5 C's of Singapore
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 5 C's of Singapore, namely: Cash, Car, Credit card, Condominium, and membership(s) of Country club are a term relating to materialism found and used widely in the Singapore Singlish lexicon. It arose as a popular joke based on certain truths attesting to the unstated Singaporean cultural ethos of materialistic obsession and aspiration to achieve these things in order to impress others, both socially, economically and sociologically.
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[edit] Cash
Cash is self explanatory, and refers more to a person's spending power than the actual amount of physical money in one's pocket. Financial security and affluence is a highly desirable status symbol and for many years was the measure of a person's worth and success achieved in life, more so than other achievements (e.g. great sportsmen were not accorded the same status as great businessmen, unless they happened to be rich, of course).
[edit] Car
Approximately 1 in 10 Singapore residents have cars (Singapore Land Transport Statistics in Brief 2004). From a lowly Proton or Nissan to a Mercedes-Benz and even a Porsche, you can find almost any make of car on the roads (provided there is a right-hand-drive model). Despite high taxation on the import and ownership of motor vehicles (191% on new vehicles, an annual road tax based on engine size, and high pump prices) and a vehicle quota system (Land Transport Authority of Singapore), or perhaps because of it, cars are very desirable and viewed as a status symbol despite Singapore's highly developed public transport infrastructure.
[edit] Credit Card
Cards are a visible symbol of one's financial success. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the arm of the government that regulates the finance industry, has stipulated a minimum annual income of S$30,000 and a maximum credit limit of 2 months income for credit card issuers [1] . This automatically creates an easily identifiable sign of affluence, together with owning a car.
[edit] Condominium
This refers not to the duplex/quadruplex housing developments in countries with large tracts of land, but to privately-developed luxury (at least compared to government flats) apartments. Due to the limited land in Singapore, freestanding houses are very rare and generally available only to those of high social and economic standing. As such, the condominium is the most luxurious housing for "normal" people. This has generated a trend however, since government-subsidised flats are only available to citizens and permanent residents, that a large minority of owners of condominiums are non-permanent residents.
[edit] Country Club
As land is severely limited, amenities such as golf courses and country clubs are very rare in Singapore. Therefore it is a testament to the monetary prowess of the holders of the membership cards of such establishments.
[edit] Career
There's a variation that states Career as one of the Cs too.
[edit] Certificate
There is also another variation of the 5Cs that states a "Certificate", representing good results/certifications (e.g. a university degree or polytechnic dipolma) which are extremely important in modern Singapore especially with the competitive environment.
[edit] Other variations
[edit] 4 C's of family values
There is a different set of 4C's describing core family values, which are Care, Concern, Commitment and Communication. This phrase has become increasingly popular for marriage education and family counseling.
As of late, the government seems bent to add an extra 'C' to the list-- children. This is to curb the decreasing birth rate in Singapore's population and to encourage more couples to go forth and multiply.
[edit] 4 C's in song
Students of Raffles Girls' Primary School sing a lively song called The 4C's, where the 4C's are Courtesy, Cooperation, Carefulness and Consideration.
[edit] 4 C's in gemology
There is also a set of four characteristics of diamonds, the 4Cs, referring to Carat, Clarity, Color, and Cut.
[edit] The 6th C
An article by Singaporean journalist Stephen Thanabalan in the Far Eastern Economic Review highlighted another possible 'C' for the 2000s and beyond as 'Cosmetic surgery', showcasing the correlation between the five or six 'C's vis a vis increased wealth, prosperity and GDP in the nation state, statistically proving a ten fold increase in the vanity culture industry with each passing decade post independence. The article also cited that there was an unstated connection between the origin of the 5Cs as a term in the Singlish lexicon and ethos of national ambition, and that of one of several national policies that may have engendered its national relevancy, and hence significance. The policies cited ranged from those including that of quality control, productivity and the relentless pursuit of service perfection that were and have been promoted by the Singapore Government as necessary for all Singaporeans to adopt since the 1970s in order for the nation to survive fiscally and financially, and maintain its GDP, high FDI and as such, domestic economy growth.
