| Source:
Reproduced from an article by Yeo Lay Hwee published in TODAY, July
8, 2003.
(See Lion of Tor) A lesson from the Danes |
| The
year 2002 was an interesting one for me. I was working in Denmark and closely observing the discussions there about necessary reforms in the education sector and labour market, and the tightening of the immigration policy. At the same time, I continued to follow the developments in Singapore from a distance. Looking at your society from outside and looking into a society in which you are an outsider draws a lot of interesting observations and lessons. From a distance, you see the forest, and from within, you look at the trees. |
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A striking difference is how one is associated amiably with its fairy tale icon - the little Mermaid, and the other by the towering Merlion - a rather tourist icon which lacks any genuine historical or emotional attachment.
And I remember being surprised when, on Sept 15, 2002, at the inaugural ceremony of the New Merlion Park, Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew remarked that the idea of the Merlion 30 years ago was "derived from the famous Mermaid in Copenhagen".
That, I must admit, was quite a revelation. I began to wonder more deeply what the Mermaid and the Merlion have in common.
Both are well-known landmarks for tourists. But the similarity stops here.
While the seemingly fragile Danish Mermaid bravely sits out the storm at the same spot for 90 years, our kingly Merlion has to be shifted 120 metres from its original home in the name of development within its relatively short life span of 30 years.
As SM Lee put it elegantly in his speech: "The spirit of change and continuity that has characterised the making of Singapore can be seen in its (the Merlion's) move to the new home".
The Merlion is, without doubt, uniquely "Made in Singapore".
The Merlion was designed as an emblem for the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) in 1964 by a Mr Fraser Brunner (a foreign talent?).
In 1966, it was registered as a trademark of the STB.
It took another six years before the Merlion statue built by a local craftman, Mr Lim Nang Seng, was erected at the mouth of the Singapore river on Sept 15, 1972, as "a symbol to welcome all visitors to Singapore".
So the primary reason behind the Merlion was to help bring in the tourist money.
Now compare this with the beginning of the Mermaid statue erected at the Langelinie Pier in Copenhagen.
The Little Mermaid, a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen in 1837, has provided inspiration to many.
Mr Carl Jacobsen (founder of Carlsberg) who attended a performance of ballet master Hans Beck's The Little Mermaid in 1909 was so thrilled with the performance, particularly by the leading prima donna, Ellen Price, that he ordered a statue of the Mermaid to be erected in honour of the story.
The sculptor Edward Eriksen was commissioned to create a statue of the Little Mermaid, and he modelled the head of the statue after the head of the dancer Ellen Price, and the torso of the statue after his own wife, Eline. The statue cast in bronze was then presented to the City of Copenhagen by Carl Jacobsen in 1913.
One began with economics in mind and the other was moved by the beauty and finer appreciation of the arts. However, the latter has the same effect of raking in millions of tourist money for Denmark.
The idea behind the Mermaid was therefore not fully understood when we created the Merlion.
There lies the crux of our problems in Remaking Singapore. While the Little Mermaid, despite losing her Prince, gains immortality, what will the fate of the money-making Merlion when it is no longer raking in the bucks?
I was also told that the old nation, Denmark, won its last war in 1611, and has since fought at least 10 other wars and lost.
However, the Danes still celebrate these battles and have learned that the world does not stop if you lose.
They prepare for the next, and in so doing, has given the nation the resilience and a strong identity that it is now.
And that is the immortality that the Danish nation has gained. Governments in Denmark come and go, but the nation survives and the society remains strong and cohesive.
Here in Singapore, we wonder if we will ever survive as a nation the day we lose our economic competitiveness.
In considering Singapore's future, it is not so important what the tourists think about the Merlion. More importantly, it is how Singaporeans feel about the Merlion.
"Rough beast, you are neither idol nor ideal. Your heart is hollow, cold and open for admission, but we have nowhere else to hide our dreams." This lines are from a poem on the Merlion by Singaporean Alvin Pang.
Indeed the Merlion may not be the most elegant beast. To some, it may be even a bit crass and tacky. But that is the only beast we have right now.
If we Singaporeans don't work on softening this rough beast, and fill its heart with warmth and substance, what future is there for us? Like the Little Mermaid, we must dare to risk for the sake of love and eternity.
The writer is Senior Research Fellow, Singapore Institute of International Affairs.
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