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City Overview Singapore, the diamond-shaped island off the southern tip of Malaysia, is an unlikely success story. Once a simple fishing village, it was founded in 1819 by Sir Stamford Raffles – an official of the British East India Company – who decided it was the perfect location as a trading station. Since then it has thrived and became known as the Lion City. Singapore City is by far the largest and most significant island alongside the many smaller ones that make up Singapore state. Here, especially at the mouth of the Singapore River, Asian tradition meets modern technology – gleaming skyscrapers tower over traditional architecture, while squat Chinese and Hindu temples stud the city. A curious blend of ancient and modern, the city is home to an ethnic mix of Chinese, Malaysians, Indians, as well as ex-pats from all over the world, in a predominantly English-speaking society. These different races live harmoniously thanks to religious tolerance, increased prosperity, stringent no-nonsense laws and a constant balmy equatorial heat. Since the island became a Republic in 1965, Lee Kuan Yew, former Prime Minister and now Senior Minister, has pursued a vigorous free trade policy that has seen an unprecedented rise in the standard of living (most city dwellers own their own homes) and exponential economic growth. The Asian crisis of 1997 caused mayhem elsewhere, but here it was little more than a slightly worrying blip, although unemployment did rise from a steady 3.2% to 6%. Even after the September 11 terrorist attacks, which caused a downturn in tourism and many other industries, Singapore is making a steady recovery. To the visitor stepping into Singapore’s world-beating Changi Airport, there is little indication of anything other than impressive efficiency. What can be dangerously beguiling is the safety and cleanliness of this city; dangerous because it has been achieved and maintained at the expense of personal freedom. Canings, corrective work orders and harsh financial penalties can accompany breaking the law. There are the infamous on-the-spot fines for jay-walking or dropping a cigarette, but persistent litterers will find themselves suffering what in Singapore is the huge ignominy of picking up litter themselves, while more serious crimes, such as drug trafficking, are punished by the death penalty. Yet, in the financial and business districts, a new breed of well-heeled ex-pat seems to enjoy a good quality of life. In Singapore, oiling the wheels of success and becoming the best – an economic miracle to show the rest of the world the way – seems paramount. The prestigious Forbes Magazine enticed CEOs from around the globe to Singapore for a major business conference in September 2001 – an impressive coup for Singapore’s government as all previous conferences have been held in America; and now Singapore has become a fast-growing market for incentive travel, with more conventions, conferences and exhibitions than ever before. All of this business thrives amid a constant flow of festivals and events in the ethnic quarters of Chinatown, Little India and Geylang Serai, which mark the many religious and cultural occasions throughout the calendar. Singaporeans still rely on feng shui consultants, astrologers and fortune-tellers for advice when moving home, getting married or changing jobs. There is a budding arts community, which provides something of an outlet for feelings long denied in a series of annual showcases. However, these do veer more towards the respectable face of art, often created and marketed by the Singapore Tourism Board, with little wild self-expression to rock the establishment. More traditionally, Raffles Hotel and a rank of good museums furnish insights into the past. But modern consumer culture takes over most aspects of life: the Great Singapore Sale dominates the early summer in the city centre – and increasingly in the suburbs. Most visitors to Singapore at some stage will indulge in the competitive prices and great selection, especially in electronics equipment. And everybody comes to eat: there are food outlets at every step, from traditional hawker centres to modern food courts, Asian specialities to international haute cuisine – reflecting the cuisines of the different ethnic communities that Singapore has long been a home to. |
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