We are briefly in Singapore. But long enough to compare it to scruffy disorganized, often-squalid Bangkok where we have just come from. Even on the drive from the Changi Airport the renowned cleanliness and organization are evident. No billboards. Not a scrap of rubbish. Beautiful, well maintained trees everywhere and neatly clipped hedges. As we drive, no lines of scraggly shade-cloth parking next to buildings. All apartment blocks have neatly tucked into themselves their parking facilities. Taxis drive, respectfully, within the speed-limit. The roads are well-marked. The people working in the hotel and airport, from the immigration authorities to the baggage handlers are polite and friendly. Not tip-seeking or ingratiating. Not too much. Not too little. Just right. Is it in the DNA? It seems to be a kind of inborn grace. An advertisement on a wall in the airport says of Singapore Airlines "Business class: But it feels like First Class" And it does.
The question is "How do they do it?" How is it that this wonderfully positive impact is sustained everywhere and by everyone we meet? Is it the leadership? Yes, I know. Lee Kwan Yew was the one who had the vision and executed it rigorously when he was the head of the government.
But it has lived beyond him. So, is it the natural character of the people? Well, why then do other large East Asian cities who have similar ethnic diversity not have it?
Whatever it is, I wish someone would bottle it, and start to export it to Africa.
So interesting dad. There is definitely something about the East that I would love to see take root here but I don't know if it is in our DNA - if in fact it comes from that and not just the leadership. Perhaps there is leadership DNA we should be looking into.
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