Singapore, Singapura
From Miracle to Complacency
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- £19.99
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- £19.99
Publisher Description
Modern Singapore is a miracle. Half a century ago it unwillingly became an independent nation, after it was thrown out of the Malay Federation. It was tiny, poor, almost devoid of resources, and in a hostile neighborhood. Now, this unlikely country is at the top of almost every global national index, from high wealth and low crime to superb education and much-envied stability. But have these achievements bred a dangerous sense of complacency among Singapore's people?
Nicholas Walton walked across the entire country in one day, to grasp what it was that made Singapore tick, and to understand the challenges that it now faces. Singapore, Singapura teases out the island's story, from mercantilist Raffles and British colonial rule, through the war years, to independence and the building of the current miracle.
There are challenges ahead, from public complacency and the constraints of authoritarian democracy to changing geographic realities and the difficulties of balancing migration in such a tiny state. Singapore's second half-century will be just as exacting as the one since independence--as Walton warns, talk of a "Singapore model" for our hyper-globalized world must face these realities.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this lively guide, English journalist Walton (Genoa) leads the reader on a 53-kilometer hike across the island nation of Singapore. In 2017, taking advantage of his position as a trailing spouse, Walton undertook a West-to-East journey achievable in one day along the southern "backbone" bordering the Strait of Singapore, starting at the West Coast Pier. Tales of the arrival of the British on the island 200 years ago blend seamlessly with the author's interviews with contemporary locals such as Koh Seng Choon, founder of the Dignity Kitchen, whose mission is to cultivate empathy among Singaporeans. With the enthusiasm of a newcomer, Walton shares his discoveries of a minuscule country that rose from a sleepy 20th-century colony with most of its population receiving only a primary school education to a prosperous land of "tiger mothers" and overachieving youngsters concerned with kiasu, defined as a fear of failure, that some credit for the country's successes. While extolling Singapore's stunning progress since it gained independence from Malaysia in 1965, the narrative presents a balanced picture of Singapore as a police state where chewing gum is forbidden and corporal punishment is still condoned. Armchair travelers will relish this enthusiastic introduction to the modern Asian trading hub.
