Natural Born Singapore Winner

 I’ve often said that Singapore is in many ways what a city should be – namely rich, clean and green. A large part of our success was due to the fact that our post-colonial leadership took a different turn from most post-colonial nations. Instead of turning away foreign investment, we took what was considered an unusual turn at the time and welcomed Western multinationals, who provided us with capital and skills to produce what is now a well-documented economic success story.

However, as the rest of Asia has started to catch up, Singapore has been at something of a loss. The role of being a bridge between West and East has started to vanish, as the Western multinationals have gone to the bigger Asian markets directly (think of prominent Westerners like former Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd who speaks fluent Mandarin to appeal to China directly) and the foreign investment community has found us increasingly expensive.

If you look at the economic policies of the last decade, you’ll get the sense that our government is scrambling to look for a “winner” that will propel our economy. We’ve done industrialization, trying digitalization and reinventing ourselves as a fun place for the world’s well to do – just think of the casinos and Formula One. Our government, which has become used to instant formulas of success, is now at a loss and is seeking all sorts of ways for that Holy Grail of shinny economic figures.

I had the privilege of being summoned by my old “food buddy” for a meal at the Sheraton hotel today. He had run into a common friend whom we had known as the manager of the Bar & Billiard Room in the Raffles Hotel, which was an old haunt of ours (back in the days when I had a magic card that gave huge discounts). This friend of ours had described the offer at the Sheraton as a “Die-Die Must Try” meal.

The meal was delightfully display of Peranakan (Straits Born Chinese) culture and then it hit me. If there’s one thing that Singapore can win at, it’s our cuisine. Singapore is a “foodie” paradise in as much as you’re going to get decent quality cuisine of any culture on the planet (I used to eat Nigerian food in Singapore). However, in addition to the availability of good cuisine of most cultures, there is a distinctly unique Singapore cuisine that combines the best of Chinese, Malay, Indian and to a certain extent some Western influence. If you look at my meal at the Sheraton, you will note that the dishes cannot be classified as particularly Chinese or Malay and they are unique to this part of the world.

The food was delicious. Meat dishes were tender. The coconut rice was flavorful and the vegetables were fresh – I am told that the Sheraton has a garden on its premises and the produce was grown in house, literally.

What makes this Singapore cuisine so special, is the fact that it was not something created by the government. Ever since he took power, Lee Kuan Yew and his successors have spent some 55-years trying to invent a culture for Singapore and Singaporeans. They have tried to enforce rules on “mother-tongue,” (a Chinese is only supposed to speak Mandarin) and tried to redefine cultural identity. Yet, these government led initiatives have largely been costly and ineffective.

However, while the government was trying to redefine culture and winners for Singaporeans, the people came together and worked together and produced something. Our Singapore cuisine is the result of people from different cultures, living together, trying each other’s cuisine and adapting what they liked and what they didn’t like thus creating something wonderful.

It’s not just at the Sheraton end of the market where this is happening. About a week back, I was in the Chua Chu Kang area of Singapore, where I met a Chinese hawker, selling Nasi (Malay for Rice) Rempah, which was his own invention – a take on the normal dish of Nasi Lemak. Once again, the meal was exceedingly enjoyable and a true celebration of our home-grown Singapore cuisine.   

If there’s anything encouraging about Singapore, its in the areas that have been overlooked by officialdom. This is the small spaces where people have been allowed to mix together free of the influence of dictated thought. This is the space where cultures have been allowed to meet at a particular cross roads and where people have been able to find common ground.

If the government is struggling to find a winner for Singapore, they should look into these spaces and encourage them to grow. Rather than dictate, they should allow people to feel their way. The results will be as tasty as our organically developed cuisine.