Singapore’s Fiftieth

Photo credit: Armando Nguyen

Today is National Day in Singapore. We have National Day every year. This year is special. It is fifty years since Singapore achieved independence and the celebrations are planned to commemorate the event with all possible enthusiasm and gratitude.

Our fireworks will not go off without a suitable glance backwards at the skillful work a small group of people supervised and a large number of people carried out. There will be a wistful sadness that Lee Kuan Yew died before he could see the celebrations but his monument will be here for many years. Most people see it as Singapore and we certainly owe our amazing city to him. I see his legacy also as the determination of Singaporeans to continue their remarkable ability to adapt to change and to be swift-footed in a world of less nimble giants.

The fitting LKY Musical is an example of the splendid development of the arts in Singapore. Adrian Pang’s Lee Kwan Yew is a real tribute to the early years and to the Founder himself. With innovative staging, excellent lyrics and a precision worthy of any great theatre tradition it says it all for Singapore.

Those of us who came from overseas but who have lived here for a long time are especially grateful to be a part of the fantastic story of Singapore. There are few places elsewhere in the world where we could have joined in the development of such a magnificent city-state.

May the next fifty years be as exciting, interesting and fruitful as have been the last fifty.

Majulah Singapura

The Daily Paradox will be celebrating Singapore’s Fiftieth with a short holiday. Back on 11Aug.