Singapore: The future Venice?

San Marco (left) and an artist's impression of the Marina Bay Sands.

Singapore the future Venice? No kidding. This vision of the future comes from the father of Singapore himself. Enthusiastic about the downtown Marina being built around Marina Bay, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said yesterday: "The Marina will be like the St Mark's Piazza in Venice." Wow!

And will the upcoming Marina Bay Sands, the giant casino cum convention centre -- sorry, integrated resort -- be the Basilica of this St Mark's Piazza in Singapore?

Sorry, no offence meant. One may be a church and the other a casino. But the latter is also expected to be a tourist attraction. And let's look at the bright side. One can only marvel at the religious artefacts in the Basilica. In the casino, one can hope to get rich.

Not that I am dying to visit the casino, but good luck to those who do. I am all for more people coming to Singapore. And there's no reason why the developers can't transform the Singapore waterfront into something as breathtaking as the Piazza. There's the bay, the money's flowing in, all that's missing is a few hundred years of history. And, instead of the basilica, there will be a casino. But nobody wants an exact replica. The Minister Mentor said "like St Mark's".

He doesn't make empty promises. That's why any comparison with St Mark's -- though I would love to see it again -- makes me nervous. Venice is sinking.