In an essay on Singapore identity, Chairman of the SMU Board of Trustees and the first S R Nathan Fellow for the Study of Singapore Mr Ho Kwon Ping noted that Singapore's identity is rooted in its immigrant heritage, and that openness should always underpin people’s receptivity towards those from other cultures. Despite this, Singaporeans should not feel lost if they are not able to define a single common identity, and should instead create their own identities even as they inherit certain common characteristics. Mr Ho also spoke about how Mr Lee Kuan Yew had defined Singapore’s national identity over the years, and mentioned how Mr Lee inaugurated SMU’s Ho Rih Hwa Lecture series in 2002. The essay is based on Mr Ho’s fifth and final lecture on “Singapore: The Next 50 Years – Society And Identity”, which was delivered on April 9.