Image via WikipediaI am not a Singaporean, but seeing the same issues and problems one way or another besetting this nation where I currenlty reside, I would be very interested to see how things will be in a couple of decades more - if I live to see how different things will be by then.
An article already highlighting the cries and anguish of this nation's history being 'unknown', both to locals and foreigners, it being absent from the web - this medium of information passing being specifically identified - I would restrain myself from saying anything else, not adding or subtracting.
For what do I know after all?
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by Dr Faith Leong
A bus ride downtown in Singapore reveals a very sleek and polished look of buildings, shop windows and modern landscaping. It reveals the quantum leap Singapore has made as a developed nation.
We have arrived through the painstaking yet visionary policies of the founding leaders. With Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew well in his 80s, two generations of capable leaders are passing on their baton to younger members of the society.
The question is whether our education and social enculturation have developed capable Singaporeans who are visionary, prudent and ethically staunch to bring Singapore to greater heights in the midst of global challenges. A nation that reacts to the times, but which is not proactive, is in danger of being swallowed up by a tsunami.
Lately, the nation is saddened at the passing of Madam Kwa Geok Choo. We see in her a life well-lived and worthy of emulation. We should tap on the wisdom of the leaders who remain with us. There have been published interviews, books about MM Lee and his contributions to Singapore. But what percentage of the general public is aware of these?
My interest in the enculturation of our social heritage was spurred by an exhibition at the National Library on the late Senior Minister S Rajaratnam. Through the display, I got to know his role as a visionary writer and thinker in the founding decades of Singapore.
Of equal importance is the contribution of the late Dr Goh Keng Swee, who passed away this year. How much documentation has been done on the thoughts, principles and values of those who had been instrumental in shaping Singapore into what it is today?
The passing on of worthy figures without recording their legacy allows a notable era and its spirit to be swallowed up in eternal silence.
With the recent passing on of Senior Minister of State Balaji Sadasivan, obituaries, a blog and letters by Members of Parliament were posted in the Voices section of Today. These memoirs act to perpetuate in social memory the admirable qualities of the late Dr Balaji for a future generation to emulate. These actions also help to shape the national consciousness of Singaporeans. But shall we speak of these noteworthy people only when they are gone? It would be more helpful if their spirit and mind are tapped when they are still alive.
Singapore is fortunate that we have not undergone a cultural revolution. But as a migrant society with a survival mentality (mainly economical), we have developed into a narrow-minded society.
Economic prosperity has been the focus of the nation and her members for a long time. The driving force is to stay afloat in a highly-competitive world. Sad to say, the alleged $12 million fraud of two ex-employees of the Singapore Land Authority may be seen as an extreme example of how wrongly-directed material pursuit could have developed.
A recent report in Today ("Singapore's rich skip art for fast cars, diamond watches") reflects that "the millionaires in our midst prefer to splurge on fast cars, diamond encrusted watches and drink, rather than on paintings".
Using "paintings" as a figure for "soulful expression", we see Singaporeans lacking an engagement with meaning, values and thinking that expresses itself through a medium. If the public had complained about Phua Chu Kang (though it was an admirable attempt to reflect on life in Singapore), then some capable ones in our midst should take up the responsibility of growing the soul of the society in another admirable way.
"Soulful" interviews and artistic portrayals are examples of how the heritage of a society can be perpetuated. An example would be an extensive interview by New York Times with MM Lee (Today, Sept 13). In it, MM Lee responds very honestly to the difficult questions posed on life and nation-building.
Recently I saw the paintings of Cheong Soo Pieng at the National Art Gallery. The paintings were not what impressed me the most, rather the life behind the person who produced them. Stories of those who had made a mark speak of Singapore's heritage. I would not have known of this Singaporean painter, nor about the late S Rajaratnam, had I not visited the exhibitions.
Telling stories takes time, and so do listening to them, but in a narrative-starved society that is ever so busy, there is nothing more needful than the things that would spur us to think more deeply about life and civilisation, and of the wisdom and tenacity which our forefathers had exhibited.
In this way, if a tsunami strikes again, we would collectively be rooted and strong enough to withstand it.
From TODAY, Voices - Friday, 08-Oct-2010
Social heritage, a soulful search
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