Singapore’s Pioneer Generation, work ethics and accountability

How soon will the phrase 'Pioneer Generation' join Singapore's popular lexicon? The answer may reflect upon the values held by Singapore's younger generation. The 'Pioneer Generation' phrase was aptly used by Prime Minister Lee to describe the generation of senior Singaporeans' responsible for propelling Singapore into the developed world's ranks in one generation.

Undoubtedly, Singapore owes a great debt to those who built Singapore into the prosperous city-state of today. The debt becomes greater if one remembers the realities of life during the 1960 – 1980s.

Jobs were not as plentiful – perhaps not plentiful at all; no Medishield program to pay for medical expenses; public transportation was in its infancy: the subway system was inaugurated as recently as 1987. That too with a single train line between Toa Payoh and Yio Chu Kang. Education was about learning survival skills – not a means to actualize creative potential in 'abstract' artistic or creative fields. The transition from kampong attap huts to Housing Development Board (HDB) flats – with all its associated implications for piped water, sanitation, etc. - only began in earnest in the late 1960s.

A glimpse of traditional 'kampong' or village life of yesteryears

Today, in 2013, the quality of public infrastructure is world class. Singaporeans' need not be quite as anxious about basic necessities such as housing, medical care and education. Worries have shifted to questions about quantum of disposable income (how to pay for the next vacation, latest phone, new car, etc.); getting one's child into a secondary school of choice; or the desire to maintain a better work-life balance ... and so on.

I am a newcomer to Singapore. I did not witness the transformation of marshy swamplands into concrete towers leave alone the shift from kampongs to community centers. However, I get the impression the urban landscape is not the only characteristic which has changed in the city-state.

Many Singaporeans' have lost the all-pervasive sense of ownership and accountability held so deeply by the Pioneer Generation. If something needed to happen, the community got together and did it – with the encouragement of local community leaders. The reflex action was not to complain and subsequently expect the government to address the problem by throwing taxpayer money at it.

The changes appear to have permeated the political elite too.

Sure, members of parliament are available to constituents at regular 'meet the people' sessions. However, the 'real' connection between the political elite and the population has weakened. A leadership living in landed properties or condominiums driving expensive cars to work is less able to relate to a population still overwhelmingly living in public housing and using public transport to commute to work. (Something reflected by the SMRT CEO's comments a few years ago about people having a choice to board trains?)

Additionally, many public servants (bureaucrats) seem content to keep their 'iron rice bowl' secure at the expense of delivering quality public services. The incessant 'outsourcing' of tasks to foreign workers, often supervised by more 'skilled' foreign workers, means accountability and quality of work suffers. Perhaps the 'non-Pioneer Generation' is more interested in sitting in an air conditioned office and less inclined to pull up their sleeves and make things happen?

But what do I know? I am not even a 'real' Singaporean ... certainly not a descendant of the Pioneer Generation.

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Imran is a business and management consultant. Through his work at Deodar Advisors and the Deodar Diagnostic, Imran improves profits of businesses operating in Singapore and the region. He can be reached at imran@deodaradvisors.com. 

Singapore’s NDP and the limits to integrating foreigners

Singapore's annual National Day Parade (NDP) is a unique event. The NDP contains enough songs and pageantry to make even the hardest heart melt. Failing the songs and skits, demonstrations of brute military strength and prowess by the Home Team will evoke pride in any armchair general. Though most of all, it is the nostalgia of a Singapore long gone which appears to bind together local hearts and minds – particularly when described through the local Singlish 'dialect.'

All that and more ... but only for 'genuine' Singaporeans.

Yes, I am a Singaporean. Not only did I attend NDP 2013, I also enjoyed it ... to an extent.

A photo taken at Singapore's National Day Parade in 1968

Sure, I could answer most of the NDP's 'pop quiz' questions relating to Singapore's history. Who designed City Hall? What is the oldest building standing in Singapore? In fact, dare I say it, I probably know at least as much about Singapore's history as most of the 27,000 other NDP attendees seated at the Marina Bay Float. (Not surprising, as I regularly relate the 'Singapore Story' to visitors to the National Museum of Singapore (NMS) in my capacity as an NMS volunteer guide.)

Still, something was missing at the NDP.

It starts with the Singlish. I admit I don't speak Singlish. So many humorous references in the NDP skits left me scratching my head. Secondly, my theoretical or factual knowledge about Singapore cannot replace the experiential familiarity 'born and bred' Singaporeans have gained over a lifetime of living – despite my having lived in our fine city for almost fifteen years.

So, yes, 'true-blue' Singaporeans you are right: first generation foreigners cannot completely immerse themselves in Singaporean culture (however we define the city's culture). I will never relate to Kuehs, Ice Kacang, Laksa or the many other 'Singaporean' things the way you do. It's an honest to goodness fact. No denying it.

However, that simply brings me to the point where most Singaporeans' historically started the 'Singaporean Journey.' That is, as foreigners arriving in Singapore aspiring for a better life and to support families back home.

Over time, 'back home' became a slowly fading memory as roots were sunk on this island. With each passing generation, it became clearer that no person actually intended to return to the 'homeland,' ever. Be that China, India, other islands in the Malay Archipelago, or, as in my case, Pakistan.

Result: the birth of the second or third generation (or more) Singaporean – the so called 'true blue' Singaporean.

I am a Singaporean too - a Pakistani-Singaporean (or a Singaporean-Pakistani if you prefer). Asking me to shed my 'Pakistaniness' is like asking a Singaporean to shed her 'Singaporeanness.'

Can a Singaporean give up Singlish, laksa, roti pratas, and all else 'Singaporean' simply because they migrate to Australia? Unlikely.  So please don't ask me to achieve the impossible.

I cannot be exactly like you. Nor do I aim to be exactly like you. We do not share the same history, though we certainly share many similar values.  

Leave the 'real' integration for the next generation. Until then, please humor me and respect my history.

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Imran is a business and management consultant. Through his work at Deodar Advisors and the Deodar Diagnostic, Imran improves profits of businesses operating in Singapore and the region. He can be reached at imran@deodaradvisors.com. 

Singapore: Monaco of the East!

Cities reinvent and regenerate themselves constantly. At least, cities which thrive and beat the ravages of time to stay relevant are no strangers to change.

Singapore is no exception. During the last ten years, the city explicitly decided to shirk its 'Fine City' image, moving from being a sterile, gum free environment to a hip, happening urban setting. As is often the case, Singapore's policymakers succeeded ... perhaps too well for the city's own good.

The casino, nightlife and incremental lifting of social restrictions worked its magic. From being the fortress 'Gibraltar of the East,' Singapore reinvented itself in the image of Monaco, i.e. the 'Monaco of the East.'

Monaco, of course, is a playground for the world's wealthy. Singapore too has become a playground for the worlds wealthy, particularly China's nouveau riche looking for a 'safer' place to park themselves and their cash. And, the annual haze notwithstanding, breathe fresh air.

Education is a key component of Singapore's drive to retain economic competitiveness in the coming years

To some extent, the 'New Singapore' means accepting larger income gaps between the wealthy and the not so wealthy. According to one widely accepted measure of income inequality, the Gini coefficient, Singapore's income inequality has risen during the last year – even taking into account all government subsidies and other redistribution measures.

However, all is not well in the PAP's (Singapore's ruling People's Action Party) domain.

Singaporeans are pushing back in an unprecedented manner. Locals are unhappy with Chinese immigrants driving Ferraris while subway trains get more crowded; or having to fight with foreigners for places in the local school system.

Nonetheless, there is no turning back for Singapore. The city's 5.3 million people will become 6 or even 6.9 million, maybe not at the PAP's proposed timetable but perhaps sometime within the next decade. (Seats on subway trains will remain a scarcity for commuters, forevermore!)

In the midst of all the changes in Singapore, one change becomes ever more obvious with time: Singapore's price competitiveness is eroding.

According to the latest Mercer cost of living survey, Singapore is the world's fifth most expensive city for expatriates. Hong Kong, Geneva, Zurich and Shanghai are all cheaper cities. The change may not be explicitly policy driven but it is a consequence of multiple factors, including growing Singapore's population by 66 percent in two decades.

To be sure, Singapore has moved beyond the stage of relying simply upon cost to retain economic competitiveness. Nonetheless, can Singapore afford to be the fifth most expensive city in the world and still preserve its 'regional hub' status – or will the Little Red Dot be relegated to being a hub exclusively for knowledge intensive 'Research and Development' areas such as biotechnology?'

Relying on knowledge intensive industries is no bad thing really ... if Singaporeans don't mind the income gap between rich and poor widening further in the coming years.

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Imran is a business and management consultant. Through his work at Deodar Advisors and the Deodar Diagnostic, Imran improves profits of businesses operating in Singapore and the region. He can be reached at imran@deodaradvisors.com. 

Reflections from Pakistan XII: Malala’s Swat Valley

Until a few years ago, Pakistan's Swat Valley was a serene, beautiful region known only to a handful of foreign and Pakistani domestic tourists. All that changed with the gradual infiltration of the valley by Taliban extremists during the 2000s. In fact, by 2006 the Pakistani state had lost control of most of the valley. The Pakistani state was left protecting Buddhist relics in the Swat Museum and a few other isolated pockets of authority, mostly in the form of minor paramilitary bases.

However, with the gradual Taliban takeover of the valley, alarm bells rang in Islamabad. Islamabad, Pakistan's capital, is approximately 250 kilometres and a four hours drive from the Swat's largest town, Mingora. (As the crow flies, the distance between the two cities is approximately 135 kilometers.)

Additionally, Swat is part of Pakistan 'proper,' civil courts, Constitution and all. The Swat Valley is not part of Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). There is no comparison between Swat and South Waziristan.

Pakistani soldiers raise the Pakistan flag at the Baine Baba Ziarat, the highest point in the Swat Valley located at a height of approximately 2,130 meters 

Initially uncertain about how to respond to the Taliban's encroachment on Pakistani territory, the state marshalled its forces and acted in 2009. Taking advantage of an unprecedented act of 'Islamic' justice – the whipping of a teenage girl by extremists in a public square – the government lined up public opinion behind a massive military offensive intended to eject Islamic militants from the Swat Valley.

Following bloody street battles and hand to hand combat, the military emerged victorious and declared victory a few months after Operation Rah-e-Rast began in May 2009. The operation came with a heavy price tag: millions of Swatis became temporarily homeless and street fighting had destroyed much physical infrastructure in the valley.

As Malala's optimism testifies, the war was worth the cost. The Swat Valley is open for tourism again. As a visitor to the Swat Valley myself late last year, I bear witness to the Valley's beauty and also its return to normalcy.

Surely, isolated (and unacceptable) acts of violence still occur across the Valley. However, the Taliban has been driven out. Girl schools are open. Women walk the streets alone – subject to 'pre-Taliban' social constraints imposed by the traditionally conservative Pashtun culture. Swat's residents radiate hope and happiness; more so than most other parts of Pakistan. Electricity shortages mean nothing to Swat's residents, they are happy simply to breathe freely again.

Most importantly, an unambiguous and defiant message has been delivered to the Pakistani Taliban by the Pakistani state and people: there is a line in the sand beyond which Islamist encroachment onto the country's 'mainland' will not be tolerated.

One may find many reasons to criticize the Pakistan army, beginning with General Zia's disastrous 'Islamization' process in the 1980s. However, any visitor (or resident) to the Swat Valley can do nothing but praise the Pakistani military. The army has brought order back to the valley – restoring hope and sanity in the process. If Pakistan has only one success story from its war against the Taliban, the Swat Valley has to be it.

View a small selection of my photos from the Swat Valley here.

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Imran is a business and management consultant. Through his work at Deodar Advisors and the Deodar Diagnostic, Imran improves profits of businesses operating in Singapore and the region. He can be reached at imran@deodaradvisors.com. 

Sufism – a Quest for Eternal Truth

All are invited to a free talk on Islam's Sufi traditions in the context of other faiths, particularly Buddhism, organized by the Asian Classics Institute (Singapore).

Date:          July 1, 2013 (Monday)

Time:          7.30 – 9.00 pm

Venue:       #02-45 Shaw Tower, 100 Beach Road, Singapore

For more details and registration, please visit Asian Classics Institute.

Singapore punches above its weight diplomatically - really?

The haze is an 'externality,' a phenomenon ostensibly beyond the control of Singapore's government. A result of burning forests and peat, commonly attributed to 'slash and burn' farming techniques employed in nearby Indonesian islands. However, never during the last two decades has the haze affected behaviour as severely as during the last few days. Sure, the haze was bad a few times in the late 1990s but it probably did not reach 'hazardous' levels on the Pollutants Standards Index (PSI) measure. During the last few days, the PSI seems to have breached the 400 number a few times.

The haze places more than just the health of Singapore's greatest asset – its people – at stake. Its economic implications are significant.

Indonesia: hear the roar of Singapore's mighty Merlion?

Absent and unhealthy workers affect productivity. Retail sales are affected by people staying indoors as much as possible. Tourism takes a hit as people cancel or shorten pleasure and business trips. For those brave individuals who visit Singapore anyway, they may not leave with happy memories and will most certainly not spend as much time in indulging in outdoors activity (e.g. Sentosa, Orchard Road, alfresco dining).

Despite being a problem with roots in Indonesia, Singapore has diplomatic options to help alleviate – if not completely redress – the annual haze dilemma. To be sure, Singapore must balance the 'carrot and stick' effectively to ensure the Republic's relations with Indonesia are not irrevocably damaged.

Diplomacy is a delicate art requiring the virtuous use of many different soft and hard levers in an optimal combination. Results are never guaranteed and unintended consequences may also arise from using any number of diplomatic tools.

Singaporeans are often told, Singapore is a small country but due to hard work and progress, the country punches above its weight. The present is as good a time as any to demonstrate Singapore's regional clout by pushing for a sustainable solution to an ongoing problem. To remain hostage year after year to the same problem is not an option.

Singapore's politicians and civil servants, including diplomats, are well paid and highly trained. Ordinary Singaporeans will be happy to see them earn their keep by continuing current efforts to address the crisis. Surely, Singapore's otherwise wise and masterful civil service scholars and policy makers can come up with lasting solutions to vexing questions such as the haze?

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Imran is a business and management consultant. Through his work at Deodar Advisors and the Deodar Diagnostic, Imran improves profits of businesses operating in Singapore and the region. He can be reached at imran@deodaradvisors.com. 

Another protest rally in Singapore – what else is new?

Not so long ago, criticisms of Singapore's ruling party figures were typically voiced only in hushed tones. For good reason: critics feared defamation law suits which often ended only once the defendant declared bankruptcy. Soon enough, some of Singapore's fiercest opposition activists were either bankrupt or preoccupied with trying to keep their heads afloat. Meanwhile, ordinary citizens were too busy pursuing the coveted 'Five C's,' leaving little spare time for any political activism.

That was the last century. Much has changed in Singapore since the dawn of the new Millennium. The River Safari, Esplanade, Singapore Flyer, Gardens by the Bay and Marina Bay Sands now grace Singapore's limited land mass.

A view of Singapore's skyline in the new Millennium

However, the real changes have been in the Singaporean's psyche.

The list of subtle though significant changes in Singapore is endless. Corruption cases originating in the public sector elicit no more than shrug – although if sex is involved then all details must be made public in the name of 'transparency!' Crime, including loan sharking, is more common than at any time in recent memory. And, horror of all horrors, even labour unrest and strikes have resurfaced in Singapore.

One of the most apparent changes is a willingness to challenge official government policies openly. Today, Ex-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong's famous 'Out of Bounds' markers are slowly but surely becoming obsolete.

There is no more hiding behind anonymous social media monikers or whispering behind closed doors. Instead, opposition is expressed directly at the ballot box and, more surprisingly, through regular demonstrations at Singapore's own Speakers' Corner located at Hong Lim Park. (The Hong Lim Park 'haven' of free speech was itself an innovation of the new Millennium, inaugurated in the year 2000.)

During the last few months, Speakers' Corner has been the venue for several rallies. A couple were directed at the government's immigration policies while the most recent gathering expressed participants' disapproval at the government's new media regulations which came into force a few days ago.

Humans are fascinated by new and original activities, especially if they include an element of 'shock value.' This certainly seemed the case with the recent string of protests at Singapore's Speakers' Corner. Many joined the demonstrations not only to express displeasure but also to experience something novel.

However, humans also get bored easily. People tend to move on to the next new thing quickly – unless there is a glue to make the activity stick sustainable. The Singapore government must wait to see if there is any glue binding Singapore's social activists together; particularly once the novelty of raising anti-government placard and slogans fades away.

Nevertheless, recent events have established one fact: protest rallies at Hong Lim Park are no longer the exclusive domain of political activists. In fact, protest gatherings may soon become just another Saturday afternoon bonding activity for Singaporean families wishing to visit a park.

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Imran is a business and management consultant. Through his work at Deodar Advisors and the Deodar Diagnostic, Imran improves profits of businesses operating in Singapore and the region. He can be reached at imran@deodaradvisors.com.