A Flawed Paradise? Singaporean Identity in 2010 (Tamil)

Abstract

The Indian community constituted 9.2 percent of the Singaporean population in 2010, roughly half of whom are Tamils. Despite the relatively small population of Singaporean Tamil-speakers, the Tamil language is one of the four national languages endorsed by the Singaporean state and being taught in public schools. As such, the vernacular proves ripe in contributing towards a holistic investigation into Singaporean national identity.

The task of recovering Singaporean identities contained within Tamil texts saw the emergence of three significant identity clusters. The First-World Nation discourse is largely elite-led, evinced primarily by desires to sustain economic growth, an apprehension of the Singaporean landscape as crime-free, and the lauding of the excellent quality of the public service and infrastructure. The second cluster, Singaporean Common Sense, encompasses socio-cultural identities shared by Singaporeans and possesses a relational-slant which showcases the importance accorded by Singaporeans to broader social structures and units. Lastly, The Disgruntled Singaporean discourse presents itself as a challenge to the First-World Nation discourse, containing identities which allude to disillusionment towards the features of life in an industrialized 21st century Singapore – namely, its notorious income inequality and high cost of living.