Transcription
I am often accused of interfering in the private lives of citizens. If I had not done that, we wouldn't be here today. We would be the old Singapore—speaking four languages, not interacting. We wouldn't have them all living in the same New Towns, learning to be good neighbors. I don't think we would be here.
Everybody thought Saturday last week was a great success. What made it possible? Because, after 27 years since 1959, the announcements could be in English, and the whole stadium understood and responded as one. They could sing together. You know, we couldn't sing together before; we sang different songs in different languages. It was almost immutable, unchangeable. We had to change it very carefully, gradually. We did not laugh at the same jokes because you crack a joke in Hokkien, 40 percent of the population won't follow you. You crack a joke in Malay—if it is very rudimentary Bazaar Malay—maybe 50 will laugh with you. Some of our speakers were quite good at that, but maximum 50-60 percent. We didn't even get angry at the same things because we didn't know people were taking jibes at us.
We intervened with Mandarin; it's promoted it and asked people to drop dialects and pick up Mandarin. It was the right decision. If we had not done that, then the teaching of Mandarin in schools must fail because we know they can't cope. So why are you teaching a language which they will not use? It was interference in a personal preserve, intervention, but it was necessary intervention.
In 1980, we stopped all television broadcasts in dialects. Brave unhappiness! Many MPs told me, "Why not relent? Have a little bit." I said, "No, we've waited so long; let's try." By 1986, all the old folk could understand Mandarin. They may not be able to speak it, but they watch the programs and understand what's going on.
Let me just recite briefly the other things we intervened in: spitting (we started in 1958 and have changed for the better, healthier); littering (we started in 1968, not so personal, but nevertheless courtesy); and we started in 1979. Now, littering—should we intervene? We can just look the other way, and occasionally some people die or get maimed or injured. Can't be helped? Well, there are two approaches. I think, as Singaporeans become more westernized in their values and attitudes, they believe they've got to have all the rights and privileges. I said, "Right, this is a new phase. Give them the option. You decide. You make up your mind. You exercise the choice. You pay the price." And I say, without the slightest remorse, that we wouldn't be here; we would not have made the economic progress if we had not intervened on very personal matters: who your neighbor is, how you live, the noise you make, how you spit or where you spit, or what language you use. Had we not done that and done it effectively, we would not be here today.