Gong xi fa cai or Happy Chinese Lunar New Year (in advance)!

Hi there! Imran here with a brief 'hello' from sunny (and often rainy) Singapore! 

Greetings from Singapore! It's your friendly host from the Little Red Dot (aka Singapore)! Welcome to the second edition of my newsletter. You are receiving my newsletter as you have either been on a tour with me (earlier this century) or we are connected via LinkedIn. If this intrusion is not to your liking, fair enough, it is easy for you to unsubscribe. Simply use the unsubscribe button in the footer of this email. Singaporeans are well adjusted to the multiracial character of our city-state. Schoolchildren are taught about the main ethnicities living in Singapore, i.e. Chinese, Malay, Indian and 'others' in an effort to promote interracial harmony. However, with almost three out of four Singaporeans being of Chinese descent, the Chinese community makes up the lion's share of Singapore's population. (Lately this overwhelming Chinese majority has sparked a debate about the idea of 'Chinese Entitlement' in a multiracial state. But let's leave controversies out of this newsletter!) Therefore, one of the most important dates in Singapore's annual calendar is the Chinese Lunar New Year (CNY). The city, especially Chinatown, will be decked out to ring in the lunar new year which happens on February 1. February 1 is the day we leave behind the Year of the Ox and welcome in the Year of the Tiger. Out with the Ox and in with the Tiger! If you want to read some tea leaves about your own fortunes in the Year of the Tiger check out these predictions. The twelve animals in the Chinese zodiac Chinese New Year is a period of family, festivities, food and firecrackers (careful: setting off firecrackers without permission may land you afoul of the law in Singapore!). Festivities generally last two weeks and highlights include a CNY family reunion dinner as well as the exchange of Red Envelopes between friends and family. Traditionally, the CNY period is also a time to honor deities and visit the graves of ancestors. A red envelope - hongbao in Mandarin and ang pow in Hokkien (a Chinese dialiect widely spoken in Singapore) - is a gift of money inserted into an ornate red envelope. In Chinese culture the color red symbolizes energy, happiness and good luck. Year of the Tiger red packets Despite not being Chinese (was it my name which gave that away?), I am looking forward to the upcoming CNY celebrations. The celebratory spirit and cheerful mood are infectious! Do you have friends or family who celebrate CNY? Make it a point to wish them "gong xi fa cai" in the lunar new year. Let's hope that whatever else the Tiger may bring, the new year will once and for all take away this darned COVID-19 virus – variants and all!  Best wishes in advance for a happy, healthy and prosperous Year of the Tiger! Imran January 2022 PS - To arrange a (Singapore focused) customized live virtual tour please get in touch by WhatsApp (+65 9786 7210) or email (imran.ahmed.sg@gmail.com). Also, please feel free to forward my newsletter to interested persons.  PPS – You may visit the last edition of my newsletter here. Singapore: the story of a church, a mosque, a temple & Michelin starred street food in old Chinatown   Though ethnic Chinese comprise almost three quarters of Singapore's population, the city-state is religiously and ethnically diverse, and this live tour along the Street of Harmony, Telok Ayer Street, is a great way to see Singapore's multiculturalism.  Along the route we'll also see a street food hawker center and colorful shophouse architecture. Book now» Sights and sounds of Singapore's Little India: from Hindu temples to UNESCO recognized street food   Singapore's Indian community - though small in numbers - is an integral part of Singapore's food, culture and architectural landscape. At the heart of the community is the Little India district where all this and more are on display. Join me as we stroll through the streets and side lanes of Little India and take in the sights and sounds (not the aromas!) of this vibrant district. Book now» Facebook Instagram YouTube LinkedIn Copyright © 2021 Singapore Locally La, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Our mailing address is: Singapore Locally La 363 B Sembawang Crescent #03-727 Sun Natura Singapore 752363 Singapore Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Singapore’s reserved Malay Presidential elections or 'Affirmative Action' in disguise?

Presidential elections are scheduled in Singapore for September 2017. As most are aware Singapore's next President must be ethnically Malay. The Parliament deemed it so through amendments to the Presidential Elections Act passed in February 2017. The changes also establish a mechanism for the state to determine the ethnic community to which each candidate belongs, i.e. Ms. Yacob and all other candidates for next month's elections must be certified 'Malay' before their candidacies are accepted.

To the relief of many Singaporeans Madam Halimah Yacob has decided to stand as a candidate for Singapore's next president. As a 50 percent Malay woman – her father was Indian and mother was Malay - it is likely Madam Yacob is 'sufficiently' Malay and will pass the government's 'Malayness' test. Hence, she is expected to be accepted as a Malay candidate. Indeed, it will be very inconvenient if she is deemed 'not sufficiently' Malay?

Race and ethnicity are nebulous concepts and categorizing people into defined boxes can be an imprecise organizational tool

The appropriateness of ethnicity criteria tests to evaluate an individual's race is one difficulty. However, for many the real problem is not determining a candidate's race; rather it is the idea that Singapore has seemingly sacrificed a long held belief in meritocracy at the altar of political expediency.

For the last five decades the government has preached the creed of meritocracy almost to the notion of fanaticism. Meritocracy trumped all else, including race based politics. The desire to maintain societal meritocracy was even a factor in Singapore's 1965 expulsion from the Federation of Malaysia.

Suddenly, however, meritocracy is no longer sacrosanct. On the contrary, the country's Constitution was amended to promote a 'race based' presidency.

To be sure, there are supporters of the government's policy of a 'reserved' (affirmative action?) presidency. Nonetheless, the policy does open the door for 'affirmative action' in other areas where minorities are proportionately underrepresented. 

For example, anecdotal evidence suggests Malays are proportionately underrepresented in Singapore's armed forces. Does the government's new policy stance indicate the government may soon start reserving places for Malay officers in the military? Does the government’s new policy stance indicate it may soon start reserving places for Malay officers in the military? If so, which ethnic community (ies) will have to sacrifice in the implementation of such a policy? Undoubtedly, there are many questions without any clear answers.

Is it possible to distill each human's DNA into race and ethnicity categories without fuzziness? 

The government's policy 'adjustments' to the presidential election system calling for candidates based on race contradicts the country's founding principle of meritocracy.  After 52 years of independence one would expect authorities to encourage deeper integration by gradually and incrementally dismantling the CMIO (Chinese, Malay, Indian and Others) system – a colonial race based legacy – rather than strengthening an world-view filtered by ethnicity.

Meritocracy or allowing the most qualified to naturally filter upwards has served Singapore well since independence. One hopes the concept of 'ethnic fairness' will not further permeate the Singapore system through quotas and reserved seats but will cease exactly where it started: at the presidency.

Imran is an adventurer, blogger, consultant, guide, photographer, speaker, traveler and a banker in his previous life. He is available on twitter (@grandmoofti); instagram (@imranahmedsg) and can be contacted at imran.ahmed.sg@gmail.com.