Afterthoughts on the Project

In our reflections after the project, we realize that the forefathers of Singapore had a sense of corporate social responsibility. This notion of CSR had predated the era of big modern MNCs. They had invested their returns from their businesses to help society. They developed infrastructure such as waterworks and public necessities such as healthcare services. They were also forward-looking by emphasizing on education by building schools. Importantly, these contributions still exist today to make us realize the importance of their ideas.

Secondly, these visionaries also contributed to the multi-racial social fabric that we thrive in today. The Aljunieds contributed land to build the St. Andrew Cathedral while Tan Tock Seng set up hospital that helped every race in society. These contributions probably laid the foundations for the type of society that we are in today. Their contributions transcended skin colour. These are probably lessons that we can learn from to maintain our harmonious multi-racial society. We should also reflect on how we can adopt the mentality of our forefathers to make Singapore a more inclusive society for the increasing number of new immigrants who are calling Singapore home.

In conclusion, this journey has encouraged us to be more aware of the contributions of the early immigrants. They are integral part of Singapore’s history and should always be remembered. Importantly, their foresight contributed greatly to Singapore’s current success.