Who says Singaporeans aren't patriotic?

I was going through some old videos of Singapore political party rallies and chanced upon this from the last elections. In the video, Ms Sylvia Lim, the Chairperson of the opposition Workers' Party, was leading the crowd to recite the national pledge.



The crowd may be a small (and biased) sample size and reciting the pledge at a hyped-out rally may not be an accurate and comprehensive indication of patriotism but I scoffed at the age-old accusation that Singaporeans are not patriotic. Who says?

Let us take a step back from the romantised version of US patriotism and how Americans will say how they will fight and die for democracy (which has become synonymous with their national identity) and let's wonder: Should patriotism be narrowly defined in such a way?

This brought up a debate during class two Thursdays ago. I argued that short of staying in Singapore to fight a war against potential aggressors (we will never know until it happens), Singaporeans are patriotic as we do generally have an unabashed appreciation of our way of life and systems.

Yes, we may rant on and on about bread and butter issues, and one will find no lack of criticisms on online forums of our systems, ranging from education to job security to political representation. But ask Singaporeans if they would prefer other countries' (incl. liberal western democracies) way of life to ours and if they would willingly trade places with one of their citizens, they would generally say no. Why?

It's our innate attachment to the place we were borne in despite being raised in a oven-baking education system, and then subjected to an even more competitive corporate culture. Beyond that, it's our way of life: our heartland culture of HDBs, our numerous shopping centres or the hawkers centres that churn out almost anything and everything on local fare that every Singaporean eats at at least once a week, or the fact that almost street in Singapore has a row of trees that keeps our environment cool, or that we have family and friends here, and so on.

And it's also about our systems that actually work: our ERP that has reduced traffic jams, our trains that arrive every 5 minutes without fail, our efficient police and low crime-rate that allows you to walk outside at night by yourself without being mugged, our CPF and healthcare policies that serves as a social safety net for many, and our education system that subsidizes up to 80% of your varsity fees and makes our students top the world in science and maths tests, and more!

This is tied to one important aspect of our national identity: The Singapore Success Story. In 40 years, we have come from third world to first world, a feat that few countries had managed. And there are many countries that have taken an interest in us such as China, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, UAE, Nigeria, etc. - and have introduced similar policies to replicate our success story.

Go to most countries, especially in Asia, say you are from Singapore, and they will nod at you as a sign of respect or awe. I have even met hilltribes peoples in Thailand who have heard of Singapore. Singapore is more than just a country - we are also a brand that has instilled confidence and trust in us - more than we sometimes care to admit.

As Singaporeans, we live the fruit of our ancestors, and we are the ones who have to make the Singapore Success Story a continued reality through our continued emphasis on our shared national values of multiculturalism, contribution and meritocracy.

No wonder our Minister Mentor quipped at this year's Ministerial Forum that the most important ethic young Singaporeans need to have is to be "as hardworking as our forefathers", not to "take for granted what is ours", and continue "to aspire and improve ourselves". As a nation, this is more than just a bed-time story or a drap piece from our national education curriculum. This is the fruit of our success.

But there are powerful trends that could alter this. Unprecedented immigration and a skewed demographic ratio of locals to foreigners may change our national culture and values in the long-term, if not handled properly.

And there may be more changes too. When I asked Mr Pal Khattar who founded Khattar Wong & Partners - one of our oldest and biggest law firms - whether demographic changes in our population could lead to a change in the orientation of our laws (i.e. more emphasis on individual rights as compared to communitarian rights) in the long-term, he concurred. After all, laws are man-made and they do reflect the wishes of the citizens. As we evolve as a nation and people, our culture, laws, systems and society may change too.

However, it is my wish that Singapore can still retain its unique identity - one that will continue to make past, present and future generations of Singaporeans proud.