A few roads, buildings and MRT stations may be renamed in honour of those who helped make its modern history, as a reminder to the younger generation of their achievements.

The proposal came from Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong a year ago, and the Street and Building Names Board had said it would look into the matter.

At present no post-independence figure has been named for any road or building, and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew has always rejected the idea of building statues for Singaporean leaders.

The need to perpetuate the role of Singapore’s former leaders is compelling.

When a group of university students were shown photographs of some leaders who have helped shape modern Singapore, none of them could identify them, said Ambassador-at-large Prof Tommy Koh during a recent meeting.

Unlike other leaders who shed their colonial past upon independence, Lee has steadfastly retained Singapore’s British names to maintain historical continuity.

Roads with names like Robinson, Tyrwhitt, Duxton Hill, Kent Ridge, Spottiswoode Park and a lot more are found in various parts of the island.

The statue of Sir Stamford Raffles, founder of Singapore, stands with arms folded as a tourist attraction. It has become a brand name, with places, schools, a hospital and a hotel named after him.

The estate where I live, a former residence for the British army, still keeps names like Chartwell, Braemar, Borthwick, and so on. None has been changed.

The proposed changes are expected to be gradual, not substantial.

Goh said that only roads named after minor colonial officials could be replaced. Among the first to go would be the unimaginative, nondescript names, he added.

(The use of numericals like Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1, 3 or 5 or Geylang Lorong 18, for example, could be scrapped, some suggested. So should names like Bukit Batok.)

In recent years as Lee (aged 86) and his remaining first generation leaders (mostly retired) reached their sunset years, some steps were taken to mark their role in society.

A newspaper has brought out, for young readers, a pocket guide featuring 10 of Singapore’s political pioneers. Called ‘Founding Fathers’ it contains stories, cartoons and photos about them.

The list, led by Lee, includes Goh Keng Swee, Sinnathamby Rajaratnam and David Marshall (the only non-People’s Action Party member).

Some Singapore leaders have institutions named after them:

> The Hon Sui Sen Memorial Library, National University of Singapore;

> The S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University; and,

> The Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, NUS, with a S$200mil (RM46.6mil) fund.

The Public Service Commission has a Goh Keng Swee scholarship, while Lee himself has several education awards.

Singaporeans largely agree that the country needs to record the role of people who helped to make history, but say it should not be used to glorify leaders of the ruling party.

Not many would like to see the eradication of the colonial past from Singapore’s roads.

At any rate, with the exception of World War Two and the first two pioneering decades, Singapore’s contemporary history has been too short to produce many heroes.

Much of it was made in the first 20 formative years when leaders were more passionate and self-sacrificing, not in the current science- and technology-based age.

It should not exclude critics or opposition members like Marshall and Lim Chin Siong.

The decision should involve the community, including outside the government, and be based on popular choice, rather than be made by only a few people.

It could then result in a flurry of name changing after a new government is installed.

Taiwan recently closed the Chiang Kai Shek Mausoleum in a vigorous campaign to diminish the legacy of the late leader.

The history of Suharto’s coup in 1964 is also being reviewed. Statues of dictators in Albania and Iraq were pulled down after they were deposed.

Most people are, however, opposed to any large-scale replacement of British names.

Associate Prof Victor R. Savage, who is with the NUS geography department and who wrote a book on road names in Singapore titled Toponymics, said these names should be retained.

“Every name carries with it a sort of historical continuity and provides a sense of identity to a particular place or a nation as a whole,” he told the Straits Times newspaper.

Another Singaporean, Ying Min, agrees. “There is history attached to place names. Changing the name could sometimes be akin to denying the history of the place.”

She suggested naming new roads and places after modern history-makers rather than replacing existing names.

A reader suggested that civil servants should be more sensitive to people who are unable to read or write English – estimated at 26% – and have difficulty managing names like Compassvale.

“How are they going to tell a taxi driver where they want to go?” he asked.

o Seah Chiang Nee is a veteran journalist and editor of the information website littlespeck.com

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