Question K: If all of the world´s cultural heritage (sports, music, fashion, architecture, literature, painting, etc..) was contained in a time capsule, what would you include to demonstrate the legacy of your country?

Aarti Sharma

The prominent aspect of Singapore that I would

highlight as it’s legacy is it’s…Success!

History of SingaporeLets take a brief look at history of Singapore…• Singapore is a South-east Asian city state.• It lies in between Malaysia and Indonesia.• It consists of one large island and around 60 islets.• Singapore was founded as a trading post of the East India

Company by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1819.• In 1824, the entire state became a British possession

transferred to East India Company.• It became internally self-governing in 1959. • It gained independence from British on August 31, 1963.• There was a merger with Malaysia on September 16, 1963.• Singapore separated from Malaysia on August 09, 1965.

History of Singapore• Singapore is one of the smallest countries in the world(it is the 2nd

smallest country in Asia!) with an area of around 714 square kilometers…it is slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington DC.

• Singapore was not expected to succeed because the country has always been challenged with several big limitations:• Space• Lack of natural resources• Population of immigrants with little shared history

• Despite this challenges, we have grown to be a successful and relevant country in the world in just over 50 years because we truly make use of what we had-its strategic location in Asia and the people of the country.

Singapore’s Success• Singapore’s success can be measured in several methods -both in

tangible and intangible ways. • Singapore has one of the world’s highest GDP per capita. It is one of

the wealthiest countries in Asia. • It went from a GDP of $500 to $56,000* in the 50 years since

independence making it one of the wealthiest countries in the world.

• Singapore is home to more $US millionaires than any other country

*Sources: http://www.singstat.gov.sg/statistics/browse-by-theme/national-accounts. Current prices as of Feb 2015.

Singapore is the world’s 4th leading Financial Centre.

The Port of Singapore is one of busiest in the world.

• Singapore grew to become one of the eminent centres in the world for many industries.

• This was due to the government’s business friendly policies and its strategic location in both South East Asia and in Asia.

Singapore is an oil hub in Asia and is one of the world’s top three export refining centres.

• Singapore has attracted thousands of multinational corporations , many of which have chosen Singapore as their Asia Pacific headquarters.

• Singapore embraced global firms as indispensable sources of training, technology and jobs, and has become a site of choice for top firms serving Asian markets.

Accolades• Singapore has consistently ranked number 1 in the world by the World Bank for ease of doing

business. • Singapore has the most conducive environment for business as compared to the rest of its

neighbours – and the world. Singapore is ranked 4th in the world and 1st in Asia as the least bureaucratic place for doing business.

• Singapore is among the top 2 most competitive countries in the world.• Singapore is ranked first in the world as the city with the best investment potential.• Singapore is among the top 2 in the world for foreign trade and investment.• Singapore is the world’s most transparent country. • Singapore is ranked 5th in the world and 1st in Asia for having the least corruption in its economy.• Singapore is ranked 2nd in the world and 1st in Asia for having the best protection of intellectual

property.

Lack of resources paved the way for self-reliance• Lack of natural resources did not stop Singapore from being self-

reliant but instead became a driver to be independent. • For example, Singapore imports water from Malaysia but is on track

to be self sufficient before the water agreement contract with Malaysia expires in 2062. It will generate water through recycling of rain water and other water sources and this has spawned a world class water industry in Singapore, thus converting a vulnerability into a strength.

• Another example is Singapore's electricity which is dependent almost totally on natural gas imported via pipelines from Malaysia and Indonesia. Singapore built a LNG Terminal to enable it to import LNG from almost anywhere in the world to act as backup supply of the imported natural gas. The LNG Terminal is also being used as the platform for an LNG trading hub for the region, again transforming a vulnerability into an opportunity.

Standard of Living• Singapore’s success is not at the cost of its environment or

lifestyles of its habitants. • Singapore is both a digital and green country-a feat not easily

achievable. • Singapore is the greenest city in Asia, its green cover stands at

47% of its area. In fact it is known as “Garden City”!

• It’s Changi Airport is consistently rated and ranked amongst one the world’s best and most efficient airports

• It runs one of the world’s best airlines

Source: World Airport Awards, World Airline Awards by Skytrax

• Despite the high tech progress and civilization of Singapore, the country does its best to protect its indigenous wildlife.

• 30 per cent of the island's territory are nature reserves, and the world's biggest orchid park finds its home in Singapore. Only in the city park are there more species of trees than in the whole of North America.

• In terms of gender equality, Singapore is one of the first nations to actually achieve gender equality. Women have a huge say in every sector of the economy, and they occupy high managerial positions. The so called "glass ceiling” does not really exist in Singapore.

• Singapore passport allows its citizens to travel to almost any country in the world(163 countries) without a Visa.

• Singapore is one of the happiest countries both in Asia and the world.

• Singapore is one of the safest countries and cities in the world.• Singapore is also one of the most peaceful countries in the

world. • Singapore has been named No. 1 in the world's most

comprehensive education rankings. • Singapore has the best medicine and public healthcare in Asia.

The success of Singapore is due to its greatest resource….the people and the

multiracialism of the people

Education• Singapore is primarily a knowledge and service based

economy where one can find the brightest people with the right skill set.

• We have a literacy rate of 97%. • Most locals below the age of 40 speaks English due to our

education system. • Singaporean education is highly qualitative and affordable,

and combines several types – those of Asia, America and Europe.

• Majority of Singapore’s schoolchildren receive an ethnically integrated and nationally standardized English-medium education.

• Meritocracy is a central political concept in Singapore and is also one of the messages in National Education which means equal opportunity for all, according to their ability and effort.

• Singapore is known as a place where different ethnic groups live together and that too with peace and without strife.

• Much of the credit for this must go to the Singapore Government’s positive espousal of a morality based on ‘Multiracialism’.

• Multiracialism is a concept or ideology that promotes a society composed of various races, while accepting and respecting different cultural backgrounds. It is a society that consists of a diverse mix of people, whether it be relative to their ethnicity, language, culture, religion, or traditions.

• Singapore does not have any indigenous population but it was made up of a population of immigrants from India, China, Malaya with little shared history.

Culture of Singapore-Multiracial

• The culture of Singapore is a amalgamation of Asian and European cultures, influenced heavily by British, Dutch, Portuguese, Malay, South Asian, East Asian and Australian cultures.

• Singapore Culture does not refer to a new blend or novelty but refers simply to an agglomerate formed of the separate Chinese, Malay, Indian, and European cultural traditions.

• In Singapore, our culture is known as “rojak”-a local salad which is a mixture of different kind of fruits, vegetables, nuts.

• Singapore has a diverse populace of nearly 5.5 million1 people which is made up of Chinese, Malays, Indians, Caucasians and Eurasians (plus other mixed groups) and Asians of different origins.

• In addition, 42% of Singapore's populace are foreigners2, which makes it the country with the sixth highest proportion of foreigners worldwide.

Population structure of Singapore3

Source: 1,2,3- http://www.singstat.gov.sg/docs/default-source/default-document-library/publications/publications_and_papers/population_and_population_structure/population2014.pdf

• Singapore is the world’s most religiously diverse nation1

Source: 1-Study done by Pew Research Centre. Singapore scored the highest on the Religious diversity index

• About a third of Singapore’s population is Buddhist (34%), while 18% are Christian, 16% are religiously unaffiliated, 14% are Muslim, 5% are Hindu and <1% are Jewish. The remainder of the population belongs to folk or traditional religions (2%) or to other religions considered as a group (10%).

• Religion is still an integral part of cosmopolitan Singapore and people have the absolute freedom to practice their religion and respecting one another’s religion is a cornerstone of the Singaporean culture.

Buddhism; 33%

Not Religious; 17%

Islam; 15%

Protestantism; 11%

Taoism; 11%

Catholicism; 7%

Hinduism; 5%Other Religions; 1%

We study in ethnically integrated schools

• Multiracialism is embedded in all aspects of our lives in Singapore and not just seen in the diversity of people.

We live in ethnically diverse neighbourhoods

We have absolute freedom to celebrate all the different festivals be it Chinese New Year, Buddhist Vesak Day, Muslim Eid ul-Fitr, Hindu Diwali or Christmas Day and Good Friday.

Singaporean cuisine is also a prime example of diversity and cultural diffusion in Singapore. Overtime we have embedded aspects of different cultures and have developed our own unique dishes which cannot be found anywhere else.

• Singapore has come a long way since independence 50 years ago despite the limitations it faced.

• Its one of the greatest success stories not only because of its economic and non-economic gains but also because it has taught the world that peace and prosperity can exist amongst people from different racial and cultural backgrounds.

• Singapore’s story will go down in history as one of paramount importance because it was guided by one overarching mentality-meritocracy. Equal opportunities for all regardless race, religion or creed.

• It can teach the world especially the one we live in today where in many places we see strife because of race and religion.

• The people of Singapore who belong to different races and religion, our ability to embrace one another has made us what we are today and this is our legacy…..

THANK YOU!

Aarti Sharma