5 THI|'|GS TO l(l,{OW

FIVE SINGAPORE I(ONS

ond whol they reveol obout our cuhure

Over 43 years, we have accumulated a few outstanding local icons.

FIom the Merlion, the Singaporc Girl and I€e Kuan Yew (the kgend):
find out what each icon reveals about th€ way Singapore think.

"L,<t
iEt

€
FEATURE ARTICLE

CRAZYSEXYCOOL
Countries are finally paying attention to branding themselues
just as much os corporations are. Has the Singapore brand
euolued to meet the competition? Are ue still desirable?
.-a
ON 2ND ]HOUGHT

RITHINK SINGAPORI ARTS

lt Be it the Grcat Singapore Novel or Film, we

look at whether we have come close to
oeating unique cultural goods of our oran. 30
(UtTURtWA](H
AQ MAIGOVER

GTTTING OUI PRIMP MY PRIDI

IHI Hairstvlists.

lr
OF AQ MAZI
fashioi pbotograDhers.
mal€-up_attists.
It's about time to shed light on that dreaded
puzzle known as the application question. Saphrc desrgners
llrrd fashion desicners
- local creatives irc
turningprimping into a
A MAIIIR OI ()PINION sorrr.P.f nrtion.l nride

p
THE Ptl-DU MAMA vs.

iI
IHI DUI(H URBANIST
Our writers squarc offon
whether Singapore is a place
we can call Horn€,

Lo(At vs. Gt0BAt.

PRIDI & PREJUDIG

ffi $'Wr
An anabsis ofwhy local creatives stmgqle to
find acneptance and success in Singapore and
vennrre overseas instead
 SiNCAPORf S BRIII MOMINTS

N POPUtiR TUIIURI#i

1 2
TIIEMERLION PIIU CHU I(ANG

t0|]tststM0t{s0N5
8tRD5 0F PR[Y *83 {2005)
touise SimomM! popu m
rrn on $c 8'rds orPrel
tom( book sov o l!'l
r(jrvord hc exork vhen +e
rhose 1o moks Sinsopore rhe
spoi ighr lorlhree iiaes ol
supl]rhero hi- rnkJ wilh rhe
heip ofo Slnsoporcon fon,
5imonron nronoqo{l b indude
quile ! fevr slrpris ng y

CULTUR,A.L ARTIFICIAI-ITY'I'HROUGII HLqRTLqNDER HERI'I'ACI]. GLOBAIISED

ECONOMIC PRAGMA I ISM/ Unaslianiedly ASPIR-ATIO\S. One ol lhF nil.o , s mu\ pu.arisiig ilmnqlAirpo lookso ill e

invented in 196.+ by lhe Singapore Touism Board, dre(lpskor". oid troishr our
slnrbols, Phna Chu Kang (PCKJ rvas a stereotl"ical
of q developing nolior.
the Merlion oives its "iion" head to the lescnd of how uncou th Chinese coDtractor charactcr played by actor
lndonesian prince SangNilaUtarna spotted a singo Crrrmircirbh. Di.rpsardri8
^4J lorls i nd .ppald nS
(lion) on routeto Malacca.Its fish body and tail are sinslish slaDs unapologetically, PCK was aD
a gesture io th€ island's close ties to d1e sea. It has affectionate bui sonenhal bacldanded ode to the
since ihe. been nass produced as STB-approved blue collared heartlanders ofSingapore. His macho
keychahs, chocolate!, stutred toys ed paper-weighls, cNdeness, thejarring aesthetics of lijs wife's drcss
becoming the island's nost politically ncutmi a.d sense and the btrniblins ineptitrde ofhis Dnderlinss
ihiliftlb
souvenir-jiiendl)' niascot. Becausc of its unabashed\' were often contrasted Nith his more refined but eflete
artifical birth, the }le ion is and will aiways be the architect brother and pretentious sister in larv for SINGAPORIS BRIII MOMIIITS

nost convenient symbol of Singapore s percejved
cr tuml inadequacies: her lack of historical romance,
he-. oi plFr"h pnSmdl; apprc!. n lu I rp|g enn ,g
of her identity and the often amusiDg rcsults of
sLtch twinned efforts. Multiethnic drcss anyone?
Mfliolosised in Edwnr Thurnboo's r979 poen
t{ysses by fhe M€rlion, this m}thic creatu.e h:l! siDce
been deconshucted and criticised by tlie local literati
in va ous poenrs, artworks and plays. It has evcn
r dCF rli qd) :nlo lo' d p. r.ir. p: ll, rlnr cd
euphemism for "I vomited". $hilc thc Merlion will
never possess the same culiural and historical
:genuine, national
resonance thai symbols lil(e the
Siatue of Liberty have, by virtue ofits ubiquitous
presence and aftible counten.tnce, the Merlion has
a developed an odd charn of its ver-\'orm. It
conic effect- PCK embodies Singapore society's /N P{]PULAR OLII]Ri#?
struggle beFleen ils native, earthier lieitage aDd its
more Westernised aspirations- He is a caricaturc of
ihe best and worst elenients ofthe headlandcr identitr
seen throug! the eyes ofcosmopolitan Snrgaporeans
- afterall. he namcd his children Romeo Ferrari and
Crystal Jade. Urhen PCKwas l€atured as a clue-giver
' I r\, sirgdpo-FlFSol U.s. r-JiD Jruh 77r ,,\rnl,rt
l?dce, some Singaporeans ftrmed about thc
R0A0 T0 5ll,t6AP0R[ (r940)
inapprop.iateness of luliDs snch a buffoon be the Pmbobyrhemortlriqhprofth
ambassador of SnigaporcaD idcntity on iniernational se o{Sinqopore! nome in i
television. Elrntuaily r\ith pressure 1i om state censo.s nNielitu, iroIi$lyneirher
a in the iisht oftheSleok Coodl)iglrsA canpaisn, ol the chorocters ployed by
Birq (rosby snd 8l)b 11ope
l,,ho\hddroLonFdoqn:" br ursi ,sl:.h.lns r'8
od!o ly hoke ir lo 5rigopore
rnuc| of ils originality and wit that nade PCK such
if rhefilm d'emrinooiho
a hit.It imosinory i! ord ol (oisoon

03 ER0ADIR P[RSP[fllVtS t/pstrodpo'! rssue

SlllCAP0Rf S ERltf lil0llltl,fi S

II{ POPUI,{R CULTURI #3

3 4
SINGAPORE GIRL LEE KUAN rr'EW
debur: 1968 debut: 1965*

sA[{r ia(K (E/9)

bced on o l9/3 noveloi

borddo.

Singoporo vilhoul lhe

EASTERN PROMISES TO A WESTERN THE MYTII OF AUTHORJ'IARIANISM/ Our
WORLD/ Perhaps global air h avel s best loved aDd first and most reno'ured Pnme x{inister of Singapore
beins pruduted
most suc@sstu] icon, the sinsaporc Girl has been the is also the mosi titanic in terms o{ m)thology. To
niost promincnt element in Singaporc Aidines'years past genemtions grown into present critics. LKY is
Thoush 5olirlodi5theon y
ofadvertising- She has achieved so nuch cultuml at once Sinsapore's most favoured Founding Father
promineDce and cult follo\eing thai awd figure of as well as ber most feared Bogeymani her most
Singopo.e, ir vo5 her was created and shown at the faned Madane revercd reason for success and yet her most favourite
Tussad's wd Museum in London in 1994 Created whippjns boy for any ne$'srouse under the sun. This
by faned English adaefising creative Ian Batey, she may all change bythe next geDe.ation ihorgh. The
presents an alluring image ofAsiaD femininii"v, all irnpressions of local youths of LKY are mostly fotmed
gentle hospitality ard trnquestioning subservience by a loose coilection of nemory fragments: neit
Unsurprisingly, herbissest critics have been local hisro, i. dl a.-ount, i! rocidl srud'ps ,en oool.s. icon .
womeD $'ho feel ihis icotl is se st and panders to a video clips like the one of l,ee learins up at the advent
Sirsopore lr 2006 o5 on
of sepaEtion fiom Malaysia, ard most of a]l cor tless
colonial stermbpe about Asian subsen'iency to $'hite
Ml8 filnr. Toddy, il is
n1en. Unlike the business likc suits wom by male SLA. throwaway lines said by adults in jest about hidden
cabin crew, SIA ste\eardesses wear a sensual and camems ihai at onc€ rnlthologise and denigr ate I€e's
mther unforsivins sarcns kebaya paired with sandals ability to hcar all and see aI in our little island state.
and adhe.e to ahishly regiment€d bea ty standard: sone believe LKY is a complex man to be respected
siigopors llke lhe old and dghtfully feared, ciring Sinsapore's sbilit)' to
dark black hair without hishlights, SIA apprcved blue
Fre\hrdnh,brighl lFd rrtsli.k rdnd'ls.To.riri.s. evolve from dirw shat1tl-towns to fabulous \eealth
oidod Sugis Slreet durlrg
the SinsaDore Girl is just a ivell-disguised Sarong and suNile nthiess resional politickins at the same
Party Cirl (a ]oung SingaporeaD $'oman who dates rime. Bu' lo CFr Y, the I'a\l ir loo di'tanr Fnm t}c r
only whire men, believing tbey are more appealins present rcality for LKY (and by association, the
and successtul). wlile it is true thai she is very much Governnent ard PA") to be a figure that iNokes aDy
an aftificial and evcn archaic creaiion to satis& rFd lFir or reJ .T' '1ion. LKY . ,he,r inrimidarrrs
skewed male Westem appetites, practically, the srandfather writ large, an irnmuiabie and
Singaporc Girl works too $'e11 to ever be sotten unquesiioned authoritJ fi8ure, yet a $eature ftom a
nd ot It past they feet little connection to and thus, have little
baggage to coDtend with. It

04 SR0ADIR PRSPtfiIVtS tiesinqdpoi? issue

 LlllClillN i.t[( 6]
POLIIIC11.1,\'Nlilltl.{1i,. l ) li [.i i'] { } L_5 n-1
IIL'LUt 1.,I FINI{ .1\t) ,!.!'.!n}MtLIi/ 1\'lrr
r.L)ld Ch t 1,,.,r lti.. lF \,)lfrl r ru in. r, rr .nl r\
si.!,r1,,),f \ l!\,)!iitr ru!licr di'h (l.t)it. r,,,1lj\
, i),rt,e jtors llli. Cbilli O.rb or l.rl\r: lLr.lrrLrL,L)1.
I merjtoc.acy ( "'flie chrmde of Medtocrad'), th€ tig! tly
nlrnr r1..1( .1s 1)l s rrtrLl)1rr. \ rir.sL lLiricsnul
nrn.rNl triil\ i. r\L rl r L rLlLlrrNg| :L o|c\ ils rt |ts
1r Chi.iL s lliLl,r, i lrL r(1. sin!r1, )r.rn s1\1.
i (L,t,1elll. {iil irtrljjrn.n. South(,,\l \\ii n L, i1{ r
L.rlilnrrnrur frtulrrtlishs.f r rl,.i Lti,..i rlLrlles
nNltil,L dniths ol fl,i:. s r:L s. ,1.f. brrlc ird
tligr... ll is lLir ,).t ,Ll,, fl(.!\ tlirh lhrt iin b.
nnrn(lid.'.,\ iiLrl,. I r rli r. lo,!l co!a lnLl hot.l
Nn.l!r fr i.i L L{q\rL\lrhrihcrlrnrrtr,ibhLi
11)L f,r,l s,,r\c rl,!fcldiitr, Jr{nl,lt,,1 Ur,
r)ltlrl) r\trilc ()lhrr.Lr\..nnrr\hl)ri i r\1,, r,il
l, 3 ir itinChrtt. n)\ r)rn1li,l A LLrfLslLrr,.,riril\
l)hnd. rith !lllb( rL!nr ,,, i(li ir.,tr \!l)|lird. rou
.rnnrrlil!rlliliL ll .\,,!, 1,,, iDaltltr Dishr(
thit hr\,.(1,,,i1s rlrfr,! Lri lstiri iI th.rNh.s {1. rIL
1..(l Ll!r,rs,l\$ lo,) r,,ll iD thrr r!,.(1 rr(l LL.i(l Lrl
rLil,,iL t ,r,L\irlrb. (hiflicD ri.. r! nrLLLr : ,,Lj,rlL
Irl rt,lmlilg lo rnr l(lmltrr lt!).i !! r j rLti\ 11,, I
,l
rrlirbl.. t)rN.ti{l N.,l r(l,Lt,lrIli ()r!l.t ti)1!li th,.
to.th.! rliltirLilLr. Lrlrr)rltLln':uli..j 6l
ll lllrriR t'l|\f:l ll rr, .,',,,,,r,r'r..rI
olr
The \Mestern Press Hates IIs!
The srd cnticisms remain provorativer the restrictions
we place on civil societ"v or sanisations, linited politic,l
e\:prcssion and the notorious legal battles bebreen PAI
politicians and opposition pa.ty menbers.
Fal Eastem Rerieu (I,EER) , Woll Sneet,Iournal Asio,
the Internanonil llerald n i6une aDd the Findncial
?irres were rI seneEly citical about how Singapore's
govemmert rcvoked FEllRs perrnit to be sold and
circuiated here after it retused to adhereto Section 24
of thc Ne$'spaper and Printing Presses Act.
Unsurprisingly, l'r'i? takes an unslarpathetic view of
Sinsapore s policies, challensins the validiiy of
conboll€d local press ( SiDgaporc's fbunding m),ths vs
freedorn") and even her econornic fut re ("Financial
centre pipedrcams").
\{ith regard ro lhe le\€l of public sector er?eftise, rnost
internationd nedia rcgdd Singapore in a more positive
light. duf"i,res carried aD intewiew lrith then SM
If,e abour ho\r Singapore wanied to share its expertise
in architecture. landscaping, iffigation, waste treat ent
and human resoxrces rnanagement with the worid.
I4'RED magazine expounded on how sinsapore was
at the cuttinja edge of biomedicine because of her liberal
approach to controveNial secto$ ofres€arch.
o , I i".Dl.. Sirsdpre hds bFFn CerrinC rr\ e FfiFh..
Acid-tonsued chef Anlhony Bourdaii declared in t]le
Ntlt! Totk Times Magazine that Ne were "Foodie
Heaven . Respected food critic R.w' Apple Jr. rnotea
Ne.J] yotk Tintes article eDtitled 'Singaporc:
A Reprcssed CitA-State? Nat in its firch€ns ' Even the
usually critical Sudncv Morn t19 Held/d admitted that
the 2oo6 Singapore Biennale showed there was a
.darker,
funnier side to this city of shopaholics."d t
FTATURT ARTIO-T

CrazySexyCool:
Will the real Singapore Brand please stand up?
The Singapore brtmd is challengiDg to market - or so we tli*. By Shiao-Yin Kuik

efore the r98os, corporations

A'
q
c!!>] -'1 ilifferentiated ihemselves bY
emphasising how they
L__, produced whiter, brighter,
fasler. stronger results lhan their
€
competitors. But today, with the onsoing
slobilisation of labou and rnaNfacturing, lhe world's
consumers are nole offercd a diversity of goods and
seNices ofalnost e+r.l quality. Product ditrerentiation
is no longer just about tansible differences

Differ€ntiation is now achieved by

emphasisins values and qualities thar invoke
consumers' orm aspirations. This is a huth that
advertising asencies, brand constrltants and
corpomtions have knoM for the loDgest time about
modem coDsuner behaviour. Billions of dollars have
been poured nito nedia onslaughts to seduce hearts
aDd rninds nrto choosing one brand over another' Nike
isyour all Ancncm go getter: atlletic and constandy
pushing physical lnlits. Its rival Adidrs is the urbane
fu-n!pi1: morp edgl JnJ ) F cors.ou.ullradrl'on.
Today, you don tjusi choose a shoe').ou choose a
tribal id€ntitj and appropriate their proiecied heniage
and aspilaiions as )'our om.

TIIE COUNTRY lN OUR MINDS/ And now

\dhether a country
countries are fast catching on.
believes in braniling as a stratesy or not, it
cannor escape the fact that it is already a brand
- and this brand needs to be manased as
conscienriously as McDonalds manages its

A couDtry's brand is tlie sum total of beliefs we have

aLoul | ,' Inj lhF ri dBe ul lhF.ounrrl ,hrl exFt'ir
ou r jmasiDations. Somc countries are livins synbols
to us ofvalues we admire or detest and thus, they
n n.onsciouslv orient our life's clioices.

06 BR0ADIR Pt[SPttTlVtS i/re liroa,?ore 6sre

 4 0tstN6aP0Rfs

\\re want to strd)'in thc UI( to bcr pin t ol r{tional borders

Globalisarion has made our
flxll Blitanllia s inLeli-.ctua] helitage; rvc
1\illrl to !vor]( ancl pla1.in Aructica
more permeable and individuals more
decision-makers. Hence, capiral, ideas and :::--'.ig
icN re!lne rhoi !ir!!pore j
resources de more mobile than cvc!. Count es lowirem6nsetur,ode i
bccausc it is thc Lancl of the Flee ancl Jr, l-'Jmb-i18 n h^. rrar .r r'io-al.orlordlion: rurey deiiqred tri bljr by
l!rii llm!!i 05lM j
thc Amelican Drearn; wr: r'earn tLr rnd I iB\ I qu.-iIi, d nsrar.Ifi.ornrr. l "s in
o
s ,q,tirnon lrdni, rhe
relocate to Australin bccarise le beliere thc holy trnriF of Investments, l ourists and Talent, rermo osy 5 futry rqvdl ol
rhe lomou5 hodo omFri i
her firture in a competitive xorld is wel-secured. Bui
c\,'cr'l'dal Do\\'n I.Inclel is liiiclltacl<: lvcr kEi, mikm!lihevmd! n5r
jr'l
r.' ir'\-i, ir >' r' .1''1'
-.'
,rt., il '
wilh all competing suitors danslins thc samc delectable lldm (ly odwi(ei mn{@
\\ bon oon ulp:'1,.1.qrclJ,o .it". rl'(al. "as'-
so cicpcnclablc, cflicienL antl r:learr. rF':Ll-n.- p' flni \ Jnd gr'. I Jrds .o r a.our tri"
have turDed to profcssional malketing stmtegists and
Today, you don'tjust choose a country - you brand consultanisio find that extra edge thatreould Itra urodloii! o ondeC
make then stand oot amongst the rest. i rhr r]tr rit ro @l ebodi
choos€ a tr;bal idenlity and appr(,priilc l]rcir o.hei oigin6rd I'm rr imFrirl
'o
projected heritase and aspirations as your 0ul5 ol tiino trd hoi ord
own. Tlie b.and - or reputaiion ofa country is not S'l'Ar\D UP FOR SINGAPORE/ So w|ere does wi?li olmrdflr
o o vld€

Singapore's braDd staDd iD all this? Do we have (he

6dlr 0
yllrndr. t!e' 0o m
simply di.tated by dre mgarics of history or geognphy. 5m mgeriltr{o! ir p lJloi
PerceptioDs ofa country c|ange along with twists and ich, emotive aspccts ihat help a brand Bo beyond molrore bdr, dshr,i!hj,
merely appealing to convincing and inspiring cult Nklrer iliom md ipmlj in
hrns in cucnt politics. Iloreover, in a nedia-rich hry fs j\r ol heor ond
world, popular culture has developed a '
disproportionate amourt of influencc over hos a
country is perceived. ADy counhy that loses touch krolm chdacteristics ftlfill
Certainly, our best
sirh $l.Jr .1. (uld rhr ,l. . n l.- -i,k. lo. 18 the tunctioral but essential componcnts that
tuurdnl I l93l l!e,ij m. ol
everything iD the great Darwinian race among make a world-class brand. A country s brand is ft hprllr! b.sj r .vorll
civjlisations. ,I$t ast Arneicn the steady descent of shaped by what it says ofiisell what it actuaLly does, perfurmin! we r [jio ori
Nhat it produces, $'hat it looks like, the conpaDy it
U nlr€ i
(insdon. 1!er 0er
hcrbrand in ihe Middle East and Iurope $'as partly liirrlhul!! 1o N
60 msrrier

because ofher curious.etusal to believe thai so rnaiv keeps as well as what people say of it - and on all !i ube0 mr*lrintuod! nh

counts, Sjngapo.e peffomrs extremely well. We arc dre dlflnulr Ans on mrhr i
people could possible hate the Land ofLibertr. Or ask l{j r. | [,{
o nmg Fr
Neiv Zealand lio$' m:Dt billions nr ioudst dollars and .oni:sr"n.l) rJrl-Jb\ r dFn.,d", sou-c".rsl'pir'g iork liinm, irn l'onriro
t.rps in all-rouDded dcv.loprnent, economic success hror fld i pnli{rl 0ermir
interDational attentioD to its digital animation indust.y h@!of fD polllorrrolrDr
it gamered by appcaring so prominently iD the 'rJBUUdsn\,
J,...WparF.Fdit.lilllop,hu:.r i(s5,irionr borl!lh!n
celebratcd Lord ofthe Rnrgs trilogy. in\' sl^N,hl work"N dn,l ni.hr ro r r". nir'irts
pd
^r
caNed out a respectable Dame as a politically and
Many countries car no longer rest on the economically stable anct secue hub for resional
laurels of beiDs "whiter, brishtcr, faster" headquarters, biomedical rcscarch, rnedical care,
because this is no loneer as key a educatioD and ftuDcial seNiccs. Politically neutral li! EAIYA lrft hohl5 | i.esrr5
tufineolrh!{ud!msrw€
differenti{tion as ii uscd to be. Wihess ho\. aDd diplomatic, r{c have no overt enemies and are
lordsd asi w'rilrq holld,'l
Dubai and Shanshai have successlolly recreated frierds with a slir?Iisinsly di\€rse crowd China and gehvoF 8rrryon Tre i' ! !
Taiwan; Anrerica.Israel and the Muslini bloq India moliisommelo,itelinmm.
themsclvcs as the nesest plalgrounds fo.the global m.loll 0
.ior vo}l I r
clite, closing tl e gap between them atrd stalwarls like .nd Parr-lan ln ln" inl rniriun! pr-ss. SilBJt'nn i.. kmrr iptml oEEirl m
lo

London and Geneva. TeD yeaN aso, fc$'would have still mostly well-received." ord 5bMl irtor {ii{oki
onr ol f. ror r0 *olriEi{liy
believed that snosgy Beijins could rcbrand itselfas hores nftv0dlyr'N'
ahipcityto work nr. Yet, fr.rn its a\€inspiring gokt Singapore is ir Piace vou go to gct things
medal srveep to its sturnnrg Herrog & de Nletrron dorte - a poNclful statcment llot nran\
'' ,l,rm Jld rL.1'".r' .ula oI'Fr'nB FrFn'on) 8, rjints nations can make rviLlrout aclding
ABOUTTHIlVRTIR

has Drade the 2oo8 Olympics Cliina's greatcsi

adve isenenl for its positioD as Sufcrpower of caveats. Anyone who has Mesi:led with br taucratic
red tape, co.ruptioD or ld labour laas can atprcciate
this great SingaporeaD cliaractcristic.

07 BR0ADIR PtRsPtOlVtl fie $rsdtrore issrf

FEAIURE ARTI(LE
All rhesc rractical characteristics sumnred
up in the afor€nentioned statemert is
clert a najor eleneDt of our brddiru that
i{e should not and cannot divorcc ouNeh€s
hom. lJrit thc conurrdl tlnt here is
thal Lhose \:Lrr'\J srme
chiuactcristics Lhat have rnadc
lLs so succcsstilj untorturrillely
lacl errolive iospilation. Bcing
eff iciert, plagnatic, rlep-.ndable
and slrble docs not - in
:rch'crtising parlance rnake ibr
lhe se\iest blalld.
So far, ihe marketing tagliDes we have
created to sell Singapore hare net with
mixed reviews fron Singuporeans:
siigapore Touist Board's "Utliqtel)
Sinsapore , Urban Redevelopmenl
Authoitl's "City in the Garden", I'Iinistry
of Forcisn ,\trairs' Global Cir]*, World of
Opportu ties". The taglineis i.e attractilcl)'
worded but they still lack distinctileness
and {aside fron thc UR-A'S tasLine) are
rena.lebly applicablc to nany other cities
by substituting the word "Singapore". Just
nnastue: "Uniquely Dubai" or "Dubai:
clobal city, World of Opportunities".
A counrry cannot brand itselfwith
such neutral terms for it risks
sounding just likc ever'] ole else.
So SiDsrpore has also been industdously
promotins its more colourtul characteistics
(Cr0z.! Horsel Bar-top dancing! Sinsaporc
Eyel F1l Ministry of Soundl) to the
international nredia over the pst few rears.
But to some critics (especially local ones),
it is akin to walchins ihc scliool's most
sensible nerd dressjng up in sltu},a clothes
a liitle paintul, sonewhat laughable and
snellins ofa despemte need for approval.
Worse, Sinsapore is wearing
borrowed plummase rather than
coming up with a style of her orm. It
is a uDique\' singaporean sna&s/ $at has
boih bencfited md injured us bybonowiDs
ideas, best practices and concepts from
foreign lands and aptb ins it reholeheftedly
io our country, we halc ocated a successfirL
Sinsapore brand while underminins our
confidence n1 our orvn creatjliil and sccond-
suessins ou abili8 to be orisinal. We know
that peopl€ who cover themselves froni head
to toe wrlh a plethoE of brdds hale a deep-
set insecuri0 and resortcd to borowing a
glamou. that they think is not intrilsic to
thcf selves. singapor€ is not thai diffcrcnt
in this nspcct. This is aD especial\, grievious
thom in ihc sides ofsins.tporeans who |a!€
begun tobelieve in the NoIth aDdtaLent of
thei. o{n narion and abhor the slalish cop)-
Rclativc toothr nations, Singapore is young
and ihus prone to e\hibiting considerable
anxieq! orcr her identiq'. singapore's values
and perception of hd oM i{ofih have not
conc.etised as yet compared to co Dtries
with stmnger (and more stident) Dotions
of selhood like china. Britain or America.
in the 2oo5Anholt Nation tsrands Index,
Sjngaporc scored amoDs the lowest in self
image than almost all couDtries rvith top
Despire our sense of acsthctics,
critical valid{tion and ou. bcst
practices, we de not convinced ofrhe
viability or stpedority of developins
our own brand our own \vay. Many
Sfigaporeans still nreasurc thenselves by
dr stddards of nore establishcd' counties
and seck their brands, thejr colhnal so
ahead and their political seal ot approval to
a irm our dcvcloped workl status. !\Ie
imported a ParisiaD burlesque show,
promoted Bangkok stle bar-top dancing
aDd recreated London's siant fenis $'heel
to prove we are a sex], trendy to$'n. We
talked of benls Asia's Zurich in the 198os
and now wiih the Int€grated Resods and
expensive ScDtosa homes, we paint
ourselves as Asia's Nlonaco - as if, being
Asia's Singapore was not enoush. wl1en we
want to build a nationalarchitcctural icon
like the Esplanade or the new Supreme
Court. ive borrow the brand of aD
international architeci as opposed to
supporting one ofour oi{n proven talents
- a KenzoTange and NormaD Foster.r!e. a
Tay Kreng Soon or Mok Wei l4rci. AId what
are we to make ofour propensity to adopi
Eumpear-sounding names lbr our local
condominiuns and conpanies? Why call a
condoninium Cosfo del S.rl. as if Bedok
$'as in Spain? Or adnnsunshop dBrn as
08 ER0ADLR PIRSPIOIVIS the siryapore isue
ifea, Dui had ant thing lo do \ith Francc?
It is as if s.e stili need that spfinkle of
Westem fairy-dnst to coDnore eleganc€ and
Despite our meteonc risc, Singapore
srill f€els like a self-conscious
Cinderella, a cultural country
bumpkin who is afi:ltid rhat she will
lose hcr borrowed firery and return
to the rags ofher former developing
world status at midnight. Interestingly
enoush, two highly acclairned local fashion
brands Raoul ard woods &Woods chose
to dcliberately lraiiil themsel"es os
Eurotean in Dame, aesthetic and
advertising. By disassociatirg themselves
as far as possjble fron the "N1ade in
Snuaporc" label, lhey could charse as much
as foreisn bmnds fo. Lheir Droducts as wel
as gain populaity fast $ithout suflering
frorn thc prej dice of brand and status
conscious Singaporeans. Despite
Singaporc's stroDg repuiation politicallJ_
and economically, culturally she believes
she is losing the battle: it's.jusi not irendy,
classy, elegant nor magical to be
SiDsaporcan. IroDically, this seif affliction
couldbcthe sinsle biggest obstacle to the
creaiion of truly nnique culture in this
in{ormation age wherc thebest way to go
slobal is to renllt' think local. Loc
distinction is what will scr onc apart
ftom the slobal herd.
\VHERE DO \^'IE GO I'ROM HERE?/
]jlery brandins as.ncvknom a brand rvil
ifit attempts to be all thirgs to Jll men.
fail
Sinsapore cannot be known as
primarily efficient, pragmaric,
ncutral and dependable and
simultaneously be crazy, se4', cool,
creatiwe, intellectually urbane,
stimulatina and colourtul witl equal
weightage. Something has to give.
Every country slroggles to find ihat one
message that can service tleir requilemcnts
a.ross ihe differ€nt sectorsr Ireland.
Scotland and Italy retain strong lourisl
appeal because ofinases ofquainl, rustic
countryEide livins whcre tine has stopped
but this is at odds with their tudusties'
struggle for credibilitt' when coDvtuchg
,Iapanese aDd American IT compani€s they
are efficient places io relocate to.
Not uDlilie peopie thernseh es.
counlries are ofteI] lonr bct\\'(:'crl
brancling thcrusch,rs accolcling
ir) who Llle\'rerll\ rre. rvlro the\
\\,ant to l)c ancl nho thcl thinli
l)eopl-. \\anl lhenr Lo L)e.
singapore needs ro develop deseFed
ronfidence ald pdde ir her existing
srrengths, discern and play up ne$'
str€ngths that a.e emerging and stay
far away from pretending she is
somebody else. It is key ihat ordinary
Singaporeans themselves - rotjust
the Aovernment or foreigrers - buy
into rhis. The cittens ofa cornha arc not
just the nosi natrral andbest ernbodnnents
ofa countdsbrand, Lheyare also theones
i{tio day by da) ensu.e that the brand
rctually works as it promises. If
SiDgaporeaDs aDd the state arenotaligned
ir iheir ideals about what ihc Singaporc
bnnd means, ih€n all marketins addpublic
relations strategising will eventuaLly iail.
Singaporeans must see rhat we have
not only achieved world-class
srandardr in many aspecls, we havc
acrually set the slobal standard in
certain fields. At a time when water
scrrcity is r real challenge to the x.orld,
Singapore has Dearly
achieved self-sufficiency in $'ater.
A 2006 UNDP Human Dselopmeni Repoit
cited Singapore as one of the best if not
thebest - at watersupply and $,aste-water
nunagenent in the world. Our success here
has not only been because of developrnent
of our oim cuttinS-edgc tcchDology, but
also because of good public policies. The
lvorld recognised this at the 2()()6 Clobai
Water Awards \rher€ Singapore s Public
Utilities Board nas Damed WaterAgency
ofthe Year and bcal comtan]' H]'f]Dx took
the pize of Water Conpany ofthc Year.
for a brand to
Secondlr, in the long mn,
be success{ul, performance still
outweighs imrge. Our derotjon to
pragnatism, political neutrality,
nrcritocracy and discipline may be
questionable on nrany lev€ls (and worth
repeated critical examination) but it norks.
lhe biggest critique that is held against trs
in the nrlernaLioral nedia is our lach ol
political and nedia lreedom buL the
tougliest fact for critics to deal $'ith is the
parado\ ofhow tliose ver,r'hnits hale so
flr brought pr2cti@l rcsults. $'c are bdldnrg
a reputation for environmental friendliness
because 1re are wiliing to jmpose lerl
untrjend\' Dl€ctronic Road Pricins schernes
and Certifi.ates of Etrtitlenent for car
oMerslip- lve remair economically f iable
because we have bccn resistaDt to aD
idcalistic cradle to grave social tr'elfare
nrodel. Our high level ofpublic security is
based on the compromise of private
iibe ies. our multi-relisious, stable and
tolerant socieb is fo nded on ficrcc
intoleraDcc of anyone rlho se.ks io instigatc
To manynew mi$a s, Singaporeans
hwe lived so long in this countrydrat
they calnot perceive clearly how
respectable it acrrally is. What has
becone tcrtbook clichdroiocals is actually
appreciated by the nany Chinese, lndians,
tturopears, Anericans and all who have
decided to nake singapore their hone.
sonethirg in the Singapore brand has
touched them enoDgh to uploot thcrnseh€s-
To Kofi Annan, we are one olthe !€ry tew
countrjes who managed to go fron thjrd
world to first iD one remarkable geDeratioD.
We have the lowest infant nortality ratc nr
the $'orld. Our liicracy ratcs and
ferformance in Maths and Science are
.rnons ihe highest intemationalb,. Povertv
exisls in all countriesbut lre aremanlrging
the situatioD ofthe poor such that sluns
are Dotr-c\istcnt and home oi{Dcrshjp
reDaiN at 9o.9% dcspitc cscalating costs
ofreal .state. We remain one ofthe fei!
siates in theworld nordjrectb involved in
any rrar or conlict an oasis ol political
and econonic calm that is increasingly nre
iD a conflicied $'orld.
Most imDortanrly, the SinsaDore
brand still possesses that elusive lrail
that once lost can never be earned
back - htegity. Sirsapore's greatest {sset
is that it renaiDs an iDternatiorally tmsted
name. It has oedibilill, buili up throush 43
ycars that whatever she says she is
she js.
No pretense and noholdsban€d, even when
it comes 10 the most potentially ollensive
09 8R0AD[RPIRSPIOIVIS ii?sirlgdp.rc6sue
ol policies. l he globil audieDce is quick to
serse dissonance and no amount of
brandins exercises and public relatiorls
campaisns caD colcr up ihc basic lack of
follo$'through i. tcnns ofdonestic and
foreign policy. It was i lesson llrand
America learnl the hard way as it sax.its
nane plunn1et turther aniong Mtrslims in
the rrorld despite a slicldy prcduced pro-
Muslim media campaisn.
CITY \!'ITI{ A SIIALI, TO\I'N MINI)/
We are qujle a rarit) and all tlis makes us
al.eady 'se\y" and trlly "cool" bv aDy
account. This s rpasses the temporal and
qnestidrablc "cool" quotieDt that wc bought
thlough bxHof prancing, Fl racilg or senri
nn.le Frcn.h den.eN.In the end. these
short-term gimn cks will neither
make nor break dre Singapole hmd.
Some ofthe most succcssful honc groMr
bmnds we have ar€ ihose that never saw
themselves as having less to ofier co pared
to bigger n1t€rnatic,nal brands. BmLlds like
,{shley Isliam, H).flu, Crcative and Razer
all took a uniqnely Sirgaporean look at
things and saw no rcason why a Singaporcan
could not equal and even surpass
international standards be it about in water
desahlation, conputer ha.dwa.e or creating
ID ihc Dlay Hone.sict bylocal plaFrisht
Alfian bin Sa'at, a character remarks thaL,
''Singapore is a snall to$n lhat thinks it's
t{c caD bcg to differ-
Tlre Lrolll)le iies irr loo ulnrr
Singaporlrilns f ot Ic iising thilt
she illrea(il is l cill lirill keeps
thirliing shc is a snriLll torm. Ancl
\\'hal a trenlei(la)0s ciL\ 01
rrligirral nrrlis slre colrld bc ()r{re
sirc LcaIns ro -(hr.1 lhal stll
(lr
)r rh1 a,
 ON 2ND THOUGHT

Rethink Singapore Arts

Will Singapore ever produce great art? Or are we doomed to be a cultural wasteland?
By Joselire Rau

/'x
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lg1' tI
EI

[:

I] EPENDS ON 'IVHERE YOU LOOK/

"Singapore So there wiLlnelerbe agreat Singapore novel. There

willne\eropi ddl:n8 orig:ndl.Lrars,e, JenLalpiF."
of liieratu.e that will finally mark and cement

English Sirgapore's place in the literaryxorkl. u'e will never

havc a Sinsaporean nol€l rp for the Booker Dor have
Singaporean texts promincnily displayed in

Literature international bookshops. Never saynever? Or are we

just facing the cold hard f:cts and doomed to reference
C2iherine Tim's aiftl" /rdrrt.s for ihe resr of.n.lives?

AE1]UT IHi WR iIR has no real Thoush Enslish has been Sinsapore's doninant

literary merit!" languase of eduction and public discourse for decades,

English Literature has not flourisbed the way one
might expect norgarnered as nuch unqualified local
or slobal respect as one wodd hope.

l0 BRolDlR PIRSPIOIVIS r/)€strodpore issle

 RADTH]5:

! 11GAPORI IITIRATURT
l,Ia1'be the most salient lealut e of WORII] Tl]KKIN(] {]UI

ufi1, Singapore Litelatulc is not

punching above its u'eight in ihe
1p
i .161
0 literary alena is that $'e don t sccn
Lo sa] anything impoltant or
!3,',J" nl lglnill ( llotlllll. [1on lo dl lirerlture "iLl r r
flogs thc dcad horse ofsnigapore s inmigrant past or HWII HjiV[ETN 5
BOOK5
f0RflGN 80Dtt5
deals $ith the same tite sentinents ofdisillusionwith
lctua V
the Singapore expenencc ihat tends to neld into an
w0rth anorphous mass ol bomosencitJ. will webe able to
move past our ubiqLrilous HDB landscapc or our
reading,
oveuated aDd tircd nomentsofyrppie ennui? While
sonreiimesdidactic, post-colonidSingaporeLiterahn€
bad notable poets who \ere able to epress themselves
and appropriate a colonia] lansuase in Dew aDd
startling rvays that expressed ihcir conccrDs about the lt[10 ]AY'S
nascent state of Singapore and her rcuic towards sln D,{t0t{t
nodenity,joinnis orisinality with social relevance at
the sametime. CoDtemporaD- litemture bJ contrast
Paladorically, the role that l')nglish seemsto have tumed ini{ard, ci.crlar aDdnNulated,
plays as the linguisLic tnediun of and we dorr't meaD h agood Romantic-poet-search-
foFthe-]'nrth sort of s'ay.
rvork and cornrnelce rnay lrave
strippcd arvay its abilitl'to be the Worsc still is how proponents and teacheN oflocal nwtN PA G5
t]TY Of RIIN
prit-lnrncnt nleollllT) oT cl cl|\'t' literahrrc sometimcs pmctice a blind sort of reverse
Ji, rimindlionwr"r",.omp. r4a' -I.bn8,,r'lpi"Urts
ano l]itgtnlll\ c ('xpt'essron. r'l,i' local texts. To proinote local canon is ofcourse an
a
VI5ITTllI5:

trtilita.ian lunctjon coDlled with a high stakes inportatrt prrt ofliterary growth but to insist that
examination slsten $nere English Litcraturc is f ierred Sirgapore terts are goodjust because they extmss
as one of the most difficult subjecis tosuarantcegood some soft ofSinsaporeaD voiceor sensibililyadds lo
sr.drs aDd hence dropped as a subjecl, it is little the challense oftrliDsto raise literary standards and
wonder l.iteEturf is ir the doldmms or seen as the appreciation. Praise for such tc\ts tcnd to be focused P'oo{lhol Sinsoporeom do love
solepreserve ola srnall enclavc ofthe educated elite. only on measules ol a Singapore scene and \rice (rcad: rheir lihrcl!re, Bookslduolly
SinslishJ. since when is a plethora of local places i1 o (oJy lllrlo indeFndenl
English Literature, in a pragmatic culture $'here itis rncntioDed any measrre ofultimate literary mcrit? lo(ol booknorelhol (0f't be

secn io be of litde economjc aalue, is mrcly appr.ciaicd Surcly it does not have to be a trajtorous notion or hed lor shei donr. Old xhool
as an acsthetic and creative erpression ir itself. some colonial hangovcr when we point out that local rypeu,rilsrs, (hormins relro
Iersion aises frorn the fact that Erglish Literature literature, even the approvcd sct texts for the local postords ond *ond hond

is onl)' seen as having purpose when goverDment exaniinations, is sometimes just not vcrr' good.
(omeror sil rlde by side wilh

urF' i-lr Jnr "4"cdlors \.rry a\nur rl, ,r'n\i rss ui vel retonmended literory
ofN.iinnrl Ldu.!lion and moral lalucs. and more Ai ihc end ofthe day, the \rhole point of whcther
r€@Dtly, see! 6 a niears to build criLical and anal]'tical Singaporc Literature is goiDg to be truly distinctne
tbinking iD Sirgapore s youDg for success in loda!'s and make its ma* on the global scene iswhetherlhey
knos'leds€ ecoDon)'. Tliis ovefi subsuming of neet the sinndard ofwhat makes a good to great
LilFrdlurp n'o a:rhp- i _.rinr h.rld nB'--,urun'i"
agerda does no lavours for its long t€rm apueciation Singdpor@n boakstotc

rndraortei r.n (o\ e, ler l)

oosi-.9boosi$ (dr Uiis pxgd)

ll ER0ADIR PIRsPECTIVES the sitlsapore issue

l
Dare we say that real literar,ri merit should trump
anrthing else? It s not a doom and gloom though.
Mornents of luciditt, genius and quiet i t€lligence cD
be lound in the poeDs of L€ Tzu Pheng, Arlhur Yap
and tsoey Kin chens. And the some short stoics of
Cath€rine Lin, Simon Tay and Clairc Thdr have some
lor€ly nomcnts ofrriting. Check out thc first halfo{
Ta! Hwee Hlvee's l.breign Bodtes and one, two
t?nsnalional poems liom the third generation poets.
I-oca1 press houses' - in particular ntnos Books
.upporr ol u' d l.'-t ,ev,, i. al\o :n\Jl.rJ
buildiDg up a tocal canon, as t.ro local oDline sites
"A Singapore film will
win at Cannes one day."
HoPEFULI.Y/ CoDsiderins Singapore s heaq
handed anrl censor-happy attitude towa s film
(watch RoystoD Tan's satirc oitocal censo.ship, Cld,
thatsome considerthebest thinghe has creatcd), ii
seens alnost inconceivable tliat we caD evcr cultivate
a maturc and sophisticated filmmaknrs indusrry.Is
it even possible for filmnakins to flourish in su..h a
socially consen'atne country r$ere nlnis have been
banned or resularly c€nsored, much less ask if
Singaporean films are capable of such clevaied
honorrs? Aftd all, such constraints in Sjngapore s
socio-I]olitical climate are quite rcal. Singapore's
intolerance and overly cautious neatment of aDy
subiect flatter deened politically or relisiousl]'
sensitive may kill epcnrnental and creatjve thinki.g.
Eut such tensions and conflicts have brousht out the
best in creativc nnrds belbre - look atthc critically
ardanned fitns cominja out of haD and Afshanistan
ofallDlaces and Rotrton Tan did nanage to make
15 after all. So cm S sapor€ film then succeed too?
AU things considcnd, we ha\€ definitely comc some
wals ftom,l,'?diLn Rdre, Singaporc's fi$t tuil lengih
Enslish featDre in r99r. The film received mixed
rMews and did terribly atthe box office. But what
was more important was how it nas the catalyst that
sparked .L spate of filmmahing after decades of
dormaDct' [sinsapore s golden ase of filmnakhg
l? BR0l0lR PtRSPlolvts ti?singdpor. iss!e
That bejng said, lhe success of Singapores literary
sccne needs Sood and involved readers as rvell.
We need to cultivate noi just qood writeN bui an
edLrcnted, noteljtist, readership. lheresho dbenorc
inclusive and mcaninsfut discussions, not arbitrary
starldn.ds, of { hat nakes good literatue. Terls shonld
be choscD on quality not locality alonc. Tben maybe
oncday. s€ wilL have a Shsafore literary canon that
rnany will voluntanlyadmit marked an excitins and
vibrdt wateNhcd in ijterarf historyi It
,. ir
ol
bcing jn lhe r95os and 6os). Hard to watch or Dot,
it spurred real aDd bogus talent to come out of thc
woodwork ard starled a whole trend of independent
and commercial filmmaking activity ir Singatore.
Dric Kloo's M€€ Pofr Man followed aDd in 1997 his
other fcature, 12 ,gtoreys, debuted at Cannes to
generau] positive reviews.
However, it was the rclease ofJack Neo s Mone! No
tnougfiiD 1998 that sar! jnc.easiDg local acccptance
of Sinsaporc made filns. The amalsamatjon of
heartland concerns with a deceptively light social
commeniary' was a comnercial success. l'€w local
films natchedthe box office receiprs of Jac.k Neo's
films but the populariB' a.d \isibility of such films
paved the way for more local awarencss that
Snisapore filnN did not always have to be subordinate
to Holhvood blockbusters or HoDs Kong and
Taii{anese filns. Regioml collaboraiions formed and
mo-e cin8dpor. p'"duc"d ar nadp fiim' rourL t}c.
way to an overseas market (Forerer |euer being one
of the fi6t to be inter.ationally distributed), turrher
spread s thc brand o{Singapore fih!.
Bnt let's not get ahead ofonrsclvesi the filnmaldDg
industry is still iD its irfancy, making sone
constructive if occasionally stuttering steps.
 !vAT(HTllIS:

SINCAPORI I LMS
lrom ditrerent lcvcls. ID addltion, lhere are plentvof
o ift fiIn citi.ism siles and lorums which help or.n \{ORIH CHIC( NG OUT

uf lubljc discourse and awr.eness. Thc Singaporc

IntcmaLionnl |iln festiyalis al$ oDe oft|e longesl
rnnirgand besl regard€d filn fcsti\rk nr Soulleist

Si ,.Jnrr. J r,.,l\ r, ' ... i ,1,r, u . , ..if r^ r. IRtt (H00't l2troREYs

soins pofnlatjons in lhe world, hrs eDablcd filn to
rc.ch orl lo a latgeraudieDceedharc social Fleianc€
at i|e sanre LiDie. Technologjcal advanccs Ieve also
made lilm ar1d norie naknrs .n rccessible go to
nednun for ShgaporcaDs i{ilh sonrethiDg to sa}.
t Ilt. )\tI]gitl)Ult-
ne tnlllOt'tIJ r)T
alrdience may r,eer tol alds casy, tou 60H &w00Yt YtN 5

escapist falc but this group is also 5INGAPORt ORtA]\l]NG

lnr)l e e\pc,se.t i to lIitIll]a lltatl

lltr'r rto.onrelinres'li\cn ( t, LliI
fbr'. It is e:rsicr to lelerage o1T such
5
SiDgaporc is not thc Cannes ol the l}st bv a loDg :rn increasinely fiJnr litcratc socieLl' R()YSTr)N TA CIIT

shot. ftoer:s xtiD and i1s equivalents still rbound.
i)ornestic fiuc is sLill plaguecl bv a
lilr I' Ul sUl'\ljllr(,'. Irlrl \C|'|l)1..
copl,caL plots and clubious
starclrrcis of acling. Aird even' tilne
il 't l){rn-tr\ o.' (la)()c ltIl l)itii
mustcl in Lhe bo:r office. cr.nical
alcl eler,:rtc the discoulse of u,hat
lltilKec lr qo()(I T lf) rit Ditat. 5r,l p,
.nvironIr)ent caD only encouragc nroRr |otential
lilnnak€rs. filn citics and thc like lo lake the less
tutelled paih. Dcsfite Singapo.e s reput{tion for
ffiLVIII TOIIG5 IATING AIR
arbitraN and rampanl censo.ship, there arc still
eDongh fitrns, s|orl lllnN and docuneDt{dcs of citical
and.rcative ne'i( beiDg nude.
V SIT]H S:

attitudes and l-told vorL sos tencl Ol all the arts nediuns in silgapore, nlm mar liave
ilLe hisliest chancc ofnrahing a spl.tsli iD the rturld
Lo ntal,e the louncls. these'eralcons.nsus
scene. of {e lvill alwrvs havc ch.af.
cotrrse.
9nemasG
is that i{c still need higher and mor. consistent
. .,r d.r .1. , ' "rir: ,; i..ir! . ,. ..r tr '\,, , g ul'' n' r' r 1 rl_r,lu. FI I F,..lri,,q. r'd r t",.
arclit. t|ai. BLit {e:rlso have Tan Pin Pin. Ekac|ai
Produclio. !alues could be tightcr.nd an all
U.kronglha.r, Brian GothoDg Tan, Colin coh, Ilaniel
enconrpassing local filnnnakiDg nrf.nstrucirre is yet
Yun, and soon. Scrcenirg SiDgal)orelllms at Cannes
10 be full) est{blish.d.
is alreadr ! realit!, so is s|o$ing ard placing rt
countlcss inicrDalional filin listivals. lf Dot this SlNIMi,on indcpmded ml
Thcrc arc lrsi€ lrc.ds lorthe ftrturc. Tlic SingaDore
Seneration, tlren maybe when the rforcmcDtion.d
govonmenl s push to make Singaporc a vibrant
nanes |a\€ becolr€ lhe ekler st{tesmen offilm. son,e
slobal city of Lhe uts has opcncd up funds ard independert youDs p nk rlill nakc a filnr that ilill
, , o I br b.r.ll.nr flrn n l"r . c 'r, F. ,a hir.;
filn as atrulyunique cul!ulal good
cerient SnrgtLpore
lecliDicd and pmductioD skills are increasnUb otrered
torthe whole wo dto consume.
in schools and irlaccs s.apped up just as qrickl].
Expcrjncnt.tion \!ith filDinaking is alrcadt
l\Iatch t|is space, a Singapore braDd to bc froud of
.ncouaged i{i1h the S(hools fideo A$'ads in ils 9lh
is enreryinij fion the wings.It
y..r ofcompetjlion rnd iDvolvins orm roo scbools

l3 SR0lDlR PERIPffiIVtS I l( 5irudro r. 6sxc

 ESSAY MAI(EOVER

Getting Out of
the AQ Maze
why stude[ts fluctuate so much in their AQ grades.
By Tong Yee

Ithough the application question is not an essay

per se, we have however been receiving emails and
requests from both teachers as well as students to
skills article for the Application Question.
\^,-rite a
Probably the bane of thousands of 'A' level students across
Singapore, the emails we have been receiving generally expressed
distress that peoplejust did not seem to be improving in their AQ
scores. Despite trying all ways and means to do better, students

AEl]UTTHI\VRITIR
explained that they had yet to truly grasp the flindamentals of how
to tackle this exercise. One email summed up the general
doubt.rer Lhat exasperation by saying

pottnet oJ an.l tlachet

14 0R0AD[R PtRSPtfiVtS lle singdporc i!su.

We can o derstand thc frustratior. ln the earlyvcars afier irs inceptioD, mostreachers
stntggled withthe Dccl1aintt olhontheyshould go about teacliing aDd assessinq theAO.
To put things iD conte\t, students should know thar prior to theAe question, fo. DuDy
years $,c as teachers ilere used to hchins stLrd€nts niaster the skiil of banal sentencc
makins. Thanldully that eram cornponent was deemcd increasingly irrelevant for rhe
dcmands oftodity's far morc conrplicated wor-ld aDd \Es suitably replaced with the AQ.
Thankfully,6 ),ears into thc development ofthjs questionb?e. some very clear trcnds hale
eneBed that ive caD follo$'.

slill, theAQ is meant to assess a st ent's abiliryto.ead anl given ter't aDd deterniine the
value ofthe opinion eapressed. ciearb this is an inlahrableskill for an,vmodern cjtizeD of
the world reho is inundated nith infoNation e\'eryday. Ourpcdagogical trnining slionld
sho$'studcDts holr to breakdo$D the ilibrmation they recci\€, be jt frc,rD a newspapcr,
blos or cven academic jouDal. They should theD be ablc to evaluate the streDstb ofthe
ofinionsthet had but nostimpo{antly be able to asccrain rhe vahe ofrhesc opilions in
apDlication to their orm ln'es.

'lhjs helps us to unders(and why it is called the application question in Lhe first placc.
Students need t.r first rccogDise lhat

And thar.onte*.nd
audieDce js rareb,ours. What we arc rcqun ed Lo do is to appli that infbrmation to our livcs
or neasurc the lalidlt), c,f an arg1lncnt or opinion agaiDst our orm rcaliry. i ake for iDstance
a passagc argLring that the demand for indnidual frcedom has gone overboard aDd that lve
sliould relinquish.ru fteedonrs in hvou. ofstate conrrol. A Singaporean strdent $,ho
apflies lhis tohis owr conte{ may find tlie otinion fan iliar but nay nor nccessarily agree,
especinlly corsidering the strongpeNoDal distaste he mightliave forpatemalism. He niav
then read ftrther and notice that the author takes his DotioD of state control to an enreme.
pictrring almost a Lotalitarian statc. This would certainly noi go down lrell with a}tung
Singaporcan who is erperiencnrg increasirg, not dccrcasinit, liberties as a cirizen.

Diffcrins questiol t]"es mayhale ernerged over thc years frotn ditrereDtjunior colleges
that seek to stretch thcir studen ts and nat rallydernand mo.e thaDnharis requi.ed. But

l\Ie arc soing lo therefore ernphasise the l(eyskills nccessart to do $,ell for thc Ae in ihe
'A lerels, discussnig simple steps to masterthatlrake it possibleforeach student tow.ite
a sitong evaluatioD leit|in an average tinc liame of 25 minutes.

l5 BR0ADIR PfRSPtOlVll lh.sirgr?ore issrc

$SAY MAIiFO\iEA

I
)

So,ne i mV,orl6vl I /1; rys

lcr n<rle /.{oru a;e Slarl ...

The essal (AQl in pa]tr 2 is diffe.ert from the cssay iD paper 1 Please rerncmbcr
that the AQ is very mLrch assessed upon the strength of)our evaluaLion oft|c
.uthor's arguDlents. no( the strcDgtli ofy.ru. pe.sonal argrunent. The Canbddge
e{arnincrs rcport lns expliciLly statcd this 3 }€ars running. rcspoDdiDg to a cornnol)
mistaken pmctice ofwritiDg the AQ ans$cr like a free respons€ arsunent, similar
io that iourd in drc cssar- paper. The AQ will therefore never ask you to
inrroduce new contenr to rest your LrowledAe. It will however require
you to uderstand the althor's argument enough to test your evaluation
ofwhat he is saying.

A less known facr among students is that the Short Quesrion and
Summary sections often lead you into answering the AQ. This has been
nertioned by Cambridsc sclelil tinies, with lvamiDss that the AQ should nevcr be
iackledfirst snnpl) becausc the short q(estions and summan'r.e olten designcd
to hclp r-'ou find the key argurncnts ofthe author. The short questiotis (primadlr-'
those that ask'\hy") and the sunimary would have aheadyrnade you highlight the
kel a4umcnts of the pssage. A thnrking shdent would th en usc those argunents
asthe ke!, poilts io clahate ir the AQ.

i Students should aroid using the author's exanrples or inconsequentjal sent€nccs

tbr points of evaluation. If$c arc to shorv comprchension of the passage by elaluatnrg
lhe kcy arguments ofthe passagc, not aDy sertence can be dragged outforevalualion.
l-argelyvou will need to refer to topic sentences of each pdaaraph,look
out for where rhe author may switch arguments within a paragraph, i
and at times, even islore paragraphs/sentences where the alrhor is I
hishlighting altematiwe opinions,

1. Whatever skills you choose to apply in the exams, rhe end result has to
be succcsstuIy achieved in 20-25 minutes. the challengc that maDy tutors
as weil as studcDts face is to litd shaicgics that are indeed Dseflil in exantuttion
conditions. Xlulii stcp evalLrations ,nal bc thorongh but ilyou arc not able to
gcnerate eDough palagraphsto address all requirements of the question wirhin the
timc linit then you will certainly need to lnd nrorc tirre efficient rviys Lo do so

l6 ER0ADtR PtRSPtO VES .ie sir9.?ore issr/c

 ;
/1 v'ta/ reve/a(t on -t

Peftaps the most startling re\€latioD that wc can gain from the past 5 r eds ofcomprchcnsion
papers is tha( Lhe passages are actuallv desigDed to invite evaluatioD as we can often
ffnd deliberate instances of controversy within the arauments presented,
Students \.ho are awarc ofthis and therelbre acttrally looking out for conbovercr- will be
pieasedto find that th€y are far more appa.ent in the A lclel pape.s than oorlocal school
papers. Citing instances from tlie past few years for erample, we can
almost ahra! s find points veeing to Dear crtrernes or at iimes eyen foolishness-

We find littlene.jt for the points raiscd in the linal lew paragraplis of the 2(106 paper for
instance. Coblel"s 6Dal views $'er€ far loo idealistic or remiDisccnt offailed ideologies."
In the 2(r()5 paper oD aggression, 1ve were invited to asscss ho$' convincing $e fouDd
Woolgar's rcasons for reduced aggressioD; paragmphs that irere already poiDted out to be
.contror€rsial - in
the sh.rrt questions, tofped olT with an overly simplistic suggestion that
violence and contlict could be alleviatcd/elininated via spo.ts. soo4 had the camb dse
e\aminers connnentins on howfcwcaDdidales could find'\nedt in Park's lifc ofrestricted
choice and less paniflrl resfonsibilitv , exposing the passase as a weak j ustification fo.
takirg less peNonal rc onsibilily. 2oo3 gave s t$'o passagcs on anirnal rights, an issue
that a modcrn, animaltesting, food-loviDg, aDimal sacdficing. conservatjve Asian societl
likc ours would lind cedaiDly contentious.

These kinds of controweEial points are however urfortuately lackins in our

local sefting of papers. One ofthe greatest limirations we face as teache$ is
in linding suitable passages that align themselves wcu wirh .A, level
requirements. Scarching newspapers, cunert atrairsjounals and lhe Internet lias beeD
the modus operandi fo. the lonsest time, but has also resulted in us using professionai,
well lvdtten ard often balanced articlcs for comprehension. This xrrld do $'cll for our
settinit ofSho.t QuestioDs and Summar:v, but is howeve.linited in crcating the sane
deliberate cont.oveNy found in our'A lelel conprehensions passascs dueto the article s
balanced views. Short of $riting the passages ouselves, it bccornes theretbre diiicult to
simtrlate passagcs that aliow lo. greater accessibility in inviting student eyaluation.
Resardlcss, we should all still bear tlis jn mind. Findins enoLrgh cont.oversy iD the atrthor's
arguments is not as challetrgiDg as $'c rnake it ouL to be, and is a revelatioD that conld
prove vitaL in doins better for the AQ.

l/ BR0ADIR PtRSPtfllV[S rltc strgororc rssuc

TSSAY MAKTOVTR
TIP 1/The points $c intended to
evaluate were actualb; alrea(v chosen
while attcmpting the SQ and
Sumrnary sections. Be reminded that
they can lead into an accurate AQ
TIP 2/wriiins an nriroduction or
conclusion is not a necessary
requircment, but if writing thesc
paragraphs does indeed nnprove
your coherence then by all neans do
so. Just understand that an
introduction or conclusion is nore
for the sake ofcoherence but is not
Decessarily evaluation. Too mucb
time should not be spent on doing
Secti<'n A7 s.clion lr.a(Joru,
Hon $'c attetnpted the 2oo7 -{' level AQ questioD on Tlrc C endt Retolutiatl
'l llli |IR.ST 5 XIINli l t:S: PRTLIMINAR! PRIjPAR-^.TION
Wc stalred b"" planniDs our AQ so as Lo nLake surc r\c addressed all lhe requircmcnrs l]1
the qoeslioD. h this casc, ihere $as onlvoDe rcquncDreDt ro address: Nhcthcr N. gene.ally
agreed or disagrecd nit| the views (arg ments) raised. lhe secoDd 'rcqtrn..nrenr" {as
actuallyjust a reDrilder that rre should usc eiamples lron our socictv/expedeDce to
elahate/Nlxtantiate ourownpoints ofvicl. JLtsL p.oceeding with thc AQ as p€r nonnal
wonld havc alrcadt add.essed this sccond cornporeDt.
This is probably thc most stlaighLlbsva ofall thc AQ variarions we harc sccn so la..
tJsuallt ive $'ould snnfly ide.Lil.' the nost conifo\crsial olhis poirlts (casicst ro eraluate)
buL thjs tinie wc wcnt h'ilh theparag.aphs that lvere rnost alrplicibl.io Sing.pore. $hile
doins this $'c kcpt in nririd hoi{ our ctroscn points should trltimatctv have sorne ljtnt to
frciljtatc a nrore cohereDt responsc. This lvas dot necessarl bnt w. tlied lo do so anlvar.
W. c|ose parag.aplr 3,7 and 6 ior evaliktior as thcsc argxrn erLs ro us. provcd Drosr eas)
io natch agailsto rBlical Snrgaporea! paradigm.
4rdr6iri lltrk.t/.?IIOTOCRhrxr/rcxdnord,rh.bar ntCoftrnoos
l8 BR0ADtR PtRSPtOlVtS t/rrst'aoto,? iss!.
THF. NExl'? MINUTES: OURIiIRSI POINT OF EVAI-UAI lON

TIP 3/ We pnrnarily identified ihe

SUCGESTED PARAGR-A.PHI I oould rtnd it hard to totalL! ostee uith
cftan's ueus on rhe gender re:lolution. I do tlot <Ioubt that it L tdeed llapPening key arsument of paragraph 3 by
but the li|e alteing efects that le is suggesh_ng d?t n ot urll rcleuant ta the attempting SQ 6 md the summary.
econonic histatr of Sitlqaporc - In parug rcph 3, Chan outlites i/re lel/ reosons we started by directly addressing
the questipn with a dear stsnd tal€n
LNh! the sender rcnolution is lnppenins . He explait:s tlnt gendet
'.adinanal against the author as it did not apply
roles tlrdt fioue exisred shce "time innenorial' wete underntnteLl ba
tt'chnological and manogeme t chonges that altere.l orr uorfting enu;?nments to Sinsapore. We briefly summdised

in.lauour aJ Jenldles entei itlg the aorkJorce. Altl1o11s h I sy tt?atllise uitll llou his argument to establish a point of
this maA haue inlpacted otne nr.h older Ddrions, s'ingapore lrcweuer heson discussion (helped by sQ6) and tben
its in.lepen.lerrc. atld cotlsequent turrulluous clinb io econo,ni. succes.s rudy pronptly evaluated why his line of
arsument did not apply to Singapore.
d.jier the ht.lusttial ReuotunoL In fact, o r ecanotnic hnitoirons conr'€r.sely
We asreed that the gender revolution
lbrccd us to encolnalge uotnen to enter the uarl.farce, not because the! noo
c.'uld, but rathet becallse lhey had ta. The techtlologi.al dn.] lnalloseriaL was indeed real but it did not
changet ua duide in fact alLo1Lled botl1 otLr lnen en l aorrcn to nlore etrsilu disadvantase singapore in the way
entet the globol uorkforce, nanukctu itlo, R&D andrtrurte sec.or'.s, help;rg
us 6ron.1 ouiselres as peot,le ulb uerc ellectiue uorkers. The <Jetldet reuohtnon
ma]/ hdDe braug h1 blnnftuols change ta tlp uorld bri I feel tl&t the chanqes
otlined in par(rgraph 3 brcught instead great adrantages to SingaPorc .tnd
uds defnilel! noi as tot(lslroP/rtc"a.s /t suggerts.

'lHB NRXT ? MINUIDS: OUR SECOND POINI OF EVALUATION

TIP 4/ we worked from sQ 8 that
SUC,{}ESTED PAIL{GRAPH / Infact, Sing.iparc recasn6es tfidt it Is necessd|v iniroduced the idea that education
bolt genderc cotltinue Io u.lotk and connibute ta n r talent paol to keep s was a viial tool iD debating rvith ihe
etunonticall! @tnpetitire as a cauntrA. Chan stggesb itt paragrapll T that effects of the sender revolution.
"sendet educdtion tleetls to supplement tnete ser educdtio' 'ns neFeb tne Starting with a link from to ihe
uorld is nol doinq etlaugll to mot!rc av npidla clnngnu natians ol oetlder' previorls paragraph to impro1,e
Sinsapot! (laes not ueetfat ftan1 his conchlsion. InJdct, ue toke this dewlapment coherence, we then proceeded to
rcru seriauslu . We haoe itldeed prcgressiDellt us.d education to highLiqht the again sumrnarise Chan's key
Dercatilil]l aJ ouru1i(Ue gendets, plalins q the aduattq e that eoch ge der argument h pamgraph 7 and then
ndr in s,:rectf. indlsh ies and encauraged eacl1gel(Ler ta learn to "iaditional simitarly evaluated it in the lisht of
skills'o/ dle otn€r on { ttenpt lo brcak gender stereotvPes As sitgoPorel Singaporet prosressive tertiary as
econalnA .antinues to tn.ll.lte, )e harlefautld uonlell DitaL itt speattuaditls well as vocational education system.
olr seruice tldu.shies, rie craotire orrs se.tor dnd the groLoth af saciaL ]lis time e did not wholy disagree
enterprises, beilt',ftins Jrctn hou their cureers bfib the ecanolnu , and lindnn with what he said as we fornd some
uat/.s.o suppofi tftern in rheir roles ds uiues on.l notherc. ALsa to encoufage validity in his argumeni. we
out prc Janil! policies, ue buiLd up tlle male's role n1 co tt'ibunns tu hirfoniL!, therefore explored botl sides ofthe
belieuinq that the ftaditiotlal pah iarch..l rcle oJ nlen only seeks ro hrtr uoTnen argument in orr rcsponse.
of.fron u1ntins to stott olirTnily, ir/r shll prcserDins the lroditianal Dalue
t1€

ofplacnlg the nnlc ashead afthe hausehold. Chdn snssesis tfi.rt the nin.lset
of our srondp1rents' is pftninre and haftllt releNalt far our moder uo d
yet, ul1ile acknauLedg ing that an odrance h g.rlder ed!.d hon is necessd I r/,
&re olso /mfe io rndersi{,r d tidt betlg Asr'on, ue shll need to Jind cotnPranlise
iritir trdditiondl rdh€s rfi .rt ae ca not and sho1kl tror so easil! discdrd

l9 Ei0ADtR PtRlPt(TlVt5 i/t! ii,r!dpul.6src

 [5SAY MAl(I(]VER

THI] L\,ST 6 NIINUTES:

OUR FINAI, POI]fT OI' tr\,'AIUA I'ION ANI) CONCI,USIYE COM XII'NTS

SUGGES'IED PARAGRAPH/ 1he pont is thereforc not.for Ls to ttttica u shift doau

f,.am the
nles plaue.l fot oDer o tnillian aears",l)uL rether ta litlrt e hatan.a, behoecn benerttinq
lrom
the
adDontuse of lnritls lDotnen in the uo*li'.ce as L\
fan.tu .ncourcsnn men to haue sreater
as
intaluenlent in theirfanriliol drries, urtite sri not ercdn1q th.. essentiats af our cuttttat dnd
rrodiftbndl roois. Cfron d/ready adtnitt in parcGroph 6 th..t m(o1!t pa."idrchat std tes slil rc?noirr
so prtnd.rtu ,ecause t/res ttlsulate themsellles l;.tn the
fo\.e of L.lnnae,. Sinsaporc benllt rank..d
the nlnst globalise.l countru in the uarld fot ttk tt1i..l trcar nolning sitlplu ca nat dfJin.l ta
lnsulole " ous?lues i,? fi? s ane uelt. pr.)babtu to the rctief oJ Chan , u)e hdrc been tiuitlo th. rcQtit!
ol the gendet rcuatunon strce otr Dlcep|ion as a natian and lnL. [o1o1.t etfectiu. udls ro hdrness
t|1e stretlgths ol botl1 gen.].rs. It is iue, uie do
foce probten, uith o loa birth rate and isinu
dixorce rates, but these ptotleins cdnnoi 6e str?i r5hi r ty . 9 tn it1eL1 uuau I,u trtrrceiint t 1te tc Dc;t
ba|:k to, at obdu I onl 1r.e hr'nan histotu" uh.n lhijllts tt.tt .joins
lnrc. \{e can apprcd(te Ctn ,
goo.l ilt.ntions it exprers;rq irs uieus tut .9in9aporc though prooressi)e h its openness ro
underctanding culturuL chdrqc r.q also Dor caretess i n discet.tiw het identinJ.

In Sammary
RemeDrber that it is importaDt to 1i d logicat tinlts ber\€er the poinrs you choose you erahale.
Noticc how $'e oDce agaiD cxtended thc cohereDce of ou. own .vatuatioD br-' starting our final
pamgraph $'ith a link to thc frevjotrs ideas discusscd. Atrer exptaining the gisr ofhis aryunrerL
an.t
ourllnal evaluaiion \efound itjmpoftanr tos nnnariseo rcntire respons. ro rhe q cstioninoDc
iinalsentence at the end. You sholrld also noticc how ile kcpr tryjng to qDole trom the passageto
dlawetrcctileln*s in ou I respoDs€ to rvhat was discussed iI ttrepassagc. Up ro 6 of th ese .eferences
"ESSAY MAKI.',O\''ER"

Hopeful\'tliis brealdoro ofskills aDd cxplanarioD ofthe liev rationale beliinil theAe qucsiion wiu
shed iight oD t|e nhny qucstio s yon have been askilg us about rheAe. ID cssence,,€ tDt),believc

I that the AQ is a deepll meaningful skill ro mastcr as it \ilt bc of

yourlife. Till nexttimc, stayirthclighr and trappi. writins.
use to you probablyforthe rest of

20 SRoADtR PTRSPIOIVlS ti?str9./pore 6sre

,4 l,it.n:lLii ,r. ilill\iii,l['

-.\BOTII TIIIS
coLUltN/

CONTFIXT / F.ver since Silsapore made theiunrt) EXA]IIPI,ES / AILO\\-ED /

lio l.irst [Jorld lo lhi.d'. the island sLite hns
attracted both pr.rise as $.ell as de.ision fiorn the
regional as well rs irtenatioral comnuDitl.
Thoc is no doubt thai Singaforc has hcr supfor-icrs:
l|erc |as . st.adilr-growing nrflo$' of nrigrants.
been
iDvestrnenls, fbreigr tale t and capital oler the reaN
despite fierce conipetiiion fron neighbourhil
count es. But iDternally, sone locals have been
' r sdrnr\. t i' I ; 'lr .i'i I li.,'a'r ..r
with thcir orm hoNcland. Thongh SiDgaporc off.N
a relatilelygolden lirtxr. on a sihcr plattcr. somchow
th€yarc stillursureabort ivheLher lher can ever leel
trull rt liome nitheirowD mtiveland.
Some forcisD critjcs aDd acadenics hare their ox.n
thcorics aboutivlr!ihis is so. Th.y \ill bc quick to
bNsh aside an) talk ofsnrgaporc s cconomic rniraclc
r|l1oi1 oJ h44'Jl,p.a r\ 1",.\F*'r\
sinsapore's political xrd social fabric.
aJ lighl cr)nlrol ofsocial moresr'lhebid Lo.epeal
Sectjon 377A ofS!igapore law (that crnninalises
hoDiosexualitv by maltinij sodonr ar illegal actl
friie.l .tespjte a hish profile canpajgn by NNIP
sic\.Kum HoDg and local ccl.bitics.
b) National decisions made lbr utililarian or
ecoromic ends: ailo$,ing the lDteg.ated Resorts
to be built despite parlirneDtaN aDd grassroots
r debates over the social issues that ilill crop up
with th. cncoumgemcnt ofsanblins.
c) rhe decision to demolish key architectural
laDdmarks ljlte the NatioDal Lib.ary in lieu of
sca.city of land ard road space instead of
presenins theni for menoriei srke.
d) A local edrcation s)lstcm that is intcrnationalli
competitire, successlul and q!ick to adjusl to
'
economic clirnges. Bul c.itics teel 0rat the move
to p.omote crertivib and inroratioD is sorlless
aDd entirely ecoromicrlll ddleD.

tisDlono.ie: 7l,re Nera, sr,rrs PIIoro cRrrrIT/ strqdr.r'.3. /.li.tr (r'.dt!. rn,,n.,s

2T 8 R0,4DtR PtRSPtUlVt5 ll. sirrr!pore 6Ju.

A MATIIR OF OPINION
Is Singapore a Good Place to Call Home?
he Chinese have a saying,
"When planning for a
year, piant corn. When
planning for a decade, plant trees."
When planning for life, train and
educate people.
I accompanied mt-' child to Singapore wjth the sole
purpose of providing her with the educational
opportLrnities that the Motherland $'ould rever be
able to provide- It has been a coDstant aDd uphill
strrsgle in this forcisD land offasi cars and even faster
lifcstvlcs but I am deternined to see my daughter
throush school. My relatives hale spoken glowingly
about the rigoroosly conpetitive educatioD system
provided in Singap.rre that lias propelled to jt
developed xo.ld status in the short sfan of 43 )caN.
Moreove., mr sirl Nill be taught in Enslish the
busincss languase and transaction !ernncular ofthe
\orld. The proposal olSinBapore's loudh univeNilt'
22 BRO,{DtR PtRSPttllvtS rlte
also thrills me to no e.d Sinsapore\ achielenents
arc t.uly unsu{assed. Under the astute and intrepid
leadership oflhe PAP,I hale no doubt that thet, will
be able to sleer Singapore strccessfully throush tlis
technological an.l slobalised e.a.
$'liile manr uncnlightened Westerners mar.' scoll at
Sinsaporc's reputalion olbeing a "nne city", I see its
slri.l la\'\and melhods ofemploJ i"t pu iti\ c
beasures to controL its population reassuring.Itis
truly in lhe rvith ny belief that if $'e "sparc the rod,
you {itl spoil tlie child". Look at the dccadcnt West
and their hish school massaoes and wanton drug
raline\.rrarour. \ Bnl,orp'. slanr on drg lruhl.t.jr;
aDd elen gralTiti have proveD effectile. Movirs to
Singapore has beeD ideal tlie consenative vahes
aDd strict discipline enfo.ced here aE confortins.
Coming from tlie chaotic, pollutcd citl of Beijins,
rrhere srowth has bccn haphaza.d, this Carden Ciry
isave table Pandise.
.stnooror 5-5 uc
 RIL-AT[D 55Ut5

IDUTATIOII

Mr child is nor! happily scttled inio a secondary led to the stereotype ofthe pei du mama" as benrg tRtM[ & PUNTSH]t1fltT

school where Mathenatics and Phvsics arc abreeze
for her. Provisions havebeen nade forherto attcDd
EDslish reme.lial cLasses afler school right before
Clrnl,e or rl-L.b.d dlJ \^ L'hL to - rrric(.ldr acri{ir ie,
O,ly , i. ", lbtlil'SnJ.pur-$' rl')lh1Fmph i.F
lhF in'po.a'r." of.\\ .r. I i d rlFn Jl rJ,r".' iu1
Sone ol my lbreign conrpatliots adliscd me agaiDst
settlirg down in Singapore, sogBesting thai Aust alia
and Mrlarsia would be less stresslul than Singaporc.
TheI even ciain that Sirgapore: relentless pursuit
or t.
S.r"r .' \ "r,d v.'rr1' mi. s \. lF :nno\dr:on
llRBTN DIVIIOPMIIIT
synoDlnous with prostitution. I an conlinced ihat
the IRs will onlyherald good things fo. the nation.
I\Jalft xlS
bo
Whil€ rnan)' Wcstemers have citicised Singaporc for
b.'rsa u'l ld-dr ' nd . r.-ile..Jl,, I b s lu 'liff-r
Only with pragnatism and foresisht caD frosr€ss be
seen. Ior instanc€, they have draM parallels betNc.n
SiDsapore's decisioD to demolish key architectural
landnarks in lieu ofscarcjty of Land rrith Bei.jirgs
r, snn nd.n,nli{ th, lJl.rlu|r. ur lh"Ol)nrp: .
l, 'd.r. rl"y.onst.' tli llrd.ro ra-nl .is.l TAIi PIN P ['S TRIIOGY:

and creativity, and rcpress the opportrDities for Beijing oflhe halted demolitioD of Donsxi Batiao, an
erpression and independent thought. TheI are of the mcieDt alley ofshop houses tlatserebuilt 7oo yeaN
mindset that Singapore, a nation that resorts io frods Jgn dL r'J Lr l\lirr D) nJ r) lor 'ha rpcFnr O-r, lr.
and lunishnients, deveLops stronSly confomi.r Gamcs. But therc nust be ceftain sacrilices nade by inright inlo lhe Shgoporem
the peollc ifprogress is to occur. Despite the fact
that histo ans claim it impcratiye to presene x.hat
BLrtI am constantly rcassrred by tlie goveDimert s thet ass€rt lo be lhe soul of Bejjins", thcy do rot see
plforlr ro rF efaluiLp ,hpn c-\, .. Whl. p'pl .r1' ir that theie r.eies, Jerelicr houses ldcl evcn b.si.
SeDio. Minist€r Goh Chok Tong has acknol'ledsed ,J|r.irin| Jnd $Jr or rhe m sitp
' lU0Vl C H0LlSt ss Tont
thai "s.e (Sinsapore) must get away liom the idea nrfi astruchrc necessary to support fie Ol)'npic!. lb
rL. .nntl ppopt-.r tr t,pstr .troutd ,F.r'1l.in" cling tenaciouslyto quaiDtll obsolete notions ofthe
and thc job of e\eyone else is to do as they are told. ' past will only aci as a hiDdrance to Beijins s qroidlorher'5 grove io
a sign ofsclfirflcction and enlightennent?
ls this not mc,dernisation. The Birdi Nest StadiDm aDd the
r:nrdpora. p'IorL. lo ir rprrr.. h' rr.grc ir\- Water Cube aretestimonies ol China s might, ])o$o
Slnsoporehomes.
methodologies is evident in its nenest univercity and raw potential. Likewise, Singapore laced a similar
SiDgapore ManagemeDt Universitl where lectures criticisrn for tca ng dos n parts of Chin{towD
Sl GlPoRt CAGi.orddr
hale bccn dispensed with iD favour of facililated and ilsoriain.l N.lion l Lil,rrD. L ir.pld'- i,
o symphony olSinsopo'e
leanins, soft skills developneni and emotional agiganLjctunnel leadingto a Dc$' cxfrcssi{al'. While
Literaq,. Is this noi cnough proof that the hcal this has evoked the lancoul of architcciural histoiaN
education system is dynarnic and rcsponsiye? ald cultuml presenationisls, I see this tuDnel as an di5ploy5, RT ofd lill
apt metaphorfor Singapore s:rrival.ln 1act, a larger,
I halc also enrolled ni a croupier course in anticipation neweraDd ultra rnodeD librarv has been built inits burking rnd our o{ rne
ofthe opcning of the Integrated Reso.ts which place elserlhere and thc fcople have adapted to it
are slated to bc built in SeDtosa aDd MariDa Bay. 'tl\e happily. Clearly, se do not nccd to be sluckled by
government made ihc wisc dccisjon ofendoNirg a sentimental notions olthe past. l VlSlBLt CIY ooks or the

huge enterlainment district ihat will be built like a

Universal Studio Theme Parlil Tbis sill ilcludc a When I see my daushter happily wear her school h Sirooporc.

Dreanaorks Studio, areco breaking aquarium and shoes looknrg forwad to the day ahead, I know
a massive waicr thene park.I read that this lRwiLl ir) I r\F don.l ,, r I . ll,i ,gbr nJinr
','r',p-r'L\11
create 1o,.1oo jobs ald gcnemte as nrch as s3..1 her here. She is in r,ood, nururing, sirict hands that
bilLion a year in relenuc. This is such a land of willlead herwell into the future.
AS0UTTHtl/,lRlTtR
opportunity lbr meannrgful employnent. In the past,
we only had the limited oplions ofworking in foot This is a sood place to call hone il yoo disagree,
rcflexolosy atrd "tui-na shops, a d some of m!- please lcalc SiDsapore in the liands ofthose of us

^Tt,. rn . , \, n
-".na"d .u n.b.JEr p!rlo,.F :., irho trust in the Singapore Drcan and will do wliat
order to suppleme.t their mcagrc incomes. Tliis has it takes to help make it happen. (t

.ltolicr ! d ./rikl h Sldnt/'o i PIroTo cRrDIr/ P.agr., Flich cutivc comnons

23 ERoADtR PtRSPtOIV$ i/rr sir4apor€ iss,c

 A MATITR OF OPINION

AAOUT TIID T)UICI{

TTRBANIST/
we bascd our Dutch
Is Singapore a Good Place to Call Home?

sthe archetypal "city of ambition has propelled Snrgaporcans fomard. We've

heard the spiel aboutthe Sinsapore economic miracle
contrasts", Singapore beforc, and it c€rtainly is an achievement to be glateful
apparently embraces
modernity with comfortable poise,
A pity then that the same vibe hasn't t.anslated to the
paying due attention to both its ..r1turd l.ld..ir. Siig.|nr". t"l"rdJ lor ndnrnC
national heritage and its direction any disiinctive societal chamcter bas been ruthlessly
dilirted into the blithely generic. Mind you: the
for the future. Howeler, the breezy emblematic presence ol the hyaline Singaporean
jurtaposition ofthe msticall]' quaint and ihe slickly
skyline might be taken as a soaring representation of
rlodprn hel .s J irr mn-. d'.,1'lr\' sral, nlaffairs.
the country's reach, btrt it is also bland and stenle.
A.s Singaporc inchcs iowards the hau century mark,
SingapoE is a iobula rdsd - a blank slatc ' that thrcw
her transition to relative matunLv far from her modest
away iis hisiorl', memoies and soul forthe sake of
beginnings, s€ems curiously reniniscent ofthe sawlq'
pubescent belle: donning attractive timniDgs, but
ungaiDly as she grcws.
Singapore has attained and strstained an admirable
degree of acadenic dsour iD ihe fom of ar iDtensiv+
In a 2oo7 stud)'by B tish psychologist Professor
content-based education svstem. at thc
R .ha-d W .Fnar.5ir lnl of.iripi in
Bar,orF toppFd d foundatioDal trc icrtiary stages ai least. The
32 countries ranked according to thespeed at wlich unwave ns focus on examinations and the quick
thei pedestrians walked. Tlis might be taken as a acquisition of knowledge has been the hallnark ofa
reliable indicator of the pace of life in thc counhf, a
i8n nI hns ,Jlinr'"1 d.\.lntri, it .rd ,o . .
) nem lnoq tor ir' fle*ibilib ir' rdj,rsiinh .u 'l jsu"
'

".o

?4 ER0ADIR PTRSPIOIVIS tie s;r,roporc issre

 RftU[DtSSU$
IDUIATION
economic reeds. Butthe strdents arebli*e.ed by 't hat is not entirely surprising in light of the decision
(Rll\,lE & PUllISl]I\ttltT
larochial noLions of ach ie\€rnent and thc attendart to btrild two massive Intcgratcd Resorts $ith
URBAN OIVITOPMINT
rcliance onthe textbook as nn instruction manual to casinos, despite parliamentary and grassroorq
lif. Tnre somes.lh.dls hA€ es.hewed contenrbased coDcerns over the social issues that could crof up
WATTH THLS:
dsidiryfor a more intesrated, inte.disciplinary node wiih ihc encouragement ol gamblinil. ](ONIT SINGAPORIAN MOVITS
ofleaming but I am suspicious $'heneve. c.ealivitl Underctandably, rdrile the prcspective revenue and
is not being prornoied as a nean gful end iD itself job opportunities fron this ente.prjse are ha to
btrt for pragmatic rneans. Nolrhcrc is this more iJ,urc. n,Jn) h1r. co.. ln lhinl .r " n,"rli.
evident than h Project Work. Uhat misht ha\c bcen pragnatisn as tlie ciuse olSingapore's prccititous
aD orsaniclerrning process has been cripfled at dcgeneratioD irlto a spiritual wasleland. KATLANG R0,{R {2008J

cvcry stage $'itli aD inundation ol mandatory for d dke o{ hi5tory ond biel
papcNork r{hich tries to dictate an erperience The Univcrsity of \ rarsick chose not to set up mommt ol oto lootboll$ory.

nrtended to bc fruiifully chaotic- Wlile practicallt, an undersraduai. campus in singapore because of

preparatory. Silgatore's cducatjon system has not rFiFrIl:or\'LoIl fr"dnr ,'!?\':ur ir.
', "
been outstandirgly efective in nurturing thc dtative, academic circles in Singapore an undcNtandable
citical arct curious r nds the 21st century nccds. conceD of an instihLtion from lhe libe.al British
intcllcctual tradition of open enquiry. A prcgressive
PTRIH (?004)
Thc parched collective coDsciousness has fbund iic classroom or country is one wh€.e candid but
Ioriniiqhr inrorheseomierlde
rniserable rcflcction in the country\ physical rcsponsible debatc can take place. Let people be bold
of S nsopre ond lhe lf€ of
landscape, ravagcd as it by the onslaught of about Lheir rrejudiccs, resentneDts and one frunrored, lone y roxl
d€hurnanised arcnitecture. \{hat is an acceptable misconceptions. In a setting oftruc openness, any driver vio fonlosiss oboul
threshold of collateral sacritice on th. altar of misgrided notions can be confronted and concctcd Perth os hrs errope from
prosress? considerthe dccision ro demolish dre and jdeas appropriatelt, reilned. Singapore Decds a S rgopore's pr6 ru5. I
original National Library or thc touisty disciphled aDd mature sphere olpublic discussion- remrke of Ameril0n hlr
roamp of Chiratown instead o{preseningtbem A laguc aDd patrcnjsiDg "Ure are listerinit lron the 'h€

as remindcrs ofthc corntry's iistorical begjnnings.
nFra 5'i8ipor. '' d. a d'rh nJ. L-Jlrl uh L B-i,inu
$'ho razed jts old plraongs in prcparation for tlie
olynpics and frture noderDisation, and litcrally,
washed aside culturally distinctive lillages ro makc
way for the Tluee Gorges Dam. ln tlie
National Library, sinsapore's babt-boc,n1ers are lefl
rirh ILpr I I ^l' i .l ,Llr'p- ul,
ullF 1.re
d "
memory-'. Singapore is no longcr a developing nation
and has the econonic neans o{srdking a balance
between economic advancement and prctecting its
hcitage.
It ma,v not bc thc urbaD planneN alone who a.e to
be held accountablc, ho$'ever, fo. socially
acquiescent citizcns nray wcll havc bccn conplicit.
Paul Fitzpat ck recounls in ar article tbr thc Ccntrc
for IDtemational lligher x(lucation al Boston Collcgc,
a sociai crycnmert whereiD a bjllboard was displat€d
outside onc of SjDsapore's ancient buildings,
inlbrning peoplc that it was to be .eplaced wjth a
high rise glass and steel structnrc. onlyforr people
bothered to inquire why, dernonstrating that
srlgh!'or !rs s.rnplr 'lid ,oL 'Fe- r\. i \4. lr,' l
place to qtrestion th€ iudgement ol city planncrs.
slate will noi apfcase ihe evolving cultural
temperame.t ofdrc global village that SiDgapore
wants to be. Juilicious and braver harncssnrs ofa
rJ|Jr ul prrpr' . \F\ .o, lil l il, .li s nsrt.^r'
attainneDt ofthis elusive and delicate tbrmnla of
case oftbe idcas- It could stdt by easing its tight control orcr
||0rsr|lPrD (2004
social rnor€s like Sedion S7/A of the Singaporc
PcDal codc. Surcly nobody in this civilised day and Jo Neotpop!lorrdkeof rhe
frsrrorions ol lho Sinsoporc
age should have an issue with t$'o adnlt men lovins
edutotlon sysrern ond the dms
nrugg 6 b!l{mf thin6s
lpeokinq ond tfslish rpeoklnq
Shackled by aftifi cialib and pragmatism, Sinsapore
attcmpts to corstruct tenuors scallolds of
nationalistic rncaning while rrhittling away at her
bedrock of hedtase and frcedom. Horv can one
possibly contrive a national idcDtitywhich shorld
(aDd will, if thel let it) energe orsanically from thc
n d and mess? Singaporeans ooght to be gratctul
for thc sccrrjty of the lives they lead. Still it seerns
Singaporc is scton ost.acjsjng the aerv kind ofpeople
it professes to want to attract.
td0L]lllll r,lRtlllt
Horv caD anyone cultiva te any rrotundiB of Dational
weijiesouldlikea dinL
feeling - let rlone a honrel) allachmeni for such a
witl rh-" hliter henDds
cold rnothcrland? ( t his passionate inte$ir-''
remarl^blt.rri.nlrte.

25 BR0ADtR PtRSPtUIVIS iftesirqdpore riruil

i,llll ti lll 1

?6 ER0ADlRPtR5PttllvtS ii.-\nrt,4r)r. iss,r.


lfs a cruel truth thai leaves a bitter taste in
the mouths of Sinaaporcan crearive ralents:
why is approval or acclaim from rheir own
hometown so hard to find? Morc ofrcn than
nor. our best talents have had ro leave our
shores, find sreat success in a foreign land
beforc they {'ere welcomed back with fanfare
and beraldcd as national irons worthy of
Thetriedand tested route to successin Cbincsefof
]'ields an niteresting case study ofthis phenonenon:
Sl"-.n , Srr. JJ Lr. l .n) ' { \ r.. Kil Ch:n Xld'i.
Hee a.d A Do were local taleDts who based
themselves in Taiwan first, sained considerable
.,,c.a.. n/ .Frpra, or
',er. h.rnrn a, ., 18
tliemselaes in the Sjnilaporean markct. what is
disturbhg is nobody loows how the careers ofthese
creative Sinsaporeans wouLd have ivorl(ed our ifthey
based thcir careers oD siDgapore shores first-
stubbonly assumiDg thcir own cotrnht woukl see
thei. talent for what it was. Fa a t Ll ililv sl)e:lli ill!,,
\\'ouldn't it bc casicl to find lppro\,al
and adoraLion ilmolig ]oul o1\.D peoplc
of4 nillion first rathcr than irt a sea ol
a1mos1 2:l million sLrangers? Apparently
not, for in.::oo5, Tanya Chua gtpcd fublicly about
horv the Taiwanese press regarded her as a clcar
$'inner fo. the Best l.emale Vocalisl arlard at the
2oo5 Taiwan Golden Nlelody Awnrds while
Singaporcans and the local press were far less
confident h their asscssment ofhe. chances-
Of course, you can araue that there is the
harsh reality that local crearive work may
pedorm poorly in Singapore's hishly open
and slobaliscd markel because they pale in
quality nert to internationd works. And t.ult,
thanks to a snral and rclativcl,v uncompetitive nu.ket,
manl local oeatives seem hustratingly cortent to
be average, satisfied with not rccking thc boat and
rchashins clichad thenes or copi ng trends instead.
Tal{e the local tlieatre scene 1br one where all itrakes
to bc labelled "daring" and "cutting-edge" is to throw
in a bit of sex. a honosexual theme and some
ubiquitous nudse wink" jabs at drc PAP sovenment.
2/ ER0ADtR
KIiOl/J TflIS:
MI1T TO BI SIIIGIPORfS
Ntxl l0P r\10Dtt?
The local fine art, fihn and litcrar]'sccne is alsostill
finding its way. Many works still lack matuilv and
fiDesse in execution especiallr when compared $'ith
similar works on the iDternational scene.
But this is made worse by the tenuous
relationship manymainstrcam Sinsapbrems
already have witn creativity. Ct catjve \rork md Sonjo Rykie.
is not as highlr respected as othcr \r,hitc
collilr \roali in Silgapor'e ancl
conseLlLlenth', Singaporr:ans assign a
lorver clollitr \'alrre tr) creaLire proaLucts.
Locally, the creative lields are itenelallystill \ic$rd
,viLn.u.p ' iu I b)
"un'-rdl:rF
plrpnl' . i trrn'l r " I. NORIAR$Nl|
srourd for academic neve.-do-wells. While lhe state
iNcstcd rnillions into brdldiDg nNsern1s and concert
halls, itwasless convinccd about the need to iDvest
in arts education or arts apprcciation. O y rcceDttl
Lr. Lr rlare dnd rhF etu.a('or .l r",1,,'nhaqr.8
the baDner of creativjtt e,ith enLhusiasm aDd elen
then, jt
rvas mostly in terms ol oblious noney
.l
spinniDs artistic ventures lilte conpute. gmphics or \
adlcrtising rather thaD the fine arts or the literary 2. Tl]ARMAII{I HARll
alls. Only iD 2oo8 will we fhally see our fi.st
independenl pre tertiary arts school for youtlis - 1996 rord Supermode ol
Scliool of the Arts open.
This plolongecL nonchalancc to\\,alds
thcrllhrc irnd cost olcreali\it\ rtirLLLlall_\:
leacLs to :r deuuth olgcnlriDr ilppl cciation
for- imagirrllire al]d aesLheLicalll 3.}1ANtSl.lUSS[Y
t'le, 'i rtl',,:r s',rl',. tti i .le"rl .Fe1 'l
thc case of otrr iocal culinary talents. Few
Silgaforcans appreciate the fact that many of our
local chefs harc bccD takiDg top nedals at prestigious
international compeiiiions. \Mren chef Berton Toh
represented Singapore in the Bocuse d'Or culinary oTl]tR tAMoU5t100tts:
conpetitioD in L)on and when ChefE cTeoledthe trhel fons, Pot ftool
SirgaporeaD team iD the Int€rnationnl Culirary
O1]mpi6 to take the position oftop Asian country
o!€rall sith drcir two solds, one snver aDd one b.onze,
ll ") lad ', . r^ nn
-^.Jl .uuro b' \un'l ll. ir
innediate local comnrunity. Compare that to the
rul.un.'l lFnoursrrrc,ndingl\"o"e il\prO-\nfl
med,l rson hr'.nrtrble tennis leam.
PtRSPtml/tS r/ie stngapore Lssre
 l-0tAL vs. GL0BAL

tlsTtNl0llllSl
SIIIGAPORIIDOLS

ll bio ooiomly

5TtPl]AllII5UN
' KTr-

TANYATl]UI

A]UPH 8 AN

lm
Y'tu l(IT(HAN
TIlAT DAYTl]AT NIGl]T

IORRIIINIMAY
SAfI IIIA (RAZY WORTD

A.DO

IILGHIIAII

28 BR0ADIR PtRSPtUlVts ile-+rsaporr drne

 KN0W UtS:
llvlIO WON THI PR[SIDtIIT'S
In a 2005 Blsitess Ti?nes article, Andre$'Tjioe of xouklMtherspe tlieirha -eameddollarsont.ied 0tstG al^,aRD 200/?
ihe Tung Lok group opined that whilc Singaforchad aDd tested formulas. Pahiotisn liolds little s$.ry o1€r
I tind.\ ral"r I (\, qLra-ir\ of t\F l^.rl .iip d r''rt the well heeled Silgaporean consumcr. Thoughhcr Preridenr 5. R. No'ho n

scene lras beirg undermined by Singaporeans sinsing talent was always DrcseDt, local songstrcss
"discount meDtaljty'-. we are a cauriously corrinne May sold more albuns when she was
consurnerist nation with a penchant for lLbli,; FL r' lh- si|SdporF n Nho n Cp r bio i. wmk in Sinsopore ln 2005.

freebies ard "cheap-and-sood" deals that Anerica as opposed to Corrinne xtay, ordinary
betray orr t<ian sial' (penny-pinchins) siDsaporeaD sinser. The same case happ;ned for AR{llllt(IUfi t & L]tgAll 0ttN
mindser. It \ras this kiarn stdp culturct|at causcd alant gardc SiDgaporcan pianist Margaret Leng Tan
us tr,lose a honeitrcrln culina.r_superstarlike Chef only after ra\€ revie$'in ?he Neu i/o*
a did
Justjn Quek lo lajrlan. ln lhe sa e article. Quek "tnes
timc she pcffomrcd
she 6nd loc,al acceptance. The first
revealed candidll "In Singapore, reslau.ants trt to Philip Glass s infamous piece 433" in Sinsapore, Bishon Communily tibrory
Look Edoi ceo {ond hom)
..rl'url /,'l ll,-ip-rptu'lJ r' ir urJ-r lu fillup audieDc€ menbers walked ouL of her concert,
thc place. I an differeDt because I respect ny .lirnrn n; r\- ,.. ,1""r l" r.l\ 'o -\prF. rl,Fir
^nll r\.
'nsr4dr.nrq. Il.ul nt,, \^ r..r'.rd .ns rT\,
Ri!hord tlossel (ond ieom)
ir Singapore. In Taipei, I invest sl and I cam $.+.In
Singapore I invesl $3 and I earn {ir. So ofcourse I The.e is much Singapore can do ro clcl-atc
choose Taiwan.' Shgaporeans want to pay lbr the pride for and alleviaring the prejudice local ltTtRt0[ & u[05tift D6 Gll

best deal whereas TaiNanese. French and ltalians a'rd global audiences hate for -\'lade in toJey Gon & tinr Swo Ting
would mther p.iy for the best meal. Sinsapore" crertive aoods md seFics. [lan] ti(odo

'l he article quotes Tjioe as

factors work a!!ainst Lhe !,ro1\:iDg
sayins, SingaDoreans
0501 ol V llorlo fhmlre
should learn to appreciate creatiliit becaLNeyou can
Singaporc crcativc sccner A safe ard
tim Wei Ufs (ord hom)
n€ver put a prjce on it" lo him, grumbLings from comlortable socio political enrilonrncnt
Philipr leorning Conlre
locJls over horv exhorbitant the 2oo5 WorldGou.met that does not provide ready fodcler'lbr
ir sinsapore rras sened as evidence of
Srmmit heid
iDspiration; a small rati\'c rnarlict that
a markct rhat was still immature in its
does not pror,ide nrucb reirl conlpeLiLionr
understanding ofthe nccd to pay for qcativity, Toi l(oy llqee Arrhiiedr
a.tistry and originatiry. As loDg as Sirgaporeans a local audicncc that is mostll' still
cannot even see why lhey should pay $588 a head tur conLenL \\:iLl] pedesLrian. rnass lnalket PROOUOE DU5TR,1tD6IGN

a dinner by tluee Michelin-star cliefAlain Passa.d,
then local restrumntetr$ wili always be hnited ni
tcmN of ho$' nuch iDterDational excelence they caD
establish. It will iake a whilc bcfore wc can achirve
acsthctics; thc tbsencre ofa local orlture 8on Yinh lheow, SI KflS
ol cleative fire and constlucti!e
criticism; and tle preser)ce of lrlisLes Pediquord,

the equivalenL ofNe$'York's culinary scene where lr'ho do little to inspile any dificrcnt. Ulrith Srhruudolph,
PSBTedroloqie5
New Yorkers areiust as avid about supporting USD
$2 Nathan s liot dogs as niuch as a daring, a.tistic But luckily for us, true creativity and Del 966 o lin one

USD $3oo molecular gastronornic meal at Wylie imagtuation has arways found a way to endule
ili(hoe tlLhSmilh
and flouish even when pressured by rhe worst
constraints and boundaries. clir Han pror€d
v 5!at t0t1 uN (ai 0lt!
Even among the Singaporeans who claim to ji, as did all our local Chinese fop staN, Marsaret
&tasul0[Dt5tcll
pay for and appreciate the good things in life I€ng Tan and countless otheroeaiives (that wc fay
like fine dining, good music and beautiful homage to elsewhere in dris issue). The nen fewyeaN tim 5ou Hoons,

(lo$es. ultimdleh thq lale mbrage al being wilL onb .e\€al more seeds of local lalent bloom where
charsed'international prices' for locnl-based we least expect.1Ve can nait with baled breath and lo(kson Ion, Ahin Ion,
crcarive work which Singaporeans srill make surc {e are there to give them their due .eilard eivir (hss, llvili{]n Clmr,
:phunkn!dio
perceive as beins of comparativety lower class.
Consistently, rhen gilen achoicebel\€en aD artiste Eng Siok toy, mtisl
that is locaLl) successful versus an artiste who has The besl ofSingapore s creative class is yet io be.It
fouDd inteDational or r€gional success, Singaporcans
Andre,,\, Cn 0origns, Po r

29 8R0ID[R PIRSPIOIVIS i/r?si,rgdro?€ 6sue

)
 CUTTUREWATTH

Primp My Pride
The Singapore brand is becoming more fabulous, thanks to the growing intemational
repute of local creative gurrrs, fashion hounds and hot designers. Who says creativity
oesn't pay in Singapore? ByNadja Mah

H IGH FASH l0N rD 1ee6, M.raysimboy Jiru,y

Choo set up $'hat would becorne ihe rnost coveied shoe
brand in the rrorld ner1 to Manolo Blahnik. The v€ry

q
fact that high heels made by a Malaysian could be
deemed just as desimble as those nade by the hottest
EuropeaD designeN have doDe much to pave the way
-or-i.r
,8 Sri8"I'.r..i dpsrgn.^ Bu,liigl Ls\rnl \
a terribly imase conscious thins and whilc our local
desjgners are not ashanred ofthejr heritage, nost of
them only fbund breakthrough success when they
showed and met approval in the fashion capital cities
of the world - Ashley Isham is based in Bitani,
Andrew cn is based in Pais. Jonarhon seow's
wooils & woods soi noticcd whcn hc won awads
in Iialy and even Jo Soh ofHansel is contemplaiing
noving to Melbourne. In the rarefied world of
fashionistas, the Singapore nane by itsel{still does
not have eno shje ne sa6 quoi to fight llilan or New
York just yei. MeaDwhile, if youns British rcy.lv like
Zara Phillips thtuk that -dshlcy Isham is good cnough

@ to wearto ihe Royal Ascoi, then Singaporeans !on'i

have to wait long for our o$'n Jimnry Choo to come
iDto flower.It

GRAPHI( DESIGN abotrt how mtrch rhe sinsapore

""""",,alk
"""
graphic design scene has gained iDternational renown without bringing up the
name:phunk studio lvhom UK design magazire o?ai?ueReupu caled "Tlie
Chanpjon of Singaporc's craphic Scerc" and Icon magzine naned "singapore's
nost important design collective". Conpurer Arts Mdgdzine went as far as to
declare that The rise of :phunk has been so meteoric that the entire singaporean
design scene has grown exponentially with it.' By daring to publish their own
work outside ofcoryomte projects aDd directly, they revolutionised Singapore's
apprcach to gmphic design. Indeed, their sense of aesthetics that ineverendy drew
AB(]UTTl]IWR]TIR
fron aDd rcmixed high and "low" culturc ftom thc East and West was quintessentially Singaporeatr and rjght
on the money of what ihe tines were looknrs for. Since then, morc local sraphic desisn hoNes have beeD
emerging with a boldness that has been recognised either through viciorjes ai iniernational oeative award
shoss, invitations to inte.nationai d€sign shorvs, rave reviews in famous design magazines or big proiects
rewarded by blue-chip clietrts. With leadins firms like H5s, kinetic, Kwodrent, Sumajin and
epiglam, Sinsaporean sraphic desisn has come into a desimue and profitablc sllte of its oer. It

30 B[0AD[R Pt[SPtOlVtS thertrgupore rirre

 HAIRDRESSING
& MAKEUP*"n-u--*u
ru or-shar"
business acurncn aDd
schmoozins skills of top hair-
strlists like Passion Salon
owner David Gan
Monsoon Haircroup oMer Addy Lee and lc,cal
tnke up atists like Andy Lee, Yun Sng, Clarence
Lee and Gan have elevat.d thc SiDgaporc brand in
.ni,lF locdllr .
d
"" li. rFs or r-lt. c rnaT B r. r'...
Tines article "P np and Prosper" rcvcalcd ihat
SiDsapore's make-up andhairpeople are known to bc
the most fashion-foMard h Asja Leading many
internaiional AsiaD siars like ZhaDg Zi Yi and ileLl
heeied socialiie wives ofrcsional milliouires to pick
themtoe,orkwith.Withtheirbladcsandbrushes,this
Diche smrp ofSingaporean creatives havc found a way
to make up to four figure suns a day. getbnndedsifts
fiom srateftl celeb.ities and still have days left over to
party.lt
PHOTOGRAPHY
In 2oo8, when Ame can
pop star Janel Jaclson
handpicked two local
fashion photog.aphers,
Chuando and Frey ow
!o shoot the cover ofher
Latest albunr, Dtsctttte,
Singaporeans sat up and
t.n)k nori.e of how lrr
Local phoLographers have comc in the interDational
scene.Aheady other lamous SingaprcaD phoioguphe.s
like Leslie Kee, JohD Clans and Kirby Koh have
beeD nal{iDs a splash among irlernalional fashioD and
cclcbLit{ nagaznies as rvell as corporate clients frorn
L'Oreal to Nokia. FronceoffAngs edgyand arlistic
ere to Wee Khim's Dcrsonabte ard beautiful shots,
,lF.r,) .hp ri nJ ,d of'ri ,srn^n r', t\n nsr. p\\ Lur
par with the best in lhe global scene. On thc grouDd,
manyu! d1d coming nodels from Easiern Eurofc and
Bnzil also cone specifically to Singapore to beefup
their portfolios because ofSingapore's reputation tbr
strong quality photogEphic shois, the f$hion for$'ard
1uf.\1,,-.,rdlaird-..,-.h'". rd. r ' ur.\ ,i-n,F
of an Enslish speaking environment. at
3] BROADIRPIRSPII]IVIs
Heroes&Villains
Docnmrnrinsotrr firl.lt $orkl e!.r.h:Dsnrg Dcr.cDtions
s
and
Chiam See Tong
IUjRO / lhough cheeky Hokkicn speakeN wotrld
pruruln - ni . njrm" o o rnJ lil" T"mFo-.nl' Hir g:r I
OD", yet 16 yeaN later, Chian See Tong remains the
island's mostadmired aDd successful opposjtion partf
rFnl,pr. H . r.. I.
,c' J ,.1BFr.l-Trr'll ,l-mFdnoLr n
the tace of setbacks cspccially the unsmcious ousting
from his original politicnl party SDP for trying to censure
Dr. Chee Soon Joan bas been recosniscd by both
opposition padysupporters and rilal poliiicians ftom
PAP. ID the 2(l.J6 election, though PAP won 82 out of
8:lseatsin parliamcnt, Cliian hekl otr to the same seat
he held through 4 elcctioDs, based on his mtrnicipal
n1anagenent skills. frank sfccch in Parliament, his
unp.etentioLrs airs on t|e g.ound aDd the stalwart
support ofhis beLoved Potorit Pasil consiitueDcy- But
as Chiam is now 6o-plusJears old, the main worry for
political obseNcrs is whetlier sonieoDe else as
charjsmatic can stcl) into Clian's enduing shoes. It
Chee
Soon Juan
\.ILLqIN / Chee i{as Dot
alsays so rcvilcd. In his
1992 political debut, Chee was young and passionaic,
crosned by chiam See Tong himself as the nrost
courascous peNon ir
singapore today'. But since his
oustnrg ofChiam, Chee and the sDP under him have
lost much of its public supfort nritial apped ed political
c.{tibilitv partb because ofthe no holds bancd strates/
ofthe PA" nl pinning down the SDP ai evcry shoa of
lreakness - btrt nostiy because many Singaporeans feel
alicnaicd by Chee s seenhgly self aggrandjsing tactics.
Comparcd to chee's school-boy heclding ol then PNI
Goh Chock Tong, canvassins for foreisn support and
hunger strikes, opposition politiciaDs Sylvia Lim, Low
Thia Kians, J.B. Jetaretnam or Chiarn just look far more
cilil - thus. rnore effective in lhen disobediencc". rt
I
tie silgdpore 6sui:
IiEljfiilTY(]UR ffiIl.lN

Flpng Saucers! Durians! Oh My!

(and other local architectural controversies)
Singapore's urb;urscape may look serele ald cool on thc outside but some key architcctural
icons hare made local architects :tnd urbanisls hot uDder the collar. By Nadia Matr

hiI{Tf;OItlAL I-I$RARY & IHINATOWN

SHOUI,I) WI.] AI\'I/AYS SACRIFICE MEMORY
FOR I HII SAI{]I OF PROGRESS/ Sonrewhere,
sornetjne in Singafore, 365 days a rveek, you can
bet a road is beins dug, a parement is bcins
snoothcncd and a building is beins denolishcd ail
iD thc nanre ofecoloDlic progress. hiding tbe wear
and tcar ol lhe past and keepjrg up $ith the Li res.

Urhat js heart-breaking to sone architects rDd

coDserlatioDists is thaL r)ranl places vestcd with
conmlual memories are behs bllldozcd and Tav (heng Soon, argumcnts aboui the eed to
varnishcd jlto a hornogereons laDdscapc ofslass. prioritise ecoDomic !rogress o!er cultural
and stcel airconditioned boxes. Tho gh thc Sirgapore
!resenrtion rvon oui h the end.
Hc tage Boa.d has preseNed kcv clcrnenis of our
arcb itectual heitase likc th. Uac]< and white colorid
bungalows ald Pc.cnakarr shophouses, it is settiDg
Simila t thc ronei{al ol C}ir to$n was contrcvcrsial
bccause conseNatjonists felt it had bccD Disnq ned
nio.e difficDlt to find ),our okl prinury school, the
andthal it had becone a cxicaturc of its lb.mersell
old markctvou used Lo eat jn or tlie Dcishbouhood
By cleaning up all thc old and dilI! parts of
)ou grcwup in as it ilas before. .h:ndlos,..1- i ',.all\l^.. ,r.l.orhFr r,.1. t.
charm. Common conrplaints cjted are: kcy
Nowhere u'as tliis nmre conholersial than the
rrcliitectural clements had been exaggeratcd,
denolitioD of th. old lnick Natio al Librart, on historical aut}erticitr" had bc'eD isnored and
Anne an Strcct to nrake $nt lbr a new exprcss$'ay
Drisnranagem€nt of sliop tenaDts had turned a c,nce
tuDDcl. Though the dernolition aas met nith
colourful and appealing district into an u autlieDtic
rD ouifouring ol public dismav lcd by archiLecL
lourist t.ap ofchcaD bric a brac. at
t_

32 BR0ADIR PtRSPiOlVts tle $r./dpore issl,l

 4 IOTAI ARTI]IITOURAT fIRMS

TOM]TH OIJTfOR
inte ational arc|itect tike Kenzo Tange,s UOB
Plaza aDd Sjnsapore tn(loor Sradium. LDr. pei.s
Gatelvn] 'lbwcrs and phitip .Iohfton,s Nr illeDj. Watk
has not been coDsidcrcd aoirical success.

Of course, iocit arc|itects are jnsr as capabtc ol

nrediocreno.i( as a ti,reigr archirect. Bnr rliebetief
is ihat a local arc}irectnoutd atleist atlenpr ro be
mo.e conlextual ir GEi-rEi
his desisn ar.t work nr more
clerneDts ofSingaporc's pecutia.iti.s into the Urat @i:1iE
lEryl-'l*'
\ or\. l\lJ.r. ni Lr,. I u lu rt, .l^n. or "o , i; r
THE ESPLANADE architects in parLicutar Richard X,1eier,s w0HAli/0t{G UN 5UMil

I{'HY FAVOUR lloRI]IGN 'I'ALFJNT OV]JR honoseneous wliit. clad buil.tiDss se.Dr cut and & RIIHARD HA55[tI

I-OCAL ONES?/ \\,hcn tti. F.srtaDade m.de its prsted tunn Weston laDds or arc so modeoist.nd
MOUIMIIN R 5I

debut. it lvrs the lrutt ol Dany untiD{t oamcs ,. r. ncDl.al in its rcsrhetics drat ttrc buitdi.f could be
STiDIU]l,1 MRT

duri{n and bl8 elcs bc,jDg rhc nrost topular. A flanted a.ywircre iD tire wortd. r\,ithour refoeure
orrid buij-bcrr oflocal rrctrilects is ttie fropensiry to local coutext, our Drost imfo l1anr bn il.tiDgs trta}
to ri{. impo.tant local.rchitcch,ral projects ro cnd nf as ncre cai.aru.es rithcr lhrD vibraDt
forcig,r archiLects r.lher than locat ones..Just as the nati(rr.l slmbols. In local architc.lual techucr
lstlanadc wrs gjler ro B.itistr archir.cr Michaei Robcf Powclls words, we cnd up\iLh.,good rathcr
l{illb to design, tu i{rs ttrc ne!, Srp.enc Cour than il.eat buildi.g{ .
hau.led o\er to his co!DtrvnraD. rIe esreemcd
NoDna. l.ostcr. fhc u.official obscNatidr is that SiDce thcD, the UltA has nrore ofao effo to
'.r.,r.. r-. t. t
"r. . t,- r, \- t'..,t ^.rt..ir,r-8r 'nadc
encourag. lhe iocal archjlectural scen.. lt hctd a!
arclritcct crn producc work ot intoDatnD.l crtii,re iDienatiolt.rl coDrpetition to h.ndte a public hoosn,B
r ric$, thrt a ward i! iuniDg locrt arctiitect t.aD Hoclr
f roiect nr Sjngapore. ft ougliitartracrcd aniritectLuzl
Bc.g Lakcs L,Dirr.ge with. Not ontv does he superstaN like t ansc and Zrh:r H.did. tirciudsn,s
foirit
iorvards the Esplnnadc s acsrhetica|). coDfused'. prn.l ofrcno$ned a.chitccts finall] rea..ded rtre stDA/soo K. tl]tN
molrsc\idencc,healsocirestiredistn.biDgfacl rhat proj€ct to local arclitcclLrre firm ]\RC Studio. It UNiOIN MODIR!I

c\erySi.gapoFr,r bnildirgd.signedb) abig anc Z4RA ORIl]IRD RITROT]N]NG

|ow thc couftwas such aD iDportdt civic bniklirg,

I he public orghr
ha!€ beeD alloncd to silc fee.lback
ro
.tt thc onset ol th. desigD as opposed t{r ont! afrer
theso ahead had bcen giv.n ltrconsrrtrction. W]rjte t00(rKlltTtos/t00l( B00N
thcpr esi.lcnl ofthc Singatorc INtil ute of A.chit.cls GII& NC IOR HIANG
(SI-{) coDceded that even if rhere was r muLe BI5HAll I ERARY

conprehensivc cons liatioD trocess berwecD rhe

SIA aDd the public, thc iDat desigD rniglit not have
beeD so diffcrcn I fioDr the trcseDt fl]i og saucer, but
the facl thrt t| eir otin ions rere songht $,outd hav.
IHE NEW SUPREME COURI
HOIV ]IIUCH SAY CAN ]'IIE PT]BLIC IL{VU
OVER PUBI.lC BUTLDINGS?/ t.a1.Ktreng Soor Pe raps onc quesdor tliat rh€ prbtic $,iU.erertrrve
iDadc rhe aD ansr.r to is rv L.osto saddtcd Singapo.e with not
fafers asriri stre,r co,riptailed pubticb.
he
just oDc lyhs saucer blr t$,o lhe other bcnrg
aboul horr.tlrlling thc desigD olrh. De$,Sutreme vet
Conrt lras. ilis m.i,r SriA.anc. s,as ttrat coDside.ilr Jnu'l 'o.. ,lp.ir,.rrLrt ,.pn\lFf .taiur I

ChrDgi. a,
waRaHtlt0s/M0K l,1rEll^ifl

t_ NIl,1r NATIONII MU5IUil

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