Part of the reason the so-called Kampong Spirit has died is because many of the functions originally fulfilled by a Kampong have been co-opted by the Government. For example, communal childcare, cooking, dispute resolution, etc. Activities are now organized by the PA on a neighbourhood level rather than block level, and childcare is now Sparkletots. Some of these functions have been co-opted for a good reason. Others, maybe not so much.
Returning these functions to the residents would require the
government to relinquish some control. What? Relinquish control? And deprive
hundreds of highly-talented scholar-bureaucrats who graduated top of their
classes in the LKY School of Public Policy and thousands of uptight control
freaks turned PA volunteers a sense of purpose?
Perhaps some loose community structure adhering to some
basic guidelines (don’t feed the children too much caffeine after 8pm and the
like) with occasional audits could be set up and overseen by the wisest elders
in your block. What? Wisest? Have you seen the state of old people these
days? Sharing racist memes on WeChat and liking every Facebook post they see?
Or perhaps neighbourhoods could be adorned to reflect their
street names. Why aren’t there more prawn drainage covers in Jalan Rajah Udang?
Why aren’t there more durian motifs on the flats in Lor Lew Lian? Why aren’t
all the building names at Spooner Road Spoonerisms? The scholar-bureaucrats once
had this idea, but they never took it far enough, before they went in search of
the next big vanity project to adorn their impressive portfolios. Or worse,
living in such a place might instill the residents with a sense of local
identity! Can’t have “identity politics” here, no sirree! Identity has to remain
the homogenous featureless nationalistic blob that it currently is.
But ‘tis fine – these things are meant to die. Peoples’
lifestyles have changed, and they never care as much as they claim to do.
Mostly virtue-signaling, is all.
So what has replaced the “Kampong Spirit”? BTO Whatsapp
groups set up by private developers (and sometimes residents themselves). Chat
groups surrounding the care of communal cats (which the government is trying to
regulate, because they can't help themselves). Groups that have sprung up organically
or capitalistically with no encouragement from the government. But our
scholar-bureaucrats hate this! They either attempt to co-opt these movements
into some government initiative (Exhibit A would be all the neighbourhood Telegram chat groups set up by the RCs that serve no purpose other than to spam residents with PSAs), or demand regulation, or both! Because the
progenitor of this “Kampong Spirit” must be nobody, nobody but them! Can't relinquish control, no sirree!
Meanwhile the government has to keep up the facade because well, it's what they do. Cue the neverending series of ST editorials
“questioning” where our “Kampong Spirit” is. Oh wait, it’s alive in random acts
of kindness. Some guy going around helping the elders in his neighbourhood.
Some girl helping to water the plants even though no one asked her to.
That’s not a COMMUNITY, for chrissakes. That’s one person being good-hearted.
Communities have symbols. For example, a third division football team representing the working-class roots of the locals with generational support despite their lack of success. A small town where the townsfolk decided to paint potatoes all over the buildings because a) it's funny and b) it attracts tourists. Rural folk put aside their petty differences and unite under the banner of a common gene pool to defeat big evil American corporation from taking over their land and driving moms and pops out of business. So - what are the symbols here?
And please don't parade out the same tired explanations (Singapore is a small multiracial, multicultural country, blah blah blah). You know full well what I am talking about.
Be intellectually honest, just for once in your life.
