Best of Singapore Article

S I n g a p o r e’ s B e s t
What most people know about is that Singapore, being a small sovereign island city-
state is popularly known for its destinations, food, environmental cleanliness and
Singaporean discipline. Moreover, there’s so much more to that— a whole lot more of some
of Singapore’s bests that the people and tourists may not be familiar with — history,
literature and economy.
1) History
Back in the ages, a Chinese account describes Singapore as "Pu-luo-chung", referring
to "Pulau Ujong" which means the "island at the end of a peninsula" in the Malay
language. Later, the city was known as Temasek ("Sea Town"), when the first settlements
were established from AD 1298-1299. This tiny but strategically-located island received a
new name during the 14th century. The town flourished as a trading post for vessels such
as Chinese junks, Arab dhows, Portuguese battleships, and Buginese schooners, situated at
the tip of the Malay Peninsula, the natural meeting point of sea routes. Years passed by and
it was on the 19th century when Modern Singapore was founded.
The Raffles Town Plan, also known as the Jackson Plan, was introduced by Raffles in 1822
to resolve the problem of increasing disorderliness in the colony. In four areas, ethnic
residential areas were segregated. The inhabitants of the European Town were made up of
European traders, Eurasians and wealthy Asians, while the ethnic Chinese were
concentrated in present-day Chinatown and the Singapore River south-east.
The growth of nationalism led to self-government in 1959 and the first general election in
the world. The People's Action Party (PAP) secured a 43-seat majority and Lee Kuan Yew
became Singapore's first prime minister. After 1842, Singapore's trade suffered from the
British construction of a rival port, Hong Kong, as it later suffered from the French
occupation of mainland Southeast Asia and the growth of Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City)
and Haiphong in Vietnam, and the establishment of Dutch ports and shipping lines in the
Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia).
An age of development began with the completion of the Suez Canal in 1869 and the arrival
of steamships, leading eventually to the building of 3 miles (5 km) of wharves at Tanjong
Pagar and finally, a naval base in 1921. After they became British protectorates, the
economic development of the Malay states widened the transit trade.
2) Singaporean Literature
Singaporean English literature began in the colonial period with the Straits-born
Chinese community; it is unknown this was the first English literary work published in
Singapore, but there is evidence of literature published in Singapore as early as the 1830s.
F.M.S.R., a pastiche of T., is probably the first significant Singaporean poetry work in
English. Francis P. Ng's S. Eliot, published in 1935 in London. Wang Gungwu's Pulse in
1950 followed this.
In successive decades, there were varying levels of activity, with poets like Simon Tay,
Leong Liew Geok, Koh Buck Song, Heng Siok Tian and Ho Poh Fun in the late 1980s and
early 1990s.
This younger generation's poetry is often politically conscious, transnational and
cosmopolitan, but their deeply focused, self-questioning and highly individualized
perceptions of Singaporean life, society and culture are often portrayed. For their
personalized poetry, some poets have been called confessional, sometimes dealing with
private issues such as sexuality.
Singaporean Literature also includes: (1) Singaporean Drama and (2) Singaporean
Fiction where short stories first flourished and so came the novels. Children Singaporean
Literature also came into the picture back when there was an increased interest in the
genre created by the First Time Writers and Illustrators Initiative that discovered
acclaimed writers such as Adeline Foo The Diary of Amos Lee, Jin Pyn The Elephant and
the Tree, and Emily Lim Prince Bear and Pauper Bear. Such genre of literature was
pioneered by Jessie Wee and some other popular Children Literature writers include
Patricia Maria Tan, Chia Hearn Chek, Ho MinFong and Bessie Chua.
3) Economy
Singapore adopted an ambitious economic growth strategy, focused primarily on export
production and trade, starting in the 1970s. It also took a more involved part, steadily, in
regional diplomacy. In 1967, Singapore was a founding member of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and had emerged as one of the founders of ASEAN by
1980. The economy continued to do well, although the country was severely affected by the
late 1990's Asian financial crisis. In the early 2000s, however, growth resumed, buoyed by a
solid manufacturing sector.
However, two years later, Singapore was trapped in the 2008-09 global recession, from
which it started to recover only in 2010. The growth of the service sector, especially
tourism, was important to this recovery, which benefited greatly after two large resort
complexes opened in 2010 that included newly legalized gambling casinos.
Singapore thus illustrates how it is possible to create a prosperous society for all citizens
but only at a price. There has been little room for political dissent and the power and role
of civil society has been much reduced. This trade off of democratic rights for economic
riches has led to the creation of a model of development that weds dictatorship with a
market economy. It has provided a blueprint that is now being followed by countries such
as Rwanda and Tanzania and perhaps even China.
Singapore has developed from a "third world" city to one of the most competitive
economies in the world today because of its strategic investment policies and awareness of
the city’s environmental impacts. It managed to survive three crises and in recent years has
seen its grown accelerate. The Singapore Sustainable Blueprint, launched in 2009, strives to
achieve the twin goals of economic growth and a good living environment. It is aware of its
shortcomings, which include water scarcity, air pollution, island restriction and strives to
cover most aspects of sustainability – air quality, transport, climate change, energy
efficiency, water, waste, nature conservation, provision of green and blue (water) spaces
and public health.
Hence, there was really so much more about a country. And in this case, there was so
much more about Singapore. It is not only about your experience in Singapore but
sometimes, it is way better to be informed about it. And it is not only always about how
modern and advanced a country is, it is not always about the food and the travel
destinations. It is indeed much more amazing to know some other aspects of it, some
aspects that most of tourists are knowledgeable about— its literature, writers and artists,
and the history of how Singapore became as modern and as progressive as it is today.

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S I n g a p o r e’ s B e s t

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