Do Singaporeans have a social conscience?

By Lam Pin Foo

　　After having read the Senior Ministers memoirs, From Third World To First, many thoughts came surging into my mind. As a Singaporean and having lived through the earlier traumatic times, our present enviable economic success and high standards of living, all achieved within one generation, fill me with pride and gratitude.

　　In my frequent travels overseas, the Singaporean identity instantly commands respect, admiration and sometimes even awe from non Singaporeans.

　　They are impressed by our palpable affluence and heap accolades upon us for having an incorruptible and highly efficient government, a safe and green environment and a harmonious multiracial society that is worthy of emulation by others.

　　On the debit side, our detractors view us increasingly as a victim of our own success. They have branded us "ugly Singaporeans". Some of our neighbours quite justifiably find us overbearing, boastful and condescending towards them. Others see us as overly materialistic, somewhat uncouth and lacking in social graces. Hopefully, this is a transitional phase.

　　In a nutshell, there is consensus that our economic progress is not matched by a corresponding enhancement in our social behaviour.

　　To be objective, it is unrealistic to expect that Singapore can blossom into a cultured nation within a mere generation. Even leading immigrant societies with superior resources, like the United States, Canada and Australia, took many generations to reach their present level of sophistication and maturity.

　　Nevertheless, I find it gratifying that the Singaporean character has undergone a tremendously positive transformation compared with just two decades ago. we are now more courteous, more compassionate and more civic minded than ever before. What have brought this about?

　　The ongoing courtesy and kindness campaigns, the revamp of our education system and the beneficial impact of the mass media have certainly helped. But more importantly, as an increasing number of Singaporeans nowadays travel abroad regularly, they can see for themselves how much more pleasant and civilised life can be in a more cultivated community.

　　The obvious role models for us to emulate are Japan, New Zealand, Canada and the Scandinavian countries, where courtesy and mutual respect for each other is truly a way of life.

　　Lamentably, two Singaporean traits still stand out like a sore thumb and should be regarded with growing concern by all right-thinking people here: they are our utter selfishness and inconsideration towards others. This is clearly manifested in the irresponsible way many of us drive and park our vehicles, the indiscriminate use of hand phones and other electronic devices, unpunctual for business and private appointments, jumping queues with no guilt feelings, chattering in cinemas, public lectures and libraries, using force on others with the slightest pretext, to name just a few of our more glaring failings.

　　One astute foreigner has observed that there are two sides to our nature: a highly-developed family conscience contrasted with an under-developed social conscience. To our close relatives, kiths and kins and friends, we are caring, kind, helpful, indulgent and generous. To the public at large, we tend to behave quite differently believing that, as they are strangers to us, we have no social obligations to be civil to them.

　　It is this aspect of our psyche, which unfortunately is quite widespread, that makes us appear coarse to those coming from a more genteel community.

　　I must confess that I do not know where the real solution lies, or whether these unedifying character traits, if left uncorrected and in the absence of a strong peer pressure for change, will become too deeply-entrenched to get rid of later.

　　However, one thing is certain. Parents together with our educational authorities have a pivotal role to play in helping to mould and shape the character of our young in their formative years. Lets hope that the next generation of Singaporeans will usher in a society more gracious and considerate than the present one.(The writer is a retired lawyer)

新加坡人有社会良知吗？

● 蓝秉湖

　　读完了李光耀内阁资政回忆录下册后，使我思潮起伏。

　　作为一个新加坡公民，我经历过早期动荡不安的年代。现在我们却享有令人羡慕的经济成就和高水平生活。而这一切只是在一代人的时间里完成。想到这点，我心里充满自豪和感激。

　　我经常出国，也时常体验到当一些外国人知道我是新加坡公民时，油然而生的那种尊敬、赞赏、甚至惊叹的感觉。

　　他们对我们的富裕有着深刻的印象。对我们拥有一个廉洁和高效率的政府、一个安全和翠绿的环境、和一个值得其他国家仿效的多元种族和谐社会，更是赞不绝口。

　　另一方面，诋毁我们的人认为我们的成就反而害了我们。他们称我们为“丑陋的新加坡人”。

　　一些邻国的人民也觉得新加坡人很傲慢、喜欢自夸和看不起他们。这些说法并不是毫无根据的。

　　也有一些人觉得我们太过注重物质生活，粗鲁和缺乏社交礼仪。我希望这些只是过渡时期的现象。

　　简括的说，很多人都觉得我们在经济上取得的进步，并没有相对的带来更优雅的社会行为。

　　客观的说，要求新加坡在一代人的时间里，发展成一个文雅的国家，是不切实际的。就算具有优质资源的杰出移民社会，譬如美国，加拿大，和澳洲，也是经过好几代人的经营，才达到目前的文化和修养水平。

　　不过，跟20年前比较，新加坡人的特性已经有了巨大和正面的转变。这点令我感到非常欣慰。

　　我们变得更有礼貌，更有同情心，也更有公民意识。是什么原因促使我们改变呢？

　　每年举行的礼貌运动和“日行一善”周，教育制度的改革，以及传媒的有利影响，肯定有所帮助。

　　但更重要的是，经常出国旅游的新加坡人越来越多。他们目睹了在一个文雅的社会里，人们可以过着更愉快和优雅的生活。

　　日本，纽西兰，加拿大和斯堪地那维亚诸国，是我们学习的对象。在这些国家，礼貌和相互尊敬已经完全成为一种生活方式。

　　很遗憾的，新加坡人的两种格外令人反感的性格特征－自私自利和不为他人着想，到现在仍然没有改善。我们应该关注这种情况。这样的例子为数不少，比较明显的有：鲁莽驾驶、非法停车、在不适当的场所使用手机和其他电子设备、不守时赴约、插队、在戏院，讲座和图书馆喋喋不休的谈论及对他人使用暴力。

　　根据一个敏锐的外国人的观察，新加坡人具有双重性格：对家庭的高度责任感和薄弱的社会良知，两者形成一个强烈的对比。

　　对我们的近亲和好朋友，我们表现得关心、和蔼、宽容、和慷慨，也不吝于施出援手。

　　对于其他的人，我们的行为和态度却往往大不相同。因为彼此不认识，我们觉得没有必要对陌生人以礼相待。

　　不幸的是，这种心态相当普遍。因此，在来自比较高雅的社会的人士的眼中，我们便显得粗俗无礼。

　　我得承认我不知道怎么克服这个问题。如果没有群体压力促使人们改变这些令人厌恶的行为，我也不知道它们会不会因此变得根深蒂固而难以更改。

　　但是，有一点可以肯定，家长和教育部在塑造成长期年轻人的性格方面，扮演着关键性的角色。希望下一代的新加坡人能创造一个比现在更优雅和更具爱心的社会。

作者为退休律师  叶琦保译