I’m a Guinea Pig

Singapore is a truly fascinating place. It’s one of a kind in so many ways, unique if you will. Having said that, I should point out that I’m not endorsing the Singapore Tourism Board’s campaign “Uniquely Singapore”, which I find boring and uninteresting. Terrible to be honest. All it does is say that Singapore is different, but now now it’s different through an interesting, inspiring idea that shapes a clear image about the place in people’s minds. This is a classic example of what ‘decision-making by committee’ leads to 9 times out of 10. And you can just imagine the politics involved in branding a country, let alone a country like Singapore. The sheer number of voices that have influenced this campaign is astronomical.

I find it a real pity that Lee Kuan Yew didn’t singlehandedly write the brand strategy based on his remarkable foresight and vision. Because if that would have been the case, I can assure the tourism board would have had a great campaign today.

The ‘campaign’ you now see was bland enough to get approved by the ginormous committee of officials on the unspoken grounds that it won’t offend anyone. Problem is, this is the very same reason it won’t excite or inspire anyone either. The Singapore Tourism Board isn’t what’s shaped the image of this country around the world anyway, Singapore Airlines has been a much more influential contributor to this over the last 30 years.

If you had to answer the question what Singapore is, other than a city and a country. I think, you would have to describe it as a huge real-life experiment that’s brought some 600sq kilometers of former British colony Malaya from 3rd world to 1st within a few decades. Today, Singapore is a prosperous 1st world nation with an enviable standard of living and GDP/capita on par with the world’s richest nations. Sure, the country has got its set of issues like any other country. And although the government’s views on political dissidents may not exactly trigger a spontaneously raised glass at Amnesty International’s annual convention dinner, judging by the standard of its neighbouring countries, it’s a remarkable phenomena. Lee Kuan Yew, the mastermind behind this miracle epitomises what’s probably best described as creative pragmatism.

Amazingly, Singaporeans and people around the world don’t associate the man with creativity, which I find rather peculiar. He is, however, seen as a brilliant strategist, but people tend to forget the disruptive, creative thinking that his strategies stem from. The man’s a true visionary with a unique persuasive ability that’s enabled him to create a miracle economy in less than 50 years. Hat off.

The remarkable thing is that he’s still going strong well into his eighties and his mind still continues to produce thinking and solutions that make leaders of states around the world seem Neanderthal. Sure, I appreciate that you can’t compare apples and oranges, but my point is that he’s still far ahead of the curve where a lot of people find him passé and a man of the past.

I feel extremely fortunate to be a part of the Singapore experiment, like a happy guinea pig. The question is how long its going to continue to flourish. My good friend Hari recently reminded me that no city state throughout history has continued to prosper for more than 50 years. Singapore is approaching this age. Fast.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to visit this city state, you should seriously start planning on a vist. English is the dominant language of the four official languages of Singapore alongside Mandarin, Malay and Tamil. But the Singaporean version of English called ‘Singlish’ is distinctively different from other English accents. In fact, it’s almost a language in and by itself. I love it.

If you do decide to pay Singapore a visit from the West and believe that easing your taste buds, not to mention your stomach, into the culinary wonderland of Singapore seems like a good idea, I suggest you take a look at the pronunciation guide below. I promise it’s come in really handy when you need it the most.