10	Youth, Olympics, The, Abandoned, Orphan

It is a strange thing to note that Singaporeans cheer when the ping pong ball flies off the Singaporean side of the table, smile with triumphant glee when Orchard becomes flooded and celebrate when a hallmark sporting event produces little but empty seats in the face of a highly apathetic population.

One will be hard-pressed to find any other citizen in this world that has been able to exact such pleasure from the misfortunes of their own nation.

There are deep underlying reasons for this phenomenon. Some point to the fact that Singaporeans whom resent the elitism and moneyed salaries of their political elite feel justified whenever blunders happen (“See, they are not that smart after all”). Meanwhile, others who already oppose the government delight in schadenfreude to see new attack grounds being opened for them.

Amidst these reasons, there is one most disturbing with weighty troubling ramifications: That Singaporeans have disowned Singapore, or rather, PAP’s Singapore.

The Frankenstein known as PAP’s Singapore has come about as a political party created a whole nation moulded in its own image, and extended its power such that nation and state has been tightly enmeshed and indistinguishable from each other.

It is a Frankenstein that some reject, for the principles that underpins its creation – ruthless, callous efficiency and hard-nosed realism – become disagreeable as the bleaker do-or-die times start to fade into history.      

It is a Frankenstein easy to be disowned for the populace played little part in the processes dictating its creation – This, despite the very fact that they are its very life-blood.

It is a Frankenstein that many hate – but one that all will love to love. 

Because it is not easy being a citizen of this nation; It is not easy to love only part and not whole; It is not easy thumping your chest on National Day, while mocking the spectacle of the Youth Olympics the next; It is not easy wondering if loving your country is an implicit endorsement of a political party that you don’t agree with. It is not easy being conflicted like this. 

There have always been two Singapores in my heart. One that tugs my heartstrings like how the fluttering flag, red and white, pulls at its cords. The other, a secret shame, the disclaimed child, the abandoned orphan.

		2	singapore, flag, fireworks, nation, reinvention

Amidst the frenzied flurry of waving flags for Singapore's National Day (Augut 9), one can't help but notice a single flag that waves markedly slower than the rest. It possesses its own stubborn rhythm; it defies the crowd’s faster pace.

And one can't help noticing something about the old man holding the miniature flag – still moving in its slow, hypnotic manner - an old man that looks as out of place as the flag he is holding, out of momentum, out of his time.

The old man is none other than Minister Mentor, Lee Kuan Yew.

Before I continue, I want to reassure readers that I am not about to start attacking MM Lee for waving his flag at a speed slower than the rest (the right to determine the speed of flag-waving is assuredly enshrined in the UN Declaration of Human Rights), or make hints that he is out of touch (he never is out of the loop), suffering physical or mental degeneration (lest I be sued for libel), or that he should make way for younger leaders who have the energy to wave the flag in a more energetic (and liberal) manner.

This article is about something more.

On the big screen, a video of Dr Goh Keng Swee is showing. As MM Lee watches the tribute to his fallen comrade, his eyes well as profound emotion etches itself on his face, and he seems to retreat into an ensconced past, while his flag movement slows to a crawl.

My own flag is slowly vacillating. In between the snatches of Singapore’s history on the gigantic plasma stadium screen and the patriotic songs of old juxtaposed against the mind-numbing rap-vandalized-variation of Count on Me Singapore, I feel a curious sensation:

Nostalgia, made all the more acute in the face of unrelenting modernization.

Could he be feeling what I am feeling too?

Familiar anchors of the past - be they friends, landmarks, customs, traditions, songs, melodies - destroyed, disappeared or dead, makes one full of wistful longing. Far from reliving nostalgia by sparing one from cues to remember the past, the lack of such anchors exacerbates a natural longing for the past that cannot be denied. Now, bereft of the comfort of the old and thrown against the backdrop of this amorphous shifting world, the aching deepens.

It is a feeling familiar to many who live in the land where the tower crane is the national bird.

I look at the spectacle before me. Now, a phalanx of NCC members are inexplicably in red Masked Rider-esque costumes tossing their rifles about. I recall a time not too long ago when performers did not bear such a striking resemblance to Martians. The commentators say it is symbolic of the vibrancy of youth. I am not buying that.

A familiar song starts. I am about to relish it as it stirs some deep-seated patriotism within me. Then the song changes. Then again. And again. It's a medley of old songs. The past is truncated and shortened. Something has to give, to make way for the new. Time in the programming schedule does not just create itself. Compressions and compromises have to be made. The old has to go - Didn’t the old places vanish too when we ran out of space?    

Then something assaults my ears. A mangled twisted sound. And I realize what it is. A modification of an old song - or should I say in the most derisive manner - an “improvement”. It is a natural expectation after knowing the nation's mantras: Re-invention is necessary for Singapore to survive; We must never cease to modernize, to do so will be complacency; Old dogs must learn new tricks. The past can be improved; the past cannot be the present too; the past must be brought to pace with the future.

I stand there in the paroxysm of sound, looking at the skyline. Glitz and lights abound. Towering skyscrapers. A torpedo on three pillars barely there a year before.

The fireworks started. My flag stalled.

			New, York, Times, takes, jab, Singapore

Nothing better to keep you on your toes than the occasional attempt by foreign newspapers to undo Singapore with accusations of our lack of democratic freedoms.

Analysts say Myanmar’s half-step toward democracy could begin a long, slow process of greater accountability, at least on a local level. In any case, the military so thoroughly permeates the government, bureaucracy and economy of Myanmar that it is likely to retain vast influence in all areas of life, no matter what shape the government takes.

It has been a long-term project for the military junta to seek the legitimacy, at least in form, of an electoral mandate. Its goal is what it calls “discipline flourishing democracy,” which would presumably avoid the undisciplined clash of interests in more open Western-style democracies.

Its neighbors in Southeast Asia present a range of democratic and nondemocratic formulas of government, including the disciplined parliamentary systems of Singapore and Cambodia, with their virtual one-party rule.

Myanmar Junta Members Go Civilian, New York Times.

		4	Teenage demonstrators, national security, singapore

“There were extraordinary scenes at yesterday's Schools National Judo Championships.

Fajar Secondary School (FSS) coach Yeo Chin Seng, incensed that one of his judokas in a B Boys' team match against Hougang Secondary (HS) had been disqualified, confronted the competition's convener Gerard Fernandez.

Yeo had to be restrained by onlookers.

He then told his five-man team to sit down on the competition mat, where they remained for 20 minutes. [See Pic]”

- The Straits Times

I read with great moral outrage the repugnant behavior of our youth today. The fact that a protest has happened within the domain of our (once) lawful society strikes a mortal blow to the security of all of us and has damaged the moral fabric which underpins our great nation. This unfortunate incident will forever mar the collective conscience of a society that has until now engaged in constructive civil discourse instead of resorting to such dangerous means to resolve conflicts. The true significance of the protest is that we are now unable to sleep peacefully in the comfort of our affordable HDB flats in the Singaporean utopia shattered by the disturbing actions on the part of some iniquitous teenagers.

Have we not learnt from our National Education textbooks of the many riots in the past which has resulted in much bloodshed? Surely the Maria Hertogh and the Riot of 1969 should have dissuaded the youngsters from such a radical course of action. Surely the youngsters ought to know that in Singapore, any gathering of five or more people inevitably leads to an increased likelihood of a massive loss of lives. Surely the youngsters ought to know that even adults (especially those who belong to a certain sub-human species called the “Opposition”) are not given the right to assemble freely for a cause.

A protest that has no risk involved? Bah. More astute readers will be able to appreciate another grievous threat to our national security - that of race and religion. Notice that the ugly baggage of the twin perils is never far behind us and that their undertones cast a dark shadow over this protest: Dressed in traditional Japanese garb and sitting in a stoic manner vaguely reminiscent of Shintoism, the wanton display of ethnicity and religious symbolism on the part of the protestors ought to alarm readers. After all, this is the very monster of ethnic and religious hatred which our Dear Leaders and our responsible media have prophesied that will bring about the end-times of our great nation.

Why have our youth fallen to such a deplorable state? Look no further. The answer can be summed up in three letters, S-D-P. It seems that the nefarious group has succeeded in brain-washing our valuable youth by glamorizing the so-called “civil disobedience”. There is an undisputed connection between an earlier Lian He Zao Bao interview granted to SDP’s ringleader, which ceded a portion of the newspaper to the flames of anarchy, and the blasphemous state of affairs which we see now. Look at what happens if we give the media free rein to cover an opposition leader? Chaos, anarchy, and our impressionable young corrupted by such dangerous notions of “rights” introduced by western agents determined to bring about our glorious nation to its knees.   

But all is not lost. This incident might be unfortunate but there is still a way to salvage the situation. For a start, a year of hard labor chiseling the National Education textbook word-for-word on the rocks of Bukit Timah Hill with a toothpick is a punishment that is wanting for these delinquents and their coach. The Lian He Zao Bao reporter on the other hand can reflect upon her mistakes in the confines of the ISD, where light bulbs switched on 24 hours a day have been shown to be particularly helpful in elucidating previously un-noticed moral failings. And as usual, the ringleader of the afore-mentioned nefarious political party can be bankrupted once more.

Only then can we continue to ensure the progress towards a stable and peaceful society.

		1	singapore, education, schools

“You shouldn't be embarrassed to (identify yourself as being from a top school). Why should you be embarrassed?"

 - Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean

Whenever I meet somebody new, I dread the expected question that is silently waiting about the bend, just waiting for the right moment, or excuse, to surface...

“Which school are you from?”

It is an uncomfortable question that prickles, for I know that a quick judgment follows my answer.

“Hwachong”.

A short utterance that creates and shapes perceptions beyond my control; a single word that allows for any prejudice or stereotype to be projected onto it; I have ceased to be me, but instead, an infinite receptacle of bias and expectations.   

“Wah so smart arh”.

And an awkward silence on my part follows. What am I supposed to say? Yes, I am very smart. Thank you so very much. To do that will be suicide. There is no recourse except for the route of self-deprecation. I launch into a crisis control mode.

“No lar, I got into Hwachong through PSLE. An examination that you take at 12 doesn’t mean much.”

It is tiring. I say this every time. Why do I bother? Because I am painfully aware that others formulate their first impression about me based on the brand of my school – that all-important first impression which has been repeatedly emphasized and venerated by pop-psychology.

I do not wish to have any associations of snobbish elitism attached to me, a common perception that people have of elite* students. How untrue though. It is possible to do well in your examinations without being arrogant. It is possible to score a hundred for a test without being a hundred percent snob. It is possible to be an elite without being an elitist.

Most of our leaders have, sadly, not been able to demonstrate this distinction to the Singaporean public. Our society looks at the newspapers, at the public faces, at a policy style that dictates rather than persuades, at the wildly incredulous quotes that illustrate a wide gap in understanding, compassion and empathy with the common man and concludes – there is no mistaking it - elites are elitist. 

This is why I dread the question that inexorably leads to the answer I have to give. Because I know in that moment, the shadows of elitism has eclipsed me and I will be judged through new lenses that gives ugly shades and tones that color every one of my next words. I have become a canvas for others to project their worst impressions onto.

No sir. I am not embarrassed to say that I am from Hwachong. In fact I am fiercely proud of the school that had molded me for the past six years. I am not embarrassed. Rather, I am maddened.

To be in a society where declaring my heritage can lead to persecution, where some have lived their lives to evidence a connection between ability and arrogance, where an insular elite imbibed in their esoteric culture of elitism exists… Maddening.   

======================================

*For the record, "elite" is used in this context as a student who has the remarkably limited success in securing an alphabet soup of As that serves as dubious proof of his abilities but which is eagerly yapped up by wider society as a testament to his omnipotence in life... Our society is really laughable in many ways.

		1	integrating foreigners, china, public money

Perhaps the more radical fraction of the online xenophobic community is schizophrenic. One can hardly miss the irony when People's Republic of China (PRC) Chinese were blasted for being unable to speak English, whilst the PAP was bashed for providing the solution in the form of government-paid English courses.

This points us towards a disturbing observation - that a certain segment of the population has become so radicalized that the idea of spending a single cent on foreigners equates to blasphemy.

At a time when the government has indicated that steps have begun in earnest to attempt an integration project on a national scale (seen by the new $10m Community Integration fund and a water festival in the works), it is time for us to recognize some arguments for such governmental efforts:

Community integration is a public good

Chiefly, for the reason that everybody benefits from a community in which exists a healthy level of interaction between members, everybody ought to be contribute monetarily towards such an effort. Community integration is a public good, similar to street lighting or police protection since everybody benefits. And it hence follows that all the beneficiaries should pay for the enjoyment of such benefits, through taxes which are spent by the government.

Position of government

Out of all actors, the government is the most capable and well-placed to initiate such efforts. Besides having organizational strength, the government’s position to do the most also comes from the failings of others; consider the stunted civil society in Singapore; the inability of poorer transient workers to organize or fund their own activities; the small employers which hire such workers that are unable to provide such programs. In such a case, since other actors are unable to step up to integrate the community, the onus then falls upon the government.

Spending more on community integration does not equate to spending less on social welfare

A common knee-jerk reaction I see online is this: “10 million to be spent on foreigners? Why not give the 10 million to the homeless, destitute and elderly?” An either-or scenario then arises and the issue becomes transmogrified into a local versus foreign debate.

However, this is untrue. We need to recognize that spending 10 million on foreigners does not equate to spending 10 million less on social welfare for locals. Rather, it equates to spending 10 million less on over-saving or failed foreign investments overseas. We need to recognize that the lamentable lack of funding for social welfare does not come from competing spending programs, but from the all-pervasive fear of the crutch mentality, which is another issue altogether.

Conclusion

Perhaps some readers might dispute the need for community integration in the first place and debate its virtues. Yet these will frequently be the same people who have demonstrated awareness of the detrimental consequences of an un-integrated society; a person who complains about, say, the uncouth practices of foreigners will have effectively demonstrated that he recognizes the need for such practices to be corrected.

And my point to these people will be this: if we see a problem as serious, we will need to be willing to spend money to fix it.