National Day - Singapore

Turning Forty-One

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Yet another National Day has passed and Singapore is now forty-one years old, since it was booted out of the Malaysian Federation after independence from the British in 1963. So, for anyone born before that date, he can say he was born a British, then became a Malaysian, before changing into a Singaporean. Well, that is assuming he does not have aspirations to emigrate to a richer country like the United States, Canada, Britain or Australia, here on.

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Some of my Singaporean friends are emigrating. I have one who is planning to leave for Canada next year. I got a feeling he is not very sure of his new destination himself, for he seems to tell me how free and vast his new homeland will be, everytime we have a chance to meet. This is often followed by many complaints that Singapore is a stifled country and has an uneven playing field dominated by the Government in business. While there are some truth to his moanings, I can't help feeling sympathetic for this unhappy soul. He does work hard in his business and is making money, but somehow, he doesn't seem to be happy, and I believe he is not alone. A visible number of people who has tertiary education and skills in demand elsewhere harbour the same thoughts of emigration.

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My Indian expatriate colleague has recounted to me how he is hounded by some Singapore girls who long to marry foreigners (including him), so that they can have a better future elsewhere. These are university graduates in their late twenties and early thirties, who see no future in Singapore. By that, I guess they mean 'material future', because the Singapore island is not about to sink anytime soon. They want to marry a foreigner so that it will pave their way to greener pastures, where they can live in a big house with a garden, double garage and two big cars.

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I have heard of such stories about girls from our neighbouring countries escaping from dire poverty, but to hear these about our relatively wealthy female university graduates is astonishing! It bags the question if Singaporeans only base their success and happiness on material accumulation.

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Why is this happening to Singaporeans? It is puzzling, as in contrast, I consider Singapore to be almost a tropical paradise, and this is after having lived and worked in sixteen cities across Europe, Australia, Africa and Asia for more than twenty years!

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Why are there these spiritually empty people around?

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Has all the years of rapid economic development, breaking down kampungs, tearing down dialect groups and thus alienating the older dialect speaking folks, resulted in this? There have been lots of adjustments and sacrifices that Singaporeans have made for the progress. So such spiritual emptiness resulting from cultural uprootedness is understandable though not an encouraging sign.

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We all have to get back to the basics of living more fulfilled lives. Perhaps, it will be a good exercise for individuals to ask themselves what they have done for their country over the last twelve months on National Days. For the guys, have you served your National Service wholeheartedly? If you are in the Civil Service, have you served the public with the sincerity to help them, or have you just become a part of a mindless machinery? If you are in the higher echelons, have you done things for the people as a means to keep yourself in power? Has it been conditional love as opposed to unconditional love for the masses? Do the people have to vote you before you reciprocate to give them material upgrades?

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Wouldn't it be better to be among a people who are more grateful for what the country has done for them and for its leaders to truly love the people? Wouldn't that make our tropical paradise do better and last longer?

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It is often said that governments deserve the people they get and the people deserve their governments. My assertion is that we all deserve better. We will realise this by simply being truthful to ourselves and grateful for all around us. :)