ON the morning of Aug 9, 1965, Dileep Nair was with his family at his aunt’s home, a day after her wedding.
That day, at 10am, the proclamation of Singapore’s independence was announced on the radio, bringing to an end a turbulent union with Malaysia, and resulting in the birth of a new nation.
Later that day, Nair – then 15 – watched with his family as founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew broke down during a televised press conference where he addressed Singapore’s separation from Malaysia.
Nair, 75, said the telecast was paused for some time after Lee broke down.
He said: “It was a very significant thing at that point in time, but maybe the import was more on the older generations. (They wondered) whether job security was going to be there, whether there was going to be food on the table, and all these other matters… it was certainly something that will always be remembered by me all my life.”
Stories like Nair’s are being collected as part of a year-long Founders’ Memorial initiative that focuses on Singapore’s founding generation.
The initiative, called Project Citizens – The First Million, which started in April, has three parts: a programme to engage seniors and collect their stories; pop-up installations; and an exhibition that will open in October.
The stories that are being collected under Project Citizens may be showcased at the Founders’ Memorial, an institution that commemorates the values and ideals exemplified by Singapore’s first-generation leaders, slated to open in Gardens by the Bay’s Bay East Garden in 2028.
ALSO READ: The story of a separation
Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo, who visited a pop-up installation at Woodlands Regional Library on June 18, said more than 200 seniors were engaged by Founders’ Memorial volunteers from April to mid June under the senior engagement programme.
These programmes have taken place in locations such as active ageing centres, libraries and community clubs.
Each run of the programme comprises two two-hour sessions, where trained volunteers help participants to recount and record their stories through activities and intergenerational conversations.
More than 140 volunteers have been trained by the memorial to run the programmes, with the goal to have more than 120 runs by the end of March 2026.
Wai Chung Tai, senior assistant director of partnerships and engagement for the memorial, said that Project Citizens will be a permanent display at the memorial, although its exact form has yet to be decided.
During the runs that have been held thus far, participants were invited to share stories on values they held on to during Singapore’s early independence years, such as multiculturalism.
Among the participants was Dennis Tan, 68, who was a primary school pupil when racial riots broke out in 1964.
Tan, who was then living in a kampung in Balestier, recalled that the riots felt “like a dark cloud hanging over you”.
“There were a lot of rumours… people talking and gossiping,” he said. “Communications between neighbours were through word of mouth, so there were a lot of falsehoods. I didn’t know what to believe and what to expect.”
Nevertheless, said Tan, people of different ethnicities still helped each other despite the tensions, such as by housing others from different races when they were stranded after curfews kicked in at night.
He said that stories like these emphasise “the importance of harmony, unity and community spirit” for younger Singaporeans.
ALSO READ: It still hurts
Another participant in the senior programme, Juminah Mohamad Nor, said it was at parties as a student where she learnt to appreciate the differences between different religions, and the importance of respecting differences.
She recalls attending a party in a Chinese household but not being able to eat, because she needed halal-certified food as a Muslim.
Despite this, the 77-year-old said she and her friends enjoyed themselves because they learnt to respect each other and came to appreciate differences in habits between races.
(From left) Nair, Juminah and Tan are among the seniors who have shared their stories with the Founders’ Memorial. — The Straits Times/ANN
In his speech, Neo said the exhibition to be launched in October will bring to life “the dilemmas and tensions faced by our founding generation in forging one nation out of many people”.
He said visitors will learn about how multiculturalism has been fostered by the Government and Singaporeans, and will be challenged to explore its relevance today.
“We are not mere spectators but active participants forging a culture of multiculturalism that is uniquely Singapore, where everyone can come together and celebrate our unity in diversity,” said Neo. — The Straits Times/ANN
