If last year’s General Election was a watershed election, then the National Day Rally 2012 to me was a watershed follow-up.
Firstly, the change in format of involving three other Ministers (younger Ministers as the media has been reminding us) to deliver the opening speeches was, I believe, more than mere symbolic. It reflected a response to engage the younger citizens, an intentional break from tradition and a signal of a new approach to come. It’s no longer business as usual or more of the same from the powers that be.
This rally will go down in Singapore’s history as the one that called on Singaporeans to take a serious effort to remember her history (not merely from a propagandistic agenda), reflect honestly upon the current state of play and reassess where it should be heading on a collective basis. This year, there were limited hard data, graphs or charts (other than one showing the falling birth rate) being flashed out to us or calls for a stronger economic thrust or detailed analysis of external threats. Rather, stories of ordinary folks making good in life were told, a call for building culture and preservation of traditional values was made, being more civil and warm to our fellow citizen was reminded and there was even an appeal to keep fit by exercising! In other words, the softer side of nationhood was the call of the day. Has the Prime Minister run out of concrete things to say like in past rallies? Some might argue that the answer is “yes” but I would say “no” and I explain in a follow-up post.
It has become almost tedious to hear this again and again, but indeed the world that we live in today is complex and is changing at a fast pace. At this rally, the message is to do what Jim Collins and Jerry Porras in their book “Built to Last” recommends an organization should do in the face of a fast changing world:
“Contrary to popular wisdom, the proper first response to a changing world is not to ask, “How should we change?” but rather to ask, “What do we stand for and why do we exist?”. (Collins & Porras, 2002, p.xiv)
Much of this was dwelled upon at the rally. I cannot remember another single occasion where the national pledge was made reference to by our politicians more often than at this rally. Mr Lawrence Wong, Madam Halimah Yacob and Mr Heng Swee Keat at some points were practically reciting sections of the pledge verbatim. They synchronized and set the tone for the rest of the evening.
This rally was a fundamental relook at our identity: Who is a Singaporean and what does it mean to be a Singaporean? What kind of Singapore do we want?
At the start of his speech in English, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong mentioned that the nation’s basic needs have been solved and that the focus now is on the quality of life and the scaling of greater heights. I cannot help but recollect Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and wonder if this enduring model can be applied on a national level. Well, it does not quite fit but I found someone who suggested her own model for a nation:
Exon’s Hierarchy of National Needs
I like this model. “Thriving Public Sphere” seem to comes close to where Singapore is at this juncture and many of the items stated in. “Thriving Public Sphere” were discussed during the rally.
Kathryn Exon Smith explains the various levels in detail here:
Soliciting Singaporeans’ view on what kind of Singapore we want her to become over the next twenty years, PM Lee has directed Mr Heng Swee Kiat to head a National Conversation to engage all Singaporeans and in particular the “silent majority”. I think this initiative is genuine as I believe that the ruling party has awaken to the reality that many Singaporeans are no longer content with buying wholesale the repeated sales pitch from the ruling party that it has the track record of delivering the economic goods or knowing what is best for Singapore. More Singaporeans desire political engagement and for their voice not to be simply brushed aside. In other words, a desire to have a more direct part to play in policy formulation beyond polling day. Policies that have direct impact on daily affairs and policies that shape the fabric of the nation. This is a sign of a maturing democracy.
PM Lee has indicated his openness to relook and change policies that are outdated. This is crucial for progress. However, I hope that in our pursue to make Singapore more fun, hip and colourful as Mr Lawrence Wong put it, we do not compromise on time tested policies that have served our culture and tradition well and protected our values as a people. In the same breath, Mr Wong added maintaining our traditional value as a preoccupation next to a Singapore with more colour and that in itself can potentially be a tension between two ideals.
Such will be one of many reassessments that will be taking place in the months to come as we ask ourselves “what do we stand for and why do we exist?” and I hope that the debates will be constructive, sensible and mature.
Reference:
Collins, J. & Porras, J. I. (2002), Built to last, New York, HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
http://posthistorical.wordpress.com/2010/04/06/toward-a-hierarchy-of-national-needs/ accessed on 27 August 2012
Gab & Friends 
Posted on August 29, 2012
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