Abstract:
Previous scholars often attributed the promotion of Confucianism in Singapore’s civic and moral education during the 1980s to the singular influence of Lee Kuan Yew. They linked to his ideas on “Asian Values”. For instance, Michael D. Barr criticised Lee’s idea and claimed it was unsuccessful, while Jason Tan relates it to Singapore’s civic education. However, this narrative overlooks the collaborative and pivotal roles played by the leading practitioners of the policies. This paper explores the profound influence of significant figures, Deputy Prime Minister Goh Keng Swee (1918-2010), Chairman of the Committee for Promoting Confucian Ethics in Singapore Prof Wu Teh-yao (1915-1994), and Director of “Confucian Ethics” subject at the Curriculum Development Institute of Singapore (CDIS) Dr Lau Wai-har (1925-2020), in shaping and implementing these ideas, highlighting their collective impact.
Through researching the archives, conducting oral history interviews, and analysing the publications for the above persons, the paper aims to re-discover how their cooperation and interactions contributed to the movements and the dilemmas they faced, such as the problems with teachers’ training and public discontent. The three elites represent the views of a politician, a philosopher, and an educator in Singapore. Though three tried hard to indoctrinate and localise Confucian Ethics into the country, the paper stressed that promoting Confucianism in Singapore was doomed to fail due to complex reasons. However, the implicit concepts they introduced still resonate in the “Singaporean Values” today, and Beng-Huat Chua always relates the ideas delivered by the government to the agenda of social restructuring for the nation, underscoring the lasting impact of their work.
Through researching the archives, conducting oral history interviews, and analysing the publications for the above persons, the paper aims to re-discover how their cooperation and interactions contributed to the movements and the dilemmas they faced, such as the problems with teachers’ training and public discontent. The three elites represent the views of a politician, a philosopher, and an educator in Singapore. Though three tried hard to indoctrinate and localise Confucian Ethics into the country, the paper stressed that promoting Confucianism in Singapore was doomed to fail due to complex reasons. However, the implicit concepts they introduced still resonate in the “Singaporean Values” today, and Beng-Huat Chua always relates the ideas delivered by the government to the agenda of social restructuring for the nation, underscoring the lasting impact of their work.