Much can be gained from the move to give the community a central role in the marking of the 200th anniversary of the founding of modern Singapore next year. After all, it is the Singapore melting pot that has persevered and survived during the past two centuries. Generations have come and gone, but they have left their indelible mark on a single piece of territory largely because of the diversity of contributions. Singapore today is the cumulative result of those collective lives - the setbacks, dreams and exertions of many over successive eventful decades.
It would have been strange had a single agency taken exclusive responsibility for narrating the history of Singapore over the past 200 years. The people - today's Singaporeans who have inherited a common past - are better able to give full meaning to the significance of the bicentennial. Official events can help by providing a framework that reflects Singapore's slow but steady evolution towards social unity through the everyday celebration of cultural diversity. But it is Singaporeans who must commemorate that past by engaging it as individuals and as a community.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Read the full story and more at $9.90/month
Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month
ST One Digital
$9.90/month
No contract
ST app access on 1 mobile device
Unlock these benefits
All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com
Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device
E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you