Prioritising social grace in Singapore

AS SINGAPORE celebrates its 58th National Day, it is perhaps timely to take stock of what the uniquely constrained city-state has achieved thus far – notably and undoubtedly, significant economic development and growth. Its affluence and educational achievements have surpassed most nations beyond expectations. There is, however one aspect that has remained challenging to overcome, and that is the perceived lack of social grace in Singapore, relative to countries such as Japan, Canada, and even Thailand. Is there any truth to this oft-heard allegation or is it instead a false perception?

Fifteen years ago, I was fortunate enough to ask our late former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew at a public dialogue session for his opinion on this. Lee’s response was that it would take more than a few generations for a positive societal change to happen and that he would not be around to see it.

To know whether this generation of Singaporeans has embodied social grace, we must first understand the concept of social grace – how it is construed, what it entails, the factors that determine it, and the linkages between the factors.