The Fun Pack SongLet’s start with the bagThat’s right, grab your bagIt’s the Fun Pack BagAttack the Fun Pack

Hold up your flag, don’t you forgetYou can wave it, if you feel like itLet’s wave the flag,Wave, wave, wave, let’s wave the flag.

- Recorded live during a NDP dress rehearsal, 2011

Nationalism in SingaporeIndividual and Society in Asia-Pacific (ASIA1030)

Amy Ng (U4863460)Antony Crisp (U4845766) James Paton (U4675702)

Manufactured & Commercialized

* Image composite, individual images from NDP 2011 website

Agenda

* Boat Quay, 1930s (Singapore Heritage Board, Boat Quay, Present (Travelblog.org), NDP 2010, (NDP 2010), Fun Packs (The Straits Times)

A Brief History of Singapore

Conquered by Japanese in 1942

VERY

Gained self-government in 1959

Merger with Malaysia in 1963

Split from Malaysia and gained independence in 1965

Reclaimed by British in 1945

Founded in 1819

* Images of flags from Wikimedia Commons

A Brief History of Singapore

VERY

National Flag of Singapore- National Heritage Board

Score for National Anthem- National Heritage Board

National Day Parade (NDP)

Singapore’s first National Day Parade after independence: 9 Aug 1966

- National Heritage Board

National Day Parade (NDP)

* Image composites from NDP image archives

The Fun Pack

Contents of Fun Pack 2011- Urbanwire.com

The Fun Pack

Contents of Fun Pack 2011- Urbanwire.com

Nationalism in Singapore: The locals’ point of view

‘… My favourite is the Discount Coupons!!!’ – thatsilvergirl.blogspot.com

‘I complain about not getting a long weekend because National Day is falling on a Tuesday instead of a Monday or a Friday. … And I find myself too busy convincing myself on how the National Day celebration is probably going to be boring… ‘

– www.sixpegs.com

Nationalism in Singapore

Bored National Serviceman- angryangmo.com

Nationalism in Singapore: A foreigner’s insight

‘… After 10 minutes in the afternoon heat, hurting feet and not really interested in a pair of plastic flags and old green tea, I asked if we could just pass and go in directly… we got stared at [like we were] the bigheaded, grey skinned alien from the X-Files, “No way!”’

‘We got the first stares after sitting down, unpacking our goodies, placing the Singapore tattoos on our foreheads and waving the little flags around the uncles and aunties to our sides. We thought it was time for celebration. The locals thought we were retards and continued to play on their PSPs.’

‘Through the whole event I couldn’t really spot any big excitement or enthusiasm around us. It looked like people were afraid to express any kind of joy. Maybe they did not have any.’

- Excerpts from www.angryangmo.com

How did this happen?Economic growth vs national development

Stable nation vs political freedom

Interests of various ethnic groups vs Interests of country

Constructing a National IdentityEducation

Language Management

Population management

ConclusionThe Manufactured and Commercialized Nature

of Nationalism in Singapore ‘Government Project’ (Ortmann, 2009, p. 24) Based on civic symbols instead of ethnicities

(Ortmann, 2009, p. 25) Focus on economic development obstructs the

forging of a strong Singaporean identity (Yeo, 2003, p. 250)

Loss of cultural diversity (Bell, 1997, pp. 6-9; Chang, 1968, p. 761; Maddox, 1962, p. 480)

The EndThank you for your attention.

Feel free to ask us any questions you may have.

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Dimension in Singapore’s Quest for Security and Stability” in Pacific Affairs, University of British Columbia, vol. 75 no. 1, pp. 39 - 56.

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