SINGAPORE AT 60: WHAT MADE IT POSSIBLE?

A look at the forces that shaped the accidental state's meteoric rise and the values that will define its future

- BY SAJJAD ASHRAF | Special to Gulf News

On August 9, 2025, Singapore turns 60. An accidental state that few expected to survive let alone thrive now stands as one of the most remarkable stories of nation-building in modern history. What began as an unexpected, resource-poor island with deep ethnic fissures has become a clean, green, highly functioning, globally respected city-state. But even as it celebrates this extraordinary success, it is worth pausing to reflect: what made Singapore possible, and what might the next 60 years demand?

The Singapore story is often compressed into the towering figure of Lee Kuan Yew (LKY). That is not without reason. LKY was visionary, relentless, and unafraid to lead from the front. He forged Singapore. But history, in its fuller telling, seldom belongs to one man. LKY had some extraordinary individuals who were indispensable to Singapore's success.

Individually, men of conviction, they brought complementary talents to the table. Led by LKY, actively supported by the people, they laid the foundation of a multi-ethnic, multicultural, and a vigorous Singapore a vision that was not inevitable in a postcolonial world brimming with majoritarian temptations.

A collective vision