The Star, Kuala Lumpur
13 November 2005
So tech-savvy and smart, yet so dependent
Insight Down South
By SEAH CHIANG NEE
THE Singapore teenager can send messages via SMS with lightning speed,
solve a Math problem faster than kids in most other countries – but is
helpless without his maid.
He (or she) is well educated, computer and gadget savvy, travels more
widely than his peers in other countries, but is naive about Internet
predators or corruption or real poverty.
This MTV generation is also self-centred, materialistic, and probably
knows the price of everything but the value of none, having grown up
in an era of stability.
That means he will probably think nothing about spending S$4 on a
latte, while his father, who supports him, spends only 70 cents on his
teh tarik at the corner coffee shop.
The Singapore kid may know the name of the latest Japanese pop star
but not his own Member of Parliament.
These instant-noodle children will likely change their mobile phone
every two years or celebrate their high school graduation ceremony in
a five-star hotel.
If the teenager here can be put in a stereotype box, these few
paragraphs could best help do it.
In these youths, grandchildren of Singapore’s baby-boomers, lie the
country’s future.
In the eyes of respected former civil servant Ngiam Tong Dow, the new
generation has another flaw. “Many lack ‘cultural DNA’ due to
educational neglect to teach history and literature,” he said.
As a result, they’re becoming too Westernised. “Without a sense of
history, we will become a people lost in limbo.”
Youths here are frequently placed under the social microscope in
numerous studies to see what is wrong and how they can be improved.
Every society worries about whether its youths have the capabilities
to build a better future. In the case of Singapore with no natural
resources, the dependency on its youths is even greater.
The leaders and older citizens often fret that they may not have what
it takes to achieve it.
After 40 years of independence, Singapore has raised youngsters who
have powerful strengths and fundamental weaknesses.
In a New World in which countries compete on ideas as much as skills,
Singaporean youths have a major shortcoming.
Some 40,000 youths were emerging annually from a school system that –
until very recently – was based on grades, hard work and rote
learning, rather than initiative and inventiveness.
The result is a workforce good in data knowledge but not very suitable
for an economy that competes on entrepreneurship and ideas.
For years youths have shared a single objective: To acquire a degree
that offers them the best job prospect, preferably a high-paying one
in the government.
Singapore’s brand of pragmatism doesn’t always serve its people well.
No want wants to venture out into the risky world of business when
they can nestle securely in a secure job.
That puts them behind rivals like Hong Kong and Taiwan where becoming
their own bosses is an ambition of many youths.
During the industrial era, Singapore prospered by producing obedient
students and obedient workers. Today, in the skills services that
Singapore wants to develop, these qualities are far less crucial.
But the institutions are still producing risk-averse youths who shun
taking the initiative.
Chief operating officers of foreign companies often complain that
Singaporeans may have good grades but lack in enterprise and ideas.
“They need hand-holding” is a frequent complaint, many content to wait
for instructions rather than “make things happen”.
A decade ago, the education system was intensively restructured from
primary school to university in a rush to produce a new thinking and
diverse workforce.
The schools have begun offering non-academic courses that range from
music to the performing arts, from languages to sports. Many of them
grade students for practical projects.
The polytechnics have also increased new studies to meet the changing
economy, the latest being casino operations.
One weakness is harder to correct. Despite national service, the new
generation is politically apathetic and has little interest in current
affairs.
Critics attribute it to a top-down environment under an authoritarian
government that controls many aspects of life. It’s tough to get
people to speak up or become creative.
A trait that doesn’t augur well for a stronger future, youths today
still prefer to leave things to the authorities for fear of invoking
punishment if they make a mistake.
Singaporeans are used to pressures to perform in school, at work or in
business. From young, the kids are often reminded that their country
is just a dot on the map with limited resources and faced with
potential threats from abroad.
This reduces the level of fun among the people and contributes to a
high emigration rate.
“It started as a survival philosophy that eventually felt like a siege
mentality,” said a lawyer.
But it is the authoritarian government that has turned Singapore’s
youths into a compliant, disciplined lot. Most youths simply ignore
politics or current affairs to avoid trouble and just get on in search
of materialism and a good job.
A minority of youths has become restless, disenchanted and generally
sceptical about promises of a more open society.
Will any built-up disenchantment lead to greater political diversity
in future?
A speaker at a recent seminar replied: “The next generation simply
will not care enough to make a difference.”
Do youths have the wherewithal to succeed? Wean out all the fears,
real and imagined, the new generation, like its predecessor, works
hard and plays hard and is serious about life.
These are ingredients for success – provided the world doesn’t turn
too sour on Singapore.
Seah Chiang Nee is a veteran journalist and editor of the information
website littlespeck.com
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