5/14/2012
Going back to the 60s
When Hsien Loong asked if Singaporeans want to go back to the 60s, I thought he was using that as a reminder that going back to the 60s was a bad thing. The things that are happening today point to one direction. It seems that it has all been planned for Singaporeans to go back to the good old 60s.
Just look at what Singaporeans have been told and how their lives are changing. The first thing is that they have been told to live in smaller flats and mentally prepared to think that small is good. They have also been prepared to go around in bicycles or take public transport. In the good old days, only the very rich drove cars, the rest took buses and private taxis. This too could become a reality.
Today I heard that Singaporeans are encouraged to become hawkers. What about the dreams of becoming doctors, lawyers and engineers? Actually becoming hawkers or pasar malam stall owners isn’t a bad thing. Hawkers can make big money and many are driving Mercedes and living in landed properties. I concur that this is an extremely good idea. No need to waste so much time and money for a university education only to buy a 3 rm flat on graduation, and maybe ended as a taxi driver or a hawker.
I am reminiscing the great times of those good old days of the 60s, carefree as a substitute to being out of jobs, and yes, our womenfolk were factory workers or maids. And my favourite, and in support of the govt policies, to integrate the foreigners, let’s live together with them under the same roof. Singaporeans can rent or share their flats with them, or they can rent or share their flats with Singaporeans. Then they can communicate and learn to live with each other happily and learning another culture and way of life. Singaporean’s life will be so much richer with the experience.
And of course there will be more hawker centres selling cheap and better food and faster in serving as well. Sounds like cbf. All the mothers need not worry so much about queuing for the best schools and wasting money on tuitions. Back then the aspirations were very low and thus not much stress in education. How much stress can there be if the aspiration is to be a hawker or a taxi or bus driver? Oops, actually taxi driving is the new ambition of PMETs when they can become their own bosses, independent, no one to breathe down their necks, a new breed of entrepreneurs or SME businessmen. Very 1960s.
We are progressing to the 60s. The new ambition of school children, 'I want to be a hawker.'
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
You are right, so Sinkies no need to send their kids to the uni. all the places in the uni can give to the aliens. In the future if the econony is good we can import more FT if no good less trouble for the government to find jobs for the graduates.Brilliant Mr.Chua.
i thought we are already back in the 1960s in many ways.
1. buses used to be really packed then. now trains are also close to bursting.
2. there was terrible cramping in small homes. we called them slums. homes are getting smaller. foreign workers live in slums where they share beds!
3. everything also u cant afford. same now. pple are struggling to make a living too.
4. we thought foreigners were great. they were mostly ang mo then. actually alot of ang mos her now and we still think foreigners are great.
5. you couldn't afford a car. same same now.
6. not enough hospital facilities then. same same now.
gosh, its too depressing to go on. where are the beatles and the rolling stones?
There is always more than one side to any scenario.
The 1960's had good things about it, but it also had aweful stuff. Singapore was such a young(er) cuntree back then...no one could even be certain that it would survive without the Malaysian Federation. It was the time of the Cold War -- when the world was split between communism and "freedom". Singapore was hunting domestic communists. Elsewhere in the region communists were being fought in the jungles.
Then there was the shit between Indonesia and Malaysia/ Singapore. Soekarno was conducting commando raids on the Straits Settlements dissatisfied with the presence of East Malaysia.
If you were well educated, chances are you had a steady job in Singapore. But money was still small. Some people were doing alright, many weren't.
During a heavy downpour, the roads would flood. After the downpour many people got dengue fever and died.
But, I had a fun childhood. During CNY we lit fireworks and fire crackers. But for others, carelessness with fire crackers burnt down their homes. We kids rode bikes into kampungs and got chased by dogs. You could camp on Changi beach. The Singapore and Kallang Rivers stank. Channel 5 had 5 mins of Malay lessons everyday. TV and radio sucked ass, at least the music was alright...until the PAP started banning songs and declaring a "war" on "hippies" with ridiculous campaigns and edicts.
Ah...history. It is nice to reminisce and compare sometimes, but the point is, like it or not, the world moves forward..at least that is the hope.
What we lacked in the 60s made us
happy with whatever little we have.
After near 5 decades of independence,
few things can make us happy anymore.
Our live(life) are screwed henceforth.
Post a Comment