Singapore, Singapura: From Miracle to Complacency

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. Cover Half-title Title Copyright Dedication Contents Acknowledgements Preface Timeline Maps 1. The Southern Islands: Swiss Army Knife Country 2. Tuas Checkpoint: A Few Hundred Metres from Malaysia 3. The AYE Toll Road: Brand Raffles 4. Jurong: Inside the Industrial Miracle 5. Pandan: The Resource-Poor Nation 6. West Coast Road: Building the New Communities 7. National University of Singapore: Top of the Class? 8. NUS Sports Facilities: Schooled by Schooling? 9. National University Hospital: A New Type of State 10. One North: Fusionopolis and the Next Economy 11. Kent Ridge Park: When Singapore was Syonan-to 12. Hyderabad Road: End of Empire 13. Southern Ridges Forest Walk: Battling the Jungle,Taming the Past 14. Masjid Al-Amin: Wrestling with Religion 15. Kampong Bahru Road: The Malayan Skinhead 16. Pinnacle@Duxton: The Inequality Challenge in Fifty Storeys 17. Chinatown: 74.3 Per Cent of the Population 18. Hong Lim Park: A Very Quiet Speakers’ Corner 19. CBD: “We Are Pragmatists” 20. Boat Quay: Stepping Out in Singapore 21. Marina Bay: Instagram City 22. East Coast Park: The State of Fun 23. Changi Airport: Geography Changes 24. Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal: Little Red Dot Notes Index