Professor Tommy Koh, Chairman, National Heritage Board,

Distinguished guests,

Colleagues,

Ladies and gentlemen.

          Thank you for joining us at this launch of the Singapore Heritage Festival 2006. This HeritageFest is in its third year and has proven to be a great opportunity to get many Singaporeans better acquainted with our heritage and more appreciative of how multi-culturalism had taken root in our society and become an integral part of our life and national identity.

2        Today we live in a global village. Technologies have shrunk the distances which in the past helped to preserve uniqueness and characters of different communities. Globalisation and increasing trade and other economic exchanges further enhance the linkages and interaction among people from all over the world. No country is now an island existing in splendid isolation and uninfluenced by what is happening around the four corners of the world. Today we communicate and work across time zones in a cosmopolitan setting. The internet has also created a virtual world with its plethora of on-line information and content available at the click of a mouse.

3   In this environment, it is quite easy to lose our bearings and become confused about what we are or lose touch with our heritage and sense of identity. As a young country, we face greater challenge riding the tides of changes and influences which swirl around us. Next month we are going to celebrate our 41^st National Day. Identity is therefore an appropriate topic to discuss and one which has prompted the National Heritage Board to set this poser “What makes you, YOU!”

4                 The World Cup has just ended and I am sure some of you had been following the matches and rooting for your favourite team.  The excitement and passion for football caused David Montgomery of the Washington Post to write an article on 19 June on the hard questions raised by the World Cup for the immigrant population in the US.  Should they support their old country or the United States?  The article concluded that after a few generations in the land of the immigrants, the hard questions will go away.  The new immigrants may still cheer for the old homeland team. But chances are the grand-children will be cheering for “USA” if they are interested in football at all. What was interesting was to read that even an old and big country such as the US has to grapple with this question among its many new immigrants.  

5        So “What makes you You?” is indeed relevant to our situation and a question we should ask ourselves from time to time.  

The Singaporean Identity

6        We have been asking ourselves what is the Singaporean identity for the past 41 years since we became an independent nation. We seem to intuitively know a fellow Singaporean when we meet one overseas. My Malaysian friends had told me they can also spot a Singaporean from a mile away. What make us so different and identifiable to others?

7        Is it the Singlish we speak? What about the “kiasu” behaviour that some associate with being Singaporean? Or, is it our serious hard-working style and honest down-to-earth approach that characterise us? What about our emphasis on doing things the meritocratic way? Is it our fondness for orderliness and security? Or our compassion and readiness to help others in distress? Is it our comfort in engaging people of different ethnicity having grown up and live in a diverse multi-racial society at home? How about the shared experience of going through National Service for our young men? Are we identifiable by the songs we sing or the favourite food that we love to tuck into?

8        I think the answer lies in all of the above. Perhaps there are many more characteristics of Singaporeans in the national identity. Indeed the list is likely to be much longer. But the key point is that these characteristics and values should become common to all of us, consciously or subconsciously, so that when asked, we will all proudly declare that we are Singaporeans.   This national identity is also the common denominator. The bedrock from which radiates the bonds of loyalty, kinship and camaraderie to see us through good times and bad times as members of the same family.

9        The fact is that many countries with a longer history than ours are still grappling with what makes them unique and what their national identity is about. So we should not be too anxious to ensure that we “create” a Singaporean identity quickly. Our national identity is something that will evolve over time to reflect the shared values and experiences of generations of Singaporeans.

10      I don’t have all the answers to the questions. I hope you and other visitors to HeritageFest can provide some answers. Or you may also ask some questions and think about what should be the appropriate answers. After all, the aim of the HeritageFest this year is to get the discussion going. In the end it is up to all Singaporeans to decide what makes a Singaporean and what the Singapore identity is.

Heritage Trails

11      The HeritageFest had also set out to present key heritage themes and programmes to people in bite-sized and entertaining ways. It is designed as a fun way of learning about our history, roots and culture.

12      Besides organising Heritage Fest, NHB has also been creating “community trails” in partnership with the grassroots organisations. These trails are designed to highlight special places of interests and the multi-cultural heritage that are so evident in many parts of Singapore. We hope that through explorations of these trails, more people will have a better understanding of our history and development as a harmonious and cohesive society. These trails and community participation in promoting them as heritage assets will also strengthen our social bonds and instil a sense of place and pride for residents. The pilot Heritage Trail Project will be launched on 22^nd July 2006.

Conclusion

13      As we become a global city, the challenge will be for us to ensure that we remain rooted to Singapore no matter which part of the world we live or work in. This is far more important as national identity should not be restricted to the place you are in but where your heart is. So, even if you live in some far off corner of this world and you still call Singapore home and remain connected to your family and friends here, then I say, you are a Singaporean.

14      This, I think really is the essence of what we hope to achieve from the Singaporean identity. It is not about physical markers but about the psychic attachment to Singapore. We must nurture a deeper appreciation of our history, appreciate how we became what we are, treasure the social bonds that unite us, evolve stronger shared values and norms, strengthen our commitment to a shared destiny  and develop a quiet confident sense of pride of being a Singaporean.

15      Last but not least, I must thank our ASEAN partners for joining us in this year’s HeritageFest. This is certainly a great showcase for ASEAN culture and will contribute to ASEAN cultural exchange and community building effort.

16    It is now my pleasure to declare Singapore HeritageFest 2006 open.

17      Thank you.