Hi Friends,
I watched PM Lee Hsien Loong’s National Day Rally speech tonight.
He almost got me glued to the goggle-box!
He seemed to have covered a lot of ground- from Education/Ageing population/CPF and HDB upgrading with government funds. He has become a very polished and confident orator, much like his father , MM Lee.
But I must confess- I was not giving the speech my complete and unadulterated attention.
You see, I was also surfing the TV channels and watching the Man City-Man United match at the same time. And I must have missed some salient points by the PM.
For instance, when mentioning that all HDB flats built earlier than 1980 would be upgraded, he must have mentioned Hougang and Potong Pasir.
Common sense dictates that since the flats in these 2 wards are amongst the oldest in Singapore, it must be their turn for the “sprucing up” seen all over that “Google earthesque” map of Singapore that PM referred to so frequently?
But , I did not hear the magic words of Hougang and Potong Pasir.
Ah, it must have been when I switched channels to watch Man City score the solitary goal against the now very desperate Man United.
Punggol 21-plus with its water feature seemed so fantastic and it must have mesmerized many of you. But did any of you hear the PM mention Hougang and Potong Pasir, eh? You must have.
Now that the match has ended and after licking my wounds and tending to my bruised ego ( esply as my other team Leeds United is now in League One with -9 points!) , I will surf the net for the complete and unabridged speech of the PM to see for I, me and myself the magic words of Hougang and Potong Pasir.
It must be somewhere in the transcript- the whole two and half hours’ worth of it. Right?
Dr. Huang Shoou Chyuan
Showing posts with label National Day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label National Day. Show all posts
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Friday, August 10, 2007
The National Day Parade could have been even better…
Hi Friends,
I actually watched the parade today. It was interesting, heart-warming even.
The military hardware was reassuring and the heartware represented by personnels in all the different wings of the military were as usual faultless and put in a credible showing.
However, a certain marching contingent seemed out of place.
All other contingents were unifiers of Singapore’s citizens
All the other contingents were a public show of Singapore’s unity- that creed and culture need not be an impediment to Singapore’s aspiration to be a city of possibilities, and that diversity would not be a hindrance but a strength. Hence Singaporeans of all hue and colour and of both sexes marched side by side proudly and the whole nation’s heart beat as one with them.
One partisan contingent reminds of our "dividedness".
This other contingent was a show of partisanship- as if to say that only those that wore the all-white uniform on their bodies and the lightning flash on their sleeves deserved a place in Singapore’s political arena. A sort of winner’s justice?
How else can we explain that only the ruling People’s Action Party had a marching contingent on this our National Day? Do not the Worker’s Party activists want to celebrate Singapore’s 42nd birthday too? Are not Chiam’s Singapore People’s Party’s and the National Solidarity Party’s members patriots as well?
My suggestion:
1.All political parties should be invited for national parades. Granted, not all will jump at the opportunity to participate ( and you know which party I am alluding to – you don’t need to be a “rocket”-scientist to read my kind …clue in the “rocket”).
2.If possible, they should all march in an integrated contingent perhaps with alternating flags of different parties.Though some marchers may not take kindly to having to hoist other party’s flags, these are just minor logistical details to be sorted out later.
3.If the idea of inviting other political parties is so repugnant to the organisers, then no political parties should march and only grassroot activists will march under the People’s Association’s banners. After all, the PA is “supposed” to be non-partisan ( snigger snigger)
Conclusion
The entity and concept of Singapore is only slowly emerging and the nation’s identity is beginning to become separated from the ruling party that rules it – and it is a good thing. ( And that is one reason I displayed the Singapore flag together with fellow Singaporeans)
Hence, let not PAP’s sole participation in what should be a non-partisan event set back our development as a united and cohesive nation.
Cheers
Dr.Huang Shoou Chyuan
I actually watched the parade today. It was interesting, heart-warming even.
The military hardware was reassuring and the heartware represented by personnels in all the different wings of the military were as usual faultless and put in a credible showing.
However, a certain marching contingent seemed out of place.
All other contingents were unifiers of Singapore’s citizens
All the other contingents were a public show of Singapore’s unity- that creed and culture need not be an impediment to Singapore’s aspiration to be a city of possibilities, and that diversity would not be a hindrance but a strength. Hence Singaporeans of all hue and colour and of both sexes marched side by side proudly and the whole nation’s heart beat as one with them.
One partisan contingent reminds of our "dividedness".
This other contingent was a show of partisanship- as if to say that only those that wore the all-white uniform on their bodies and the lightning flash on their sleeves deserved a place in Singapore’s political arena. A sort of winner’s justice?
How else can we explain that only the ruling People’s Action Party had a marching contingent on this our National Day? Do not the Worker’s Party activists want to celebrate Singapore’s 42nd birthday too? Are not Chiam’s Singapore People’s Party’s and the National Solidarity Party’s members patriots as well?
My suggestion:
1.All political parties should be invited for national parades. Granted, not all will jump at the opportunity to participate ( and you know which party I am alluding to – you don’t need to be a “rocket”-scientist to read my kind …clue in the “rocket”).
2.If possible, they should all march in an integrated contingent perhaps with alternating flags of different parties.Though some marchers may not take kindly to having to hoist other party’s flags, these are just minor logistical details to be sorted out later.
3.If the idea of inviting other political parties is so repugnant to the organisers, then no political parties should march and only grassroot activists will march under the People’s Association’s banners. After all, the PA is “supposed” to be non-partisan ( snigger snigger)
Conclusion
The entity and concept of Singapore is only slowly emerging and the nation’s identity is beginning to become separated from the ruling party that rules it – and it is a good thing. ( And that is one reason I displayed the Singapore flag together with fellow Singaporeans)
Hence, let not PAP’s sole participation in what should be a non-partisan event set back our development as a united and cohesive nation.
Cheers
Dr.Huang Shoou Chyuan
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