N U R S A F I A H

Wednesday, September 07, 2005/

Why Are We Short of Great Heroes and Idols? @ 1:04 pm

Here is an idea for a new TV reality show: Singapore's Greatest.

Draw up a list of great Singaporeans and, after airing hour-long documentaries about each of them, invite callers to vote via SMS or phone.

It will be like the Singapore Idol but, only this time, the members of the audience are asked to judge which of their fellow countrymen made the greatest impact on the world.

Like the Idol contest, Singapore won't be the first to have it. BBC started the "Greatest Britons" TV series three years ago, and the format was bought subsequently by South Africa, Germany, Holland and Canada.

How will Singaporeans vote? If the straw poll that I have been conducting in the past months among friends and relatives is any indication, Lee Kuan Yew would win hands down.

It is not surprising.

A fortnight ago, the Minister Mentor was the only Singaporean named by Time magazine as one of the world's 100 most influential people this year.

The magazine said Singapore's founding father's "mark in history" would be as an "Asian philosopher king".

So just as influential former political leaders Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandela topped Britain and South Africa's greatest lists respectively, it seems Lee will be Singapore's runaway winner.

But who would have enough votes to be Singapore's No 2, 3, 4 or 5?

Perhaps Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong? Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong? To be fair, it is far too early to judge.

Anymore candidates? Sadly, no.

If the definition of "greatest" means the greatest impact on the world, Singapore would be hard-pressed to find a singer, poet, writer, artist, actor, thinker, scientist, musician or athlete who qualifies.

While the Greatest Briton list boasts William Shakespeare, Charles Darwin and John Lennon, Singapore does not seem to have any of such international brand names that need no further introduction, whether in London or Beijing.

Sad to say, though the likes of Taufik Batisah and Zoe Tay are household names here, they are virtual unknowns outside this country.

It points to a troubling truth - that Singapore is really short of world-class heroes and idols.

Without them, can Singapore succeed in its bid to become a major world city? Maybe, but it probably won't be complete.

It is tempting to argue that this paucity of great men is because of Singapore's small population of four million. It's harder to find big fish in a small pond right?

But other small countries like Austria (8 million people), Sweden (8 million) and New Zealand (4 million) do not have the same problem.

Their lists of great men run long and illustrious: Austria (Mozart, Sigmund Freud and Arnold Schwarzenegger); Sweden (Alfred Nobel and Bjorn Borg); and New Zealand (Sir Edmund Hillary, Sir Ernest Rutherford, who was first to split the atom, and Peter Jackson of the Lord Of The Rings trilogy).

Our smallness is but an excuse. Much of it, I believe, has to do with our values as encapsulated by the dominant culture of pragmatism.

Instead of pursuing our passions, Singaporeans are conditioned by the need to survive and to have a safety net.

Often, we don't do things because we like it. We do it because it is practical.
Look at those who learnt how to play the piano. For many post-'65ers, it's common to have been herded to piano lessons when young.

All the other kids are doing it, so our loving parents didn't want us to lose out. It's kiasu and it's practical.

After all, it can't be bad to learn another skill, right? If the kid fails to make it in school, he may still make a living as a piano teacher.

So, many children of my generation ploughed on, obtaining grade eight or higher. Certificate in the bag, target achieved, thereafter, the piano is left to gather dust.

Maybe that's why, despite having so many pianists, we do not have a world-class one that is as synonymous with Singapore as MM Lee.

Maybe that's why we don't have a pianist that is capable of being the next Rachmaninov or Beethoven.

Singapore churns out many worker bees, but the queen is nowhere to be found.
In our no-nonsense approach to life, we lost that bit of idealism, romance and passion. We sacrificed on brilliance, flair and creativity.

We denied ourselves geniuses and great men.

Admittedly, there is nothing wrong with the pragmatic route. Singapore's success is a struggle for survival, and that was the logical path.

But while pragmatism can build a decent and functional city, it is unlikely to create a great one filled with iconic personalities.

Now that we have succeeded, climbing from the Third World to the First in double-quick time, it is time to move on.

It is time to build up our list of greatest Singaporeans.

By Peh Shing Huei The Straits Times/ANN

a lyfe* like mine-; 1:04 pm