Nicole Tay 404

At the heart of Samoan way of life is ‘aiga’, meaning ‘family’ values including selflessness, hospitality, co-operation, respect and dignity. What core values and ideas from your culture can be used to enhance co-operation and community in the Commonwealth? 

My culture is not for the faint of heart. From third-world to first-world in the span of less than a century, Singapore is a one-of-a-kind success story, and the country still continues to thrive today. Most non-Singaporeans who know Singapore believe it to be utopian: a multi-cultural land of eco-architecture and endless opportunities. However, living in it is a different story. To upkeep such a prestigious image, Singapore's citizens have to play the part of a model society. Thus, needless to say, the pressure is on. Be it students or working adults, Singaporeans are active participants of a rat race, and none of us are strangers to FOMO—Fear Of Missing Out. Even in something as mundane as going to a hawker centre, we refuse to miss out. Funnily, we join long queues because "if there's lots of people, it must be good, and I must thus try it".

There are a few local phrases that come to mind when we describe ourselves. One very common word used is 'chope'. Chope means reserve, and the use of this word can range widely. In a crowded place, one could place a tissue packet on a table to 'chope' it so that no one else could sit there. Alternatively, in a popular school course, one could sign up early to 'chope' a spot before others manage to get a place. Another common word is 'kaypoh'. Saying someone is kaypoh is the same as calling someone a busybody. Being kaypoh means getting to know everything that's happening in everyone's lives, which stems back to not wanting to miss out. A slang that is one of my personal favourites is 'kiasu'. According to Wikipedia, kiasu is a term derived from the Hokkien ‘kia’ meaning afraid and ‘su’ meaning to lose. This word is used to describe people who are extremely competitive so that they can get ahead of others.

At first glance, Singaporean culture might sound like the exact opposite of cooperation and community. It may seem like it is an 'every man for himself' situation. But the truth is a lot more complicated than that, and I believe that it is a truth many Singaporeans might not even realise.

Singapore is no ordinary country, and its success story is one of a kind. So, how does a community turn from good to great? The secret does not lie in better supporting one another, but the opposite. As the saying goes, diamonds are formed under pressure. A community that constantly challenges one another allows for rapid growth.

The pace of progression in the 21st century is exponential, and if one is unable to keep up with the world, there can be dire consequences. Because of this, consistency is not enough. To thrive, one needs development. While supporting one another will aid a community to grow, teamwork can only get one so far; development happens at a relatively slow pace. If a community or country wishes to move from good to great, there needs to be competition. People are pushed to work harder and smarter, because they find that everyone around them is doing the same. Moreover, competition allows for failure, and failure allows for learning and improvement. While the competitiveness of Singapore may appear ruthless at first glance, it is not completely unmanageable and does come with many useful benefits that help give Singapore a sense of community, albeit indirectly.

One prime example of this competitive spirit is Singapore’s education system. Based on the performance of 6,606 students from 149 secondary schools and 15 private schools, Singapore was ranked first for mathematics, science and reading in the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) 2022. This admirable achievement is due to the Singaporean schooling culture. Singaporeans recognise that education can be a pathway to financial security, thus they view it with utmost importance. However, spots and opportunities are limited, thus parents push their children to go into good schools and get good grades. It is not uncommon for a student to have tuition for more than one subject, and there is even a whole culture around solely tuition. The cutoff point for schools are constantly fluctuating, but most tend to get higher every year, based on the national average. The truth is that the better a student does, be it in studies or even co-curricular activities, the more education options they will have. Thus, there is a constant drive to be at the front of the bell-curve, be it from the parents or the student themselves. That is one of the main reasons for the success of the Singaporean education system, which is definitely one of the nation’s biggest sources of pride. 

However, this idea might sound bizarre and flawed to some. Being constantly competitive can be tiring, and competitiveness can lead to sabotage. Unfortunately, no dynamic is perfect, and being afraid to lose out has its set of disadvantages. These values and ideals can certainly lead to burnout and winning through unsavoury means. However, there is another Singaporean value that actually manages to complement our overwork culture—the ‘kampung spirit’.

Before Singapore rose to the ranks of a first world country, it started off as a fishing village, or a ‘kampung’. Thus, like the name suggests, ‘kampung spirit’ refers to a sense of solidarity, trust and community. This was especially necessary as conditions in the past were far from comfortable. Josephine Chia states in a Channel News Asia article, “ the majority of us had little food or any luxury. Store-bought toys or clothes were beyond our meagre pockets. Our wooden houses with attap  roofs had no electricity or running water.” Although it started to become more of a trading port in the 19th and 20th century, Singaporeans still lived in kampungs and still held onto the ‘kampung spirit’. Regardless of race and religion, everyone knew each other. According to Maarif Salleh, former president of Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura, everyone in the kampung had their specific role — for example, selling mee goreng . If the person who sold mee goreng every day was suddenly missing, the people in the kampung would notice immediately. Chan Chong Beng, chairman of Goodrich Global Pte Ltd, even recounts that he could sleep with the doors open in his kampung without any worry. Although times have changed since those days, the spirit still lives on, especially in trying times.

Going back to the Singaporean education system, it is undeniable that competitiveness is a source of stress. Although the results of the Singaporean education system are certainly admirable, it comes with a price. What is supposed to be a healthy amount of stress snowballs into what seems like an impossible task for the average student. It can feel like a herculean task for most teenagers to keep churning out ‘A’s term after term, and burnout is a plausible reality for some. What makes this challenging environment bearable is the students’ sense of togetherness. Students often make collaborative notes and recommend good tuition centres to one another, even if the other student might be one they are not friends with. A common thing for students to do is study in groups. Instead of going to the mall to shop and play, Singaporean students are often found in libraries studying side by side. It is the shared experience of stress that actually allows students to empathise, connect and help each other. They stick together through the toughest of exams, encouraging one another to live on another day in the Singaporean education system. 

With all that being said, there is more to a strong community than just plain support. Members of a community need to know when to compete with one another and when to rely on one another. Going back to the words ‘kiasu', ‘kaypoh’ and ‘chope’, the Singaporean spirit is defined through competitiveness. It is only through this competition that our country continues to grow and keep its status in the world. Fortunately, this attitude manages to pair nicely with our ‘kampung spirit’, which helps to bind our community in hard times. With these two sets of values, Singapore has managed to thrive into the community we know today. However, this attitude does not have to be limited to Singapore. If we, as members of the Commonwealth, keep on challenging one another, we can let iron sharpen iron. At the same time, we need to be able to recognise who is struggling and provide our aid accordingly. A community that balances competition and cooperation is a community that is able to grow consistently and even exponentially. We have the resources and ability to thrive, so let us push on each other to do so and count on one another to build an undefeatable, resilient and hardworking community. After all, the Commonwealth communities should not just aim to survive — we should be aiming to thrive.