Inventing a Moral Crisis and the Singapore State

Abstract

This paper examines how the Singapore State views its citizenry as suffering from a moral crisis and the policies that it adopts in an attempt to avert this perceived crisis. There are four main areas where moral degeneration has supposedly occurred and all are linked to Singapore women. The main issues of state concern are: the failure of graduate women to marry; the single mother syndrome; Singapore women marrying Caucasian (known as the Pinkerton syndrome); and a decline in family values, reflected in the dilution of filial piety. This paper argues that the anxiety of the state in treating such social issues as moral crises reflects its desire to legitimize its position as an upholder of the ethical and moral basis of Singapore society.