A belated birthday greetings to Singapore!
At Forty, Singapore Craves More of the Same
Kalinga Seneviratne
SINGAPORE, Aug 16 (IPS) - At forty, like a successful man approaching a mid-life crisis, what this nation of four million people yearns for is more of the same.
And nothing symbolises this collective wistfulness more than the 'no contest' re-election of incumbent President S.R. Nathan who begins a walkover second-term in office on Wednesday.
The strongest contender, Andrew Kuan, former chief financial officer of the state-run Jurong Town Corp., was disqualified after his employers -- encouraged to speak up by no less than Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong -- had no good word to say about his career and performance.
Nathan will enact the same scene as on Aug.18, 1999 when he became president by default because, then as now, no one else got the certificate of eligibility. God's in his heaven. And all is right with the world!
Or so the citizens of this 'self-made' South-east Asian city-state, which transformed itself from a ‘Third World’ to a ‘First World’ nation, would like to think.
Singapore celebrated four decades of achievements last Tuesday with thousands dressed in the red and white national colours, colourful multicultural pageantry and jets screaming overhead. But there was both joy and worry, joy at having arrived and worry for the future.
Prime Minister Lee, son of the nation’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew, in a televised national day address, recalled how the little country began life by being kicked out of home – the former Malaya.
''Suddenly we were on our own with no natural resources to exploit, no hinterland to fall back upon, and no army to defend ourselves,'' he said, adding, ''But, we were determined to survive, and started to build a nation from scratch''.
''Today we have every reason to rejoice. In 40 years we have succeeded beyond all expectations,'' Lee pointed out. ''Our society is harmonious and cohesiveÂ… we are attracting investments and talents from around the world, to live in a safe, clean and dynamic city''.
With a per capita income of 27,800 US dollars, Singapore enjoys one of the highest standards of living in Asia.
Yet, what worries many Singaporeans is that their success story is being emulated by other, much bigger and more resource-rich countries in the region, who have the populations to sustain economic activity, while SingaporeÂ’s own birth rates have been falling, thus making it more and more dependent on foreign labour and talent.
''Looking ahead, we face a totally different world. China and India are emerging as strong, competitive economies,'' observed Lee. ''We need to develop new skills and capabilities, open new markets abroad, bring in investments and seed new areas of growth''.
In recent years, one of the pillars of SingaporeÂ’s success story, its electronic manufacturing, has been losing out to competitors in the region. Factories have shifted to countries like China and Vietnam, while Malaysia has aggressively lured business away from SingaporeÂ’s swanky airport and efficient harbour.
The new capabilities Lee referred to included bio-technology, multimedia and arts as well as Singapore Inc.'s (government- linked companies) aggressive foreign investment policies in the region such as in Indonesia, Australia, India, Thailand and China -- mainly in banking, telecommunication, aviation, tourism, food technology and other service industries.
Through these investments, the aim is to build a greater Singapore economy, which is not dependent for growth on its small and dwindling population.
In its attempt to develop a multimedia and arts industry, it is discovering that for 40 years, its education system based on rote-learning, conformity and focused on examination success has served well.
But, to develop creative industries like multimedia and arts, students need to develop a passion for creativity which a conformist education system cannot provide – in other words Singapore has to relive a childhood lost in the quest to succeed.
In the past few years there has been much debate about how the education system should be reformed to encourage creativity. Some analysts have even argued that the political system, which is basically a one-party system dominated by the ruling Peoples Action Party (PAP), must be reformed first.
The dilemma facing the PAP, which holds 82 of the 85 seats in parliament, is how to relax the political system without loosing its grip on power over the island and its people. As political analyst Ho Khai Leong put it, ''It canÂ’t remain authoritarian when globalisation is on our doorstep''.
In a survey done by the ‘Today’ newspaper this month, it was revealed that many young Singaporeans have a love-hate feeling towards the country. They love the efficiency, cleanliness and the modern infrastructure of the country, but, at the same time, they want to have more freedom to speak their minds.
Education Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam recently said that for Singapore to go to the next level it is very important for society to respect those creative minds who may not fit into the conformist model.
''All this takes passion and conviction, which unfortunately appears to be dormant, if not lacking outright, in many Singaporeans,'' observed lawyer Siew Kum Hong, in a newspaper commentary published on national day.
''The Singapore education system seems to breed these traits out of us, thanks to the unrelenting focus on examinations and grades that seem to continue despite recent attempts at reform,'' he added.
As entertainer and fashion-designer Amy Tashiana told ‘Today’ newspaper: ''I hope Singapore can be more mature in its way of thinking, and support people’s individuality – not decide for them what is best''.
At forty Singapore is trying to be naughty. But not trying hard enough considering the circumstances and values surrounding Nathan's re-elections.
