Much will be written about Singapore when our new Prime Minister takes over next week. I’ll offer a “path less travelled” take here: what characteristics in the Merlion – a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish and Sg’s national mascot – best reflects the country that has adopted it?
4 things:
1. Fish move efficiently
Geek alert: accounted for weight differences, most fish take less energy per gram of weight to move than most other animals. Something about their neutral buoyancy in water, their scales and the way they move their fins.
Three years ago, in the thick of the Covid pandemic, a heavy thunderstorm felled some trees in the street leading to my house. Within a few hours of the storm passing, the fallen trees had been cleared. Efficient or what?
When I ask expat friends what they appreciate about Sg, variations of this answer regularly come up: Execution and efficiency; things work, and when they don’t, you make them work again incredibly quickly.
2. Lions are great hunters
In the corporate world of sales, Hunters are valued more than Farmers. The notion is that Hunters actively hunt, while Farmers passively wait (for things to grow). It’s an unfair depiction of farming – which requires planning and hard work – but the point is to be proactive.
A few years ago, the Sg Government decided to grow the concert economy. A-listers would be incentivised to come, and tourist $ would follow. A Cabinet minister-led delegation reached out to a global superstar before her South East Asian leg was finalized, and much to the chagrin of neighbouring countries, secured a deal with her to perform exclusively in Sg. By some estimates, her 6 concerts in March 2024 brought in ~S$500M in tourist $. Seems like it does pay to hunt a superstar before others do.
3. The lion’s vision is 8x better than humans in the dark
Visitors to SG and all citizens will be familiar with our Changi Airport.
It has been named World’s Best Airport for a number of years.
Many attribute this to the authorities’ attention to detail in running the airport.
But the long-term planning behind it – when the future is still very much in the dark – doesn’t get enough mention.
Changi Airport has 4 terminals.
T1 first opened in 1981, at the northern end.
Then T2 opened in 1990, at the eastern end.
Then T3 opened in 2008, at the western end.
Finally T4 opened in 2017, at the south eastern end.
Picture in your mind the geography of the terminals: as you drive/walk clockwise, you come to T3 first, then T1, then T2 and finally T4.
Here’s my point: when T1 opened in 1981, it had departure gates labelled with the letters C and D. It made complete sense 27 years later; when T3 opened in 2008, it had departure gates with the letters A and B.
Someone had planned this out >27 years in advance: passengers walking between T3 and T1 would see departure gates in the A-B-C-D (or reverse) sequence.
4. The Merlion has poise
Finally, in 2015, Sg’s then Finance Minister (and recently elected President) Tharman was interviewed at the 45th St Gallen Symposium by hard-hitting journalist Stephen Sackur.
While talking about the West’s perception of Sg’s “restrictions” on freedom of speech, Sackur asked about Minister Tharman’s view of freedom and liberties. The latter responded that the freedoms Sg aspired to included other aspects:
You do aspire to a liberty of being able to walk the streets freely particularly if you’re a woman or a child at any time of the night.
You aspire to the liberty of living in a city that’s not defined by its most disorderly elements.
You aspire to the liberty of having an opportunity for an education and a job regardless of your race or your social background.
And you aspire to a liberty of practicing your own religion without fear of bigotry or discrimination.
When I first saw the interview, I remember thinking I’m so grateful and proud our leaders can hold their own on the world stage.
So very well said.
And when combined with point #1, largely well executed.
My father was born in China. He left Hainan Island just before the start of World War II. After a boat ride, he spent a week in a northern neighbour, couldn’t find work and decided to sail on south – hearing that Sg had jobs for Hainanese cooks. My father couldn’t cook to save anyone so thankfully he found other opportunities when he got to Sg. I’m grateful he came to Sg. Had I been born in any other country, my life there would have been very different; not necessarily better or worse, just different. But I’m content with and grateful for my lot in the little red dot.
I wish my new Prime Minister every success as he takes over the leadership baton.
And I hope a pride of Merlions will help him lead the country on our next lap.