Letter to Singapore
Dear Singapore,
I have lived on you for coming to 38 years now, and find that I enjoy all the small little things that you mean to me. These little touches make me realise that I am home here in the place of my birth, marriage, fatherhood and one day, death.
To me, your appeal lies in the way your people relate to each other, with that twinkle in their eye and totally disarming honesty. I like the fact that we can go to any housing estate and have a place to hang out, meet people from different walks of life, dig into tasty, affordable and unpretentious hawker food (though that is fast disappearing unfortunately). I also like the efficiency in which things work around here, and the fact that complaints generally do have a positive effect in most cases (not always though).
You also have many surprising spots that are scenic, bustling with colour, enjoyable and enriching. These are not the mega malls, air-conditioned “cities” or swanky upmarket restaurants. These are instead the little gardens and parks which I can find in almost every estate, quirky old buildings and monuments, and thought provoking museums. These are also the old markets where you can find a rich variety of fresh food, spices, flowers, and aromas. These are the organic farms at Lim Chu Kang, which capture that old rustic rural feeling which is lost in the hurly burly of life.
Which brings me to the things about you which I wish I can change.
For a start, the relentless pursuit of excellence, which is something that I find myself caught in. Scoring 90 marks isn’t enough here. One must score at least 98 or better still 100. As a tiny island without any natural resources, we cannot afford to let our guard down.
Sometimes I wonder if this very same struggle for success stresses your people so much that your sons and daughters are dying before their parents do. There is no time for compassion or kindness. Its every man – and woman – for himself or herself.
I also wish that you can be less enamoured over the biggest, brightest, hottest and hippest. Sure it is swell that we have the latest greatest show on earth, or iconic architecture to wow and awe. It is exciting to witness the fastest cars on the planet swerving past historic landmarks at breakneck speed. Meeting and greeting Spiderman, James Bond and Batman does make my nerves tingle and my blood rush.
However, I wish that you can also cast your eye on the small neighbourhood shops trying to eke a living. The small time operator riding his motorcycle and peddling ice cream at $0.50 a stick. The aunties and uncles folding and dragging boxes to be sold to the recycling company for some cash. The cleaning lady muttering to herself about the hygiene habits of your people as she wields mop and pail in the public toilets.
Singapore is a leading global cosmopolitan city, the hub of trade, and the gateway between the east and the west. However, it is the little things that define who you are.