Joseph Schooling - Singapore's golden boy in Rio

Picture courtesy from TRE. He looks so Singaporean.

The elusive gold medal in the Olympic Games finally arrived, in style, in Olympic record time at 50.39. What is more special is that it was brought home by a true blue Singaporean, a third generation Singapore born Singaporean. This gold medal does not come with all the controversies of foreign talents, of mercenaries, but home grown and hard work. This is a medal that all Singaporeans can be proud of.

Schooling won his 100m butterfly in the company of the swimming greats in Phelps, Le Clos and Cseh, all wanting to win this event to add to their cupboards of gold medals. And there was Joseph Schooling standing there up front to deny them this glory.

Would this home grown talent spur a rethinking in the sports field, to think and have faith in our very own children, that we should start to grow our own timber again, though 30 years late? See how much wasted opportunities for our children, how much time and money wasted on the foolish dream of money can buy everything, including honour!

This crazy fad of buying talents transcends all fields of enterprise in the island that was once proud of our own talents and our ability to be better than the best in the world. But for the last 30 years Singaporeans have been living in a sick belief that we are daft and useless in everything and anything from anywhere, from little third world villages, are better than us. And many silly Singaporeans believe so even today. And they are still bringing in plane loads of rubbish to replace Singaporean talents and our children and expecting Singaporeans to down grade to become security guards and taxi drivers.

No, all the craps about upgrading, skills upgrading, are really skills downgrading, income downgrading, expectation downgrading, and downgrading of pride and dignity.

Schooling may be a champion in sports, in the swimming pool, but his triumph should open up the eyes of dead gold fish eyes, to see that Singaporeans are not 'has beens' and can be the best', and be proud people once again, not daft in their own countries, not good enough for everything and we need foreigners to replace them, replace their genes and see to their extinction.

Well done Joseph Schooling. Your victory is more than a victory in the swimming pool in the Olympic Games. Your victory is a victory for all Singaporeans, that there is still life and goodness and talent among Singaporeans. We are proud to be Singaporeans again. No need to hide behind foreigners, behind mercenaries for our glory. We should end this silly pursuit of buying foreign talents to do us 'proud'.