Creating A Singapore Identity

This ia all about creating a Singapore Identity

1. Creating a Singapore Identity
Written by: Bani Muhamad Iyad

2. Contents
Introduction The National Flag
The National AnthemThe State Crest
The Pledge The National Flower
The Lion Head SymbolPresidents in Singapore
Being United as Singaporeans Quiz

3. Introduction
•When Singapore obtained full internal
self-government, its leaders had to
look into many important matters.
•One of the main challenges was to
ensure the people of Singapore feel
that Singapore was their homeland.
•A sense of common identity had to be
developed among the people of
Singapore.

4. Introduction
•Creating national
symbols was one way
to help develop a sense
of common identity
among the people.
•These symbols were
introduced in 1959.
The National Anthem
The State
Crest
The National Flag

5. Introduction
•Dr Toh Chin Chye, the then
Deputy Prime Minister, led a
committee to design the State
Crest, State Flag and State
Anthem.
•These symbols were unveiled on
3 December 1959 at the City
Hall.
•The State Flag and the State
Anthem became known as the
National Flag and National
Anthem when Singapore became
independent in 1965.

6. Introduction
•These symbols were
created after
Singapore obtained
independence in 1965.
The Lion Head Symbol
The National Flower
We, the citizens of Singapore
pledge ourselves as one united people,
regardless of race,
language or religion,
to build a democratic society,
based on justice and equality,
so as to achieve
happiness, prosperity
and progress for our nation.
The Pledge

7. The National Flag
The crescent
moon
represents a
young nation.
The five stars
stands for the
nation’s
beliefs of
democracy,
peace,
progress,
justice and
equality.Red
symbolises
universal
brotherhood
and equality
of man.
White
symbolises
everlasting
purity and
virtue.
•The National Flag is a
symbol of Singapore’s
independence.
Let us find
out what
the
crescent
moon, five
stars and
colours on
the flag
represent.

8. The National Flag
•The National Flag should
not touch the ground at any
time.
•When raising the flag, it
should rest on the flag-
bearer’s shoulder before
hoisted.
•When lowering the flag, it
should rest on the flag-
bearer’s shoulder before
being removed from the
flag pole.

9. The National Flag
•The flag should be cleaned
when dirty or replaced
when faded.
•After washing the flag, it
should not be hung
together with the other
laundry.
•Any damaged flag should be
sealed in a trash bag
before disposal.

10. The National Flag
•The flag is flown halfway
up a flag pole when a
country is in mourning.
•This is known as flying
the flag at half-mast.
•Usually when a national
leader in the country has
passed away, all flags
will be flown at half-
mast.

11. The National Anthem
•Singapore’s
National Anthem
is the Majulah
Singapura.
•The National
Anthem is in
Malay because
Malay is the
national language
of Singapore.

12. The National Anthem
•The National Anthem
was created to unite the
different races in
Singapore.
•It reflects Singapore’s
identity as a nation.
•The song is about
enduring hope and spirit
of Singaporeans to make
progress.
•It rallies Singaporeans
together to succeed.
•Zubir Said was the
composer of the
National Anthem.

13. The National Anthem
Majulah Singapura
Mari kita rakyat Singapura
Sama-sama menuju bahagia
Cita-cita kita yang mulia
Berjaya Singapura
Marilah kita bersatu
Dengan semangat yang baru
Semua kita berseru
Majulah Singapura
Majulah Singapura

14. The National Anthem
Onward Singapore
Come, fellow Singaporeans
Let us progress towards happiness together
May our noble aspiration bring
Singapore success
Come, let us unite
In a new spirit
Let our voices soar as one
Onward Singapore
Onward Singapore

15. The National Anthem
•The National
Anthem is sung in
schools and at the
National Day
celebrations.
•Whenever the
anthem is being
played, a person
has to stand at
attention.
•This is a sign of
respect.

16. The National Anthem
•Zubir Mohamad Said was
born on 22 July 1907 in
Central Sumatra.
•He came to Singapore in
1947 and worked as a
part-time photographer
and a music composer.
•He wrote over 1000
music pieces and won
many awards.
•Zubir Said died on 16
November 1987 at the
age of 80.

17. The State Crest
•The National Coat of
Arms is also known as
the State Crest.
•Only government offices
can display the State
Crest within their
premises.
•It consists of a shield
with a white crescent
moon and five stars
against a red
background.

18. The State Crest
•Red is symbolic of universal
brotherhood and equality of
man, and white signifies
pervading and everlasting
purity and virtue.
•The five stars represent the
five ideals of democracy,
peace, progress, justice and
equality.
•The lion represents Singapore
itself and the tiger, the
island's historical links with
Malaysia.

19. The Pledge
•The National Pledge was
written by Sinnathamby
Rajaratnam in 1966 shortly
after Singapore's
independence.
•Rajaratnam revealed that the
dream was to build "a
Singapore we are proud of".
•He believed that language,
race and religion were divisive
factors, but the Pledge
emphasises that these
differences can be overcome
if Singaporeans cared enough
about their country.
•The draft text was handed to
the then Prime Minister Lee
Kuan Yew, who polished the
text before submitting it to
the Cabinet.

20. The National Flower
•Vanda Miss Joaquim is a
natural hybrid between
and Vanda hookeriana
and was first discovered
in the garden of Agnes
Joaquim in 1893.
•It was described in the
same year by Henry N.
Ridley, director of the
Singapore Botanic
Gardens at the time.

21. The National Flower
•On April 15, 1981, the Minister of
Culture, S. Dhanabalan, announced
that as part of an overall effort
to foster national pride and
identity Vanda Miss Joaquim was
chosen from amongst 40 other
flowers (including some 30
orchids) as Singapore's national
flower.
•The ability of Vanda Miss
Joaquim's to bloom throughout
the year was considered to
reflect Singapore's continuous
quest for progress and excellence
in all aspects of life, and its
natural resilience which is
reflected the determination of
the Singaporean people to stand
fast through difficult times.

22. The National Flower
•A strong inflorescence of Vanda Miss
Joaquim may carry up to 12 buds,
usually with four flowers open at a
time.
•Each flower is about 5 cm across and
6 cm tall, and as is the case with its
parents, the petals are twisted
around so that the back surface
faces front.
•The two petals and the top sepal are
rosy-violet, and the lateral sepals are
a pale mauve.
•The lip is very large and broad and
the middle lobe extends out like a
fan.
•It is coloured violet- rose, merging
into a contrasting fiery orange at the
centre.
•Over the orange patch, the lip is
finely spotted with dark purple spots.

23. The National Flower
•Vanda Miss Joaquim requires full
sunlight, free air movement, high
humidity and heavy fertilising to
achieve optimum growth and
flowering.
•It needs support to grow straight and
tall but it flowers only when the top
of its stem rises above the support.
•It is a robust, sun loving plant with
slender stems best grown in beds
against post supports.
•Unlike most countries whose national
flowers are found beyond their
national boundaries, Singapore has
the distinction of being the only
nation to have a hybrid as its national
flower and whose distribution was
confined to Singapore's boundaries.

24. The Lion Head Symbol
•The lion head symbol was
introduced in 1986 as an
alternative national
symbol of Singapore.
•The lion head was chosen
as a logo, as it best
captures, the
characteristics of
Singapore's reputation
as a Lion City.
•It is used in less formal
occasions mainly to
promote Singapore's
national identity.

25. The Lion Head Symbol
According to the
Singapore government: “The lion head symbolises courage,
strength and excellence, as well as
resilience in the face of challenges. It is
in solid red against a white background -
the colours of the national flag. Its
mane's five partings represent the same
five ideals that are embodied in the five
stars of the national flag, namely
democracy, peace, progress, justice and
equality. Its tenacious mane symbolises
the nation's single-minded resolve to
rise to any challenges and overcome any
obstacles.”

26. The Lion Head Symbol
1.An individual, organisation
or company can use the lion
head symbol for purposes
of identifying with the
nation.
2.The lion head symbol
should be used in good
taste. Its design should not
be modified in any way nor
have any words or graphics
superimposed over it.
However, it may be
depicted in outline form,
be embossed or portrayed
as a watermark.

27. Presidents in Singapore
•The President of the Republic of Singapore is
Singapore's head of state.
•In a Westminster parliamentary system,
which Singapore possesses, the prime minister
is the head of the government while the
position of president is largely ceremonial.
•Before 1993, the President of Singapore was
appointed by Parliament.
•Following constitutional changes brought into
force in 1991, the President became a
popularly-elected post.
•The first elected President was Ong Teng
Cheong, who served from 1 September 1993
to 31 August 1999.
•The current President of Singapore is S.R.
Nathan, who first became the head of state in
18 August 1999 and is presently serving his
second term of office.
•The President is a ceremonial head of state
broadly analogous to the British monarch, but
the 1991 constitutional amendments gave the
President certain reserve powers over
government expenditure of financial reserves
and appointments to key public offices.
•The President's official residence is the
Istana.

28. Presidents in Singapore
•The late Encik Yusof bin
Ishak, former President of
the Republic of Singapore, was
born on 12th August, 1910 at
Padang Gajah, Trong about 18
miles from Taiping, Perak.
•Encik Yusof is a Malay of
Sumatran descent and can
trace his lineage on the
paternal side to Minangkabau,
and on the maternal side to
Langkat.
•They first settled in Penang
and later, Perak.
•Encik Yusof is the eldest son
in a family of nine.

29. Presidents in Singapore
•His father, Encik Ishak bin
Ahmad now deceased, was the
Acting Director of Fisheries,
Straits Settlements and
Federated Malay States.
•Encik Yusof received his early
education in the Malay school in
Kuala Kurau, Perak.
•Two years later, Encik Yusof was
transferred to the Malay School
at Taiping and in 1921 he began
his English studies at King
Edward VII School, Taiping.
•In 1923 when his civil-servant
father was posted to Singapore,
Encik Yusof accompanied his
parents and studied at the
former Victoria Bridge School
until December 1923.

30. Presidents in Singapore
•In 1924 he was admitted to
Raffles Institution where he
passed the Cambridge School
Certificate in 1927 with
distinction, and prolonged his
studies for two more years in
the Queen's Scholarship
class.
•While in School Encik Yusof
joined in practically all forms
of sport, played by boys.
•While at the Raffles
Institution he played hockey
and cricket, and took part in
swimming, weight lifting,
water-polo and boxing.

31. Presidents in Singapore
•Yusof was well known both as a
journalist and the founder of
the Malay newspaper Utusan
Melayu prior to becoming head
of state of Singapore.
•He was married to Noor
Aishah.
•He first served as Yang di-
Pertuan Negara (head of state)
between 1959 and 1965,
remaining in office during the
time that Singapore was part
of the Federation of Malaysia
between 1963 and 1965.

32. Presidents in Singapore
•Following Singapore's departure
from Malaysia in 1965, he
served as the first President of
the Republic until his death in
1970.
•Yusof is buried at Kranji State
Cemetery.
•In 1933 he became the
Singapore light-weight
champion.
•As the most outstanding cadet
of the School Cadet Corps, he
became the first student ever
in Singapore to have been
commissioned by the then
Governor as a 2nd Lieutenant in
the Cadet Corps.
•He was a school prefect and
was co-editor of the
'Rafflesian'.

33. Presidents in Singapore
•Benjamin was born the second child of
six children in Singapore to an Eurasian
family with an English lineage.
•His father Edwin H Sheares, a technical
supervisor of the Public Works
Department, was born in England and
raised in India.
•Edwin later migrated to Penang and
married Singapore-born Lilian Gomez, of
Chinese Singaporean and Spanish
descent, and had six children - the first
died in infancy.
•Life was hard for the Sheares family
with the meagre pay that Edwin
received from his post, but they were
still happy.
•The young Ben or Bennie as he was
affectionately known, was a quiet boy
keeping very much to himself and loved
to play at the Pierce Reservoir where
his father worked.
•He had a close relationship with his
sister Alice and often loved to play
doctor with her.

34. Presidents in Singapore
•There was one incident when he made
Alice swallow a one-cent coin as a
medical “pill” in their game.
•Benjamin was six years old then and
receiving a good hiding from his mother
Lilian. Throughout his growing years
Benjamin showed ambition to become a
doctor - a dream deemed an almost
impossible one for someone coming from
a poor family and being an Asian in early
colonial days in Singapore.
•Alice continued to spirit him on with
that dream, against his mother's wishes
for his son to take up a job as a clerk
and start helping out with the family
bills when he completes his Senior
Cambridge Examinations (O-Level
equivalent). Ben attended the
Methodist Girls' School and then in
1918 went to Saint Andrew's School,
Singapore.

35. Presidents in Singapore
•He transferred himself to study at the
Raffles Institution in 1922, as the
Institution was the only school with
equipped with scientific laboratories
and that it was an ideal place to further
his ambition to become a doctor.
•In 1923, he enrolled into the King
Edward VII College of Medicine
Singapore to begin his medical training.
•But he knew too well that his family
could not see him through the hefty
school fees afforded by the College,
and he won a generous scholarship
offered by the Council of the Medical
College with his exemplary academic
performance.
•He was able to part his $50 monthly
award to his mother to help support his
family.
•He continued to excel in his studies and
was awarded four medals by his College
and passed his Obstetrics and
Gynaecology (O&G) final examinations
with distinctions.

36. Presidents in Singapore
•Upon graduation and
working as an obstetrician
in the Kandang Kerbau
Hospital and a professor
at the University of
Malaya he continued to
support his family, and
assuming full
responsibility for his
family when his father
died in 1940.
•Dr. Sheares was also the
first Chancellor of the
National University of
Singapore.

37. Presidents in Singapore
•Benjamin Sheares became
Singapore's second president on 2
January 1971.
•His mother was 91 years of age,
when she learnt that he had become
President of the Republic of
Singapore.
•Just two weeks before she died, she
had said God has blessed Bennie
especially after the way he looked
after us and me.
•He continued to serve faithfully and
was well-loved by the people in
Singapore, and held the office until
his death in 1981.
•He was succeeded as President by C.
V. Devan Nair, and buried in the
Kranji State Cemetery.
•The Benjamin Sheares Bridge is
named after him, as is a student's
residence hall, Sheares Hall, in the
National University of Singapore.
•One of Sheares' main contributions
to medicine was a technique to
create an artificial vagina for those
born without one. A modification of
it is still used for sex change
operations today.

38. Presidents in Singapore
•Nair was born in Malacca,
Malaysia, the son of an
Indian immigrant I.V.K.
Nair, from Thalassery,
Kerala.
•He and his family migrated
to Singapore when he was
10 years old.
•When he was young, he
received his education first
at Rangoon Road Primary
School and then at Victoria
School where he passed his
Senior Cambridge
examination in 1940.

39. Presidents in Singapore
•Initially, a member of the Communist
Anti-British League, he joined Lee
Kuan Yew's People's Action Party in
1954.
•He was the only PAP member to win in
the Malaysian general election, 1964,
winning the Bangsar constituency, near
Kuala Lumpur.
•He stayed in Malaysia after the
Separation, forming the Democratic
Action Party, but returned to
Singapore to lead the labor union
movement and founded the National
Trades Union Congress.
•He won the Anson seat in the
Singapore Parliamentary Elections,
(1979|1979 elections) and accepted
the largely ceremonial office of
President in 1981, resulting in a by-
election of the Anson seat which was
then won by opposition leader J.B.
Jeyaretnam (this was seen as one of
the major upsets of Singapore
politics).

40. Presidents in Singapore
•On March 28, 1985, Nair resigned in
unclear circumstances.
•Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew stated in
Parliament that Nair resigned to get
treatment for alcoholism, a charge Nair
hotly denied.
•According to Nair's counterclaim, he
resigned under pressure when their
political views came into conflict and Lee
threatened to seek a motion in parliament
to oust him as president.
•Nair also alleged that he was fed drugs to
make him appear disoriented, and rumours
were spread about his personal life in an
attempt to discredit him.
•In 1999, an article about the case in the
Canadian newspaper Globe and Mail
resulted in a libel suit by Lee.
•The suit was thrown out of court after
Nair's counterclaim.
•In 1995, Nair, with his family, migrated
to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
•His wife, Avadai Dhanam, died on April 18,
2005.
•Nair died in the same year at around 2
pm, SST on December 6.

41. Presidents in Singapore
•Nair is survived by his daughter,
three sons, and five grandchildren.
•His eldest son, Janadas Devan, is a
senior editor with the Straits
Times.
•His second son, Janamitra Devan, is
a Senior Fellow at McKinsey & Co,
and his third son, Janaprakash
Devan is a private entrepreneur in
Canada.
•His only daughter, Vijaya Kumari
Devan continues to reside in
Hamilton, Ontario.
•His granddaughters are Gitanjali
Devan, a psychology graduate from
the University of Maryland,
Priyanjali Devan, currently
attending Middlebury College, and
Kiran Devan, a high school student
in Minnesota.
•His grandsons are JanaAvinash
Devan, currently attending the
University of Washington, and
JanaShaan Heng-Devan, attending
high school in Texas.

42. Presidents in Singapore
•Born into a humble family, Wee Kim Wee
was the son of a clerk, Wee Choong Lay
and his wife Chua Lay Hua.
•His father died when he was eight.
•Wee studied at Outram School, and he
started out as a clerk working for The
Straits Times, before becoming a
reporter focusing on political issues.
•He eventually became one of the paper's
main reporters.
•In 1941 he joined the United Press
Associations, and was its chief
correspondent in the 1950s.
•He returned to The Straits Times in
1959, and was appointed deputy editor in
Singapore.
•In 1966, he interviewed the former
Indonesian president, General Suharto,
reporting Suharto's intention to end the
three-year confrontation with Malaysia
(see Konfrontasi).
•He broke the news with a front-page
headline using Suharto's own words:
"Suharto: 'Peace: The sooner the better’’

43. Presidents in Singapore
• Wee was editorial manager when he retired in 1973 to
become the High Commissioner to Malaysia, a position he
held for seven years.
• He was appointed ambassador to Japan in September 1980,
and to South Korea in February 1981.
• At the end of his diplomatic career in 1984, he was
appointed chairman of the Singapore Broadcasting
Corporation – the predecessor of the current MediaCorp
Studios – and became president a year later.
• A highly popular president, he was noted by people from all
walks of life for his approachability and humility during his
term in office.
• Modest, friendly, and sincere, he is remembered as the
People's President.
• Up until Wee's second term as President, the selection of
the presidential candidate was determined solely by the
Parliament of Singapore.
• During Wee's second term, the Singapore Parliament
amended the constitution in January 1991 to allow for the
direct election of the President, who would have the right
of veto over civil service appointments and the use of
government reserves.
• The creation of an elected presidency was a major
constitutional and political change in Singapore's history as
under the revision, the President is empowered to veto
government budgets and appointments to public office.
• This allows him to examine the Government's exercise of
its powers under the Internal Security Act and religious
harmony laws, and in investigations into cases of corruption.
• For the ensuing initial Presidential election - the first in
Singapore to be decided by popular poll - Wee decided not
to enter his candidacy, and went into retirement upon the
completion of his second and final term as President.
• In 2004 he published his autobiography, Glimpses and
Reflections.
• From the royalties and other donations, half a million
Singapore dollars were donated to eight charities.

44. Presidents in Singapore
•Wee passed away due to
prostate cancer in his home on
May 2, 2005 at 5:10am SST.
•He was 89.
•A humble man up to his death,
he had asked to be cremated
and for the ashes to be placed
at Mandai Columbarium with
those of ordinary citizens
instead of Kranji War Cemetery,
where late dignitaries are
usually buried.
•His state funeral saw a large
crowd who attended to pay their
last respects.
•Wee was survived by his wife of
69 years, Koh Sok Hiong, son Bill
Wee Hock Kee, six daughters,
thirteen grandchildren, and
fourteen great-grandchildren.

45. Presidents in Singapore
•The late Mr Ong Teng Cheong
became the fifth President of the
Republic of Singapore and the first
President to be popularly elected
by the people on 1 September
1993.
•Born on 22 January, 1936 in
Singapore, the President entered
school late because of the
Japanese Occupation of Singapore.
•He was an outstanding student
during his school career.
•After completing his secondary
education, he enrolled at the
University of Adelaide, where he
was awarded the Bachelor of
Architecture in 1961.
•He acquired his post-graduate
degree of Master of Civic Design
(Town Planning) from University of
Liverpool, UK in 1967.

46. Presidents in Singapore
•In 1972, Mr Ong was elected to
Parliament and served as a Member of
Parliament for 21 years.
•He was appointed Senior Minister of
State for Communications in 1975.
•Subsequently, he held the
Communications, Culture and Labour
portfolios.
•In 1983, he was appointed Minister
without Portfolio when he joined the
labour movement as its elected
Secretary-General.
•Mr Ong was appointed Second Deputy
Prime Minister in 1985 and held this post
until 1990.
•Between Nov 90 and Aug 93, he was
Deputy Prime Minister in Mr Goh Chok
Tong's Government.
•He resigned from the Cabinet, the
People's Action Party and as Secretary-
General of the NTUC in August 1993 to
stand for the presidential election.
•Mr Ong passed away on 8 February
2002.

47. Presidents in Singapore
•Mr Ong had a varied career before
becoming President.
•He joined the Planning Department,
Ministry of National Development
in 1967 as an architect-planner.
•He was seconded to the UNDP
(Special Fund) Assistance in Urban
Renewal and Development Project
to lead a local team in the
comprehensive transportation and
land-use planning of Singapore's
central area.
•In 1971, he left the civil service
and set up his own practice.

48. Presidents in Singapore
•S R Nathan was born in
Singapore on 3 July
1924.
•Mr Nathan received his
early education in
several schools – Anglo-
Chinese Primary and
Middle School, Rangoon
Road Afternoon School
and Victoria School.

49. Presidents in Singapore
•Mr Nathan started
working before
completing his studies.
•After the war, whilst
working, he completed
his secondary education
through self-study and
entered the University
of Malaya (then in
Singapore) where he
graduated in 1954 with a
Diploma in Social
Studies (Distinction).

50. Presidents in Singapore
•Mr Nathan began his
career in the Singapore
Civil Service as a medical
social worker in 1955.
•He was appointed Seamen’s
Welfare Officer the
following year.
•In 1962, he was seconded
to the Labour Research
Unit of the Labour
Movement, first as
Assistant Director and
later Director of the
Labour Research Unit until
January 1966.
•He continued as a Member
of its Board of Trustees
until April 1988.

51. Presidents in Singapore
•In February 1966, he was
transferred to the Foreign
Ministry.
•He served as Assistant
Secretary and rose to be
Deputy Secretary before
being appointed Acting
Permanent Secretary of
the Ministry of Home
Affairs in January 1971.
•In August of the same
year, Mr Nathan moved to
the Ministry of Defence
where he was a Director
with the rank of Permanent
Secretary.

52. Presidents in Singapore
•In February 1979, he returned to
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and became its First Permanent
Secretary until February 1982
when he left to become the
Executive Chairman of the Straits
Times Press (1975) Ltd, the
Singapore newspaper company.
•At various times from 1982 to
1988, Mr Nathan also held
directorship of several other
companies including the Singapore
Mint Pte Ltd, The Straits Times
Press (London) Ltd, Singapore
Press Holdings Ltd and Marshall
Cavendish Ltd.
•He was Chairman of Mitsubishi
Singapore Heavy Industries – a
Ship-repairing and Engineering
joint-venture with the Mitsubishi
Group of Japan, from 1973 to
1986.

53. Presidents in Singapore
•From 1983 to April 1988,
Mr Nathan was Chairman
of the Hindu Endowments
Board.
•He was a founding member
of SINDA – the Singapore
Indian Development
Association – and its Term
Trustee until August 1999.
•In April 1988, Mr Nathan
was appointed Singapore’s
High Commissioner to
Malaysia and in July 1990,
became Ambassador to
the United States of
America where he served
until June 1996.

54. Presidents in Singapore
•On his return, Mr
Nathan was made
Ambassador-at-Large
and was concurrently
Director of the
Institute of Defence
and Strategic Studies
at the Nanyang
Technological
University.
•He held a directorship
in the Singapore
International Media Pte
Ltd between September
1996 and August 1999.

55. Presidents in Singapore
•He resigned as Ambassador-at-
Large and Director of the
Institute of Defence and
Strategic Studies on 17 August
1999 and was elected President of
the Republic of Singapore on 18
August 1999.
•He began his 6-year term from 1
September 1999.
•On 17 August 2005, Mr Nathan
was re-elected and he was sworn-
in for his second term of office on
1 September 2005.
•Mr Nathan was conferred the
Public Service Star in 1964, the
Public Administration Medal
(Silver) in 1967, and the
Meritorious Service Medal in
1974.
•Mr Nathan, a Hindu, is married to
Urmila (Umi) Nandey and has a
daughter, a son and three
grandchildren.

56. Being United as Singaporeans
•The national symbols have
helped to forge a common
identity among
Singaporeans.
•This common identity
unites the peoples of
different racial, cultural
and religious background.
•They have been many
instances where
Singaporeans have shown
the ability to overcome
difficulties together.
•One of them was when
Singapore was hit by
SARS(Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome) in
2003.

57. Being United as Singaporeans
•Schools were closed for a
short period of time in
March 2003 and some
people were quarantined.
•The healthcare workers
continued to treat those
infected by the SARS
virus.
•Other Singaporeans were
seen helping their
neighbours who were
quarantined by delivering
food and running errands
for them.
•People were willing to go
out of their way to offer
help.

58. Being United as Singaporeans
•After the SARS period, the
Fabric of the Nation was put
together as a reminder of the
emotions and experiences of
Singaporeans during difficult
times.
•The 60 Fabric of the Nation
panels expressed how people
bonded as one in times of
adversity.
•More than 15,000 patchwork
pieces were submitted by
Singaporeans, locally and
overseas.
•Some patchwork pieces came
from Singaporeans who live
and work in countries such as
Australia, USA, Sri Lanka and
Brunei.

59. Being United as Singaporeans
•Singapore has come a
long way since its
independence.
•As a young nation, it had
succeeded in overcoming
many difficulties.
•Singaporeans need to
continue to be united to
face future challenges
and create a better
future.

61. Quiz
What are all the created symbols in Singapore?

62. Quiz
Which of these presidents is the first president?

63. Quiz
What is the President's official residence?

64. Quiz
Who is the composer of the National Anthem?

65. Thank You for Your Co-Operation!