National Day Award

No one would want to recognize the contribution of the lunatic fringes to the progress made in nation building. No one would acknowledge their huge contributions to the state of political affairs and awareness by the people, young and old. No one would admit that because of the lunatic fringes, many policies have changed, and many things, including behavior of politicians, have changed. And no one would want to venture into the lunatic fringes to find out the feelings and views of the lunatic fringes or would want to hear them. They were the outcasts, the anti establishment, the dissidents, and worst, to some, could be seen as irresponsible insurgents lurking in the fringes, in anonymity, and needed to be put in their right places.

The contributions and results of the voices of the lunatic fringes cannot be denied. The best illustration is how they criticised that the National Day should not be seen as a PAP day and wearing all white is not inclusive. And this National Day, the PAP cabinet politicians had dropped their white priest robes and turned up in white and red, to be part of the people celebrating the National Day as one people, not one party ruling the people.

And many changes have been made and many on the way without acknowledging the causes of these changes. Without the lunatic fringes, all these changes would not have happened. Things will be as normal as before, the old normal. Everyone will be delirious.

My National Day Award goes to all the lunatics in the fringes who have contributed so much effort and time, for free, without talking about sacrifices, without being acknowledged nor appreciated, but daily hammering away at their keyboards to bring awareness to the people, to the failings in the system, about flawed policies, about the indiscretions that would have normally been swept away under the carpet or not reported. The lunatics deserved to be celebrated for their sacrifices to the Nation, with some risking career and ominous threats, and being seen as enemies, being attacked, to be watched carefully, to be taken to task when the opportunities offered. And they did what they did, for the good of the Nation, without asking for anything in return. They don’t even talk about sacrifices, and unceremoniously accepted the tag of being called lunatics.

The lunatics deserved a National Day Award from mysingaporenews. To all the lunatics, Happy National Day. Your National Day Award is priceless.