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  Straits Times 6 Aug 07
What is our national identity?
National Day is on Thursday and young Singaporeans give their take on how they sum up Singapore's national identity

Nation of hard workers, untiring complainers

SINGAPOREANS are best characterised as hard-working complainers. Day and night, we complain about everything under the sun.

And for some reason, whatever we complain about is ultimately the Government's fault. Whether it be the weather, salaries, taxes, or having to stand inside public buses because there are no seats during peak hours. Never mind, just blame the Government. It is as if Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong can control the rain.

But despite all the complaining, we still get the job done at the end of the day. Perhaps the grumbling helps pass the time at work.

In any case, I think our energies are far better spent on thinking up solutions. Anyone can identify a problem and complain about it.

Instead of waiting for the Government to solve all of our problems, why not stop talking and start doing something about it?

Edward Choy, 27, is a postgraduate theatre studies student at the National University of Singapore (NUS)

Everything revolves around economics

NATIONAL identities are usually defined in cultural or political terms. But in Singapore, it can be defined in economic terms.

Singaporeans are pragmatic. Straw polls before the last General Election suggest that Singaporeans are more concerned about bread-and-butter issues than politics.

Many students choose their field of study in university for its career prospects rather than out of academic interest.

Political mandate is arguably granted based on, above all, a party's ability to manage Singapore's economy.

We even owe our ethnic and cultural diversity to money - immigration in the 19th century brought people from different backgrounds to Singapore, often for purely economic reasons.

Therefore, Singapore is to me an Economic Nation before anything else.

Joel Aw, 19, has a place to read business management at the Singapore Management University

The way we speak makes us special

OUR national identity is our unique ability to mix languages in speech. It is common to hear Singaporeans say: 'I'm hungry, I want to makan now,' (makan is Malay for 'eat'), 'Toilet zai na li?' (Where is the toilet?), and so on.

Our counterparts around the world speak in their own pure languages; few of them speak in these language-dialect mixes. This distinguishes us.

This is perhaps a result of our bilingual education system and dialect-speaking forefathers.

Once, when I was overseas, I heard a mother chiding her son for being overly careless with his belongings. 'Keep properly, if not later kena pah chiorh ah!' (Keep your things properly or you will get robbed!) I smiled to myself as I realised that I had just met another fellow Singaporean in serendipity.

Stephanie Song, 21, is a second-year psychology student at NUS

An identity shaped by growing pains

I WILL never forget how the Dim Sum Dollies' musical comedy, The History Of Singapore, had the audience waving the Singapore flag patriotically at the finale. It achieved what the music videos of National Day songs could never do with an overly sanitised portrayal - it honestly addressed our ugly side and struck an emotional chord.

Others may see us as paternalistic but we have proven our resilience. We have survived colonialism, globalisation, ERP tolls and GST hikes. We may be too vocal about our complaints but it shows we care about how things are run in the country.

These imperfect traits and growing pains shape our identity and make this experience uniquely Singaporean.

Desmond Chan, 25, is a final-year Communication Studies student at Nanyang Technological University.

A multi-coloured, unfinished quiltwork

AN IDENTITY is probably based on one's ancestry. Singapore is primarily a migrant community of mixed parentage, and as a young nation, her identity continues to evolve as she matures.

Singapore's national identity includes a multitude of often unique characteristics - she is a rare case where efficiency and success can be achieved by laws deemed ludicrous by others; her people speak fluent Singlish and her products and services are world-renowned. She boasts low crime, a clean government and a hardworking population.

Ultimately, the Singapore identity is a quiltwork of various characteristics - an unfinished, multi-coloured tapestry that continues to be woven by her people.

Adrienne de Souza, 21, is a second-year biology student at Imperial College London

Too young a nation to have coherent identity

SINGAPORE is the place I grew up in. However, I do not think we have a coherent national identity we can truly call our own. We have had only 42 years to distil a set of authentic Singaporean values from a melting pot of disparate cultures, languages and histories.

Right now, all we have are scattered values that merely make us different from other nationalities. These may include Singlish, 'kiasuism' or even a shared memory of growing up among HDB flats.

So how best should I spend National Day in New York this year? Meet up with other Singaporeans there and reminiscence about life in Singapore - it is the best way for me to 'feel' Singaporean.
Eisen Teo, 22, is a third-year history student at the NUS
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