A Reflection On The Singapore Spirit

It has almost been 50 years since we became the only country in the world to achieve unwanted sovereignty. We are the child which Malaysia left to die.

But we done pretty well for ourselves. An oasis in a region in the world condemned with poverty, imperialism and political instability, we have come so far. However, the successes of this city state should be common sense to most of us now, so I'll skip this part.

This year's NDP theme is "Majulah! The Singapore Sprit", talking about resilience and determination and all that great political jizz. But is the "Singapore Sprit" definable? Can a single entity, be it government or anyone else really summarise Singapore in a  single buzzword clogged definition? I don't think so.

Behind the smog of propaganda and "National Education", I do believe there is a "Singapore Sprit". But it is not definable. It is made up of millions of people's collective morals and ethos, each different from the other.

Nationalism has came a long way in Singapore. A immigrant nation with mainly 1st or 2nd generation descendants, we are ripe for conflict. Even the Malays are not native- Singapore was practically empty until the British set up a port, and only then did people come down from places like Penang or Malacca.

Nationalism was non-exsistant in the '60s- China is gripping the chinese with cold war politics while Malaysia toyed with the Malay's minds. Our flag reflects this- the five stars are not for the values; they represent the 5 stars of Communist China's flag. The crescent? New nation my ass. It is the Islamic crescent. Even LKY has admitted to this. Our national anthem was Malay for the pure and simple reason of making them feel this Island is still their native land.

Its brutal. We thought merging with Malaysia will allow us to develop a more unified national spirit, but all that did was unleash the UMMO political hounds, inciting violence.

No one believed in this nation when it was thrown out of the gates by a UMMO who gave up trying to convert us. 

Fast forward to today. Boy had we grown. Being Singaporean is no longer something to be ashamed of, we can now say where we are from with pride. Something happened- and it was not natural.

If we were to cherish anything Singapore has accomplished in the last 50 years, let it not only be the economic strides, but the coming together of peoples from far and wide under a common flag. One where we are the beacon where people point to when saying multiracialism is not only viable, but the only way. If there was a single Singapore Spirit, it would be the common patriotism (for most people, at least), not "determination or dedication or competence".

This is my view, at least. You could agree or disagree, and I, as with most Singaporeans, are open to other's opinion and beliefs. That's Singapore.

Happy Birthday, dear nation.