Nation-building in Singapore: AY 2014-5

HY 2229/SSA2204: Lecture 2
HISTORY AND NATION-BUILDING
A.

Introduction
Review of Lecture 1

B.

What is History?
1. Meanings of History
The word history has several meanings:
a. Events of the past
b. Record or account of events
c. Field of study
History is the past, and historians are those who study and write about
history. (Warren, 1999)
2. Nature of History
a. Chronological Dimension
Chronological thinking is the heart of historical reasoning. Chronology
provides the mental scaffolding for organizing historical thought. (National
Center for History in the Schools, UCLA)
b. Factual Dimension
The historian without his facts is rootless and futile; the facts without their
historian are dead and meaningless. My first answer therefore to the question
What is history? is that it is a continuous process of interaction between the
historian and his facts, an unending dialogue between the present and the
past. (E. H. Carr, 1961)

c. Interpretative Dimension
It used to be said that facts speak for themselves. This is, of course, untrue.
The facts speak only when the historian calls on them; it is he who decides to
which facts to give the floor, and in what order or context. (E. H. Carr, 1961)
C.

History and Nation-Building

1. History as the shaper of national identity
We are products of our past. Our memories and experiences help to shape who
we are. If this is true of us, it is also true of nations.
[History enables] us to know the peculiarities of our society, what
distinguishes us from others, what kind of people we are and nobody else. In
brief, we should study the past so that we know what it is to be a
Singaporean. (Ong Pang Boon, 1981)
The long-term survival of a country, especially a small one, depends in large
measure on a strong sense of identity. (Lee Hsien Loong, 1989)
2. History as the teacher of political lessons
It is assumed that the study of a nations past can successfully inculcate
nationalism and patriotism.
There is a common saying that history repeats itself and there are many
examples to prove this idiom right But history need not repeat iself if we
are able to draw lessons from it. Singaporeans [should] have a sense of the
past so that they can have a better appreciation of the present. And it is with
this historical perspective that they will be able to set a direction for the
future. Then history need not repeat itself. (Wong Kan Seng, 1985)
Our successes and achievements, real as they are, can lull us into a false
sense of security. It can make us believe that the good times are the natural
order of things and will always be here. An understanding of [the past] will
give us a better appreciation of how we have reached our present position
Its lesson will teach us that our future as a nation is not predestined. (Tay Eng
Soon, 1984)

D.

The Case of Singapore

1. History teaching given low priority: 1965-1978

After separation from Malaysia in 1965, the governments central focus was
on national survival, with priority given to economic survival through rapid
industrialization. Educational priority was therefore geared toward imparting
scientific and technical skills to support Singapores industrial drive. The
teaching of history for nation-building took a back seat because history had no
practical value and the past was perceived as a hindrance to nation-building.
More important present and future needs took priority over interest in the past.
In 1972, history was dropped from primary school curriculum.
History has no immediate practical use. It does not tell us about the
future. It does not help us compute our way through life. Thus in schools,
history together with geography, are being pushed out of the curriculum to
make room for more immediately attractive and useful studies. (Ong
Pang Boon, 1981)
For 20 or 30 years, we did not see much around us worth preserving.
Colonialism, corruption, racialism, poverty, unemployment and squalor
were clearly not worth preserving A good deal of what we saw around
us in the late 40s and early 50s merited destruction. And in order to create
the Singapore we know today, my generation set about destroying what
had to be destroyed. Devan Nair (1981)
We do not lay undue stress on the past. We do not see nation-building
and modernization as primarily an exercise in reunited the present
generation with a past generation and its values and glories. This sort of
nation-building could be disastrous for Singapores future. A generation
encouraged to bask in the values of the past and hold on to a static future
will never be equipped to meet a future predicated on jet travel, atomic
power, satellite communication, electronics and computers. For us the
task is not one of linking past generations with the present generation, but
the present generation with future generations. (S. Rajaratnam, 1968)

2. History teaching reemphasized: 1979-1995

By 1979, Singapore had achieved full employment and double-digit growth.
But there was concern that the preceding decade of rapid modernization and
growth had taken their toll on the countrys cultural heritage and contributed
to the erosion of its undergirding Asian values, with Western materialistic
culture threatening to infect the younger generation.
We went through a phase when we became very Westernised, when we as a
result of the colonial experience looked to the West for ideas, for insights,
inspirations. But as Asia becomes more developed there is a sense that,

look, we are ourselves drawn from an ancient civilization, ancient cultures,

and that we should not lightly discard those. It is part of the maturing process
And now we were going back to what is more permanent and more
enduring, looking at our own history and finding in that history enough
strength to take us into the future. (George Yeo, 1989)
In 1981, MOE set up the Curriculum Development Institute of Singapore
(CDIS) to produce textbooks centrally and in 1984, a new history syllabus
was implemented at lower secondary level, where history became a
compulsory subject. This came in the form of two state-authored textbooks,
Social and Economic History of Singapore, the first volume covering the
period 1819-1900 and the second focusing on 1900 to 1965. The general
objectives were:
a. To develop in our pupils a sense of Singapore identity.
b. To impart some knowledge and bring about understanding of, and instill
pride in, Singapores past and their ancestors achievements.
c. To show how major external factors and events influenced the history of
Singapore and the way Singapore contributed towards the development of
the region and elsewhere.
d. To emphasize the relevance of the past to Singapores present and the
future.
In 1994, the two volumes were condensed into one textbook under the title
History of Modern Singapore to be taught in Secondary 1. It had the added
objective of teaching students about the heritage of the major ethnic groups in
order to provide the cultural ballast that is necessary for [Singapores]
development.

3. History teaching given high priority through National Education: 1995present

In the face of uncertain times and unique challenges of the 1990s, history was
given a major role when National Education (NE) was launched in May 1997.
It provided a comprehensive citizenship education framework for the entire
educational system. Its aim was to develop national cohesion, the instinct for
survival and confidence in the future. (Lee Hsien Loong, 1997)
NE was introduced in our school curriculum because it was found that many
Singaporeans, especially those of school-going age and younger Singaporeans
knew little of our recent past and the people closely associated with our recent
history. They did not know how Singapore became an independent nation.
Many of our young people did not know when Singapore gained
independence, and that Singapore was once part of Malaysia. Neither were

our young able to explain Singapores separation from Malaysia in 1965.

Another disturbing indicator was reflected in a survey conducted by Lianhe
Zaobao in 1996 that found a large majority of the 659 respondents from
secondary schools expressing little interest in nation building. (Teo Chee
Hean, 2000)
We cannot afford to have a new generation grow up ignorant of the basic
facts of how we became a nation, and the principles of meritocracy and multiracialism which underpin our entire society and political culture. The history
of our independence should bind all our communities together It is our
shared past. We should understand why [the race riots] took place so that
we will never let them happen again. Lee Hsien Loong (1996)
NE had these key messages:
a. Singapore is our homeland; this is where we belong. We want to keep our
heritage and our way of life.
b. We must preserve racial and religious harmony. Though many races,
religions, languages and cultures, we pursue one destiny.
c. We must uphold meritocracy and prevent corruption. This provides
opportunity for all according to their ability and effort.
d. No one owes Singapore a living. We must find our own way to survive
and prosper.
e. We must ourselves defend Singapore. No one else is responsible for our
security and well-being.
f. We have confidence in our future. United, determined and well-prepared,
we shall build a bright future for ourselves.
Emphasis was placed on the teaching of Singapores post-WWII history,
compulsory for all lower secondary students. A new textbook was written:
Understanding Our Past. Singapore: From Colony to Nation. Its aim was to
provide students with (1) an understanding of their cultural roots and heritage
through the learning of the ancient history of SEA, India, and China and (2) a
sound knowledge of and lessons from our nations history, especially the
political developments in the post-war years leading to self-government and
independence and how Singapore succeeded against all odds to become a
thriving nation.
For all upper secondary students, a new compulsory subject, combined
humanities, was introduced in 2001. It has a compulsory social studies
component and an elective component of history, geography or literature.

E.

Issues and Controversies

If history is never neutral, then using the past for the highly politicized purpose of
nation-building only opens it to further possible contestation. History becomes a
political battleground.

F.

1.

Internal contestation: Hidden agenda/PAP propaganda?

2.

External contestation: Malaysia challenges Singapores version of separation

events

Conclusion
For Singapore, national amnesia is not an option.

Assoc Prof Albert Lau

19 August 2014