AN OVERSEAS friend sent me a clip of a new musical series called Glee currently airing on American TV. There is a reference to Singapore in the words mouthed by one of the characters: “You know, caning has fallen out of fashion in the United States. But ask anyone who safely walked the immaculate sidewalks of Singapore … and they’ll tell you one thing: Caning works.”

Some 15 years after the caning of American youth Michael Fay in Singapore for vandalism, we continue to draw convenient comments that paint our government as a harsh disciplinarian that does not tolerate any form of legislated public misdemeanour – and that includes what some interest groups overseas consider to be harmless indulgences such as gum chewing.

When I shared the clip with some friends, they were riled and quick to point out that surely, Singapore is better known for a lot more other “better” things – our efficiency, a clean and safe environment, modern facilities, national icons such as Changi Airport, upcoming attractions that include the Universal Studio theme park and the integrated resorts, a reputation as a gourmet paradise, and a host of global events such as the recent Apec meeting and the Youth Olympics in 2010. It is a long list.

There was a time when the world knew more about Lee Kuan Yew and Singapore Airlines than where they came from, confusing us with Hong Kong and dismissing Singapore as a place somewhere in China or Malaysia.

Today, the island republic is more than just a little red dot on the world map.

Yet, if caning hardcore criminals identifies us in as much as the other more sanguine aspects have defined our character, do we need to be apologetic about our convictions or jump at its every mention to justify our actions?

What was not reported to the same extent during the American outcry over the Fay punishment was the expressed wish of many Americans that their government would be as stringent in enforcing lawfulness in their country.

As we mature as a nation and the world gets to know sufficiently about us, we can afford to allow the little occasional and innocuous jibe at us – one made out of humour. After all, for a very long time now, we have been well known as a “fine” city, the intended pun being obvious.

Many of us would recall our discomfort when we first earned that appellation, often feeling the need to explain to disbelieving foreigners why the imposition of a fine, say, for littering, was necessary and how it had made our city the envy of many others. Yet today it is a moniker we accept without any awkwardness.

Not too long ago, I met a young Japanese couple in the US and they asked me if it was still true people would be fined if they littered in the streets of Singapore. I proudly announced it was so. They were amused, and we ended up having a good laugh over it.

The “fine” story of Singapore can be found in cheeky slogans on T-shirts and other souvenirs at many tourist stores. It is unlikely they will distort visitors’ impressions of us. All this represents our “fun” side, which adds colour to the memory of a place one visits, like a New York T-shirt I bought that says: “I rode the subway and survived.”

Years ago, Italian singer Patrizio Buanne was asked what he knew about Singapore before he arrived, and he said: “It is a fine city.”

In many ways, we are a fine city. So we shall not deny that we cane criminals, in much the same way we admit litterbugs are fined.

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