each other has Third World to First: The Singapore not helped matters. Story (p.289) that more was achieved in bilateral relations during the To be sure, many concrete issues have Mahathir era than under the three been solved over the years. These include prime ministers before that. That says the Malayan Railway land cutting through a lot about how difficult ties between Singapore (solved recently under Datuk the two have been. Seri Najib Abdul Razak’s tenure); disagreements over water supply to Be that as it may, in the decade Singapore (unravelled by technological following Tun Dr Mahathir’s retirement, advancements in Singapore); conflicting Malaysia has had two new prime claims over the small island of Pedra ministers — Tun Abdullah Badawi (2003 Branca (resolved by the International to 2009) and Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak Court of Justice); and CPF payments to (2009 to present)—during whose Malaysians who had been working in tenures bilateral ties have been Singapore (dissolved through agreement encouragingly warm. This apparent and by the ageing of claimants). shift in foreign relations is all the more Although tension continues over issues interesting as compared to how Tun Dr such as the use of airspace by the Mahathir had resolutely managed after Singapore Air Force and so on, the his retirement to exert exceedingly stronger signal being heard, if one strong influence over domestic politics manages to ignore the ubiquitous in Malaysia. political din, is an encouraging one.

92 COMMENTARY VOLUME 23, 2014 SINGAPORE CHALLENGED: THE UNEASY AND UNCHARTERED ROAD AHEAD Foreign Relations

Unwise for Singapore and Malaysia to have Bad Ties in the Future

Collaboration between the two countries As with all relationships, ties between on matters of security has practically Singapore and Malaysia also go through always shown impressive results. This has different periods. Singapore in 1832, was included cases such as piracy control; the used as an administrative centre for capture of Mas Selamat; and the arrest British influence in the region after of the Singapore “Messiah” hacker in inheriting the role from Penang. During November 2013. the Japanese occupation of the region, the little island at the southern tip of Where economics is concerned, ties have the Malay peninsula continued to be always been stronger than politicians the administrative centre. With the have been publicly willing to admit as return of the British in 1945 and the well. Labour flows from Malaysia to implementation of the Malayan Union Singapore have always been heavy and the following year, we saw how the continue to grow daily. We also saw how, British sought to retain Singapore even immediately after Tun Dr Mahathir as they prepared to withdraw from the Mohamed’s retirement in late 2003, region. It was a jewel they preferred to Malaysia initiated the Iskandar project in keep. Johor. Taking advantage of an effluent neighbour’s overflow of capital, an However, to locals, be they Malayans or overflow of consumer demand and the Singaporeans, that division was overflowing need for land simply makes unnatural. The political—and cultural— good economic sense. The question that imperative to unite the two, was begs to be asked instead is: why did it take therefore felt to be very strong. Although so long for the Iskandar project to be finally accomplished in 1963 to suit all the conceived and implemented? powers that be, the going proved to be tough from the very beginning. The What is it that makes bilateral relations importance of Singapore as the regional so inherently difficult between Singapore centre for commerce, politics and and Malaysia? Certainly, there is a education, as well as the metropolitan complex culture of political sniping centre for Chinese immigrants in between the two developed over time Southeast Asia, did not allow it to fit perhaps with a conscious intention to comfortably into the federation. In fact, keep them apart for the purpose of it fitted so badly that a separation within building national identity. Or is there two years seemed the only way to avoid something more inherently problematic serious inter-ethnic clashes from breaking in the two countries’ relationship to each out. other which is based on something fundamental such as competition over Looking back, it would seem that the resources and trade? parts were brought together into a whole

COMMENTARY VOLUME 23, 2014 SINGAPORE CHALLENGED: THE UNEASY AND UNCHARTERED ROAD AHEAD 93 Foreign Relations

Unwise for Singapore and Malaysia to have Bad Ties in the Future too tightly and quickly for the project to to manage on its own. Malaysia was big be viable. How optimistic the merger now enough and rich enough to grow by itself. seems, or was there not also a large dose While more pragmatic Malaysian leaders of desperation involved with the British such as then Deputy Prime Minister Tun rushing to leave and the leftist threat still Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman (in office from strong in the region? The years following 1970 to 1973) realised the advantage of Singapore’s separation from the learning from the hyperactive Singapore’s Federation have therefore to be seen in fervent search for solutions, others that light. preferred to distance themselves from all things Singaporean, at least polemically. On the one hand, Malaysia’s connection Tun Dr Ismail visited Singapore to study to the global economy and to important institutions such as the Housing modernising dynamics was downsized. Development Board and the Economic Singapore on the other hand, was Development Board, something that his detached from its natural hinterland and colleagues avoided doing for decades to had to construct an independent polity come. that could not only grow fast but also defend itself with sufficient credibility. In fact, under Tun Dr Mahathir, the basic Making use of every advantage it had, stance was one of competition instead of without letting nationalistic or anti- complementarity. This was certainly colonial sentiments dictate economic worsened—and prolonged—by the policy over time, became Singapore’s mutual dislike that he and Mr Lee Kuan greatest challenge. Yew had for each other. However, those days are now over, for all practical Against the nature of its own people, the purposes. As can be seen in how new country had to create an identity and important the success of the Iskandar a pattern of behaviour that differentiated project is to both the Johor government it from its neighbours, in fact, from its and the Federal leadership, the two own history. Through its foreign policy, countries have realised the gains that can export-orientation economic strategy come from two of the most developed and its strong links to external players, it countries in Southeast Asia working sought global connections in order to together and from both of them building remedy its abruptly shrunken regional on the complementary aspects of each context. their economies. Spiteful competition between the two only advantaged third Malaysia’s issue with Singapore, on the parties, both near and far. other hand, stemmed more from being historically and ethnically offended by the From now on, ASEAN Regionalism is an separation than from any desperate need important context within which the

94 COMMENTARY VOLUME 23, 2014 SINGAPORE CHALLENGED: THE UNEASY AND UNCHARTERED ROAD AHEAD Foreign Relations

Unwise for Singapore and Malaysia to have Bad Ties in the Future future of bilateral relations between where ties between Malaysia and Singapore and Malaysia should be Singapore are concerned, but in analysed. There is no doubt that the Southeast Asia as a whole as well. changing political, strategic and economic structure in the East and South Asia Infrastructural connectivity is bound to region will introduce considerations that enhance a culture of political, economic we are only just beginning to become and cultural openness towards regional conscious of. Regional integration at a neighbours. These neighbours are indeed deeper level may not be possible for a quite different from each other in many long time yet, but the development of cases. Some are only discovering each contacts and connections at the people- other for the first time. Policies such as to-people level, not to mention between the Open Skies for commercial flights businesses, is bound to alter profoundly have allowed Southeast Asians to visit the national discourses within the region. each other’s cities and eat each other’s For one thing, ethnocentric agendas will foods. Continued tension between lose traction once the benefits of intra- Malaysia and Singapore would not only regional trade, travel and cultural ties be unwise, it would also nullify the have become obvious to governments advantages that the two can have at a and peoples. National ethnic minorities, time when balances of power are shifting placed in a regional context, are not easily in the region. defined and manipulated. Dealing with them will require more diplomacy and In conclusion, it should be said that from tolerance than has been the case when the very start, the assumption of done within national frameworks. Singapore and Malaysia being twins, or at least cousins, raised expectations of The uncomfortable nation-state structure good relations to an unrealistic level. that the various ethnic groups in Complementarity requires more a focus Southeast Asia has had to live with since on differences between the participants independence, once broadened by than on similarities. As states, the two are regional realities may help improve bound to disagree with each other on relations between them. In the case of specific issues. That has to be accepted. Malaysia and Singapore, the inter-ethnic However, beyond that, much dimension has always loomed large. improvement is possible, especially if we Tensions had been convoluted by inter- keep an optimistic eye on economic state relations which after all, follow a integration in the region. logic quite different from how groups relate to each other. The regional context holds great promise for dissolving mistrust and misunderstandings, not only

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