Yushui Village in Lijiang, Yunnan, with snow mountain backdrop and cascading waterfalls.
8/20/2010
We have overcome
Asia Insurance Building was the tallest building. Bukit Timah Road was the longest Road. Two battalions armed with 303 rifles and a few guns, we used them for ceremonial salutes today, were all we had. We had 3 tiny reservoirs and had to depend on Johore for our water supply. Each family had 8 to 10 children, mostly uneducated, under employed, and crammed into attap huts or Chinatown cubicles. There were unemployment and shortage of housing.
Small businesses had to pay protection money to secret societies to remain in business. We had several small family banks run by self taught businessmen.
We overcame the odds. Asia Building is now dwarfed by HDB flats. Longest road is either AYE or PIE. We have an armed force equal or better than anyone in the region. We are self sufficient in our water needs. We have full employment, solved our housing problems, educate our people to the highest level possible.
Now what? We have housing problems all over again. We have unemployment among our own people in spite of full employment. We cannot solve a little flooding problem. We do not know what to do with littering by flyers. We built 3 large local banks that operate in the international market, all by our local talents. Now we are sneering at our local talents that they were not good enough to run these banks, and we need to employ foreign talents to run them. And very likely none of these foreign talents even know how to start a banking business.
We have one of the world’s highest saving rate only to find out that many will not have enough money for retirement. A visit to the dental clinic or hospital is like offering oneself to be robbed.
Maybe it is true that our local talents are hopeless, despite paying them top dollars. That is why we are struggling with little petty problems and got caught off guard now and then. Those days when we could overcome all odds and surmount all problems, no matter how big are over. We can’t even come out with a simple fare structure for public transport and the oldies/students have to subsidise the able, and no one can do anything about it. They just put up a show of protest and live with it, as what had happened to all the unpopular policies.
What is happening?
As oldies, our generation was the bestest. What you see today was truly built up by our sweat and toil. The old guards were really a different kettle of fish from the current wishy washy still teat sucking incompetents, even including some queers and circus clowns strutting around garbed in stupid costumes. Then, everyone of us worked as a real team because we knew that had we not succeeded, the consequences would be dire. Our families would go hungry, our sisters may just be sent elsewhere as maids. And so, against all odds, we, led by fire in the belly leaders, built this nation to what it is today and the rest as they say, is history.
ReplyDeleteToday, the population is so fragmented and diluted by foreign trash that slowly but steadily, the old Singapore that we built is almost gone. Landmark buildings that we once treasured have been torn down to "make way for progress". Simple HDB dwellings were demolished and in its place, drab monoliths such as the Pinnacle were built. All, just to make a statement. We are told repeatedly that money will lure the "bestest" talent to run the country so how can one deny this way of getting things done to the rest of the population? It is a money mad society now. Ideals? Ha! it's only just worth a song.
The politicians' jobs are now just an occupation, not a calling. So when problems do surface, the solution is mostly mediocre and mundane.
You can see it on the telly. When there is a massive flood in China, Mr. Wen Jia Bao is there. So are the PLA, the ever steadfast backbone of China, evacuating the residents and collectively ensuring that no one is left behind. Here, we have fish pond floods that happens "once in fifty years" and that guy whose ministry is tasked to anticipate floods and who is also supposed to mobilize his resources to minimize damage is neither seen nor heard to console all who lost property in the deluge. If we had done right, floods should forever be a thing of the past. Digging and abusing the land with so much infrastructure and condos to cater to the obscene flood of foreign trash is just asking for the inevitable slap from nature.
So Redbean, bear with it. Grin or rather smirk knowingly.Welcome to the new Sinkapoor.
There's not a darn thing you or I can do about it.
Our local top talents has no confidence with local non talents... so must import....
ReplyDeleteThe saying goes... 2 legs good, 4 legs better, then sometime later, its back to 4 legs good, 2 legs better...
Then the whole shit will happen all over again.... sigh.
Wally is right when he said that when there is a massive flood in China, Mr Wen Jia Bao is there. Not only that, he appeared to be moving freely around without having to fear for his life.
ReplyDeleteContrast that with little red dot. Even a normal function in the heartlands requires mobilisation of a whole army of volunteers to make sure the place is clean, washed, new coat of paint, fresh plants in place, safe, checked and double checked for security etc and not to mention a whole troop of bodyguards and boot-lickers in tow.
Singapore is supposed to be the safest place to live in. What is happening?
Heard some Nanyang Poly students asking each others what the VIP was talking. Along their conversations they were wondering why many burly men around the VIP were scanning around as though they were in enemy territory. And there was haste for the VIP and his entourage when leaving after the Torch Relay Ceremony at sai Poly.
ReplyDelete'In enemy territory', hehe.. our students are good, man.
patriot
The old fear was 'Please don't help us'.
ReplyDeleteThe new fear is 'Please don't worry of our safety'.
Sori.
ReplyDeletePlease don't worry for our safety. Scary huh.
Let's see, to protect your safety it is better to handcuff you. Right?
ReplyDeleteyup, it's like we'r back in the 1960s. one of your better columns.
ReplyDeleteas one wag says: Politicians and diapers have one thing in common. They should both be changed regularly, and for the same reason.