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Donaldson Tan
While the public debate on “highfalutin ideas” of democracy, justice and equality rages on, there are other noteworthy aspects of the National Pledge that deserve to be on the pedestal. Nominated MP and sociologist Associate Professor Paulin Tay Straughan stressed the aspect of “One United People” during the Parliamentary Debate on Nation-Building Tenets.
“I think to advise that we must think of this special diversity we enjoy in Singapore as an awesome strength. It is with the collective contribution of such diverse groups that makes Singapore unique, strong and stable, so the challenge ahead is on engaging these diverse groups, to showcase their unique contribution to nation-building and yet at the same time, focus their heart on one nation,” reminded Associate Professor Tay.
Overtly emphasising “regardless of race, language or religion” leads to the misconception that no race, language or religion should be promoted. This is erroneous as it would suggest that the National Pledge encourages Singaporeans to completely stay away from propagating cultural practises and values entrenched in their individual identity. What this tenet actually calls for is Singaporeans to stop discriminating against each other so as to achieve national unity.
“One United People” encompasses the sense of rootedness and commitment to the nation. The challenge Singapore faces in promoting “One United People” is two-fold:
- How to encourage diversity as Singapore strives forward as one nation?
- How to grow active stakeholders among all groups?
By setting goals achievable only by a few, masses will be inevitably marginalised and alienated. The criterias of achievement thus have to be broadened. On this, Professor Tay shared her observation as a mother. Her son attends Fairfield Methodist School.
“Fairfield has a traditional prize-giving ceremony which honours top students who achieve academically, but one year, when Elaine Lim was principal, we were invited to a second awards ceremony, one that recognises CCA achievements. At that ceremony, students who excelled in their CCAs were given awards, and Elaine had broadened the definition of excellence to include achievements at various levels. Each time she named a group, she invited the students involved to stand. By the time she was done, almost the entire study body was on their feet. The applause was thunderous. I recall her telling her students that they must be so proud of themselves because each of those standing had contributed significantly to Fairfield’s achievements.”
It is hard to expect anyone would be able to identify strongly with an entity if they perceive themselves to be on the fringe. In particular, the community should play an active role in engaging and nurturing youths to be active citizens, so that they can be depended on to lead Singapore one day. This also applies at the level of the Nation where the Government has to play an active role in assisting and engaging underprivileged groups so that these groups do not perceive themselves to be on the fringe.
A key facilitator in such engagement lies in the social ties between a person and his family, friends and community. “I feel a strong attachment to my school community. I was not the top student, but at that time, we were not so fixated on grades,” said Associate Professor Tay. “Instead, I found a niche for myself in Sports and enjoyed the limelight there. I was not too good in Sports but back then, it was not too difficult to get into a school team. CCA was great fun and you didn’t have to be good to get into the CCA. You just have to like it.”
This corresponds to the second highest level of need in the Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs known as esteem. All humans have a need to be respected, to have self-esteem, self-respect. Esteem presents the normal human desire to be accepted and valued by others. People need to engage themselves to gain recognition and have an activity or activities that give the person a sense of contribution, to feel accepted and self-valued. Deprivation of these needs can lead to an inferiority complex, weakness and helplessness.
The family unit also plays a role in promoting a sense of belonging. Parents have long term goals because they try to pro-actively prepare the way for their children. As such, they value stability and tend to be geographically less mobile, thus they grow roots to where they are situated. Much work is needed to facilitate family formation and raise the status of marriage in the face of contesting demands on Singaporeans. As more women enter the labour force and dual-income families dominate household structures, work-life balance becomes a critical concern.
The aim of promoting work-life balance at the workplace is to allow a person to engage his family adequately. Family can be a source of motivation for individuals whether one takes up the role of the child or the parent. If work-life balance is not properly managed, it leads to a dysfunctional family. Children of dysfunctional families have difficulty forming healthy relationship with others. This not only propagates the disconnect between the child and the parent, but also the disconnect between the child and his environment.
Employers and managers should adopt a long-term perspective on human resource investment. In particular, working mothers who have arrived at a status of influence in the workplace have an important role in shifting the norms at the workplace. Associate Professor Tay urged working mothers to promote flexibility and trust at the workplace. “We must give this flexibility and trust to our employees and supervisors,” she said, “Help them raise their children well, and when their children become independent, mothers will be free to primarily focus on work demands. We will be loyal and more reliable employees.”
Confucius once said, “When knowledge was complete, their [the illustrious ancients'] thoughts became sincere. When their thoughts were sincere, their souls became perfect. When their souls were perfect, their own selves became cultivated. When their selves were cultivated, their families became regulated. When their families were regulated, their states came to be put into proper order. When their states were in proper order, then the whole world became peaceful and happy.” It is not hard to see where Associate Professor Tay’s wisdom comes from.
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In Paulin Tay Straughan’s speech, she praised the PAP for developing Singapore from a ‘sleepy fishing village’ to the city that it is today.
Her statement is false on two counts. 1) PAP did not achieve this alone. Our success is due to all Singaporeans, *especially* the older generation citizens. 2) Singapore was hardly a fishing village in 1965, let alone a ‘sleepy’ one. As a colony we were rather modern prosperous.
By making that inaccurate statement whether deliberately or not, Paulin Tay Straughan has lost credibility in my eyes.
to set the record straight in 1959 Singapore was known as the New York of South East Asia. it was ahead of its time then already even before PAP came. what changed was the industrialization program accelerated transforming Singapore from a developing country to an industrialized country. PAP played half the role and the people played half that role. but we are still not yet a developed country that i wonder why everyone in Singapore imagines so. its another myth Singaporeans have been brainwashed to believe in. what we need is capable leaders to transform Singapore economy from an industrialized economy to a developed economy.
oh for all the skeptics who still imagine singapore is a developed economy, please go to OECD countries which represents developed economies and kindly search for Singapore. take your time in your search.
Good points raised in the comments – while the government has made great progress in improving life in Singapore, there is a long history of Singapore being a regional centre for trade and colonial governance. Let’s not pretend that there was nothing advanced or special about Singapore before the current government started making changes.
abdulgafoor, perhaps you are thinking of the OECD ‘member’ countries? While there’s no set criteria on exactly what makes a country qualify as developed or not, it’s not quite the same thing as the OECD members – there are plenty of countries not on their member list. Check wikipedia for a more balanced view – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Developed_country.
By most assessments, Singapore well and truly qualifies as a developed country. Of course, just because it’s a developed country doesn’t mean that there isn’t more that can be done to improve quality of life for people here.
Hi Abdulgafoor #3,
But the World Bank classifies Singapore as an advanced economy, along with other OECD member states. I guess it boils down to which economist you are talking to when it comes to describing Singapore as a first-world country.
Hi Not Credible #2,
Associate Professor Tay said: “It has taken us 50 short years to transform a sleepy fishing village to a first world cosmopolitan city state. But it was 50 short years and a lot of sacrifice by many people who put love for country above all. For this strong foundation, we must thank the pioneer leaders of Singapore.”
Does pioneer leaders refer to the PAP Government exclusively? But we has to acknowledge the PAP Government did have a role. The question is how big this role really is.
She also said: “The everyday life in contemporary Singapore runs so smoothly must surely be credited to the hard work of this government and the solid foundation set by its predecessors. “
Predecessors.also include the British. Singapore was indeed the New York of Southeast Asia in 1959. Singapore was one of the richest colonies under British rule. Both Nominated and Opposition MPs have to butter their words when handling the PAP in Parliament. The bottom-line is PAP is still the government.
Donaldson:
W.r.t.. who ‘pioneer leaders’ refer to: — The hegemonic opinion propagated by the state is that modern Singapore is the sole work of the PAP-government. Therefore anyone who deigns to give credit to ordinary pioneers has to take on the burden of explicitly saying it. This is the price we pay for allowing government lexical monopoly.
Given how the PAP-government has systematically emaciated other leaders and leading institutions of Singapore, like mass media and private sector business leaders, trade unions, schools started by the community, and civil society at large, they were all very active as ‘pioneering leaders’ of Singapore until the PAP-government removed and replaced them with their own men, my stand remains: — Paulin’s speech can inadvertently give the government undue credit.
As I am not a parliamentarian, I have no need to butter my words. But I do feel a need to voice my displeasure at parliamentarians who do. We speak our own truths to power from our individual positions.
The term “sleepy fishing village” is just a cliche and it should rightly refer to Singapore in or before 1819, not in 1959. It is disappointing that the professor uses this term without much thought.
Sad that an academic believes the “sleepy fishing village” falsehood still being propagated to glorify one man.
Hi #6, #7 and #8,
Sleepy fishing village is just a figure of speech. You guys are thinking too much and it is clouding your thoughts. Focus on her most important message – “We are one united Singaporeans.”
Associate Professor Tay deserves credit due for her intellectual independence, instead of joining the PAP MPs in repeating claims of anarchy due to racial and religious disharmony.
Forget the race card. Forget the fishing village. We are all Singaporeans sharing one little island at the tip of Penisula Malaysia. This is the perspective I believe the author is trying to bring across and I agree with him.
#Not credible – everything that singapore has successed does come from everbody and not PAP alone, but everything that people are not happy at, PAP is at fault. ha ha
I disagree it’s a figure of speech. If it is, is a misleading one.
Pointing this out doesn’t make me at odds with Donaldson’s overall article. Similarly, what I have said does not mean I disagree with Paulin Straughan’s appeal to Singaporean unity.
To stay united, the government should be open to criticisms, regardless of ego boosting, highfalutin or from humble quarters. At the same time, some wreckers have capitalised on every opportunity to underrate the government’s achievements. It’s therefore strange that these same people voted for PAP and not the opposition because they want better facilities and town council. Diversity can withstand trials if there is mutual trust and respect.
how to be 1 united people?
when 66% still believed in laulee and his familLEE
still awaitn for their cpf withdrawals age to goes back to 55………….
I, for one, find Nominated MP and sociologist Associate Professor Paulin Tay Straughan’s speech on “One United People” during the Parliamentary Debate on Nation-Building Tenets rather trite and non-insightful.
I take issue with the following points:
1. “How to encourage diversity as Singapore strives forward as one nation?”, she asked. Diversity is a natural human state. There is no need to encourage or increase it. On the other hand, diversity is not valued for its own sake; it is a source of intellectual and social capital with which society can find its best solutions for the problems it faces.
2. She seems to encourage the propagation of cultural practices and values entrenched in the individual identities of various groups. I believe the duty of a government is rather the opposite – to cultivate a transcendent national identity that subsumes the individual cultural identities.
3. Apparently, she found consolation in Fairfield Methodist School’s practice of conducting a second awards ceremony celebrating CCA achievements counter-balancing the narrow criteria of success as reflected by the first ceremony based on academic achievements. I find no difference in both ceremonies as the students find esteem only through external approval and the winning of awards.
In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, there are 2 levels of the need for esteem – the lower one is the need for respect from others, but the higher one is the need for self-respect. The need for self-respect cannot be achieved by the winning of awards, but only by inner competence through experience.
14) smallvoice585 on August 24th, 2009 5.40 pm
In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, there are 2 levels of the need for esteem – the lower one is the need for respect from others, but the higher one is the need for self-respect. The need for self-respect cannot be achieved by the winning of awards, but only by inner competence through experience.
I think your point is moot. The state, the community, family and friends can only support the individual up to the lower level of the Esteem Need. He has to make the final leap to the higher level of need himself.
“How to encourage diversity as Singapore strives forward as one nation?”, she asked. Diversity is a natural human state. There is no need to encourage or increase it. On the other hand, diversity is not valued for its own sake; it is a source of intellectual and social capital with which society can find its best solutions for the problems it faces.
The word “encourage” implies there is rejection. What is rejected? How is it rejected? Should I say more?
2 questions:
1. Past success is no guarantee of future. Yes, we can remember and be grateful to certain people, but SO WHAT??? What will this gratitude and praises bring?
2. With all the glory given, in the end, it is still the people she is addressing to move Spore forward, so why can’t the pioneers to do like before if they were so good?
economists around the world use OECD as a benchmark not World Bank or IMF classifications
An idea does not a man make. Even Einstein was proven wrong when he claimed that the universe was in a steady state. Can we prove that LKY is the sole reason for our progress? Can we prove that LKY was a vital factor in our success? I believe it could be examined although I’m pretty much apathetic to do so. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Idolatry is not conducive for a civil society.
12) Yuchengko on August 24th, 2009 3.57 pm
To stay united, the government should be open to criticisms, regardless of ego boosting, highfalutin or from humble quarters.
I believe that would be the implied expectation of a Government that engages and promotes diversity, ie. leave no group on the fringe.
Hi Smallvoice585 #14,
In addition to what Oxford Dude had said, I think it is silly to restrict the scope of acknowledgement to simply “winning of awards“. Don’t forget things like unofficial appraisals and approvals that take place in the context of friends, family and the community. For example, do not condemn people who take their own initiative. In Singapore, we often diss such people for being smart alecs.
I took a module under her in NUS.. I remember her reprimanding me for saying that the marriage restrictive policy of foriegn workers is proof enough that the government encourages marriages only among a certain class of people…
It is no wonder why the “talent-hungry” Singapore is filled with opportunistic citizens who hardly feel for this country…
In her modules talking against the government is acrime….