The Impact of Globalisation on Singapore's Culture
1. Introduction
Over the last century, the world has enjoyed the
convenience globalisation have provided in terms of transportation,
communication and tremendous economic growth through trade. Despite the
numerous benefits that globalisation has brought, there are some drawbacks to
this worldwide phenomenon. One of which is the loss of localized culture and
this causes cities to become increasingly similar to one another. Economic
growth has dominated over the importance of culture and heritage and the loss
of such culture is, unfortunately, permanent.
However, it is fortunate that governments have begun
to realise the need to preserve the culture and heritage of a nation and to
build a national identity with such local culture. For instance, in Singapore,
national education has been introduced in the curriculum of the youths studying
in primary and secondary schools. The increase in efforts towards conservation
and preservation of monuments and cultural districts has also successfully slow
down the erosion of culture in Singapore.
The negative impacts that globalization has on local
culture and heritage has been evident through the desperate need to preserve
and promote local culture. The report will be evaluating the efforts by
government institutes on the preservation of culture and heritage in Singapore
and suggest new methods to improve the situation.
2. Preserving
Culture and Creating a National Identity
The preservation of culture is necessary to create a
national identity. With the increase in number of skyscrapers and tourist
attractions being built around the world, it has become an increasingly
challenge to differentiate between cities. For example, cities like Shanghai,
Singapore and London share a common feature of an observatory wheel. Although
each has its own unique name, they serve the same purpose as a viewing gallery.
However, what differentiate the observatory wheels are not the technology or
the architects but rather the view on the highest point of the wheels. The
scenery that surrounds the wheel should not be merely office buildings but
rather something that speaks more about the nation and its stories.
National education exists for the sole purpose of
educating Singaporeans to embrace their own culture and to create a national
identity. Some features of national education includes learning how to
appreciate the peace Singapore enjoys from racial harmony, the uniqueness of
the various cultures and how they have evolve to become part of the Singapore culture.
Educating the young on the history of Singapore and the nation’s suffering to achieve
the economic growth and standard of living Singaporeans enjoy today helps build
a national identity for Singaporeans as it reflects something common amongst
all Singaporeans. It creates a sense of belonging and allows Singaporeans to
feel attached to their homeland (Ministry of Education, 2013). However, national
education has its limits and this is especially so for “global citizens”. As
globalization has promoted the free movement of people and goods, we often find
that one is never a “pure” Singaporean. The mix of various nationalities makes
it difficult to enforce national education. In fact, it is nearly impossible to
create a national identity amongst such global citizens with their vast background
differences.
Instead of focusing on inducing propaganda on children
today, national education should be focusing on allowing children to express freely
and to encourage them to do their part in terms of environmental conservation
in Singapore, providing platforms for them to participate in the local
political scene and to encourage active community engagement. By encouraging
the young to participate actively in nation building, they would feel inclined
to stay on and help the country prosper as they feel obligated to protect the
country they have helped shape. Although there may be downsides to this
proposal, it certainly helps in creating the identity Singapore needs. An
identity where Singaporeans are all engaged in deciding the future of their
country. This is new and challenging as compared to simply educating children
today of the past which may not appeal to them at all. It is more important to
look forward and create an identity that cannot be erased simply by the fact
that global citizens have not been through the era of “suffering”.
3. Preservation
and Conservation Efforts
According to the National Heritage Board (2013), the
preservation of monuments and significant sites in Singapore has been on-going
since 1971 when the Preservation of Monuments Board was set up. The board has
since been merged with the National Heritage Board and is responsible for
researching on possible preservation sites, providing the support to maintenance
and restoration to such sites. They are also responsible for creating awareness
amongst the public and act as an advisor to businesses and the government.
Despite the urgent need for the preservation of
national sites, there have been numerous occasions where national heritage sites
have conflicting interests with the modern economy. For example, Bukit Brown,
which was featured on the “World Monument Watch 2014” and has become the newest
victim to the development of land transportation in Singapore. Part of the
Bukit Brown cemetery will be converted to roads that will help improve the congestion
along Pan-Island Expressway and Lornie Road during peak hours (Urban
Redevelopment Authority, 2012). Land scarcity in
Singapore has resulted in the inevitable loss of cultural and heritage sites
given the need to cater to the rising population and growth of Singapore’s
economy.
Therefore, there is a need to strike a balance between
the use of land for urban development and the preservation efforts of cultural
sites. One way that could provide the balance is to promote restoration rather
than preservation. Restoration may seem to be a cure rather than a preventing
measure. However, cultural and heritage sites that were forced to give way to
urban development could incorporate elements of buildings or monuments that
were once part of the area. Developers could be made to install certain
facilities such as museums in the present office buildings or even work with
the exterior of the buildings to preserve the elements of culture and heritage.
For example, developers could retain traditional Chinese rooftop designs on
newly developed skyscrapers in Chinatown. This would help give an idea of the
particular heritage site and where they used to be located.
4. Conclusion
The loss of culture caused by globalisation has
resulted in the lacking of belongingness among young Singaporeans. However,
present efforts such as national education and the preservation of cultural
sites and monuments are insufficient to prevent the rapid loss of local
culture. Therefore, there is an urgent need to cultivate an emotional
attachment among the youth in Singapore and the most efficient way would be to
allow them to participate in the decision-making process on the country’s
policies and to actively encourage environmental conservation and community
engagement. The inevitable loss of national sites due to land scarcity should
be reinforced by restoration rather than simply preserving rundown and old
buildings which serve little purposes. By adopting such methods, the pressing
need to integrate global citizens and to create a unique culture can then be
alleviated.
References
Ministry of Education. (2013). National Education. Retrieved from http://www.ne.edu.sg/
National Heritage Board. (2013). About Preservation of Sites & Monuments. Retrieved from http://goo.gl/CsuhPO
Urban Redevelopment Authority (2012). News Releases. Retrieved from http://www.ura.gov.sg/pr/text/2012/pr12-26.html
