Endoh’s Dungeon

Previously, I charged that Mr Amit Nagpal knew little about Singapore and her citizens upon reading his letter in Straits Times. I am not wanting to be too harsh on Mr Amit, if he ever happens to be reading my entries. He hadn’t been staying here long enough in my opinion. On that, I offer my understandings towards some of his perceptions of Singapore and her people.

I can’t find a better time to pen this, since Singapore’s 43rd Birthday is just four days away. I haven’t written anything like this before, because I am not a big fan of National Day Parade. C’mon, I have participated in it and also a home-viewer for years. Given the rare occasion with such an infuriating letter from Mr Amit, I think I will dedicate this post to Singapore. On the other hand, hopefully this will serve as a guide to Mr Amit on what it takes to be a Singaporean.

Much like other countries, there are always the goodies and baddies. Singapore is no exception. The government we are looking at now is voted into power by the citizens and we can only live with our choices as of now. There are national policies that angered Singaporeans, but there are also those that we embraced with our hearts. All these, still do not erode the love for Singapore in the hearts of many.

The multi-racial environment here is not new to us. I am proud to say there are not many developed countries which can match up to Singapore in terms of racial and religious integration. It is one of the key factors in bonding Singaporeans together. The influx of foreigners is a natural progression, since Singapore is facing an ageing population. It is also helping Singapore in the economical sense, by attracting businesses and tertiary institutions to set up bases here.

With the noose almost on the neck of Singaporeans, maybe it is ironical to some that there is even anything worth treasuring here. Now here’s the thing, every household country has a story to tell. What do I exactly love about Singapore then?

1. Absence of natural disasters. The weather is atrociously warm and humid, I can’t take it very much even though I have been living here since I was borned. Looking over my shoulders to my peers in other countries, I feel fortunate that I do not have to live in constant fear of tornadoes or tsunamis. We did see some water sprouts, and I did raised my concerns over earthquakes tremors too.

2. Safety. Despite many claims projecting Singaporeans as timid, I have read from time to time about incidents where members of public assisted in the arrest of offenders. Maybe we are, but not all the time. I wondered if Mr Amit has ever viewed Crime Watch, it is not uncommon to catch a glimpse of Singaporeans taking up their social responsibilities.

Singapore is well known around the globe with the lowest crime-rate and that’s a fairly tall reputation for many years. Thanks to the tough laws! No doubt some laws are deemed by Singaporeans as redundant, the bulk of it has served us well.

3. Food. How can we not fall in love with the food here? Being a multi-racial country, I am indeed lucky to be able to taste the world within the boundaries of a small red dot. It must be crazy to be catching a jet overseas just to try out food from other countries.

4. Unity. Singapore did hit some kinks here and there, but I would still consider Singaporeans to be pretty united. I am sure Mr Amit has had a first-hand experience by now. In general, Singaporeans are not exposed to wars unlike in Iraq, East Timor or North Korea. Yet, there are occasions where Singaporeans come together and act as one. Notably;

• Singaporeans supported and praised the Government for remaining firm on Michael P. Fay’s punishment for thefts and vandalism. We weren’t intimated by United States.
• Singaporeans came together in the search of murdered child victim, Huang Na, even though she is not a Singaporean. Singaporeans also generously donated to help the deceased’s mum cope with the funeral expenses.
• Singapore suffered from SARS, like many other countries. Despite the inconvenience of having to wear masks and longer waiting times at hospitals, Singaporeans complied without complaints when they are fully aware of the fatality. Professionals in the medical field were honored by the entire Singapore.

There are lots more, but these incidents above are enough to tell Mr Amit how united Singaporeans can be. Just look at the audience of National Day Parade every year, the programmes changed all the time. The spirit will never change!

5. We went in as boys, we left as men. Serving National Service is something Mr Amit will never understand. We hear a lot of complaints pertaining to National Service, what’s new? Friendships formed from going through tough times together, is also what Mr Amit will never be able to taste. I have a great friend in a fellow comrade whom I am honored to serve my National Service together with, and had a hell load of fun in our bunks. We are still friends until this very day. Mr Amit, does he have one from serving National Service?

6. The vibrant cultures. With so many different racial groups in Singapore, we get to see various festivals being celebrated here. From Chinese New Year to Hari Raya, from Christmas to Thaipusam, it is always interesting and delightful to see how people come together even if they are not practitioners of the individual festivals. How about Muslim friends visiting the rest during Chinese New Year? How about the rest of us visiting our Muslim friends during Hari Raya? Now, that’s what multi-racial Singapore is about.

Even if Mr Amit hold little regards for Singaporeans when he casually remarked that we have taken things for granted, the above is enough to tell him he is clearly wrong. Not just wrong, but plain wrong. Our pride is not something we wear on our lips and faces all the time. More often than none, the loudest call is often the empty vessel.

Mr Amit may be unhappy because he failed to qualify for subsidized purchase of HDB flats, but that should not become his tool to attack Singaporeans blatantly without careful thoughts. If other foreigners are able to present their unhappiness without attacking Singaporeans, that is the least I can expect from a highly educated and worldly wise individual. I hope Mr Amit can take note of the differences in responses from the example I have linked, compared to the responses he had received thus far.

Singapore is where I grow up and earn my keeps. This is where my roots are, when Mr Amit chose to use the word “perhaps” when discussing about his citizenship in Singapore. Is “perhaps” an absolute? In any case that this is not an absolute, all the more Singapore should not offer you any promise. Singapore for one, is a country and not a refugee camp.

It is even more ironical for Mr Amit to project his perception of “unfair treatment” to the point of “making an enemy out of him” when on the other hand, he praised Singapore as the most cosmopolitan and easy-to-live-in country in Asia. If he truly understood that property ownership is becoming less affordable to the common man as he wrote, I cannot comprehend the request from a PR for similar benefits to that of a full fledge citizen.

Mr Amit, there’s a long way to go before you can effectively call yourself a Singaporean. My love for this land as I have demonstrated above, is probably many more times than yours. My love for this country, isn’t just about how much benefits I can ripped out of the foreigners-friendly policy. It’s about the culture, it’s about my family, it’s about my friends, it’s about a place I grow up in… it’s about Singapore.

My suggestion to Mr Amit today will be, grab some NDP’s tickets if he still can. Bring his entire family and be seated among Singaporeans to have a real feel of a united Singapore. Strike up some conversations with Singaporeans as well, and please do put on a red shirt.

Additional unrelated note: Mr Amit, if you happen to be reading this, you can’t exactly sue others when you have willingly displayed your personal email over WorldWideWeb. Not for this reason at least, since it is viewable by anyone and everyone. The single act of putting your email out in the open through your own free will, tells us that you intended for your personal email to be seen by all.

Instead of lamenting how unkind Singaporeans are to you, I suggest that it will be more fruitful if you would take a minute and ponder how you can integrate yourself into Singapore’s system. That will certainly make your stay a happier one.