Going to Singapore this year to travel and meet friends felt like a homecoming. The Mass Rapid Transit announcements in the four national languages of the country - English, Mandarin, Malay, and Tamil - the smell of hawker stalls, and the sweltering heat, all filled my heart with heavy nostalgia. Coincidentally, my trip fell into the week of the Singaporean National Day holiday, which provided an opportunity to explore the depths of the Singaporean national identity further.
The common telling of Singaporean historiography emphasizes the 1819 landing of the British adventurer Sir Stamford Raffles on the island at the Southern tip of the Malay Peninsula and the subsequent British colonial rule. However, recent scholarship, such as the 2020 history book Seven Hundred Years: A History of Singapore by Kwa Chong Guan et al., underlines that Singapore was already an important trade node in the Straits of Malacca for centuries before British control, which has also become more emphasized in the Singaporean national history over the years. Similarly, there is a common narrative among Singaporeans to extol the efforts of Lee Kuan Yew (LKY) and his People’s Action Party (PAP) in bringing Singapore from a so-called “third world” status into the “first world”. Although Lee himself opposed attempts to idolize him, the recent controversy around the conservation of his residence at 38 Oxley Road, as well as the creation of the Founders Memorial, shows that the government is interested in integrating his legacy into the civil culture of Singapore. In numbers that surprised many, more than a million people turned up to mourn “Ah-Gong’s1” passing in 2015, which involved a funeral procession across the historic downtown of Singapore, a fighter jet flyover, and a lying-in-state, with half a million mourners paying respect to his body. This should show the impact Lee and his ideology had on Singapore. However, the well-maintained legacy of colonialism, multiracialism, and party-rule represents an important facet of the carefully managed image of Singapore towards both its own inhabitants, as well as to the outside world.
The historian Benedict Anderson states in his book “Imagined Communities” that nations are imagined constructs, something that Lee Kuan Yew acknowledged in his book “From First World to Third.” Lee knew that Singapore needed common cultural elements to foster the creation of a Singaporean identity rather than one culture dominating the others, stating in his August 9, 1965 speech at Broadcasting House that “This is not a Malay nation; this is not a Chinese nation; this is not an Indian nation. Everyone will have his place, equal: language, culture, religion.” He also knew that the strength of the nation had to be demonstrated, which led to the establishment of National Day as a holiday. This holiday eventually grew in significance as it became embedded in the newly created national consciousness of Singaporeans.
The origin of Singapore's National Day dates back to the country's independence from Malaysia on August 9, 1965. Singapore gained self-governance from the British Empire in 1959, having been admitted to Malaysia along with the British Protectorates of Sarawak and Sabah on Borneo. However, the sudden separation from Malaysia forced Singapore to rapidly create a new national identity for itself to facilitate national cohesion in a geopolitically volatile climate. As the new city-state was comprised of many different groups, mainly Chinese, Malay, and Indians, in addition to Eurasians and other smaller communities considered “Others” legally, creating a cohesive society proved to be one of the most difficult tasks.
One of the measures taken to develop a Singaporean identity was the institution of National Day for the country's first anniversary in 1966 and its associated celebrations and traditions. What started as a small parade of government officials, soldiers, and representatives from various social and cultural groups in Singapore, which was meant to instill a sense of social unity and national pride in the new state, has evolved into a significant annual event, marked by week-long festivities, theme songs, and celebrations. Patriotic songs such as Home (1998) have become staples of Singaporean cultural nostalgia, as well as memes such as the crying dancer from this year’s National Day. In addition to highly anticipated annual performances, such as an airshow by Singaporean paratroopers, the Red Lions, the parade has grown more inclusive, with charity groups and school children participating in order to show national unity. The week leading up to National Day is chock full of patriotic symbolism, Singaporean flags everywhere, with special exhibits in malls showcasing aspects of Singaporean culture. Many museums will hold special events and offer free entry on National Day (Which I took generous advantage of). Tens of thousands of Singaporeans gather on the Padang, a parade ground in the downtown of Singapore, to witness the parade involving musical performances, military vehicles, and speeches by government officials. I, for my part, was trying to drink teh siew dai2, while the SAF jets kept interrupting my relaxation as they broke the sound barrier above my head for the show.
The cultural presence of National Day and the Parade on the Padang as a form of cultural memory shows that the manufactured ritual of nationalism in Singapore has become a genuine reflection of the patriotic feelings of many Singaporeans. What started off as an attempt to forge one nation out of many people has become the symbol of the success of the policy of Lee Kuan Yew and the PAP to create a state that would endure. The pragmatic attempt at creating national unity and a shared culture among Singaporeans has grown into a beloved festival enjoyed by both locals and foreigners like me.
1 Ah-Gong from the Hokkien 阿公 (English: Grandfather)
2 Singaporean milk teSingaporeansa