THE Singapore story is one that has been chronicled many times over: The story of a small city-state with limited resources triumphing against all odds.
It’s the story of a country punching above its weight and chalking a series of impressive firsts on the global stage: It hosted the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in 2010; inscribed its Botanical Gardens as the country’s first Unesco World Heritage Site in 2015, and won its first Olympic gold medal in 2016.
In June 2018 it achieved another historic first by hosting the meeting between United States (US) President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The short preparation time notwithstanding, the US-North Korea Summit is an expression of the Singapore spirit, manifested in the readiness and “all-hands-on-deck-to-make-it-happen” attitude of everyday Singaporeans from different backgrounds, as they worked tirelessly while they paid attention to every preparation detail, harnessed their ingenuity and will, then made it a proud and successful event for Singapore.
The Singapore story is a story of the spirit of its people: determined, optimistic, resourceful, ambitious and down-to-earth; a story of “Passion Made Possible.” As Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong aptly put it, “the Singapore Spirit is ‘the determination that makes us press on in the face of tough times, and the confidence that Singapore will prevail.’”
As the country celebrates its 53rd year of independence, meet some of these ordinary Singaporeans and experience the country’s spirit through their stories.
Spreading the fishball story
DOUGLAS NG, 27, is the millennial Singaporean “hawker-preneur” behind The Fishball Story, and a key character in the Passion Made Possible film series produced by the Ministry of Communications and Information, which features stories of everyday Singaporeans pursuing their passions.
The journey began with his love for his grandmother’s handmade fishballs, which had ignited his passion to share his love for the cuisine with others. In fact, his fishball noodles have had both locals and Michelin inspectors hooked: making an appearance on the Michelin Bib Gourmand Guide, alongside other famous Singaporean delights.
While many might not find the hawker trade desirable, Ng aspires to debunk such misconceptions and preserve the hawker culture. He firmly believes the job requires much passion and dedication to the craft.
Riding on his success in Singapore, he is now looking toward a new chapter for The Fishball Story and introduce a taste of his noodles overseas.
Protecting women in SG, beyond
AS a chief executive and instructor of Kapap Academy, a self-defense school in Singapore, Qin Yunquan, 29, seeks to equip people—especially women—with the skills to protect themselves.
Picking up an Israeli martial art called Kapap in her first year as a bioengineering student while recovering from an eating disorder, she came across traumatic stories of fellow students who were assaulted. Those inspired her to become a fulltime martial arts instructor. She has since adapted Kapap to create the Modern Street Combatives, a customized self-defense system for women.
In 2017 more than 8,000 students were trained; a portion of the students come from disadvantaged backgrounds or are victims of abuse. Qin envisions taking the program to the region and beyond, to countries like India, Malaysia, China and Australia.
Saving the region’s sharks
FOR her love of sharks, 36-year-old Kathy Xu left her teaching career to start The Dorsal Effect in 2013.
While swimming alongside a whale shark in Exmouth, Australia, in 2011, Xu thought to do something to prevent the extinction of sharks so that future generations could have the same opportunity to swim along them, rather than to read about them through books.
After a stint at volunteering with the education arm of Shark Savers Singapore, she set up the Dorsal Effect in Lombok, Indonesia. It aimed to wean shark hunters off the cruel trade of hunting sharks, which was popular due to the high demand of shark’s fin in cuisine.
In fact, The Dorsal Effect hopes to convert the livelihoods of shark fishermen through ecotourism and get the shark fishermen to take tourists out on snorkeling and beach-hopping boat trips instead.
First ethical subscription box
SONDER SOCIAL is a start-up by three Singaporean women: 29-year-old Syafiqah Omar, 27-year-old Sing-Suen Soon and 27-year-old Azi Fuad, which introduces lesser- known social enterprises within the region through quarterly subscription boxes.
In 2016 Soon and Faud—both working at the Singapore Committee for United Nations Women—decided to come together to do something for the nonprofit sector. Syafiqah was roped in at a later stage after her internship and volunteering experience in Pakistan.
First of its kind in the region, the trio includes socially conscious products from communities in Asia Pacific into their special subscription boxes, which are themed around positive values that resonate with them. The boxes are packed with goodies, such as woven pillowcases from Vietnam, jewellery made by survivors of human trafficking in India, beeswax wraps from Thailand, and nuts from the Philippines, among others.
One box at a time, the trio hopes to effect change, raise awareness about regional social enterprises; and improve standards of living of marginalized communities.
Image credits: Ministry of Communications and Information, Republic of Singapore