| GEOGRAPHY |
The shining star of
South East Asia, Singapore has proved uniquely
resistant to the crisis that has dogged
its neighbouring tiger economies and is
held as a paragon of economic rejuvenation.
With its high living standards and orderly
society, clean, green and gleaming Singapore
has been dubbed the Switzerland of Asia
and with no natural resources to speak of,
the 34-year-old republic has used a vigorous
free trade policy to achieve rapid and sustained
development. However, this hi-tech city
of skyscrapers, futuristic shopping malls
and designer lifestyles still presents a
very Asian face to the visitor. The most
avant-garde interior architecture can come
packaged within the traditional painted
walls of a Chinese or Peranakan shophouse.
The low roofs of Chinese and Hindu temples
squat in and among corporate towers and
mass housing blocks. And Singaporeans still
rely on feng shui consultants, astrologers
and fortune-tellers for advice when moving
home, getting married or planning children.
Singapore as a nation has acquiesced to
a paternalistic government that has brought
affluence and prosperity at the cost of
personal freedom. In 1999, 75-year-old SR
Nathan became the city state’s new
president – without election and with
the powerful backing of Senior Minister
Lee Kuan Yew. On a day-to-day level, the
threat of harsh financial penalties, caning
or corrective work orders ensure streets
are litter-free, restaurants are smoke-free,
citizens cross at pedestrian crossings,
and public toilets are always immaculate.
Homosexuality is against the law, possession
of drugs carries the death penalty and newspapers
are staunchly pro-government. Singapore’s
tightly controlled society can make it appear
sterile and soulless. But this perception
ignores the sheer diversity that is inherent
in a nation made up of four distinct ethnic
groups, augmented by a sizeable expatriate
community. An idiosyncratic consequence
of this mix is demonstrated by the peculiar
brand of English spoken by all generations.
‘Singlish’ is probably best
recommended for its cryptic economy, and
is heavily embellished with interjections
most commonly from the Hokkien dialect.
And if there is one passion that unites
Singaporeans, it is their love of food.
Singaporeans can eat at any time, day or
night, and are well served by the hundreds
of hawker stalls selling a quick chicken
rice or roti prata, or indulging more acquired
tastes with fish head curry, bird’s
nest soup or fried chicken’s feet.
Singapore is said to serve the world’s
best Indian food, and other tastes –
whether Chinese, Thai, Indonesian, Malay,
Japanese or the local Nonya and Peranakan
– are catered for to the highest standard.
There are things, however, that the government
cannot control. Air conditioning may alleviate
the sticky climate of an island only eight
degrees north of the equator, but Singapore’s
statesmen have no power to curb the small
farmers and plantation owners in Indonesia
and Malaysia who regularly clear land by
starting forest fires across Sumatra and
Kalimantan. The fallout in Singapore comes
in the form of a ‘haze’ which
can bring health and breathing problems,
and casts a lingering white pall over the
tropical sky. |
