I read the article on today's paper on sg-ians doing considerably bad when tested on their understanding of this country. Having read through the ten questions that was used for the citizenship test, I gotta admit that I do not know the answers to some of them either, had I been asked firsthand. While this should trigger enough interest in me to do a teeny weeny bit of research on my part to justify my citizenship, I am however, more inclined to do my research on the Merlion.
I mean lets face it, Singapore has undergone major changes since the day it was discovered. And that could be attributed to the hard work of some of the most influential people, who have until this point in time, shaped Singapore to become a renowned territory to the world based on its numerous achievements and strength. So these are the people who definitely deserve credits to their name. Which they do, I gotta say. Everyone respects LKY, Yusof Ishak, Sir Stamford Raffles and all the others who played a prominent role in allowing this little island to develop.
But it sure seems like the one that's given prominent attention is the Merlion. If not, why is it that we have the Merlion as our LARGEST national monument over at pulau belakang mati?! What is the significance of the merlion? What does it contribute to our country? Why do we have to make it our tourism mascot? I'll try to find as much info as possible and type it all out below.
"The Merlion has a lion head and a fish body resting on a crest of waves. The lion head symbolises the legend of the discovery of Singapura, as recorded in the "Malay Annals". In ancient times, Singapore was known as Temasek, a Javanese word for sea. In the 11th century A.D, Prince Sang Nila Utama of the Sri Vijaya Empire rediscovered the island. When the Prince first landed on Singapore's shores, he sighted a mystical beast which he later learnt was a lion. The Prince then decided to name the island "Singapura" which in Sanskrit means Lion (Singa) City (Pura). The fish tail of the Merlion symbolises the ancient city of Temasek and represents Singapore's humble beginnings as a fishing village."
(taken from http://www.visitsingapore.com/)
Ok so that is about the most interesting fact that I'd like to put over here. All the other infos are kinda boring. Like the restoration processes of the merlion, its original home, the material it was made of, blah blah blah. Like nothing that would capture anyone's attention and points that are very irrelevant to explain the history of sg.
However, this little excerpt that I got from wikipedia is pretty interesting,
"...future generations of Singaporean poets have struggled with the symbol of the Merlion, frequently taking an ironic, critical, or even hostile stand - and pointing out its artificiality and the refusal of ordinary Singaporeans to accept a tourist attraction as their national icon."
Haha, my sentiments exactly. Why place the Merlion on a pedestal when it's not really that significant to even be taken into account as a national icon. Sure Sang Nila Utama found a four-legged creature in the jungle. But like what one of my teachers said, what if it had not really been a lion that SNU saw. What if it was something tragic...say, a PIG? Surely we wouldn't want to have the upper half of a pig coupled with a mermaid bottom as our national icon. Not to mention that loansharks would have to substitute the usual pig head to threaten their debtors with something else. Coz the pig's head would be rendered sacred ya know. National monument and all. Hah.
The websites I went to did not explain the significance of the water that spurts out of the Merlion. Maybe it's just for show coz the largest one at Sentosa does not have water coming out of it's mouth, just that its eyes kept changing to different colours. Ahakz. So anyway, wikipedia stated that "water is known as the symbol of life and wealth in Chinese culture". That should explain why we have the Merlion spurting water out of its mouth. A purpose for wealth which would tranlsate into economic growth which brings life into this country and the whole shebang that comes along with it.
Then it hits me. Life and wealth. As in, life in sg refers to the people. And the people are the main natural resources that this country possesses. They are the ones who contribute to the economic growth of this country. So the people are somewhat like the Merlion who constantly spurts out life and wealth into this country. Take a look at it in another way and I'd say it's VERY TRUE. We are spurting wealth in the country and having it come to such a "colourful and wonderful" life. What with the increasing amount of erp gantries, higher cab fares, practically higher prices for everything, we might as well be spurting money out of our mouth. Just like the Merlion ayyy. Ha ha ha.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
A Day In History
Posted by tentativelynone at 9:59 PM
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