Today is Singapore’s National Day.
Like me, Singapore hits the wonderful age of 59 years old today.
Congratulations to all Singaporeans and to Singapore’s leaders for forging something truly impressive in a small tropical island.
The story of Singapore is well told. But one of its more amazing achievements is maintaining racial harmony and balance in a region of the world known more for ethnic homogeneity than heterogeneity.
As a Canadian and an immigrant to Canada from a parentage of (lightly) mixed ethnic variance, issues related to culture, ethnicity, equality, acceptance and the inverses, racism and bias are at the forefront of my mind, along with power imbalances between the elite and the disenfranchised.
Although these are often verboten topics in polite company, even within discussions in university settings, I believe they are paramount to the future of SE Asia and East Asia.
No large country with a declining population (see South Korea, Japan and mainland China) can survive and thrive if it does not adopt non-ethnic based principles of immigration.
But, this will be tough!
As a white male in Asia, I see labels applied to me across countries that are somewhat innocent in intent but place a focus on differences. Such wordings tend to be muted in countries with high immigration - like Canada, but they are lexiconic in various places in Asia.
A caucasian person can be termed:
Thailand - Farang
Indonesia - Bule
Cambodia - Barang (more for French)
Singapore - Ang Mo
Malaysia - Ang Mo
Japan - Gaijin (more racially neutral)
China - Waiguoren (more racially neutral)
Vietnam - Người nước ngoài (racially neutral)
Some might argue that these terms connote white privilege, others are clearly derogatory.
Hong Kong - gweilo
Vietnam - T…g Tây (not 100% on how to write this slur)
Philippines - AFAM
The latter is an interesting word in itself as it refers to a white foreign man in a relationship with a Filipina. It can have multiple connotations, some of which are pejorative.
But when used by the marites’s (gossip hounds) of the world the connotation is negative, implying social climbing, racial biases, or sugar dating.
Although just one example, it marks a trend where social mobility is restricted by the so-called crab effect.
Indeed, going back to the issue of power assymetries and entrenched social statuses, certainly political and business elite have a responsibility to free resources so that the capable and motivated can achieve the so-called American dream anywhere in the world.
But those who seek to climb, should be supported not impeded, by others in the same social stratum.
Unfortunately, human nature dictates that behavior will be otherwise, much to my frustration given my love for Asia and my hope to see a better world here.
Until such a world emerges in other countries in Asia, we can at least look to Singapore on the day of its 59th birthday where its version of meritocracy has worked.
#singapore #equity
Public Policy Consultant
2moGreat meeting you! Good luck on the rest of your Italian mission