My friends and I were discussing what being Singaporean meant for us while lounging at the Burton & Garran Hall during an event organised by the ANU Singapore Students’ Association (SSA). Our lighthearted banter was all about whether Singlish (our colloquial brand of English) distinguishes us apart from other Asian students on campus. I wonder, however, if that is all that differentiates us or could there be something more that makes us truly unique.
For Singaporeans, Singlish has been known for its mish-mash of the Hokkien dialect, Bahasa Malayu and Tamil languages. The use of Singlish is common among the lesser educated and poorer communities. Once considered an embarrassing degeneration of British English, Singlish today has earned a reputation for being typically Singaporean. The manner of speech has served as a unifying factor among locals that bind us in the midst of our cultural melting pot. My friends noted that when Singaporeans gather, the tendency is to slip into our Singlish mode. Sentences are often laced with local colloquialism, peppered with an all too familiar ‘lah’ and ‘lor’. The inevitable ‘aiyoh’ sprouts when an unbelievable morsel of gossip erupts. Not surprising since such expressions are recognisably Singaporean. Some can even don the T-shirt to prove that point.
The weird manner of our conversation is not all that distinguishes us though because more than our peculiar speech is our highly globalized outlook on matters. Singapore’s exceptional blend of resourcefulness and creativity, coupled with an entrepreneurial spirit set us apart from other students in the school. The power of the human spirit has helped us ride through turbulent times in both economic and financial storms. No longer is there a pure reliance on government intervention alone to shield the country from external shocks but rather, there is a drive - an internal resilience you might say, that is marked by self-determination and an ingenious problem-solving instinct.
Furthermore, the connections and ties that Singaporean students have developed over the course of doing business in different networks give us the opportunity to view the world through forward-looking lenses. The country has never been one that closes itself from global ideas and influences. In fact, Singapore is known to be one of the most receptive countries in the world to accept advances and breakthroughs in the fields of science and technology. As Singaporeans, we have that potential to set ourselves on the path for exponential growth if only our mentality for globalization continues to expand. There are definitely greater limits for economic reach through innovation and a larger stage for creative expressions that remain untapped.
With a more intertwined global economy, Singaporeans must be poised to ride onto the next wave of development. Not only do we just talk shop in Singlish, we need to make sense in all of our discourses, rhetoric and decision-making abilities in order to secure that niche for uniqueness.
