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  Today Online 9 Jun 07
Sexy city
S'pore is all the rage, even Down Under
Down Under with Neil Humphreys

Straits Times Forum 4 Jun 07
Fine-tune the system so that no one is left behind in our vibrant city
Letter from Vernon Lim Thean Soo

Today Online 2 Jun 07
Time feels the Singapore buzz
Efforts to re-energise Republic draw the attention of world media
Jasmine Yin jasmine@mediacorp.com.sg

ITS multi-billion-dollar surgery for a new face is not even half-done, but what has been promised — casinos, luxurious waterfront living and, more recently, F1 speed machines — have landed Singapore on the latest cover of Time magazine.

The six-page article documents the slew of transformations, such as the Marina Bay Sands casino resort and the French Rivieria-inspired Sentosa Cove residences, that are taking place to woo foreigners — especially those with deep pockets — to visit, live, work and play in the Republic.

It cited Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's outline of Singapore to be a "tropical version" of New York, Paris and London rolled into one, as well as comments by the Singapore Tourism Board's chief executive Lim Neo Chian that Singapore, which "is changing its image in the eyes of the world", has set its eye on "self-transformation".

Also featured in the article was a Singaporean banker who, after five years in New York, decided to return because she felt that life in Singapore would surely become "less boring" and "more cosmopolitan and sophisticated".

While political and media watchers welcomed the positive spin, they also cautioned the possible social downside of branding Singapore to the international crowd.

Dr Ho Khai Leong, a political observer from the Nanyang Technological University, noted that positive international coverage — with Time as the latest foreign media to report on Singapore's expensive facelift — suggests, "to a certain extent, that our efforts have been given serious attention".

The signs in recent years have been nothing short of promising: Foreign students and talent coming to study and work, as well as multi-national corporations that still consider Singapore as an attractive investment location, in the face of other emerging regional economies.

Yet at the same time, Dr Ho told Today that the "global-city efforts have widened the gap between the haves and have-nots" — a point that was also raised in the magazine feature.

"Despite this economic revitalisation, many Singaporeans find the changes their city is undergoing to be bewildering and even threatening," according to Time.

National University of Singapore sociologist Chua Beng Huat was also quoted as saying: "The backlash comes from so-called foreign talents taking the best jobs without any obligations to maintaining the national good."

Media watcher Viswa Sadasivan told this newspaper that, as a Singaporean, he was "exceedingly proud" of some of the recent developments to re-position the country. But he cautioned that "it should not allow us the licence to lose perspective of the interests of the majority of the heartlanders for whom Singapore getting on the cover of Time or another international publication is not going to have a material impact on their lives, vis-a-vis bread-and-butter issues like next month's Goods and Services Tax increase".

The Singaporean banker who was featured in the magazine is coming back as a foreign talent, even though she may have been born and bred here, Mr Sadasivan argued.

He added that "a lot of changes in Singapore will be skewed in favour of the cosmopolitan, those who are more secure in their lives and are ready for the higher levels of benefit in Maslow's hierarchy of needs".

"At the end of the day, we need to be Singapore and the day when we have arrived is the day when we don't feel the need to compare ourselves or make ourselves the East's version of something in the West," he said.

Straits Times Forum 4 Jun 07
Fine-tune the system so that no one is left behind in our vibrant city
Letter from Vernon Lim Thean Soo

AN ARTICLE in the latest issue of Time magazine which featured Singapore as a cosmopolitan and dynamic city has got me all excited.

It has made me reflect on life here in Singapore and how it has so much to offer, and I quote, 'Casinos! Amusement parks! Alfresco dining! The stuffy old port is restyling itself as a destination city and playground for the wealthy.'

The world has taken notice of Singapore. There is no better time than now, and great opportunities abound. Life is truly exciting, and it holds much promise, indeed, I am proud to call Singapore my home.

However, in as much as life is good in general, we need to take a step back and pause to see where all these developments will lead to.

Can we still remain a cohesive society or one that is segregated between those with the ability to utilise opportunities and those who simply are not equipped to do so?

Incidentally, many of my peers and I, those who are currently in university, have dreams of working overseas to gain international experience, and we will gladly come back to Singapore once we have attained global insights from our overseas stint.

And I am confident to say that this will truly benefit Singapore society as it continues in its push to embrace globalisation.

Additionally, our system allows for human talent to be developed to the fullest. And this has so far been good for Singapore. Admittedly, not everyone will succeed in such a system.

However, we should not be quick to condemn the system as it has served us well and has continued to churn out good and capable leaders.

What we need is to continually fine-tune the system so that it could be more inclusive, and safety nets could be provided to ensure that those who fall through the system get the help they require. It is an uphill task, but definitely not one that is impossible.

What we need is a society that continually aims to progress far ahead of its competitors, yet one that has compassion to give back to society. In this way, we can continue to be vibrant and adaptable to the ever changing landscape of a globalised world, yet ensuring that no one is left behind in the race to stay competitive.

Today Online 9 Jun 07
Sexy city
S'pore is all the rage, even Down Under
Down Under with Neil Humphreys

THE phone rang far too early in the morning. Its persistent ringing interrupted a bizarre dream that involved Paris Hilton, a prison cell and England striker Peter Crouch. This is what happens when you work in the media. Daily events haunt your dreams.

No one rings me this early in the morning though. It wasn't even 10am. I answered the phone in that gruff, early morning voice that is a half decent impression of Jabba the Hutt.

I coughed out the words, "Hello, who is it?", but it could've easily been "haw, haw, haw, he's no Jedi."

"Hello, Neil? Oh, I'm sorry did I wake you?"

"No, I always sound like I'm running a cheese grater up and down my larynx."

"It's Tracy here from Radio Australia and we were wondering if you might do a phone interview."

"Sure. Just let me find my glasses, my voice and my sensibilities and I'm all yours. When's the interview?"

"Oh, take your time. We've got at least 15 minutes."

This is not the first time this has happened. Last week, the station called to discuss the upcoming Asian Cup. Until very recently, the football tournament had zero interest in Australia. I could've discussed a china cup in my kitchen.

But Australia is now in the Asian Cup and a leading contender and Aussies are happy to discuss tournaments they might win.

"So what are we talking about this week?" I croaked in my best Jabba the Hutt voice.

"Singapore."

You guys are all the rage at the moment. The city-state is popping up in glossy magazines and there's not a stick of chewing gum in sight. Singapore has gone all George Clooney by appearing on the cover of Time magazine.

The Australian edition of Time had the headline "Singapore's New Look: Why the country wants more foreigners." A new look? I thought the country has always wanted foreigners, but I digress.

"Yeah, Singapore's in the news and you've written three books on the country," the producer said. "And your new omnibus edition, which is available at all Singapore bookstores, actually makes it four books." She never said the last part, but veracity is critically important in a newspaper column.

"What are some of the experiences or observations you think you could share with our listeners who may not be familiar with Singapore?" She asked.

So I dutifully listed a few … Naked landladies, coffee shops for cannibals, Romancing Singapore, making babies for both the nation and that annoying auntie who only visits on Chinese New Year, mad aunties slapping down bus seats with the aggression of a serial killer, Crazy Horse can, Crazy Horse cannot, and taxi drivers who play with my "half balls".

"Er, yeah, okay, right," said the producer, clearly wondering how I was ever given an employment pass never mind a publishing deal.

"Shall we just stick to Singapore's attempt to turn Marina Bay into an Asian Venice?"

So that's what we did. Re-reading the Time magazine article again and brushing up on the upcoming developments earmarked for Marina Bay, Sentosa and Orchard Road, I was struck by an obvious truth.

Singapore is really going to nail this sexy city concept. It can't fail.

And I don't mean seedy sexy in an "Orchard-Towers — transvestite — hello madam, you're very attractive, but you shouldn't keep your spring roll down there" kind of way. But in a thoroughly desirable, family destination, complete holiday package kind of way.

You have no idea how many millions of tourist dollars Singapore loses out on every year.

I do. I encounter the big spenders every day. They're called Australians and they don't know Singapore.

They know a place called "Transit". They pop in for a day or two before heading off to the funky towns of Bangkok and Koh Samui.

An office colleague recently returned from a round-the-world trip. She didn't visit Singapore. But she did pop by "Transit." "Yeah, Transit was great," she told me. "We shopped."

Singapore knows it can do much better and casinos, museums, amusement parks, theatres, water sports, art exhibitions and alfresco dining is the only way to go.

The notion of a tourist's playground will work because Singapore has an obvious, priceless advantage over every other major metropolis.

It's safe. Eat, drink and be merry. For 24 hours. Safely. Where else can you do that?

I'll be back in a few weeks and fully intend to explore the ongoing changes around Marina Bay, Sentosa and Orchard Road. But not before 10am.

Neil Humphreys' latest book, Complete Notes From Singapore, is now available in stores.
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