Singapore: The Little Red Dot’s balancing act

Locals would further admit that they are spoilt for choice not just in food, but also in entertainment. Clubs like Zouk and The Butter Factory have been reliable nightlife haunts for teenagers and young adults alike, who also enjoy the occasional tipple at myriad bars along Clarke Quay and Duxton Hill, or post-dinner coffee at some of the new-age hipster cafes in Tiong Bahru. 

Those eager to experience wildlife in a concrete jungle can also count on a plethora of options: Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, the Singapore Zoo, Jurong Bird Park, and S.E.A. Aquarium just to name a few. A visit to the Universal Studios theme park on Sentosa would easily satiate one’s thirst for thrilling roller coasters, while a stroll along Gardens by the Bay followed by a concert at the durian-shaped Esplanade would mirror how the city-state treads a thin line between modernisation and self-preservation.

Off the beaten tourist track, indie music bands perform regularly along Aliwal Street and Bali Lane, parks and park connectors provide convenient getaways for hiking and cycling, while prawn fishing farms allow you to barbecue your catch on the spot. 

Locals longing for a throwback to the rustic kampung (Malay for village) days also make day-trips to Pulau Ubin, a quiet, less-developed offshore island which is home to wetlands populated with mudskippers, mangroves and other wildlife. History buffs visit Bukit Brown Cemetery, the largest Chinese cemetery outside of China, and where many of Singapore’s first immigrants are buried.

But the days are numbered for many familiar landmarks like Bukit Brown and Zouk, which have become national icons in their own right. Part of the cemetery will be exhumed to make way for a new highway, while the nightclub might close for good by the end of this year as authorities do not intend to extend its lease. The country’s resilient quest for progress, it seems, has begun encroaching on its heritage. 

Today’s dinner could be a ‘chop chop’ affair over a $4 plate of chicken rice at a kopitiam (coffee shop), but tomorrow’s might be a $40 prime-cut steak with an equally pricey bespoke cocktail at one of the many refurbished shophouses that betray the country’s gradual gentrification. 

This ongoing battle between old and new is somewhat reminiscent of the great Singlish debate, which has patriotic proponents rooting for the preservation and proliferation of Singapore’s unique, creole twist on English, and naysayers cringing at its disregard for conventional grammar. There seems to be a faulty assumption that proper English and Singlish are mutually exclusive, or that chicken rice would go down horribly with a cocktail. 

But as the Republic develops and modernises to align itself with an increasingly globalised world, perhaps it does not have to do so at the expense of what little heritage it possesses as a young nation. There will be plenty of fanfare next year when the country celebrates its 50^th year of independence. As someone who calls this place home, my wish is for Singapore to continue striking the fine balance between cultural richness and economic prosperity, and to cherish its past as much as it values its future. After all, it would be rather un-kiasu of me not to want the best of both worlds.