Multi-Ethnic Singapore

Today we explored the contrasting cultures of Singapore by venturing into Little India, Chinatown and the Arab community on Malay Street. Lord Stamford Raffles was a British Governor General here in the nineteenth century. To avoid friction between the many ethnic groups in Singapore, he separated them into distinct quarters of the city. While most Singaporeans can now trace their ancestry back to several ethnic groups, there are still Chinese, Arab, and Indian families that maintain their own distinct cultures in Chinatown, Arab Town, and Little India. The old architecture in these neighborhoods stands in stark contrast to the modern skyscrapers that tower over these ethnic communities. We visited these ethnic enclaves today.

In the last two days we learned that Singapore is a new city that is using technology as a government tool. While it has a Parliamentary system of government modeled on the British pattern, Singapore’s democracy has resulted in a very highly regulated lifestyle. Not all citizens agree about whether the tight control the government exercises over its citizens is a good thing. Some folks think it is intrusive, but, on the other hand, it yields results.

Traffic is less crowded in Singapore than in any other city its size. The government keeps the streets clear of automobiles by placing extremely high taxes on them. When the government determines that the maximum number of allowable vehicles are on the streets, a ban on automobile imports is enacted. A new, compact car can cost as much as $100,000 in US dollars once taxes are added. In addition, one must pay about $10,000 once every ten years for a certificate of permission to operate an automobile. Besides this, one must pay an annual fee for a device that mounts to the dashboard that automatically registers an auto when it enters a toll road. Some particularly busy city streets become toll roads during rush hour, and the device deducts from one’s cash account automatically. As a result, fewer motorists use these routes in peak hours than they otherwise would. Bicycles and motor scooters are limited on the streets by an excellent public transportation system that is faster, safer and less trouble than bikes and scooters. The net result is the for most people, automobiles are prohibitively expensive. But the government designs it that way.
Police and other government officials are professional and thorough. They do not cut themselves, nor those they apprehend, any slack. They are fair, but they do their job very conscientiously. For us, that proved to be an advantage as we went through immigration, customs and security every time we got on or off the ship. Officials were courteous and efficient, but they were meticulous and consistent in carrying out their duties. Every time I went through security I received the same, thorough search, with a very attentive and careful scrutiny of my passport and other documents. The result was that I have never felt safer going across any border than in Singapore. The feeling among residents, and among us tourists, is that if one commits even a misdemeanor, one is not likely to get away with it.

Some residents question whether the results are worth the loss of personal freedom. It’s a tough question. Singapore is clean, new, fantastically beautiful and safe, without doubt. However, one of our shipmates observed after his visit into town today, “Singapore is spectacular, for sure. And Mussolini got the trains all to run on time, but at what cost?”Read more