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| At Siloso Beach, Sentosa |
I have encountered Chinese-Singaporeans who don't even know a word of Malay or Tamil and are completely ignorant about the culture of the Malays and Indians. I'm also equally appalled by an Indian-Singaporean who referred to LKY as Mr Kuan Yew - he had no idea that Lee was the surname and that Kuan Yew was the given name. I could hardly believe my ears - that was just so unbelievably ignorant. I've also met Christian-Singaporeans who have said some appallingly ignorant things about Islam and Muslim-Singaporeans who are equally ignorant about Christianity. The overall impression I walked away with is that Singaporeans today still tend to stick within their own (rather narrowly) defined social groups and have little inclination to mingle with those outside those circles. Like I said, this disappoints me as I am not like that at all - despite having been away from Singapore for nearly 20 years, I still have a decent grasp of Malay and remember a bit of Tamil and I take great interest in regional Asian cultures.
Now I have had this conversation with a Malay-Singaporean friend who has refused to speak even a word of Mandarin on the matter of principle (I think he knows a little) - he said that the PRCs in Singapore refuse to even try to learn a word of English despite having been here for years and he resents that. This is not 'Chinapore' - non-Chinese Singaporeans should not be expected to learn Mandarin to cater for the PRCs who refuse to speak any English, hence his act of refusing to speak any Mandarin (even when he can) is an act of protest. This kind of tit-for-tat response is simply making everyone default to speaking English (well, with the exception of the PRCs) and refusing to make any effort to learn about each other's cultures and languages. This sorry state of affairs in 2015 makes me sad, as I thought that Singaporeans now have a common language (English) to communicate with each other and can make more friends regardless of skin colour, unlike a generation or two ago, when English wasn't as widely spoken.
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| In hazy Singapore... |
So that's my question for you please. Why have we arrived at this sorry state in Singapore? Is this a blind spot that the education system has missed out on altogether? What can be done to improve community cohesion? Do you empathize with my Malay friend's predicament when it comes to dealing with PRCs who don't speak English and his reaction? What has led us to this current state of affairs in Singapore? Can anything be done or is this simply the way things are in Singapore now? Do leave me a comment below and let's start a discussion. Many thanks for reading.
We are a sorry state since 9th August 1965. Perhaps it's due to the demanding livelihood here in Singapore, everyone is slogging their ass off to earn a living, forgetting how to live a life? I was talking to a 19 year old boy recently and he knows near to nothing about Singapore politics. He didn't even bother to read up, keep himself updated on current affairs or even try to find out what's really happening to Singapore. He doesn't even know who is HHH and Roy Ngerng. All he knows is that there was a GE happening and since he's not qualified to vote for this GE, he don't see a need to understand the situation. All I know is he feels life's suck and almost everyday he's lamenting about it (because he's going to be enlisted). I'm equally appalled. Can't say one has to know everything under the sun, I think it's more towards whether the person is willing to make a conscious effort to learn, acquire new set of knowledge or even keep abreast of what's going on. As far as I do know, Singaporeans in generally are quite ignorant. They blindly take antibiotics as a wonder drug and believe they can boost their immune system and able to eradicate all sort of viruses. Doctors also can get to a point believing that vitamin C can prevent a flu/cold and start advising patients to take more vitamin C. Another topic I can go on and on.
ReplyDeleteHi Katie, I think it's question of priority - it's like the way I see my nephew is bludgeoned through the PSLE syllabus, but his parents and grandparents barely spend a moment thinking about his social skills which IMHO are more important for him in the long run.
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ReplyDeleteWhy have we arrived at this sorry state in Singapore?
We spent most of our waking hours doing what we don't like the most. At a job to earn in the name of 'survival', not in pursuit of a Career that could contribute back.
Is this a blind spot that the education system has missed out on altogether?
Yes. The focus on achieving grades, not of character. Since the time of old, a student having a bad report card would mean a reprimand by the teachers and unsurprisingly (to me) even by their own parents.
What can be done to improve community cohesion?
Only think of the good in another. Start with your siblings. Don't be too in the rush to change the world. By my own brother's witty quip "Everyone is changing the world what, breathe in oxygen breathe out carbon dioxide."
Do you empathize with my Malay friend's predicament when it comes to dealing with PRCs who don't speak English and his reaction?
I do not empathize with his predicament and I'm malay too. Learn to accept new knowledge if you don't like, "buat bodoh sahaja la NGOK" 😂
What has led us to this current state of affairs in Singapore?
The chase to be num - ber 1 ! Num - ber ONE arh!
Can anything be done or is this simply the way things are in Singapore now?
Change begins in you and could spread like wildfire - SooLeeHin
Sent from my Samsung device
Hello kawan.
DeleteThanks for your insight. I do remember back in the day, I had social studies lessons in primary school which focused on things like the various cultures and religions of Singapore, but more to the point I just mingled with Malay and Indian kids in the playground and got to know each other's cultures well that way. We celebrated Chinese New Year, Deepavali and Hari Raya etc together. What has happened in a generation - with the younger generation becoming sooooo ignorant?
The Singaporean-Indian guy who said Mr Kuan Yew just made my jaw hit the ground in disbelief - no, he wasn't India-Indian, he was SINGAPOREAN.
Good grief.
I think the rot started with the "Speak Mandarin" campaign really. According to folks in my dad's generation (baby boomers et al) - people were were much more cohesive before they brought in the campaign and introduced the 2nd language (I hate to use the term mother tongue) policy in schools - during the colonial period spanning the 1950s and 1960s people spoke the lingua franca of the day - "pasar malay" as well as a mix of Chinese dialects and English in the streets - this is how Singlish developed obviously. But with each passing generation, with kids in schools separated by language, streaming etc - for example notice how the SAP schools only offer Chinese as a 2nd language and hence only primarily Chinese kids can go to these schools (there are exceptions of course) and the rise of popularity of Mandarin versus Malay and the govt's incessant policies along racial lines - obviously more barriers have been put in place between the peoples. The de-emphasis on learning Malay in schools for non-Malays- although it is still ironically our official language - has also decimated the interaction especially between Malay and Chinese individuals. I am Eurasian - so I used to mix with everyone - though I found more camaraderie with other minorities, as my lack of Mandarin (I took Malay) meant I could not fit in wholly/comfortably into Chinese speaking groups as they used to also question my identity constantly and I did not gel with their study-study at all costs mentality.
ReplyDeleteLimpeh also speak pasar Malay! http://limpehft.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/bribery-corruption-and-limpehs-epic.html
DeleteBut yes, I can fully empathize how it must feel as someone who didn't speak Mandarin - you have explained it very well, thank you.
One, some cultures appeal more or offers more interesting content, eg. consumption of US, Korean culture vs Malay culture. If we have Indian-pop girl groups singing in tiny shorts and tops, more Singaporean guys will learn Indian languages. So, for many Chinese Singaporeans, there is not much interest to learn the other official languages and cultures.
ReplyDeleteTwo, Chinese culture is rich and strong, such that there is no reason for PRC FTs to learn Malay or Indian either.
Three, because racial equality is important, the Malays and Indians reciprocate by rejecting the soft power of Chinese. Otherwise, it will be surprising that Malays and Indians don't know some Chinese, given the number of Chinese (Singaporeans and FTs) here.
Four, Singaporeans hardly mix with their neighbours or colleagues.
Kyet, I don't think your interest in Malay or Indian culture should depend on there being cute K-pop style bands seducing you - the fact that you have Malay and Indian classmates, neighbours, friends and colleagues should be enough reason for you to make the effort.
DeleteFurthermore, I totally disagre that Chinese culture is rich and strong - that's bullshit. I live in the UK where most white people are totally ignorant about Chinese culture - why? Because it is not rich and strong, most people don't have a reason to give a shit about Chinese culture because it simply doesn't hold any interest to anyone who isn't already Chinese. China may be a strong economic force in the world, but in terms of Chinese culture reaching beyond the Chinese community, Chinese culture is totally feeble and has little influence internationally. Tough shit if you don't like the truth.
I think it's sad that Singaporeans hardly mix with neighbours or colleagues - I just see all these people staring down on their smart phones instead of talking with human beings around them.
Actually, if the whites in UK don't bother about the Chinese culture, it doesn't mean the culture isn't strong and rich.It could also mean they think too highly of their own culture not to be bothered. Chinese culture has 5000 years of history. The expats in China will tell you a different story. Different Chinese cities have different cultures. To simply sweep Chinese culture aside as not strong and rich just because a proud race in Europe refuse to learn about it is simply too sweeping.
DeleteThe proof is in the pudding - if Chinese culture is relevant and important then white people will make an effort to know about it, all you're doing is beating your chest and claiming how great Chinese culture is blah blah blah. I agree that white people in Europe should make an effort to get to know about other cultures from other parts of the world simply because it is good to take a healthy interest in other cultures from other countries - but for you to claim that they should do so because Chinese culture is so bloody great, like who gives? It is bullshit. All this Chinese chauvinism is just bullshit. Do you ever wonder why people in China are desperate to learn English as a second/foreign language whilst hardly anyone in Europe bothers even trying to learn Mandarin? Duh. Go ahead and beat your chest all you want about Chinese culture blah blah blah - you're ignoring the evidence before you that white people just don't give a shit about Chinese culture. Now you can pass whatever judgement you want on the situation, but the fact is, the evidence speaks for itself.
DeleteTo be honest, I don't see why that's a problem.
ReplyDeleteDo the British learn French, Spanish, Italian, etc.? Of course some do, but I doubt most learn the languages of their neighbouring countries. Moreover, while there are certainly, for example, French people living in Britain, they are in the minority and so there is little need for the British to learn French.
The same logic applies to Singapore too.
And why do you say "this disappoints me as I am not like that at all... I still have a decent grasp of Malay and remember a bit of Tamil and I take great interest in regional Asian cultures"?
Just because you love languages and Asian cultures doesn't mean that most Singaporeans must share your hobbies / interests.
I'm not saying it's a massive problem, but it is not good for social cohesion in a multi-ethnic society if people do not make the effort to get to know the language or culture of their fellow citizens.
DeleteDo the Brits learn other European languages? Well, you have to realize that a) these languages have no official status in the UK and b) the number of such European minorities is tiny. Take for example the Polish minority, the biggest European minority in the UK - there are about 690,000 people of Polish descent in the UK, that's just about 1.1% of the population of the UK. Compare that to the Malay community in Singapore who number 13.4% - they are a far bigger, far more significant minority in Singapore and Singapore is in fact surrounded by two neighbours who speak Malay/Bahasa Indonesia ; so that is hardly a fair comparison to claim "oh the Brits don't bother learning Polish". Well, in an ideal world, I think us Brits should learn some Polish - two wrongs don't make a right. Social cohesion is an ideal I aspire to.
As for your average Singaporeans (your last statement), I know I will always be disappointed when I use myself as a benchmark. Such is life. It's hard being so perfect compared to mere mortals. Sigh. The curse of being me.
"It's hard being so perfect compared to mere mortals."
DeleteThat statement reminds me of Donald Trump, especially in a recent comedy: www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2DgwPG7mAA
Well this is interesting. Would anyone of you care about learning more when you are so worried about making the next buck? If you have a car, you want a bigger car. If you have a hdb, you want a condo. If you have a condo, you want a condo on Orchard Road. I dont see time for other pursuits. So in the US, there is a p/f grade you can take on a class. This is to encourage one to pursue their interest without the repurcussion of a letter grade. Maybe Singapore should think about using the NS years as that. Instead of forcing a common interest (army) give everyone two years to pursue whatever they want and are qualified for with the stipend they pay the army boys. I believe 1) productivity will sky rocket in singapore 2) rat race will slow 3) living expenses will come down 4) people will be happier. Win win IMO.
ReplyDeleteIronically for such a nation that claimed it is multicultural and multiracial, the concept of race vs ethnicity is totally not part of the social ethos. There still is the archaic requirement for declaring yourself as Chinese, Malay, Indian and Others and that will determine what "mother tongue" you are made to study in state schools - I mean for what? By being so obsessed with pigeonholing everyone into this CMIO construct, it only results in people becoming more monocultural and race centric instead of embracing the concept of social integration as Singaporeans.
ReplyDeleteGood analysis Shane. The term 'divide & conquer' comes to mind.
DeleteErr, to be fair, I don't think I am that great at such analysis. Simply put, as a kid, I knew how it felt to be "forced" into one of these pigeon holes but others disagreed. My mum is half Thai, half bibik, father is 100% Teochew. My birth registry had to be declared as Chinese. Unfortunately, I still ended up looking more like mum and as a kid, look more melayu than Chinese. Cousins and Chinese kindergarten kids labelled me as "huang nang" (番人, foreign), the Malay boys considered me cina babi, so I was always excluded from various play groups despite the fact that ethnically, I felt perfectly Teochew - my Teochew and Mandarin is still way better than my baba melayu. My only kid friends then were either Indians or the other Eurasian kids. So, I could feel the effects of such divide and conquer very acutely. That was in the early 80s but the CMIO model has persisted until even today. Until now, I still dislike it intensely this labelling where one is pigeonholed into some obscure and outmoded concept of race.
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