Singapore: From Swamp to Skyscrapers

I had an apple core in my hand. I looked left and right for a place to throw it away but couldn’t find any trash cans nearby. I thought twice about throwing it in the bushes, but the environment was so beautiful that I didn’t have the courage.
So, I walked to a dustbin I saw far away. I put the core in it, wiped my hands with tissue paper, took a deep breath, thanked God, and walked ahead. It was my first introduction to Singapore.

All over the world, there are dustbins for waste disposal, but Singapore has done away with dustbins. Why? No one throws anything anywhere because they have reached an exceptional level of cleanliness. If a person makes this mistake, the police will arrest him immediately, and he has to pay a fine of $300. In addition, as a punishment, he has to clean the streets and parks for a certain period according to the nature of his crime.

Thus, Singapore became the cleanest country in the world. Chewing gum is still not common in this country, but that does not mean that chewing gums are unavailable in the country; they are, but they are not ordinary traditional chewing gums. Their boxes, brands, colors, and pill sizes are the same, but Singaporean chewing gum melts in the mouth like toffee; it is not rubbery, so you will not find sticky chewing gum anywhere in the country.

Sanitation is a necessity for everyone, but Singaporeans follow it very strictly.
Singapore is not a country; it is a city-state, 23 km wide and 42 km long, where the territory ends. It is the third-largest state in the world after Monaco and Vatican City. This small country is the second most business-friendly country after New Zealand. With its largest indoor waterfall and being the greenest country in the world, it is the most eco-friendly. The country’s total area is 683 square kilometers, but it has 700 kilometers of forests, gardens, and parks. Now let’s ask: Why can the larger forest exist in such a small area? These people grow forests on every building and every roof.

There is also a park on the roof of the 70-story building, framed by tall trees and 10-meter-wide bushes. Their botanic garden is 150 years old, and it is also an important cultural heritage. There are also gardens, trees, and plants in every building. Smoking is banned; you don’t see people smoking in the whole country. You can smoke in designated areas, but there must also be plants and trees. Of course, apart from these areas, if you have a cigarette box in your hand, the police can arrest you. Singapore ranks second in the world for quality of life after Switzerland; it is also a global financial center.

Singapore is the headquarters for many of the world’s largest multinational companies, including Google. There are hundreds of hotels, and each hotel has a big mall. The tourists can fulfill all their needs in the same mall as the hotel, which makes it possible for them to stay there all day. They love nature so much that they adopt trees and devote all their wealth to their care.

Every day, there is some global function; in some places, there is an art fair; in other locations, sports, culture, lifestyle, and food shows are going on; and, in some areas, there is a festival. People in Singapore are the most honest people in Asia.
Singaporeans are easygoing, friendly people. Ask someone for directions, and they will walk you to your destination. Public transport is clean, flowing, and convenient. The city metro train is connected, but you cannot see the train tracks. For the safety of the passengers, the platform has glass walls and gates along the line; after the train stops, the glass gates open, and you board the train, so there are no falls on the track.

It is the only country in the world where 92% of the population owns homes built by the government. Long hair is not allowed, so you don’t see men with long hair all over the country; if they do, they are foreigners.
It is the first country in the world to have started celebrating “Toilet Day.” Maybe it’s because of the importance of cleanliness that they have a special attachment to toilets. Even though they are non-Muslims, they install Muslim showers in the bathrooms and make ablutions in the public restrooms.

There are places of worship in government and non-government buildings, and you can worship in them according to your religion. They build houses of prayer for all faiths next to one another. Churches, mosques, and temples are open to everyone; anyone can enter them. There are different areas; Indians, Bangladeshis, and Pakistanis live in Little India. If one comes there, he will feel like he is walking in a neighborhood of Pakistan or India.

Chinese residents are everywhere in Chinatown, and Kampong Gelam is home to Malay families with all their traditions. Orchard Road has malls and restaurants, and Everton Park is full of coffee houses, tea houses, and ice cream parlors. South Indian dal is also widely available throughout the country, as is Halal food.

Five facilities are costly in Singapore: accommodation, education, transport, alcohol, and cigarettes. These facilities cost foreigners 80% of their earnings. The land is limited, so these factories are built horizontally, like malls. The plant is also like a capsule from the ground to the sky. It does not look like a factory from any angle. The whole country is a shopping center and hotel.

In Singapore, if you go somewhere, you will find yourself in a forest of buildings, and if you enter any building in this forest, it will turn out to be a shopping mall, which is why we like to call Singapore Green Dubai. These people are selling three things: peace, system, and honesty, which are the blessings that the whole world needs. That’s why businesses from all over the world have come and settled in Singapore.

Why? Because no one can harass anyone based on faith or language. The state of the system is that wherever you walk into any office, people will come forward to welcome you. And you will leave this office building only after completing your work. You will not have to return for your work on multiple occasions or the following day.

You use your credit card and move on. Everything from visa to hotel is easy but expensive, yet no one objects. The foreign exchange of this country, which is 683 km2 with a population of 5.9 million, is 250 billion dollars.
But the question is, was Singapore always like this? No, it wasn’t! Until 1965, Singapore was a highly backward region of Malaysia. The land was swampy, desolate, and barren. People were lazy, idle, and unworthy. They used to do only three things: unload goods from ships, steal, eat rats from ships, and so on.

During the reign of Tunku Abdul Rahman, Singapore asked for independence, and a total of 126 members of Parliament voted in favor of Singapore. There was not a single vote against the bill. The Parliament said, “What should we do by keeping these useless people and marshy land with us?” As a result, Singapore became independent; this was the first gift from nature to Singapore.
The second gift was given to them by Allah Almighty in the shape of Lee Kuan Yew, who became Singapore’s first Prime Minister. This man changed the destiny of these marshy lands, and after 20 years, this state of 42 by 23 km became the world’s most efficient and rapidly developing state.

This country had peace, prosperity, employment, capital, and a future. Singapore proved that for countries to develop, it is not resources but willpower that is necessary. Population, skill, area, and oil are less critical for them to advance. Only one thing helps them move forward: the will to move forward.

Lee Kuan Yew was a whole university; this man changed the nation in two decades. He took five crucial steps that altered the state of the nation. Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew was the first to establish peace in the country and made religion a personal issue; whether you are a Muslim or a Sikh, a Christian, a Buddhist or a Hindu, it does not matter to anyone; a church built with a mosque, a temple built with a temple.

The Prime Minister declared that no one should question a person’s religion. A follower of other religions can go to the place of worship of other faiths, and no one will object to it, and neither preaches. Everyone was equal in the eyes of the law. He banned protests in the country and declared that roads, streets, and markets would remain open at all costs, and no one would become a security risk for anyone.

Second, Lee Kuan Yew put intelligent, honest people in essential jobs and gave them a lot of time to do their jobs. People have been sitting and working in their positions for thirty years.

Third, Lee Kuan Yew opened up his country to investors from all over the world. Anyone could come from anywhere and work in the country, the only condition being that he must have money and experience, due to which people in business from all over the world.

Fourth, Lee Kuan Yew paid particular attention to education and skills. Singapore’s schools are more than just schools; they are also places where skills and abilities are tested and developed. So here, on the one hand, 96% of people are educated and skilled, earning themselves and earning for the country.

Lee Kuan Yew also taught civility to the whole nation, starting with personal hygiene, teaching people how to use the toilet, making Muslim showers and toilet paper mandatory, and making hand hygiene a law. Ban on spitting: Singapore is the only country in the world where, even today, if the police catch you spitting on a road or in a public place, dropping betel quid sputum, or wiping your nose, you will go straight to jail. Furthermore, cigarettes are costly, and there are designated places for smoking. In what public place can you smoke except these places? Chewing gum is still banned.

Fifth, Lee Kuan Yew built infrastructure throughout the country. Highways, metros, and bridges were built in Singapore when they were unimaginable in the east. The government provides clean drinking water throughout the country, and you can drink it from any tap. Water is also available from the faucets inside hotels, and the business lounges of airports do not have water bottles either. There is no concept of load shedding for electricity and gas, but saving resources is done.
Lilies bloom in the swamp. In short, the selfless services of Lee Kuan Yew and the hard work and honesty of the Singaporean people have transformed the beautiful Singapore that was once a swamp into a highly developed country.

Tourists will love staying there. There are many fun things to do in the busy city that would make it a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The nightlife in Singapore has its own style, just like the daytime. Singapore has a magical atmosphere that you have to feel for yourself. Everyone can find something to do in this island city. It’s a great place to go on vacation with your family, spouse, or friends. Singapore is a great place to go if you want to spend less money on a vacation.

Here are a few tourist attractions in Singapore:

Marina Bay Sands Hotel

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple

Gardens by The Bay

Sentosa Beach

Little India

Fort Canning Park

The best time to visit Singapore is between March and August, but people go there year-round.