The Scripting of a National History: Singapore and Its Pasts

Description

Rather than presenting another narrative of Singapore history, The Scripting of a National History Singapore and Its Pasts studies the constructed nature of the history endorsed by the state, which blurs the distinction between what happened in the past, and how the state intends that past to be understood. The People’s Action Party (PAP) government’s unbroken mandate to rule has come in no small part from the way it explains its lineage and record to Singaporeans. The power vested in various aspects of Singapore’s history is thus examined through a consideration of past and present politics. The authors trace state discourses on Singapore history from the decision immediately after independence to recognize the nineteenth-century British acquisition of the island as its founding moment, to the 1980s and 1990s when an essentially Confucian heritage was recognized under the rubric of “Asian values”, and finally to an emphasis on the history of racial fragility and harmony in response to the threat of terrorism in the twenty-first century. Embedded within these discourses is the story of the PAP as the heir of the economic dynamics of the pax Britannica, as an exponent of the morality and righteousness of the Chinese scholar-gentleman, and as the firm hand that balances the interests of the majority Chinese against those of the minority populations, particularly the Malays. The authors examine the underlying template of Singapore history, the negotiation with its immigrant past, and the popularization of history through conscription of national heroes. The chapters range from considering how political leaders claim to be historians by virtue of being the makers of history, to the vicissitudes undergone by two originally private homes turned into symbols of Singapore’s Chinese modernity. The Scripting of a National History Singapore and Its Pasts is highly relevant not only to academics but also for the Singapore general reader interested to see what are meant to be received wisdoms for the citizenry interrogated in a well-reasoned and engaging exercise, as well as for an international readership to whom Singapore has become a fascinating enigma. They may well be intrigued by the anxieties of being Singaporean. Contents Foreword List of Photographs Acknowledgements Introduction: Beginning of History The road to in-dependence' light at the end of the tunnel Singapore's postcolonial history Scripting Singapore's past Part I. Scripture 1 New Testament: Singapore and Its Tensed Pasts A Martian's view of Singapore history Pie-tense: Revolutionary sons of Raffles A tensed past: Plots uncovered Hie tensed present: The plot thickens Racing towards the inevitable Quintessentially Singapore: Essentially Chinese Presenting the past 2 Apotheosis: The Lee Kuan Yew Story as Singapore's History Barr code on Lee Kuan Yew: 'Simultaneously brilliant and hopelessly erroneous'5 In life and death: Reading maketh a man Setting the record: Right iront the start The family fiwt: The First Family 3 Sermon: Rajaratnam and Devan Nair as High Priests The template of Singapore history 'From someone who knows... ' (Joe Yeoh) Genesis and the Revelation The final verdict: Lee Kuan Yew and Rajaratnam The final verdict: Lee Kuan Yew and C V. Devan Nair Condusfon 4 Liturgy: Telling Singapore's Past through Oral History Singapore's Oral History Centre What is an oral historian? The common voice The singer and the song Part II. Singapore's Chinese Dilemma 5 Political Vanguard: PAP Leaders of the Chinese-Speaking Community Profiling the PAP Leaders Marching to the battle front Fighting for a Malayan vision Battles over merger and beyond Campaigning for a 'Malaysian Malaysia' Holding the fort: Discourse on 'East versus West' Extending the discourse to 'generational differences' Changing of the guards: Language of displacement Bridging the gap 6 Language Fault Lines: The Wang Gungwu Report on Nanyang University Setting the stage foi anothei university review Essence of the report and its immediate aftermath 'Being Malayan': A bridge too far Position of the Chinese language: Trilingualism or bilingualism? Accusations of Anglicisation Lamentations 7 Student Political Activism: Articulation, Contestation and Omission Highlights of student politics, 1950s-1980s Problematising the articulation of a binary world: Chinese vs. English-educated activists Contesting for a place in history books: Memories and archives Interrogating through allegory: Novels and theatres Winning over the post-1965 generation: Political apathy and the omission of history 8 Toying with Pandora's Box: The Scripting of Singapore's National Heroes The heroic enterprise: From negating history to spotting heroes Interim heroes, mutating pasts Simply a war heroine A national treasure: Revealing or reiterating the silences? Swan song o! a heroic ghost? 9 Imagining a Big Singapore: Positioning the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall Sun eclipsed: The Villa in the oibit of China's politics Land of the rising Sun: Reorienting history Singapore's essential Sun: Reaching high noon with China as the mega-market Son's imaginative sons: Opening Windows 2000 Singapore's Sun shrine: Creative replicas on display Sun screened: Alternative discourse Iront the theatre 'Take in all the sunlight and love the wind and rain'*6 10 Conscripting Chinese Diasporic Culture into National Identity: Taming of the Tiger Balm Gardens From colony to nation-state: The importance of being 'Chinese' The Villa that Aw built: The tiger and his habitat The Villa post-Aw Boon Haw: Hie loss o! aura Cultures plebeian and Imperial1: In search of Chinese nativity Enter (and exit) the dragon: Death of a schizophrenic Disney theme park Defenders and detractors: A debate on culture and politics Haw Par Villa reloaded: Redefining Singapore's national identity Conclusion: No End to History Notes Index