Chinese diaspora - Lack of pride and confidence

There were a few articles in the Sunday Times last week discussing the sensitive issue of Chinese identity in Singapore and in the region in general. One feature stands out glaringly from reading the comments in those articles and the comments by prominent Chinese, including intellectuals, is the lack of confidence and pride in being Chinese. They are afraid to express their views, particularly views that are pro China or Chinese Civilisation, they want to be known as Singaporeans not Chinese. They fear being seen as a Chinese. They fear they would not be accepted by other races for being Chinese as if being Chinese is a disease, maybe even killed like in some parts of SE Asia in the recent past.

It is understandable that after nearly two centuries of living under the western world order, reading anti Chinese literature and distorted news, when China and Chinese were demonised, smeared and bad mouthed as bad, poor, untrustworthy and everything negative, that even the Chinese, including supposingly thinking Chinese, highly educated and highly regarded Chinese, are still living under this western  evil spell that Chinese are lesser and undesirable beans. To be Chinese is bad and inferior and better not to be identified, or to stand out as a loser Chinese. Just bend your head and go about your life, not as a Chinese, never call yourself a Chinese.

The instinctive negative bias against China and Chinese can be read in the article by Tee Zhou actually should read Zhou Tee, but he chose to write his name dismissively under the western structure though he is Chinese, titled 'Chinese influence : A political business'. I am quite sure his family name is Zhou and not Tee. I stand corrected. Zhou is a common Chinese surname. Tee is rare.

The article started with these few paragraphs, "Concerns over Chinese influence in Singapore have surfaced from time to time, most recently in a report published in July by United States think tank The Jamestown Foundation.

The report, written by Global Taiwan Institute executive director Russell Hsiao, asserted that the Chinese Communist Party was using Chinese associations here to influence Chinese Singaporeans.

In June last year, retired Singapore diplomat Bilahari Kausikan had also warned of China's covert 'influence operations', and asked Singaporeans to be wary of being manipulated."

The underwritten mindset in the above comments is that China and Chinese are bad, their influence is bad, they are the ones that are conducting covert influence, the rest of the big powers are good and are not conducting covert influence in Singapore, not on the people, not on the govt. The starting point is so bias and one sided, China and Chinese are the bad guys doing the bad things. And Chinese of other nationalities should hide their Chineseness, don't talk about it, pretend to be different, better speak up against China and Chinese like you are non Chinese.

Not all Chinese leaders and intellectuals with some dignity left in them are going to accept this kind of nonsense in silence especially those in the Chinese media and those in the Chinese clans and associations.  Lim Jim Koon, former editor of Lianhe Zaobao was quoted saying this, "We cannot stop others from viewing us through tinted lenses or a distorted mirror, deliberately manipulating public perception and causing misunderstandings about the Chinese community in Singapore, especially to those less familiar,"

The article went on to quote some ethnic overseas Chinese academics and with one describing that raising the Chinese identity to a higher profile is unfortunate. Why is this unfortunate? Why is being proud of one's civilisation and success seen as unfortunate while glorifying and adoring the success of other civilisations as second nature, as a good thing? Inferiority complex?

The 100 years of humiliation and oppression of the Chinese Civilisation is over.  China and the Chinese Civilisation have regained their positions as respectable country and people of the world. There is no more the need to feel ashame of being Chinese and of China as a poor and downtrodden country. This is the time to stand up, whether you are a China Chinese or the Chinese diaspora in other parts of the world, to walk proudly as equals of the rest of the world. The days of bending your heads low, talked softly and go about meekly as a defeated and bankrupt Civilisation is passe.

There is no need to apologise for being a Chinese and the growing influence of China and the Chinese Civilisation in Singapore and across the world. It is a natural thing that great and successful powers would have influence over other countries. And the influence of China and the Chinese Civilisation is not necessarily bad and in many cases are good, very good indeed. Look at what is happening in Central Asia and Africa and even Latin America? Compare to what happened to them when they were colonised by the evil West that the unthinking bananas chose to admire blindly.

If China and Chinese influence are bad, Singapore and the rest of the world should not be doing business with China. Why are the rest of the world rushing into China? Why is the Singapore govt gloating about good relations with China and wanting to do more business with China if China is a devil?

On the contrary, look at the behaviour of Australia, a white regime that stole a continent in Asia. They would not disguise where their sentiments and loyalty are. They are whites and would side with the white countries and would consistently choose to regard China as their enemy for the simple reason that it is China and not white. They did not have to be ashamed of themselves for identifying themselves as whites. Why should the Chinese diaspora be so ashamed of themselves as Chinese, afraid to be known as Chinese even in a Chinese majority Singapore? Where is the pride and dignity of being what you are as a people?

Do not be an apologist to say that Singapore is in a dilemma because it has a majority Chinese population and cannot choose to be friendly with China and less friendly to the Americans. It is about national interest. What is good to our national interest?

One professor Leo Suryadinata commented in the article, "...PM Lee is "fully aware" of recent developments on the issue of Chinese influence. In order to resist foreign influence, Singaporeans have to strengthen our own national identity. If we are weak or have no national identity, it is impossible for us to defend our national interest," he says, adding that this could be the "underlying message" behind PM Lee's remarks at the Rally."

Reading between the lines, the so called 'foreign influence' is bad and who is the country behind this foreign influence? I take issues with this kind of banana thinking, China and Chinese bad, western influence good, coming from an ethnic Chinese. It is disgraceful.

By the way, what is our identity? At best it is a chap cheng identity and getting worse with more third world wildlife becoming citizens to dilute our already 'no identity' identity. Our present identity is that of a rootless people with no culture and history but accepting and apeing the West as our root and culture. The only thing that these rootless people are proud of is the colonial heritage and their colonial masters. We do not know who we are, refuse to know who we are, especially the bananas who think their ancestors are white and Chinese are bad. Obviously they did not have a mirror in their homes. Sad isn't it?

There is no shame to be Chinese. There is no fear to be Chinese be it overseas Chinese, born out of China and taken different nationalities. A Chinese is just a tribe, an ethnic identity, a Civilisation, not necessary a national identity for the Chinese diaspora. A Chinese is a Chinese wherever you are. Be proud being a Chinese.

PS. Is Singapore's anti China mindset prevalent in the govt? If so, is this due to American pressure and influence or is it second nature to those in govt, to be anti China? Are those in Singapore govt inherently anti China and the gloating of good relations with China just hypocritical?

Did Trump ask our leaders for quid pro quo or else, or like George Bush Jr said, you are with us or against us, no pressure, no interference on our govt? Or is it that we quai quai say, just tell us what to do, if you want us to be enemy of China we will?