Ethnic relations and culture in Singapore

The emergence of Singapore is very interesting. The place emerged as a nation after the year 1965. Singapore had been a British colony for nearly one hundred fifty years. Previously Singapore was intimately linked to the whole Malay Peninsula. In the year 1819 Singapore came into being as a British trade port. Malays from nearby areas came in that period. A large numbers of migrants from China, and in later time some Indian convict laborers moved into the island. The British tried to integrate the diverse population.

Singapore gained independence in the year 1959. In the year 1963 it has joined the Union of Malaya but was again expelled in 1965. The next five years were noticeable by the ‘policy of survival.’ The island had severe housing deficits and a poor infrastructure from 1945 until the early 1970s. High criminality and unemployment were cities regular features where racial riots and communist uprisings also took place. The ‘survival policy’ was based on the attraction of foreign investment through low taxes. The development of an efficient infrastructure, strict political control and a disciplined workforce were the other features.

Singapore changed from a rough trading port to a rich, orderly, industrialized society in thirty years. The reason of the influential development of a national culture is the remembrance of social and economic difficulties. This is usually focused with wealth and stability and the idea of multiculturalism as well.

In Singapore, there is no single dominant national identity. Complex identities are present there and that draws on a kind of sources and is relevant in different situations. Ethnic identity takes precedence in most situations.

The ethnic relation in Singapore is really unique. Cultural links to China, India, Indonesia and Malaysia give Singaporeans preferences and commitments that stretch far beyond the national borders. These differences are replaced by identification with Singapore as a mother country or motherland with wealth and stability. Distance and differentiation mark ethnic relations very much within the country.

Singapore and its culture

Singapore is a small place where originally Malay population was prominent but in the third generation Chinese were majority. Some Indian and Arab immigrants are also there having some intermarriage between them. Eurasian and Peranakan communities are also there and famous as ‘Straits Chinese’. Because of the presence of these ethnic groups Singapore has also achieved a significant degree of cultural dispersion. This encourages a rich mixture of diversity in Singapore. One of the other cultural attractions of Singapore can be mentioned as its exotic cuisine. Tourists from various corner of the world come to enjoy in Singapore every year.

The English used in Singapore can be noted as primarily British English, with some influences of American English. In Singapore you will listen the local colloquial dialect of English and this is Singlish. This has many creole-like characteristics. They also incorporated vocabulary and grammar from various dialects e.g. Chinese, Malay, and also Indian languages. Singlish is spoken normally on the streets. The government usually frowns on its use in official contexts. English became far-flung in Singapore and it happened after it was implemented as a first language medium in the education system. It can be said that English is the most common language in Singaporean literature. Little Indian and Chinatown is Singapore’s ethnic neighbor.

Little Indian and Chinatown were constituted under the Raffles Plan to initially separate the immigrants. But now a day they have various benefactions whose one of the intention is to buy or eat something related to that particular culture. During the colonial era many places of worship were constructed. The Masjid Jamae Mosque, Sri Mariamman Temple, and the Church of Gregory the Illuminator, all of these were constructed in the colonial era. The British has done this in order to promote religious tolerance. These religious sites are preserved as National Monuments of Singapore.