Over the weekend we visited an exhibit about Singaporean history. The beginning prehistoric/archeological section was charming because there were all these photos of people digging in lawns and backyards… I guess that’s what they have here. I’m left with the impression that I could sink a shovel pretty much anywhere and turn up a scoop of coins and potsherds because this place has been super crowded for ages.
The final section of the exhibit was great — there was more political history about independence (both from the UK and from Malaysia) than I’ve been able to dig up previously. And then there were some photos of the initial group of ministers that set up Singapore as an independent country. That bit was /very/ compelling, and I’m still feeling a bit of a post-propaganda aftershock. Most of the ministers were Chinese but there was still a fair bit of diversity. And, the graphs! I have mixed feelings about the state of Singapore, values-wise… but these guys were super good at their jobs. 20% annual growth, and 200,000+ public housing units built in 15 years.