The Crises of Legitimacy and National Identity and the Intensification of Asian Values: From Religious Knowledge to “Shared Values”

Abstract

The previous chapter outlined the genesis of the Asian values discourse in Singapore, and how it resulted in the large number of changes in civic and history education. In particular, the government regarded RK as the apex of its moral and civic education programme. This was a key vehicle in the promotion of Asian values through education. However, the RK programme was short-lived and had to be scrapped in 1989. Events such as the sharp decline of electoral support for the PAP, as well as the detention of alleged “Marxist conspirators” suggests that the PAP were concerned over a crisis of legitimacy in the 1980s.¹ In other words, the legitimacy of the developmental state was challenged. The crises of legitimacy, as well as the articulation of national identity, are manifested in the discussion and debates over the demise of RK, as well as the public consultation exercise over the introduction of “shared values”. This chapter accounts for the demise of RK in Singapore in favour of a secular but still moral version of civic and history education. It also maps out the reasons why the resultant shared values (which were introduced due to the failure of RK) were perceived as being a suitable substitute for a decidedly secular state bent on maintaining moral standards.