If The Crimeans Felt Ukrainian, Things Would Be Very Different

Singapore is a tiny island city state with about 5 plus million people. The residents are made of mostly those of Chinese descent, Malay descent and Indian descent. You'll find many foreigners working here, about 30% of the shuffling feet and tired eyes that make it work each day. There are many Bengali and mainland Chinese labourers and many Filipinos who liven up our service and administrative roles. In the city, you'll also run into many Caucasians from Caucasia. Just kidding (because no one knows where that is), they are mostly Americans, Australians and Brits. (We call them angmohs, it is not a bad word anymore, just descriptive.) A very diverse mix getting along, for the most part, waltzing along safe, well-lit streets passing too many coffee outlets. We've generally been getting along for almost 200 years. Yes, there have been skirmishes here and there, scars in history from bouts of ethnic violence. Nothing of late, maybe youths up to no good, that's all. Well maybe the recent Little India riots are a reminder of what could go wrong.

I bring all this up in light of what's happened in Crimea. If you’re not aware, the entire Crimea peninsula has decided to be part of Russian territory under Russian care and concern, severing ties with Ukraine. It all happened in the last two weeks. An entire land mass of 26,000 sq km and 2 million people now belong to Russia. (Imagine all the fact books that need to be corrected now. The Singapore government would bend over backwards for that kind of space btw). It's almost unfathomable but it happened. Some people are not happy about it but the Russians are apparently ecstatic and will most definitely defend its new born to the fullest extent of civilised nuclear-powered aggression.

There are lessons here for those in power, everywhere. Especially governments in charge of diverse peoples from various ethnic backgrounds. I think what the Singapore government has done right is, firstly, it’s kept its ear to the ground. There are many grassroots organisations here that are close to residents, looking out for those in need of help. Some of these are based along racial groupings, like those providing educational help. Some are based along religious lines. What's useful is that the people's feelings very quickly surface to the top and issues can be looked into proactively.

The second thing is our policy of integration and meritocracy. Everyone is treated fairly. We study together, play together, eat together and work together. We expect everyone to be civil to one another.  We respect each other for the distinct perspectives we bring from our respective cultures and upbringings but do not discriminate each other because of them. We speak mostly English, a language that helps everyone communicate and also relate to the outside world. It used to be Malay. I remember my dad, a Punjabi Indian, talking to a Chinese shopkeeper in Malay. Malay helped everyone get along with the indigenous population on the island all those years ago when the British started the economic engine that is Singapore still runs. (I believe everyone here should learn Malay because we're surrounded by 200 million of them in Malaysia and Indonesia. It'll make holidays simpler.) A friend commented some months ago that only in Singapore would Chinese, Malay, Indian and angmoh friends be able to sit at table at a bar with food and drink, have conversation and laugh at each other’s jokes.

Then there's National Education. Many poo-pooed this school-based initiative that started some 15 years ago because they felt it was too forced, propaganda-ish and perhaps cheesy. Sure it is. If you want our youth to learn about our shared history as a nation, our successes and failures, more importantly, make them think about the fragility of our existence as a tiny nation, you damn well force it on them. Make them realise that our fates are ours, and not someone else's to decide. Make them appreciate that regardless of colour or creed or language or background, we are all Singaporeans. This is our homeland, one to be proud of and to protect, because we all have a stake in it. Singapore isn't perfect but at least those in charge have got around to try to bring its people together. If the Crimeans felt Ukrainian too, then maybe things would have turned out all together different. 

I think secession is alright if it is handled the right way, measured with deliberation and democracy, subject to the will of all the people. There's perhaps the right way of obtaining self-determination and perhaps less-than-ideal methods. Quebec had a referendum where they found themselves 2% of votes shy of being independent of Canada. Scotland is planning a vote to decide if a split from the UK is the right future. It's all planned and civilised. The Crimean situation happened and is happening at the barrel of a gun. The majority Russians in Crimea decided quite unilaterally it seems to part ways with the Ukraine government, and started to put up Russian flags everywhere. I guess it helped that the Russian Navy parks its boats on Crimean shores. Soon, unidentified gunmen were all over the place. Minorities there have been given little say or choice - go Russian or get out. Some might call it some form of ethnic cleansing, with Ukrainians and Tartars being targeted. Many decry the Crimea referendum as a sham. What's worse I feel is that the Ukraine military has done little to defend its people or this land. I didn't hear a peep. No one's really sure what they are doing. Their internal crisis has made Ukrainians vulnerable and unsure. The BBC reports that many feel like their destiny is no longer in their hands. That must be a terrible, sad feeling. 

Russia has an interesting policy to protect its citizens whether they are at home or overseas. Other countries with sizeable Russian populations are feeling uneasy now. The Baltic states and perhaps Central Asian countries are especially frightened now. Imagine if the 300,000 Russians in the UK decided on self-determination in a posh London neighbourhood and asked Russia for help. It sounds insane but that's sort of essentially what happened in Crimea. That'll be a cliffhanger eh. The folks in Eastern Ukraine want union with Russia too, and they have been boisterous about their desires. It won’t be surprising if a similar ‘legitimate’ referendum happens there and everyone has to pick sides to fight on.

I can't really pin down why this situation so far away bothers me enough to write a second blog post. Maybe I feel for those who get bullied into a corner for no fault of their own. It's strange to imagine all this happening in this day and age, and all we can do is mostly sit and watch it unfold like a movie. Maybe I feel the helplessness of it all, despair squished into a short span of time. And every day something new but terrible happens.