Economics Pt3: Standard of Living

In our recent CID class, we did a study on the standard of living. Although it is impossible to fully measure the standard of living objectively because of a large number of factors, we look at certain components that make up the standard of living to gain some understanding on this topic.

Before we continue, it is necessary to ask ourselves what standard of living is. Is it simply the GDP per capita? Or how rich we are, how much we can afford? Well, that's only a part of what makes up the standard of living. The standard of living is defined by the amount of comfort, wealth, material goods, and necessities in a certain country or class. A few factors that contribute to that would be the availability of employment, GDP, accessibility and standard of education and healthcare, political and economic security and freedom, and even leisure time. Therefore, the standard of living and the cost of living would differ! Standard of living essentially refers to the quality of living, while the cost of living actually refers to the price of living, or to sort of 'survive' in a particular country. What do we need to 'sacrifice' to maintain/produce the country's living? For example, if we want air-conditioning, the cost of that would be the pollution! In this case, we 'sacrifice' unpolluted air for the cooling comfort. What, therefore, is the comparison of the standards between Singapore and China? Sure, Singapore has a high GDP per capita, but do we have enough leisure time? Or do we school, work overtime, leaving virtually nothing for family or friends? Do we even know what relaxation time is anymore? 

The high cost of living evokes worry. For example, many Singaporeans are worried about the fact that their pay is not rising in tune with the increasing housing prices. Stress to earn more can lead to less family time and more time at work. If one is unable to purchase a flat because of financial difficulties, yet do not want to accept the help of the government, many turn to the streets for 'shelter'. Many other examples can support that. Economic stress can lead to social issues, be it personally or the society in general. 

In a recent EIU survey, it is reported that Singapore was the most expensive country to live in the world. At first, I was really surprised, because Singapore's food and transport fees are of a relatively low price compared to many of the developed countries in the world. Then, we learnt that this survey was targetted at companies who send employees overseas to work so that they know how to give their salary based on the standard of living. Therefore, this actually does not apply to the regular Singapore, who may eat their meals cheaply at hawker centres and take public transport. Singaporeans do not even spend as much as what the survey seems to suggest. 

An important takeaway from that lesson was to determine the purpose of a survey, or article before we start of assume things. Take another example: The Big Mac index, or, the cost of big macs in different parts of the world. 

Now, things look different. 

Singapore's purchasing power isn't that high after all. This survey takes into account more of the local pricings and spendings rather than spending that of the richer foreigners in the country. This shows something more relevant. We may be an expensive country to dispatch people in, but what locals spend is far from that. 

Therefore, when reading things online, we need to be more discerning and think about what the purpose of something is. Singapore is the most expensive country to live in? Nah. It's just expensive for companies. 

Internet literacy is essential, especially in the age and era when everything seems to be online. Absurd information we can discern easily, but half-truths are concealed well, and sometimes, we blindly take in other's opinions without giving a second thought. What is relevant to us and what is not? If we cannot properly discern that, do we actually know what, then, we are reading? 

The 'C' Word: E and C Week

Hello!

On the last week of Term 1, we had a Wayang Kulit workshop and a 3-day trip to Little India, Kampong Glam and Aljunied Madrasah. I was really excited for both the trip and the workshop, as I've never tried making shadow puppets or been to Little India and the Madrasa. Even going to Kampong Glam, which I have been to many times, was very exciting because this marks the first time I would be going on a (relatively) unguided trip!

On the first day of the week, we had the Wayang Kulit workshop. I did not really know what to expect, but I'll be frank: I was pretty disappointed at our allocation. We were already doing Chinese shadow puppetry in RV Literature, and I really wanted to learn something new like Indian Music. I mean, how different can puppetry get?

Well, I wasn't wrong. The basic elements of puppetry were still there. However, there was something that set Wayang Kulit apart from 皮影戏, and that was the difference in folklore! Before this, I've never known any Malay folklore, so this workshop was certainly and eye-opener and it got me interested in traditional Malay culture. Remember the 4 basic cultural forces? Food, Festive, Fashion and Folk? Well, these folklores are stories that shape culture. Retelling and passing of stories along people with common understanding would eventually develop their unique culture. And it got me thinking: no matter how similar practices between cultures may seem, each is made unique by a small yet significant aspect. 

On the second day, we visited Little India. Having never been there before, I was entirely unfamiliar with the area. Also, because I went to mainly-chines primary and secondary school, I do not have friends of another race, so I was mostly ignorant of many Indian customs. Therefore, when we got to personally interview shop owners and stall holders, I really got a first-hand understanding of the 4 cultural forces. For example, upon arriving at Tekka Market, we managed to interview an Indian lady on the second floor on the clothes she sells. Before this, I never knew North and South India had any difference in culture (actually, I didn't even take into consideration different parts of India; I just thought of India as a whole!), but they actually have variants in fashion! It was really fascinating to see even a single country can be different culturally depending on their region. Imagine, however, if one do not understand and assumes their culture is the same throughout the country and moves there. They might offend someone due to their ignorance. How taxing it would be to adapt! Singapore is small, and therefore, we do not face the same problems in cultural understanding.

Of course, we got to try the Indian food there, and it was delicious! The Indian desserts were great, but one thing that we took note of was the extremely honey-sweet taste they had, as well as a hint of spice. It gave the dessert a nice kick. I was surprised, that even in sweet treats such as Motichor Ladoo, spice was apparent. The Indians sure love their spice! 

We visited Kampong Glam on the second and third day. On the second day, we mainly roamed around in our groups, exploring and finding out first-hand how Kampong Glam was like. It worthy to note that in both Kampong Glam and Little India, although known to many as a Malay and Indian mainly district, this is not really the case! Take Little India for example. Just like any neighbourhood, there were HDBs around, and Tekka Market even had stalls selling Chinese and Malay cuisine. It may have once been an Indian-only district and is still where Indian culture is most vibrant but it has long evolved to opening its doors to people of other races, either to live there or to just visit and learn a little about their culture. 

At Kampong Glam, we took photos of textiles and much more. We interviewed stall holders on the Halal cuisine that was common in that area and snapped photos before tucking into our meals. Before, I never really had much Malay food before, but through this experience, I think I would be willing to try more Malay cuisine, like the different dishes of Nasi Padang. However, upon returning to the trip, we found out from another group that when they tried to interview another stall holder, he became angry at them, so they politely thanked him and moved on. From this experience, I realised that maybe not all of the are comfortable talking about their Art, and we should respect their feelings by quickly leaving after an apology. 

On the third day, we went to the Sultan Mosque and Aljunied Madrasah. In the mosque, we were explained to about the basics of mosque etiquette. This included taking off of shoes when entering, avoiding wearing revealing clothes, and the cleansing ritual before prayer. A fact that we learnt there was that the mosque is actually built to face Mecca, Islam's holiest city, and even when praying anywhere, they had to face in that direction.

I was really really excited about the Madrasah as I have never been to any other schools for an exchange before. Apparently, there are only 6 Madrasahs in Singapore currently, offering education from primary all the way to tertiary! It was fascinating to see another school, different from the regular, non-religious schools, in action. In a way, it sort of reminded me was RV, only that it was religious, had more subjects, and shorter CCA times. They had CCAs such as rock climbing, archery, Tarannum, and many more, just correspond to their Islamic Arts and Cultures. The students there gave us a brief introduction on their school life, where they would have breaks for prayers, student councils, and the juggling of easily 13-14 subjects. That really made me think, that if they could do so many subjects all at once, then we, with a measly 6 subjects compared to them, should be doing ours without complaint. 

Unknowledgeable as it may seem, I was not even aware of the existence of Madrasahs. Sure, I knew that these schools exist, but I never knew what they were called, what they taught, or even seen one. So to be able to enter one was simply mind-blowing, and our short but fruitful tour of the school was really a sight worth noting. They were just like us, sitting in classrooms and trying to juggle their subjects, having CCAs after school and physical education. Just like us, they face problems in their teenage lives.  

Sadly, there wasn't nearly enough time for any of the three days, and I felt that the time could be extended slightly longer. However, this week of E and C really taught us the importance of knowing different cultures, and not just our culture, especially in a country like Singapore, which can only run smoothly with the peaceful co-existence of each race. If we only keep to our culture and are unwilling to reach out to others, things like the 1964 riots in Singapore would occur. Misunderstanding from ignorance breeds fear, which eventually lead to contempt. Only through understanding different culture can lead us to acceptance. 

This learning journey was simply a door of opportunity to experiencing a different culture. However, it is really our choice to push open the door and step through to another experience. 

Economy Pt2: Friends or Foe? Win-win Partnership

Hey!

Remember discussing Singapore's fragile economy in the last blog post? And how we cannot be complacent and need to understand Singapore's position in the world in order to stay relevant to the big countries?

Well, this week, we explore the approach taken up by the government to keep Singapore relevant. And a prime example of that would be one of the Singapore-China collaboration projects, the well-known Suzhou Industrial Park.

Pause for a moment and we ask ourselves: What is an industrial park anyway? What conditions must it fulfil to classify it as an industrial park?

Well, industrial parks do not, contrary to popular belief, need to be very large. Rather, what truly makes an industrial park is the accessibility to resources and equipment. For example, access to labs, access to 24/7 electricity, access to water. Without these, a factory cannot run, and companies lose money. 

Going back to Suzhou Industrial Park, we ask ourselves if we can, and/or should, continue to share our development knowledge with other countries.

To answer this question, we need to look into the events that took place when the countries began the project years ago. 

In 1994, it seemed like a great idea when Singapore made a deal with China to build a giant $30 billion industrial in Suzhou. However, the project did not go as planned. 5 years into the project and the venture was heavily in debt. It turns out, local officers began a rival competition, Suzhou New District industrial park, and were using Singapore's park to get investors in and telling investors to 'come to my park, it's cheaper'. As a result, Singapore lost $90 million in just 5 years. Singapore had to sign a memorandum to transfer control from Singapore to China. 

Singapore, wanting to do business with China and make money together, ended by being short-changed and undercut. This strained close ties between Singapore and China. Singapore wanted to transfer their management skills to the Chinese bureaucrats, yet failed and learnt an expensive lesson on how to conduct business with China. Why was that so?

We need to look back to the topics discussed a while ago: Cultural forces. 

Just a quick refresh: The 4 leading principals in China are: Relationship, Face, Favour and Rank. While still practised in Singapore, it takes on a whole new level in China. In Singapore, it is more of 法，理，情,   while in China, it's really, as a whole, the opposite: 情，理，法

Strange, how cultural forces can even affect politics and business. But that's the reality of it all. Our methods are too different, and we failed to take into account how our methods would not work the same way for another country. While we take laws as if they were set in stone, that is not the case for China, who put 'who do you know?' as the highest regard. We were unable to persuade the Suzhou officers (perhaps we did not exude our guanxi enough while doing business)(perhaps we did not make use of favours enough)(perhaps we did not try to use ranks in our favour). We failed to understand different business cultures in China, and things, therefore, turned out sour for Singapore. Suzhou Industrial Park failure further reiterates how important understanding cultures before doing something in a different environment truly is.

Therefore, I feel that Singapore should continue sharing our experiences and knowledge with other countries, but with CONDITIONS attached! Maybe charging them for using Singapore's ideas? At least that would stop incidents such as the modelling of Suzhou New District after the Suzhou Industrial Park, which was originally modelled after Singapore from happening again! Singapore can share ideas and at the same time, protect their ideas from being used against them.

The Economy Pt.1

Hello!

Today is our first session about the economy. We drew out some differences between China's and Singapore's economy and Singapore's success in undergoing such rapid economic growth.

We began our discussion by going through some of the facts of our economy. For example: What does Singapore export? Well, we do export quite plenty of goods, and some examples are refined oil, organic materials, medical and technical equipment and aircraft parts. Most of these are high-end goods that bring in a lot of money so that the country can still profit despite spending a lot of money on importing.

It is no secret that Singapore's economic miracle has caused Singapore to go from a third-world country to a first-world one. Not many countries have been through this process in a single generation, from a country with high rates of unemployment, poverty and one-third of its population living in slums and squatter settlements, to one of the four Asian Tigers. And the few reasons for our success is our strategic location, which made us a global trading centre, our welcoming stance towards foreign trade and investment and a small, clean and efficient government. Altogether, we would be able to conduct huge amounts of trade, especially since welcoming trade and investment would mean countries would be able to contribute to Singapore's growing economy. An efficient and clean government would mean proper orders are carried out and conducting business quick and well.

Compared to China, our economy may be small, but we have a higher GDP per capita, which is to be expected, taking into account the difference in population. Life expectancy for both male and female in Singapore are higher. Looking at the differences, it would seem that Singapore has a stabler economic system than China. However, this is not the case.

Singapore, due to the lack of resources, relies heavily on importing materials from other countries. For example, we may not have oil in Singapore, but we buy oil and refine them before selling them out. This contributes to $43.8 billion of our exports. If that country that we rely on suddenly stops providing us with oil, 12.6% of our overall exports will be gone! More than one-tenth! Also, because Singapore does not have a large domestic market to buffer the consequences of fewer exports, our economy would not do very well if other countries have weaker demands for imports. Therefore, if we rely so heavily on trading, we are vulnerable to any change in our trade market and any slight differences would be magnified when it reaches Singapore. Our economy, compared to China, who has a rich abundance of natural resources, manpower and huge domestic market, is really unstable!

Singapore, therefore, should not be complacent as a country, for even though we may be rich with a vibrant economy right now, it does not mean it would always be this case. If China, our biggest largest foreign investor and trading partner, do not want to invest or trade with us anymore, that would mean a terrible blow to our economy. The economy would do badly because we are a trade-oriented market economy, and is very vulnerable to changes in trade and possible geographical projects. The talk about the Kra Canal, for one. It meant ships did not have to pass by Singapore and could trade at Thailand, where the Kra Canal would be located. For Singapore, that meant trade would decrease as many ships would prefer to go to Thailand instead as it would save them oil and travelling time. Singapore would be in huge trouble because trade plays a huge role in our economy and losing trade meant the economy would be negatively affected. Therefore, Singapore must not be complacent and would need to prepare ourselves for such problem. That then leads us to the next point: The importance of having good relations with China.

Since China is our biggest investor and trade partner, complications in our relationship may cause China to stop trading or investing in us, which means losing a huge sector of our economy. Simply put, we need China more than they need us. An example of that would be the nine armoured vehicles belonging to Singapore that were seized in Hong Kong. It was a warning from China to Singapore, yet Singapore was unable to demand them back as we know that the diplomatic relationship is too important to risk over nine vehicles. Having a good relationship basically means a stabler economy. And as they say, when China sneezes, Singapore catches a cold. The problem in China may be small, but when it reaches Singapore, it is magnified and would affect us greatly.

Maintaining the good relations between China and Singapore is necessary because any decisions made by China would greatly affect Singapore. Therefore, Singaporeans should not be complacent as we are very vulnerable to negative changes and as much as possible, we would like to avoid that.

Cultures Pt3: Embrace Cultural Differences

Hello again!

This week, we spent our lesson going deeper into the prospect of cultures. While we may fit into our cultures as naturally as breathing, that may not be the case if we try to integrate into other cultures. What we see, hear, taste at first is only the tip of the cultural iceberg (refer to Culture: The Forces That Shape It), and it takes us time to learn about other norms. Before we fully understand cultural differences, cultural sensitivity is a must. Knowing what to say and how to act in a foreign country is necessary, in case we offend someone. There is a saying: When in Rome, do as Romans do. But what do we do, if we do not even know what Romans do? 

We then went through some simple cultural practices of different ethnic groups. For example, in Thailand, the head is sacred and must be respected. Therefore, one must not touch the head. In Japan, slurping soup loudly is a sign that one enjoys the prepared food, as opposed to eating as quietly as possible in some other countries. In China, sticking chopsticks upright in a rice bowl must be avoided as it resembles putting incense for the person across the table, symbolising cursing that person to die. 

When faced with cultural practices different from our own, instead of judging harshly from the start, we should slow down to ask more questions and try to reserve our judgement. Seeking clarifications can help us better embrace cultural differences. So not only do we need to identify the different cultural practices, we also need to aim to recognise and understand the perspective of others through cultural sense. 

While many Singaporeans are Chinese (76.2% actually!), that does not mean our culture is exactly like that of China's. Indeed, the Singapore culture has been heavily influenced by the other races. For example, Chinese in mainland China emphasise heavily on 4 main principals: Relationships, Ranks, Reciprocity, as well as Face. 

While those 4 principals are still practised in Singapore, it is not held to that high a regard as compared to China. Relationships are not simply that. The phrase "it's not what you know, it's who you know", is especially significant in China, as having the right contacts can get you many places. Many mainland Chinese rely heavily on relationships (or guanxi) when doing business or any other thing. Therefore, ranks are important. The higher the rank, the more authority you would have. Reciprocity is key too; A favour for a favour, a deed for a deed, and nothing short of returning the goodwill. Publicly shaming someone is not advised either as everything they do rely on their reputation. Avoiding public shaming would save someone their face and avoids ruining the reputation, relationships, ranks that were built so painstakingly. 

In Singapore, relationships simply cannot get you very far. Sure, knowing the right people is an advantage, but with the strict upholding of law and fairness, many Singaporeans fear law and order too much to really use their relationships to get out of trouble. Also, with only limited manpower to rely on, people rather things get done faster and better. Getting the right people for the job is a safer choice. 

However, there are a lot of similarities between Singapore and China's cultures. For example, basic Confucianism is still upheld. Some Chinese superstitious acts (like not placing chopsticks upright in rice bowls) are still avoided. Chinese acts of respect (calling someone by their surname, not using the index finger to point at items etc.) are still practised. 

Even though many of us in Singapore may be Singapore-Chinese and not China-Chinese, that does not mean we have lost all traditions our ancestors' homeland had. At the same time, that does not mean we are identical either. Rather, our culture is influenced by the locals, yet still retaining some of the traditional cultures of China.

In the end, despite our cultural differences, how different can we get?

Cultural Forces Pt2: China

Hi!

Recently, we had our third CID lesson and it was another lesson on culture forces. A part two, you could say. This time, however, it was more specifically about China.

There are five main cultural forces of China, and they are: Taoism, Confucianism, Ethnicity, Dynasties, Communism. So no! Confucianism is not the only cultural force, contrary to belief. We started off by learning how each of these forces specifically affected Chinese culture and history. 

Taoism. Always thought Taoism was a religion. Apparently, it is a Chinese philosophy! It emphasises in the prospect of the world existing in perfect order, Yin-Yang and whatnot, and that human activities disrupt that order. This apparently appealed to ancient Chinese rulers as a basis of rule and governance as it made people believe that uprisings and rebellions would tip the scale of world order. Instilling that belief in its citizens, the government would be able to continue their hold on the country. 

Confucianism was another philosophy that appealed to rulers. It stresses upon family and social harmony and obeying of the person of high position (the hierarchy, basically). The son must obey his father. The wife must obey her husband. The younger brother must obey his older brother. Therefore, the subject must obey his ruler. The people believed in Confucianism, so they believed in the fact that they had to obey those with higher status or power, the rulers. Again, this would decrease the amount of resistance and uprisings, allowing the government to rule successfully. Confucianism has not left our culture however, despite changes in times. Rather, it shows in our everyday activities. Sitting after elders have done so, eating after elders have done so, obeying our elders. Cultural forces.  

There are fifty-six official ethnic groups in China. And the differences between each group are bound to cause some changes in the overall Chinese culture. The common saying, 不要可气, for example. 

Communism was another. The Cultural Revolution took place for ten whole years, from 1966 to 1976.  No longer were the people believing in religion, beliefs, philosophy or anything associating with pre-communist China, but rather, Communism. However, despite the will and actions taken to remove these ideas, they were never forgotten. Those who did not benefit from the cultural revolution turned back to the old ways. This saw increased wealth and self-confidence in the culture and resulted in a resurgence in interest in China's old traditions and culture. Today, this has caused interest in the things people buy that are related to the Chinese cultural. 

These events and beliefs are milestones that have shown changes in China's culture. Different eras, beliefs, governance has truly and utterly shaped it into what it is today: The vibrant and cultural society that is China. 

On another note.

At the beginning of the lesson, we were shown a video, 'Welcome of Beijing' ( 北京欢迎你 ), a clip made specifically for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Although the tune and the video itself were very familiar to me, it was not until today's lesson did I paid any attention to the backgrounds and the subtle references to the Chinese culture. 

There were cameo shots of Chinese Calligraphy, Traditional Art, Peking Opera, Bird's Nest Stadium, The Great Wall, The Forbidden City and most obviously, many Chinese celebrities. These shots made references to the cultural arts, famous landmarks and the pop culture of China.

Taking on the perspective as the director of the video, I have shown different aspects of the Chinese culture, and these are the three.

Firstly, in the scene where two younger Chinese celebrities sit with an elder as she shows them the art of the traditional shadow puppets. The two celebrities then try to imitate her movements. The scene captures the bond between the traditional culture and the modern pop culture and how the old ways that represent the Chinese culture will not be lost if the old passes the traditional aspects to the young. 

In another scene, a group of friends sit around a table as they have fun hanging out and making dumplings. It instils a sense of togetherness and belonging as the group of friends prepare food and chit-chat as they bond together over the traditional way of making dumplings by hand. This shows the world that the Chinese would always find their sense of belonging in China.

Lastly, a group of five celebrities of different ages and two children stands before an entrance as if seemingly a family and everyone has smiles on their faces and clapping together. This scene shows what is valued greatly by many Chinese: Family. While family may be just as important to the rest of the world, it is especially emphasised on in a Chinese family. Using this scene, we can show that Chinese are family-rounded people. 

Chingay 2017: Soundwaves Chingay, WeCare Singapore!

Hello!

On 21 January 2016, a Saturday, we went to the Chingay Parade NE show 2017, which was held at the F1 Pit Building. It was my first time watching Chingay, so while I was excited, I really did not know what to expect.

We gathered in school at around 4.30p.m., took our attendance and boarded a bus that took us to the venue. Much to our dismay, it was alternating between pouring and drizzling while we were on our way there. The prospect of sitting on wet seats in the rain did not heighten our enthusiasm, but we were adamant about having a good time together. So we chatted between ourselves as the volunteers handed us raincoats and ushered us to our sector.

The 1974 Tiger Float in Chingay 2017

Our school was seated in Sector A, so we were the first to watch the performances. The order did not matter though, for it was a parade and everyone got to enjoy the same performances, albeit at different timings, but similar experiences nonetheless. 

This year's Chingay theme was Soundwaves Chingay, WeCare Singapore. We would be able to expect performances from different ethnic groups, Chingay classics like the much anticipated Tiger Float and of course, fireworks! 

The Indian performance and Float:
multi-cultural Singapore

The opening segment was named Crescent Moon and Stars, where 600 performers from all races, age and background gathered together to dance, exemplifies and uplifts the 5 core values, Democracy, Justice, Peace, Prosperity and Equality, of our nation. The lively performances from the youths of Singapore, where we got to see dance and even bicycle tricks, really caught my attention. The NS performed with military precision, along with the iconic NS service man float that came along with it. Then there were the performances from the different races, along with floats of their respective ethnic group. There was also the legendary Tiger Float, which we were really excited to see. They also played folk songs and xingyao, many of which were familiar to us, so we sang along. For example, the Malay dancers played their Kompangs and danced along with the familiar folk tune, Rasa Sayang. In that moment, as we joined in the voices, we felt really bonded. 

Performance by the Japanese Association

There were also performances from other countries too! For example, Cambodia, South Korea and the Japan Association, where we got to see performances specific to their cultures. The performers of the Japanese Association wore tradition Japanese costumes and danced to the Japanese folk-like tune in the background, some while holding up drums, banners and flags, really showing their cultural spirit and who they are. It was a great experience to see different performances from cultural groups, not just from the major ones in Singapore. 

Towards the grand finale, the song 'Rainbow In Our Hearts' was showcased and many of us stood up to wave our light sticks and pom poms. I found the lyrics really meaningful, and there was one line that really stuck out: As one people we are, reaching for the brightest star. It really struck me as how similar it was to Chingay's purpose: To bring people as one. The song was something I feel Singapore should work towards; An accepting nation with no racial discrimination.

In my opinion, Chingay's purpose is to let the people of Singapore have a glimpse into the different culture, both of Singapore and the world. There are no barriers of race or language, therefore bringing everyone together. While Chingay started off celebrating the Lunar New Year and being a strictly Chinese celebration, the different ethnic groups have joined in the celebration over the years. Chingay wasn't just a 'Chinese parade' anymore. It was neither the Malays' festival, nor the Indians', but everyone came to perform and watch. Performances from countries outside Singapore really show how Singapore receives foreigners with open arms, not only to tolerate them, but really accept their cultures without prejudice. Singapore has truly integrated multi-culture into our society.

*With our love at the core, we know we can achieve so much more. 

A brighter Singapore, evermore. 

                                     *lyrics from 'Rainbow in Our Hearts'