Name:
Republic of Singapore; Area: 646 square kms; Population:
3.1 million; People: 78% Chinese, 14% Malay, 7% Indian;
Language: Mandarin Chinese, English, Malay, Tamil; World
GDP rank: 4th; Industries: Shipping, Banking, Electronics,
Oil Refining, IT too is coming up fast.
A
small island off the end of Malaysia, set in languorous tropical
surroundings.... is a dynamic powerhouse called Singapore. Its
GDP rivals that of developed countries.
The Srivijaya empire based in Sumatra (Indonesia) had a trading
outpost, which was enlarged by the Majapahit kings of Java. Later
in their quarrels with the Dutch for trading posts, the Englishman
Stamford Raffles set up a an English colonial outpost here. This
was the beginning of the saga of modern Singapore. Immigrants
poured in and Singapore prospered. It was the "unsinkable aircraft
carrier" of the British until the Japanese corrected this impression
in WWII. Independence saw Lee Kuan Yew steering its fortunes with
an iron hand ("confucian values" as he is fond of stating) and
materially at least Singapore prospered. By concentration on economic
development Singapore has emerged as a showpiece. In 1990 Yew
retired and made way for a more moderate Goh Chok Tong, the present
Prime Minister.
A
point to note about Singapore is that it bears the stamp of Lee
Kuan Yew's views on what is good for society, stressing "asian
cultural values". These are different from western perceptions
and are often called "paternalistic". But the government is efficiently
run and Singapore Inc is a commercial success. Some laws are strict,
for instance drug traffickers are likely to face the death penalty
without much ado, and what would be considered youthful high spirits
in the UK are likely to get a caning. At one time long hair was
forbidden. Chewing gum is still verboten - the sticky mess used
to interfere with the doors of trains - but so long as people
were contented, there did not seem to be much overt dissent. Smoking
is not only discouraged : smokers caught in public places (including
restaurants) are fined heavily. Littering and jaywalking is fined.
Tipping is apparently not encouraged.
So
overall it is a tightly regulated society -- 'confucian values',
which makes for trains running on time, factories buzzing smoothly
and cash registers clicking merrily. The citizens get heavily
subsidized housing and other benefits, but the population growth
rate is falling and Singapore needs thousands of skilled professionals
every year. It is a nice place to work, especially if one is used
to the tropical environment.
Environment
Singapore is an island at the extreme end of the Malayan peninsula.
Across the Johore Straits (Johore Bahru) is Malaysia. It is made
up of the main island and 58 small ones. Almost half the area
is urbanized. The Central Business district is to the south, on
the small Singapore river. Other notable areas are Chinatown,
Little India, Arab Street and Jurong. Large modern housing colonies
have sprung up on the north east. Each regional group has added
its own culture, cuisine, language and festivals to Singapore
society. The Chinese are mainly Taoists and Buddhists, Malays
Muslim, Indian Hindus. There are several Sikhs also.
Languages
While
English is the Lingua Franca, older people may not be fluent in
it. There are several dialects of Chinese spoken in Singapore,
several mutually not intelligible. Mandarin was the officially
sponsored dialect. Most of the Singaporean Indians speak Tamil,
while there are some Malayalis, Hindi and Sindhi speakers also.
