Conformity in Singapore

It is apparent that the government imposes many rules and policies in Singapore. On one hand, these laws can be seen as implementations to protect society, and people's rights and interests. On the other hand, these laws could be a way for the government to exercise its authority and perhaps even "over-nanny" the country. 

During the National Day Rally in 2004, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong touched on the issue of conformity:

"We are so capable, we are so efficient, we are so comfortable that we stick with what we have tried and tested and found working and we are reluctant to take risks and try new things. And that is a weakness. It's a weakness which we have to overcome. The key to overcoming this is a mindset change. We have to see opportunities rather than challenges in new situations, we have to be less conventional, we must be prepared to venture and you've got to do this as individuals, we've got to do this as a government and I think we have to do it as a society. " 

This theme of "conformity versus eccentricity/opposition" is echoed in Edwin Thumboo's poem entitled Conformity, which compares the situation of individuals who thrived in "happy colonial days" by conforming to those who chose to rebel against the "colonial system" (Ee. T, 1997).
__________

Conformity

The very old died young

Having eased themselves out of

Ambition, calculating smiles,

Connived quietness.

They died softly in the dispensation

Of happy colonial days.

Properly cautious, they

Turned from the call of the hills

To the acquisition of a careful face,

Putting a curfew on the heart.

Uncle Tan is gentle, inbred,

Completely acceptable you might say;

Traditional, a good tea drinker;

Expert on ceremonial stuff,

Never uses a premature etc.,

Correct to the last circumcising detail.

Am I stolen,

Indexed,

Into this large conformity?

__________

The first stanza discusses the situation of individuals who tried to rebel against the political system, ultimately ending in failure.  These individuals had to forego "ambition" and "turn from the call of the hills". The "hills" are a symbol of freedom, representing the idea of a place free from colonial rule. Yet, individuals who  refused to conform "died softly in the dispensation" and "died young". This indicates that rebellion against conformity was futile and ended in death. The juxtaposition of death in "dispensation" and happiness of "colonial days" suggests that those who tried to rebel were perhaps, silenced by rulers ("connived quietness") through prosecution. On the other hand, those who agreed to conform to escape prosecution, had to put a "curfew on the heart", perhaps implying that emotions must be sacrificed or controlled for the sake conformity.

In the second stanza, "Uncle Tan" is a common name for the everyday Singaporean 'uncle',  representative of the majority of society who is considered "completely acceptable". However, the metaphor of "circumcising" emphasises the price of conformity, here: bringing to mind the harsh imagery of the removal of skin from a male's genital. Such an image strikes us as a painful experience - perhaps a warning of the price to pay for being too conformist.

Ultimately, "this large conformity" causes individuals to be "indexed" and "stolen", suggesting that conformity holds people against their will but is necessary to avoid prosecution, and for the sake of the wider society. It appears that in indexing, people have been reduced to mere numbers, and their individual stories, undermined or obliterated. 

Theme like those aforementioned still runs fresh in Singapore today where people are trying to break out of societal definitions of (economic) success and constructing individual-ness in the midst of a globalised world.

References

(PM Lee 2004 National Day Rally Speech) Singapore Rebel blog: http://singaporerebel.blogspot.sg/2004/11/conformity-is-weakness-says-pm-lee.html

Ee, T. (1997). Gods Can Die. In Responsibility and Commitment: The Poetry of Edwin Thumboo. Singapore University Press. ISBN 9971-69-204- X