Transcription
I may speak the English language better than I speak my Chinese language, but I'll never be an Englishman in a thousand generations. And I have not got the Western value system inside. Is an oriental Eastern value system, but I use Western concepts, western words because I understand it. But I also have a different system in my mind. But I say a person who gets deculturalization for optimum performance, a man must nor himself nor the world.
Lee Kuan Yew was well aware of the challenges faced by Asians in Western societies, particularly on the issues of racial discrimination. Asians in Western countries must follow their pride from time to time, particularly in periods of economic slowdown when racial discrimination becomes more blatant and racist abuse and attacks more prevalent. Some Asians complain that in many companies and organizations there is an invis invisible ceiling for Asian employees. In other words, beyond a certain point, you cannot be promoted, a glass ceiling. So this is a subject of considerable refinement amongst immigrants. They have developed a special vocabulary to describe their problems. However competent the Asians are there, they seldom rise above a certain level. Furthermore, they tend to be shunted to technical and operational jobs rather than given key management managerial appointments.
But more troubling for him was the pervasive influence of Western culture and media, which he feared could lead Singapore to become a culturally lost nation. "We could become a pseudo Western Society, not a real Western Society. If you're a real Western Society, that's another matter. But you become a pseudo Western Society, a fake one, that's a disaster. That is the ground undertoe of your society, and it is our business to keep that undertoe asan. And therefore, we have to preserve our society from being transformed. And when you have this offshore press trying to set the pace, we say off with thee. This is my society."
Witnessing this erosion of cultural identity among Singaporeans and minorities in the West, he emphasized that those who believe they could simply reject their ethnic heritage in favor of a foreign culture were deluding themselves. "There is no such thing as 'I'm just a Singaporean.' There there is no such thing as 'I'm just an American.' You're either a black American or a white American or a Hispanic American or an Asian American. And if you do not accept that, then you are deceiving yourself, and you're in for a lot of unpleasantness."
Understanding these challenges, along with his diverse life experiences, reinforced his belief that embracing one's cultural language, traditions, and values was something to be proud of and worth preserving. In this video, let's explore Lee Kuan Yew's journey of cultural identity and his message on the importance of why Singaporeans and the Asian diaspora should embrace their cultural roots in a rapidly changing world. But if who are afraid that the West may laugh at us, then we'll become like the West, and then our ancestors were done in their graves.
Though Lee Kuan Yew's first language was English, he would realize early on in life that he would never truly be accepted in English society, as illustrated in this experience from his time as a university student. "I used to for up for accommodation when I was a student in England. You know, my name is Lee, also spelled the English way, L-E-E. And I used to, when I was in England, I spoke English like the English do, and the receptionist or the landlady can't tell the difference. So I make quite sure after my first experience. Look, I am Chinese. You know, I gave her a way to say I have have no accommodation or I'm sorry, we don't take Asians. Saves a lot of trouble."
In his memoirs, he recounts how his time in England as a minority transformed him into a "born again Chinese," revealing that others perceived him not as uniquely Singaporean or Malaysian, but instead simply categorizing him as Chinese. Speaking as a Chinese who understands China, first of all, I can't speak as a Chinese because I'm a Singaporean. I'm of Chinese ethnic stock, and I think this is cral. Mean asked me to speak as a Chinese, as an ethnic Chinese. Well, you know, the Chinese People's Republic in Beijing will be, uh, I think quite rightfully indignant, and so will the other aspirant in in in Taipei. Travel around the world often, and you know, people don't know that I come from Singapore, and they treat me, uh, as a Chinese or as, in the old days, as they used to call them. And, uh, they used to say, ah, Chinaman. You know, and in the, uh, middle 40s and, uh, is of course MTH.
The tone core between two identities, he felt he was neither Chinese enough to fully connect with his Chinese classmates, nor English enough to fit in with the British. Upon returning to Singapore, he also noticed a stark contrast between the English educated and Chinese educated populations, noting that the Chinese speakers had less identity issues and exhibited greater self-confidence. "To keep our sense of identity, uh, sense of our place in the world, the second language is very important. Otherwise, you lose your confidence because however well you speak in English, you're not an Englishman." Lee Kuan Yew also drew parallels between English-speaking Singaporeans and the struggles faced by Chinese Americans as they attempt to reconnect with their cultural roots. A Chinese American, he did a survey of American-born Chinese. They did not learn Chinese in school. When they went to college, China is rising, they want to learn Chinese. Those who spoke P at home with their parents, they had no trouble because they caught the sounds, they made the grave. Those who spoke English at home, they had the same trouble as the American-born American. Why? Because from young, you have not heard the sounds, the tones. Ma, ma, ma, ma. I took years to catch it. So my children used to tell me, wrong thought.
Recognizing these factors, Lee Kuan Yew would embrace Chinese roots by abandoning his English name, Harry, giving his children Chinese names, and starting a lifelong journey to learn Mandarin in his early 30s. Additionally, he implemented a bilingual policy in Singapore, emphasizing the importance of teaching children their mother tongue from an early age, and established the Li Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism in 2011 to further enhance Singapore's culture and ties to the world. But because Singapore is moving rapidly towards an English-speaking society, I'm emphasizing the importance of starting children young and learning their mother tongues. You got to start from kindergarten, probably from nursery even.
In his last National Day speech, Lee Kuan Yew expressed that if he could turn back time, he would prioritize teaching primary school students Chinese as their first language before introducing English.
In his memoirs, Lee Kuan Yew emphasized the critical importance for Chinese Singaporeans to learn their mother tongue, stating that language transmits values, including the Confucian principles of loyalty, honor, discipline, and family values that he believed would provide a cultural anchor for his people in an increasingly fast-paced and globalized world. He also emphasized the benefits of those who mastered the Chinese language, citing examples of Singaporeans who have achieved global success. Singers like JJ Lin, Stephanie Sun, and Tanya Chua capitalized on their bilingual abilities to break into the Chinese market. He also pointed out Singaporean business leaders who found career success in China, such as Janet Ang, who led IBM's personal computer division for Greater China, and Kenneth Chan, the former CEO of McDonald's China.
However, Lee Kuan Yew recognized that mastering one's mother tongue was only one piece of the puzzle in ensuring Singapore retains its Asian core and values. "I'm not saying with the language you necessarily get the value system. No, but the chances are it will help. And without that value system, I am quite fearful that we lose this trust." Is the value system what is right, what is wrong? You take a Western value system. Is what it's my fundamental rights as a citizen under the Constitution. I'm guaranteed all these things. Now, give me, you haven't given me, I'll vote you out. Whether the chap who's voted in will give it to him doesn't matter. Wait and see. But the Chinese ethical system is a different one. You owe certain obligations to society. Well, between government and people, father and son, brothers and sisters, friends, they are important fundamental relationships. Your obligation to society.
Most concerningly, Lee Kuan Yew was worried about the impact of Western media and influence on young Singaporeans who frequently consume content in English. He warned that those who become indoctrinated by the values of a different culture risk becoming culturally lost. "Unless you're careful in bringing up your young so that you don't lose your own bearings, your sense of place in this world, who you are, what you are, continuity with what you represent, your your culture, your family, your values. If you watch Murphy Brown or I don't know what's the latest on American sitcom, and you believe you're part of that culture when in fact you are not, uh, you'll become ruthless."
Additionally, Lee Kuan Yew would note that Singapore's successful bilingual policy has proven to be a double-edged sword, granting English-speaking Singaporean workers the freedom to relocate anywhere. However, Lee Kuan Yew was acutely aware of the struggles faced by those who moved to different societies, noting that many often grappled with challenges in their personal relationships with their children and a diminished sense of belonging. "Their children become so different and alien. They have immigrated for their children's sake, but they have grown up totally different, like the whites. But the crucial admission, you do not and cannot feel really at home there. That's the crux of the matter."
Furthermore, Lee Kuan Yew would recognize that some Asians, in pursuit of opportunities abroad, would quickly realize the incompatibility of Western cultural values with their own. "American dream, in short, the grass is greener on the other side."
In the end, Lee Kuan Yew recognized that the struggle to preserve Singapore's Asian foundations will continue long after his lifetime, especially with the rapid rise of the internet, globalization, falling birth rates, and the breakdown of traditional family structures. He hoped that Chinese Singaporeans would come to understand that the foundation of their society and the generations that preceded them in China lies not in the Western ideal of individual rights, but rather in the strength of cultural ties, family, and community. "China has a completely different and a checkered history, 4,000 to 5,000 years of ups and downs. Why have they survived in spite of anarchy, disaster, floods, famines? Because there was a social network independent of government that sustained them: the immediate family, the extended family, the clan. You owed them an obligation, you cannot turn them away, and that's how they survived. I would be Lo to believe that in Singapore, you will never have anarchy, that there will always be government that will provide for social security. That has been your experience. I'm not sure that will be a Singapore experience. I think we are safer if we keep those family bonds, those traditional life raft systems, not dependent on the state, which places the emphasis on family, extended family, and then the government, and not the individual at the expense of the family and the state."
But if you give up Chinese, you have lost something very valuable, and you mustn't give it up. It is important that we know ourselves, us, and that we understand the r language and the spoken language.