9/23/2015

We built a Nation

The TV has been broadcasting the history of Singapore during the days of Malaysia and the fallout. There is now an exhibition on the separation from Malaysia with secret files being declassified to trace the events, called the Albatross File. There were letters by LKY, Goh Keng Swee and other ministers being shown to the public for the first time.

‘We built a Nation’ is an appropriate title to recognize and honour the works of these pioneer leaders of our country. As LKY put it, they belonged to a rare breed of people that were founders of countries and nation builders. They took pride in building a country from scratch, creating a nation of people that believed in themselves and took pride in themselves. They were brave men and women that would not say die and slogged to build this country to what it is today.

What would be the next chapter of this nation in the next 50 years? Would the title to celebrate SG100 be, ‘We built a Hotel’? Would there still be a nation left of this country? Would the people still be proud and hard working and be in control and in charge of the country built by the pioneer generation of leaders and people? Or would they be dismissed as losers, working in low level jobs and the country taken over by the foreigners brought in by the leaders today, the likes of Ello Ed Bello?

What would be the fate of Singaporeans in 50 years time? Would the new leaders be celebrating the transformation of a nation to a hotel with no citizens or with the citizens at the lower rung of society scrapping for a living, and new owners taking over this island they now called hotel?

Would anyone remember the founding leaders of this nation and still celebrate them for building a nation? Or would everyone be happily celebrating, ‘We built a hotel’?

Would Singaporeans queue for 10 hours to pay their last respect to Lee Kuan Yew if he and his peers did not build a nation but a hotel instead? Would people lined the streets under torrential rain to say farewell to Lee Kuan Yew if his legacy is a hotel and not a nation?

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

Singapore is a new country. It is only about half a century old. True the pioneer generation has contributed to build the country to what it is today. Like many other countries in the world Singapore has risen to prominence through hard work and also through world events over the years. However there should not be any xenophobia if Singapore is to go further. To say Singapore belongs to only the true blue Singaporeans is a little foolish. To grow and prosper Singapore must open its doors to the world, to attract people with new ideas and new culture. Unless Singapore march in tandem with the rest of the world, it will be left behind.

Anonymous said...

The title for the next exhibition at SG100 will be aptly named, "We Built A Nation that Turned into A Hotel".

Virgo 49 said...

Move in tandem yes, SOLD out its citizens NO!!!

Gratitude but not Servitude!!

Where in the world a government does not protect and safeguard the liviehoods of its citizens???

Afterall, these are the children/desendents of the pioneers who had built up the Nation.

Without them, No Nation.

How can it be turned inti a free for all??

Anonymous said...

Hi Virgo, yes the children and grand children can feel proud of the nation building of their fore fathers. However, for Singapore to stay relevant and competitive it must open its door to all who can contribute to nation building for the future. Old citizens and new citizens must be classified as one unit - no differentiation.

It is not productive to keep saying that our pioneer generation has built this nation to what it is today, so it belongs to only us and no one else can share this land. We can feel proud of what the pioneers have done, but we must not continue to insist that one new citizen can share, enjoy and contribute to the future of this country. Xenophobia is NOT good for Singapore. People who feels that Singapore is only for true blue Singaporeans have very selfish mentality. Without new citizen injection, I am afraid Singapore might not be able to stay relevant and competitive.

Anonymous said...

What would be the fate of Singaporeans in 50 years time?
RB

As the fertility rate of Singaporeans is below replacement level, I think true blue Singaporeans may even become not only a minority in 50 years time, but also as good as not exist, with or without foreigners.

So why would they care, and what difference is there, whether it is a nation or a hotel in 50 years time?


Anonymous said...


Yes! YES! Yes!

Yes! We have actually aimed to be a "hotel" of the world many many moons ago!

Yes! The "hotel" is fast taking shape!

Yes! It is called "Hotel Cosmo-Singapura"!

Yes! Towards a truly cosmopolitan SG100!

Yes! YES! Yes!

Anonymous said...

Some 呆子 and his many countless nodding parrots have mistaken open door to be "OPEN LEGS".

That's where the problems lie.

Deng Xiao Ping opened the doors of China to the rest of fhe world. He didn't open the legs. Lao goa, 呆子 etc opened the legs but keep arguing they opened the doors. Can any sinkies accept his son to marry a woman who has opened her legs? Who for the sake of money opened her legs and let countless bangla, ah neh, pinoy etc do whatever they want in between her legs and at times immerse herself in enjoyment? Can anyone who sacrificed a whole life accept such a woman as their daughter in law? Can they accept the grandchildren born from a woman who opened her legs to countless strangers of the worst kinds?

Sinkies are NOT saying no to open doors.

Sinkies are saying NO TO OPEN LEGS!

呆子 cannot differentiate the two. And his nodding parrots just nod their heads in ( typical GROUPTHINK ) unison.

Anonymous said...

Sinkies are saying NO TO OPEN LEGS!
Anon 9:14 a.m.

It is not that Sinkies want to open legs. It is that they accidentally also open legs when they open doors. And accidents can happen, even if Sinkies take preventive action.

Just like by being very scared to accidentally vote the PAP out, Sinkies accidentally gave the PAP an even bigger mandate. It is not that they want to give but rather they accidentally gave. And of course accidents cause injury and suffering.

Anonymous said...

Vulgarity has no place in this blog. When contributors to this forum writes with vulgarity it brings down the standard of conversation. Please keep this thread decent.

Singapore is for ALL who can contribute to the advancement of the nation.

Anonymous said...

Some nodding parrots still cannot differentiate between open doors and open legs.

After a woman has opened her legs to make a living, it has crossed the line of no return.

No amount of spinning grandfather, grandmother, great grandfather, great grandmother, great great grandfather, great great grandmother ..... etc story is going to change the fact that open legs is NOT equivalent to open doors.

Open doors rejuvenate a nation like China in the last century since Deng Xiao Ping opened its doors in 1978.

Opened legs leads to Sinkieland losing its common identity. Polarization, division and stratification result and worsen every passing year. A woman who has opened her legs can be a billionaire but does it make it acceptable to extend such a bloodline into posterity and even brag and boast about it and openly speaks about it.

Many sinkies cannot feel proud and be identified with opened legs.

No amount of spinning can change the fact.

Building casinos have confirmed those leading are a bunch of donkeys taking Sinkieland into abyss.

Which woman wants to open her legs if she has options.

The donkeys ran out of options and decided to go down this (vice) path to sustain opulence and decadence.

Donkeys and parrots are just spineless and don't deserve to be leading Sinkieland.

Unfair advantage are given to donkeys in every election.

A normal race means everyone starts at the same starting line in a century sprint 100m from the finishing line. The donkeys start a century sprint 10m from the finishing line. Opposition candidates start at more than 200m from the starting line. Even Hussain Bolts cannot beat such odds stacked against him. Maybe Vettel driving a sports car can, and even then maybe not bcos they will fix him and make sure he starts further behind to be impossible to make up with his speed ....

Anonymous said...

Father built a nation. Would the son destroy what the father built?

Anonymous said...

Who is the foolish one?
Ask Ed Ello.

Anonymous said...

Building casinos and F1 are just 2 projects to bring Singapore into the first world status. Without projects like these Singapore will become stagnant and unappealing to tourists and businesses.

PAP has done well over the years and hope they continue to do the same. 70% of Singaporeans have given PAP the mandate and I am confident PAP will not fail us.

Bravo to the 70%. Congrats to the PAP team.

Anonymous said...

Some donkeys and nodding parrots feel sensitive that people openly described what they did as peddling vices to make a living and accusing vulgarity for saying so.

A spade is a spade.

A vice is a vice.

An opened legs is an opened legs.

Opening doors need not become open legs.

Many sinkies do not intend to have anything to do or being associated with opened legs, women or cuntry.

Even eating a plate of $23 chicken rice in a foreign country as a 2nd class citizen gives one more sense of dignity and meaning in life than eating a plate of $3 chicken rice in Sinkieland when that is sustained through vices and opened legs.

But before that happens ( eventually ), since opening legs has already crossed the line and there is no turning back, perhaps smart sinkies in the 69.9% and 30.1% can make "the whore " out of every bit.

Anonymous said...

Spineless nodding parrots.

Opened legs in vices also bravo.

What is not bravo?

Anonymous said...

// What would be the next chapter of this nation in the next 50 years? Would the title to celebrate SG100 be, ‘We built a Hotel’? Would there still be a nation left of this country? //

国将不国!

Anonymous said...

// 70% of Singaporeans have given PAP the mandate ...... //

Sinkies challenge the donkeys to start at the same starting line in the next race without gerrymandering, pork barrels, MSM, PA, a fixed date like the US Presidential Election On 3 Nov every 4 years ........ etc

No unfair advantage.

Donkeys can only win a race in sinkieland bcos they fix the rules. Show sinkies and sinkieland donkeys can win an Olympic 100 m race starting at the same block as every other competitor. What is there to crow about achieving 69.9% when the donkeys start at 10 m from the finishing point but opposition starts at 200m away? It's a ( unfair ) race no other competitor can win accept the donkeys. No smart person would want to participate in such a race. But it is so shameless of many people of this public policy institute and that public policy institute giving an analysis why the "winners " won and the opposition lost.

When one competitor starts at 10 m from finishing line and the rest 200m away, would it not be a BIG SHAM to still attempt some "EXPLANATIONS "?

Anonymous said...

@ Anonymous September 23, 2015 8:16 a.m.
// However there should not be any xenophobia if Singapore is to go further. To say Singapore belongs to only the true blue Singaporeans is a little foolish. To grow and prosper Singapore must open its doors to the world, to attract people with new ideas and new culture. Unless Singapore march in tandem with the rest of the world, it will be left behind.//


Rb perhaps can write a post entitled:

"Open doors vs open legs EXPLAINED"

for the benefit of some nodding parrots and their ( parrots ) masters ......

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

@ die die cannot lose argument one, redbean:

>> Would Singaporeans queue for 10 hours to pay their last respect to Lee Kuan Yew if he and his peers did not build a nation but a hotel instead? Would people lined the streets under torrential rain to say farewell to Lee Kuan Yew if his legacy is a hotel and not a nation? <<

Just because lots of people BELIEVE something, doesn't make it TRUE, sour grapes jealous cunts :-)

The GROWING NUMBERS of people who treat Singapore as a HOTEL, I would argue, have the best lives because they can take advantage of the myriad benefits being a "perpetual tourist" (aka Sovereign Individual) like choosing where to be taxed or even pay any tax at all, choose where to live and where to work and under which legal territory/ jurisdiction to protect assets. The downside is that hoping from territory to territory eats up time and resources, and can breed JEALOUSY among others, who might then treat you poorly.

Singaporeans tend to do very well when they emigrate. We even have one ex-Singaporean in the Aussie Parliament, who's parents emigrated when he was 9. He was the top student in school (Dux of the school), good business and corporate history, and only a few years ago on the "watch list" for the up and coming "Under 40's".

Why do Singaporeans do so well? When they emigrate, most bring a lot of money with them after selling their property in Singapore, and cash in the CPF by relinquishing citizenship. For e.g.: you sell 2 condos, you and your wife collect 100% CPF...you're looking at a few million dollars HEAD START in your new cuntry of residence.

And Singapore is still "open for business" any time you like. Only now you get to enjoy Singapore as an AWESOME HOTEL.

For that, I think a heartfelt "thank you" to Lee Kuan Yew, Goh Kheng Swee, Rajaratnam, EW Barker, Toh Chin Chye and the rest of "The Old Guard" for their social engineering, nation building and benign dictatorship skills which enabled many to make money and have better lives---in and out of Singapore, returning as "PAYING hotel guests". :-)

Got CPF? Many ex-Singaporeans have :-)

Anonymous said...

Anon September 23, 2015 10:37 a.m.

If you do not know that what you term as unfair is " POLITIC ", then you deserve to lose.

70% mandate, whether it is fair or not is still 70%

Like it or not, PAP has the mandate for the next 5 years

New citizens will come, the question is - how many?

GDP will grow and Singaporeans will be happy

For the 30% who are not convinced now will have to wait and see what the next 5 years bring

Anonymous said...

@ Anonymous September 23, 2015 10:56 a.m.
//Anon September 23, 2015 10:37 a.m.

If you do not know that what you term as unfair is " POLITIC ", then you deserve to lose.

70% mandate, whether it is fair or not is still 70%//


Don't be so shameless and shambolic and CROW, GLOAT about it like a "HOW LIAN ROOSTER" and "OLD GOAT"!


// For the 30% who are not convinced now will have to wait and see what the next 5 years bring //

It is not NOW. It is in PERPETUITY!

A woman who has opened her legs even only once to a Bangla is a prostitute in PERMANENCE, NOT temporarily.

There is no turning back!

Anonymous said...

Too little too late liao!

Chua Chin Leng蔡镇龍 aka redbean said...

Japan opened up to the West and became a rich and powerful nation, but still Japan with no change in characteristics.

China Opened up to the West like Japan and became rich and powerful, and still remain as China, no more, no less.

South Korea, Taiwan, Hongkong too opened up and still remain who they are. For that matter other Asean countries also opened up but did not lose their countries and their nationalities.

Singapore opens up and chooses to be bastardised, with no concern about losing its nationality.

Anonymous said...

The main difference where Singapore is concerned is that Singapore has no resources or hinterland. Every other country RB has mentioned are much much larger than Singapore and with natural resources. Why are you comparing Singapore with other countries?

In Singapore we can only be in tandem with other countries if we allow foreigners to come and help Singaporean build the country of the future. If such migrants chose to be citizens then good. If they choose to go after a few years here, then also good. Singaporeans MUST allow foreigners into the country. Singapore needs FTs to grow. There is no other way unless you want Singapore to lag behind.

70% agree with me.

Anonymous said...

Singapore opens up and chooses to be bastardised,...
RB 11:27 a.m.

Not say chooses to be bastardised lah, but rather accidentally bastardised when opening up.

Just like accidentally giving PAP a strong mandate of 70% of the votes. I don't think they really choose to.

If things are bad or not to expectation, it is always an accident one. Who want to choose bad things, or things they do not want or expect, u tell me lah?




Anonymous said...

Chua Mui Hoong from StraitsTimes wrote in her article:


It is time to set up such a panel of non-partisan, respected citizens to oversee the conduct of elections.

An independent commission can decide on timing of elections, oversee constituency boundary changes, and adjudicate on abuse claims.

As many people have noted, the nationwide swing back to the PAP suggests that the party need not have made those boundary changes anyway, and would still have won handsomely.

A party that keeps in step with voters, and is confident of its appeal, does not need to rely on any advantages to beat its competitors.



After 50 years of head-start, pap still lack confident in winning without "politicking". What a shame!

b said...

Singapore allows foreigners here to work. Europe allows foreigners there to seek welfare. Singapore is doing a much better job. Europe must learn from singapore.

Anonymous said...

Singapore cannot exist without foreign blue or white collar imports. The country will grind to a halt without these FTs and workers. This is a fact. Hospitals and civil services cannot function without foreigners. Foreign bankers are needed to run banks and other financial institutions. Indian bankers and financiers are needed for the economy. Lets face facts, without foreign talent help Singapore would not be able to grown and achieve the required GDP.

Anonymous said...

Tiok, see so many foreign talents now become citizens and MPs and ministers.