A conversation about Singapore

nick: Hi, Sofia. I’ve been looking all over for you. I wanted to return your notes from the lecture on Singapore. Thanks for letting me borrow them

sofia: Oh, no problem. Sorry that you’re not feeling well, Nick. Are you feeling any better?

nick: Yeah, a lot better, thanks. I’m afraid I have another favor to ask. Do you have time right now to answer some questions for me? There were a few things in your notes I didn’t understand.

sofia: Sure thing.

nick: Great! So first, you wrote here, uh, “Singapura—lion.” I couldn’t figure out what you meant by that.

sofia: Oh, that’s an easy one. Singapura is the original name for Singapore. It means “lion city.” And the symbol of the country is the Merlion—it’s a mythical creature with the head of a lion and

the body of a fish. So, the head of the lion relates to the name Singapura. And the body of the fish has to do with the fact that Singapore started of as a fishing village.

nick: Hmm, that sounds like something that will be on the test, so I’ll definitely write it down . . . oh, and do you remember when modern Singapore was founded? Sorry, but I couldn’t really read

your handwriting here.

sofia: Yeah, I think it was 18 something . . . maybe 1819? Yeah, 1819, that’s it. So, you know, it’s still a young country, relatively speaking.

nick: Country? But I thought it was a city.

sofia: Well, actually, it’s both. Singapore is a city-state. That means that the city and its surrounding area are considered to be a country, too.

nick: How cool! Umm, let’s see . . . what else? Oh, I don’t really understand the section of your notes about Singapore’s challenges. Could you explain that a bit more?

sofia: Sure. For one thing, Singapore doesn’t really have a lot of land, oil, wood, or other natural resources. Oh, and another thing . . . um, there’s also a mix of people from different ethnic groups

and with different religions and languages. They’re all trying to conform to the laws and live together in a small space.

nick: That doesn’t sound too easy . . .

sofia: No, I wouldn’t think so. It’s also a really small country—only about 270 square miles, which . . .

nick: Wow, that’s . . . oh, sorry, go ahead.

sofia: That’s OK . . . I was just going to say that it’s about the size of the state of Hawaii.

nick: That’s tiny.

sofia: Yeah, it’s definitely small for a country, but it’s 100 percent urbanized—all the people live in built-up areas. You probably read in my notes that Singapore has a really powerful economy for

such a small country.

nick: Yeah, I kind of knew that already, though. You also wrote that Singapore ranks second in the world in terms of having an innovative economy. So, despite its small size, you’re saying

Singapore actually has considerable economic influence, even when dealing with much larger, more affluent countries.

sofia: It definitely does. And a lot of people think that Singapore couldn’t have achieved that kind of success without Lee Kuan Yew.

nick: Lee Kuan Yew . . . he was the first prime minister, right?

sofia: Yeah. He was the prime minister for, uh, 30 years, or so. And he stayed active in politics until he retired, which actually wasn’t that long ago, maybe in 2011? So anyway, his ideas were

dominant in Singapore politics for over 50 years.

nick: Fifty years? That’s a long time! And he must have been a hard worker, because you write here that Singaporeans are accustomed to working very hard, and that they seem to want to be number one in everything.

sofia: Right, that was an important point. The professor said it had to do with the spirit of kiasu.

nick: The spirit of what?

sofia: Kiasu. It means “afraid to lose.” It’s an idea that some people have internalized, and it makes them work hard to be the best. For example, Singapore has one of the world’s busiest shipping ports, and it has one of the world’s best health care systems.

nick: That’s pretty impressive. What about the laws in Singapore? You wrote something about chewing gum?

sofia: Well, you can’t sell chewing gum in Singapore. It’s been restricted since 1992, and the police really do enforce that law. Spitting on the street can also get you a huge fne. And then, if

you can believe it, there’s a fine for forgetting to flush the toilet in a public place.

nick: Really? That must be unique to Singapore. I’ve never heard of anything like it. I think that the laws seem way too strict, don’t you?

sofia: Actually, no, I don’t. Those laws make Singapore one of the cleanest and safest places to live in the world. Personally, I’d rather have strict laws and safe streets than fewer laws and more crime.

nick: Hmmm. I think that’s a debatable point. Maybe we can agree to disagree on that. But I do agree that Singapore is a fascinating place.

sofia: Definitely.

nick: OK, I think you’ve answered all my questions.

sofia: Good. I’m sure the test will be a breeze.

nick: Uh, I don’t know about that! But thanks again for your notes, Sofia, and for all your help. You’re a life saver. See you next class.

sofia: OK, Nick, see you then.