Chinese majority under challenged

Singapore— At a ceremony recognising outstanding Teachers held at the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan (SHHK), the country’s Education Minister, Ong Ye Kung, reminded everyone present as to the significant contribution that key stakeholders like parents and the Chinese community have made to the educational system.

Mr Ong says he sometimes gets asked for the reason why the children of clan members may avail of an earlier phase for Primary 1 registration.

He talked about the history and beginnings of government-aided schools, and how much stakeholders have contributed to the bigger picture.

“Without them, these schools would not be here,” the Education Minister said. “Today, they continue to play the role of upholding the tradition and culture of the schools and the community that started them.”

The above is copied from theindependent.sg. More and louder voices are heard from the minorities and also from foreigners working here and getting paid questioning and challenging the rights of the Chinese majority that came with the natural advantage of critical mass and calling for a change to this majority.  The questioning of the privileges of Chinese children in having priority as quoted by Ong Ye Kung is not new. It is understandable that new citizens would not know why such privileges were extended to the Chinese children. Even the young Singaporeans ignorant of our history and cultural heritage would not know why.

Ong Ye Kung gave a simple and pointed answer.  “Without them, these schools would not be here,” These are not govt schools but govt aided schools. They were built by the Chinese community, with their own money and to fulfill their dreams of educating their children...(to uphold) the tradition and culture of the schools and the community that started them.”

The same reason applies to NTU, though the name has changed from Nantah, the buildings, the land, the idea, were from the Chinese community, to educate their children and to preserve their history and cultural heritage. Would the appointment of a foreigner, non Chinese, as President of NTU serve the original reasons for the existence of the NTU? Would Ong Ye Kung answer this? Would the ugly and insensitive incident when Chinese characters were banned from NTU foodcourt a sign of how the history and reasons for the existence of Nantah/NTU would be eroded, lost or something to be forgotten?  

The latest, NTU hired a foreigner, an associated professor, who wrote an article challenging the presence of the Chinese majority here and the associated privileges, not legal or institutionalised, and advocating that this be changed so that the minorities would not feel discriminated or underprivileged. Reading this and the trend of unhappiness by some minorities against the Chinese majority, how far would it go before NTU and Chinese govt aided schools would lose their Chinese character and be a thing of the past? 

Or would Ong Ye Kung repeat his defence line, without the Chinese community there would be no Chinese govt aided schools, no NTU and no modern Singapore? The minorities all contributed to what Singapore is today. But without the majority Chinese community, would Singapore be a modern world city as good as the best cities in the world? Or would Singapore be just another city like the slum cities of third world countries where there is no Chinese majority?

So far, despite the challenges to their existence, the Chinese majority has been very quiet, not a sound is heard. Not even with the vulgar video attack and accusing the Chinese majority of being racists did the Chinese majority utter a sound of objection. Everything is fine, nothing to worry about. Soon everyone will be equal when more foreigners are brought in to change the racial composition of the population and the Chinese may not be a majority anymore. And all will live happily ever after because there is no Chinese majority and thus no privileges to the Chinese community.

Some banana Chinese are favourable to the idea and have made suggestions on how to reduce the Chinese majority so that with equal population representation things would also be equal for all the different communities. Be sure you know what you are asking for. Would it be, can it be? Ask, why are the Chinese more successful when they were a minority when they first came? Ask why are some overly represented despite smaller in numbers. Assuming a day will come when all the 4 major ethnic groupings of CMIO are equal in numbers, would there be equality then? Or would there be more stupidity? 

Would Singapore be better off if the smartest man is Mahathir? The modern Singapore today, with first class housing and infrastructure did not come about by accident. It would not happen without the effort of the Chinese majority that everyone is enjoying and benefiting from. 

PS. If only India would to allow the Chinese to rebuild its country, in less than 30 years, India would have all the super infrastructure, super highways, super trains and super cities. Without the Chinese participation in India, in another 50 or 100 years, India would still remain a slum country.