What Will I Defend?

What will I defend? That is a question that has been in the minds of many Singaporeans recently since the adverts were played on the mass media to commemorate our celebration of Singapore's Total Defence Day. I have not really gave it a serious thought actually, until I saw the speech of Admiral Teo Chee Hean on the Straits Times on 15 February. It makes me wonder then, if the question was posed to me what would be my answer then.

I agree with Admiral Teo that the question "What will you defend?" is a deeply personal one that can be answered only after some long reflection. The answers on the streets may differs from one individual to the other. Some may say that they will defend their family and friends, or their way of living. Others may say they will defend their beliefs or personal effects that they hold dear to. There are also others that holds importance to a place such as their home or structures or places where they had fond memories of. The answers may be poignant and personal, sweet and simple, spirited and spontaneous, or considered and conceptual. But whatever the answer, it is unique to the individual, and it may evolve as the person goes through life. There are no right or wrong answers as each answers reflects on the personal beliefs and upbringing and how the community that they live in has influences their life.

Who is to say that your answers is wrong and mine is right. When the advertisement was run, I supposed it was with the intention of the government to make Singaporeans think of how they will react when the bugle is sounded for Singapore's freedom and way of living to be defended. We have lived in a relatively peaceful environment since having gained independence. The last major war that we were in had left a deep scar in the life on many older generations, even after the Japanese occupation we see other conflicts such as the Indonesian Confrontation and the insurgence of communism but we have managed to pull through those tumultuous period by sheer luck and ingenuity and able leadership. But having said that, generation of mine and after have never experienced those periods and we cannot truly appreciate what our leaders and our forefathers have had to go through. We do not really appreciate the hardship of Japanese occupation and having to live in a period of constant air raids and under the mercy of Japanese army's bonnet. We never had to live in a period where the ugly heads of Communism and Communalism weaved through the community and threatened the very fabric of social cohesion.

We do not have to live in the days and nights where the constant threats of riots and strikes are ever present by those that held ideologies so different to ours. The only knowledge that I have of those eras long gone and so far away from the minds of many are from the video footage in the national archives and the books and memoirs of our leaders and elders that have actually lived through the periods. I am of the Generation X. I lived in a period where Singapore had gained independence for many years and our economy are fast growing. I lived in the era of Internet superhighway and globalisation where our national boundaries reaches to the limit of how far our jets could bring us. I have never heard the sound of mortars or explosion and the only time that I heard the air raids siren being sounded was once every month when the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) tested the air raids siren in the first day of every month at the strike of 12 noon. Even then, those sirens testing and the public announcements that we ought to listen to had gone unnoticed to me. We all lived in a pampered and protected environment where the thought of national sovereignty being threatened and jeopardise by governments thousands of miles away or elements from within, of individuals with questionable ideology have never really caused us to loose any sleep. Those are events that my generations and I sadly have never really considered.

We all have the thinking that our national defence mechanism will be responsible for protecting us should the threats really emerges. Sadly these are the thinking of many of people of my age. So what will I defend? Will I defend my family, my house, my friends, my way of living, my personal effects or my nation? That is a question that I cannot truly answer until I am confronted with the situation. I do not want to sound a hypocrite and announce to the world that I will protect my country when the call to arms is raised. But does that make me less nationalistic or patriotic? I do not think so.

There is no means testing or mathematical measurement to measure one's true affiliation and affection to the country. The feeling is intrinsic and unmeasurable. I supposed it is the feeling that I have whenever I am back in Singapore after being away. It is the feeling of how I always want to be known as a Singaporean and proud of it when I am at the streets of a another country and being asked by the streets vendors where I am from, at the risk of loosing a good bargain. But nevertheless it is the unexplained feeling that being a Singaporean is something that I am proud of. I supposed if you were to ask me what will I defend, then the answer that I could give with conviction is 'Being called a Singaporean'.

pictures from : Reuters Pictures, www.daylife.com/photo/04TH13A58baYU.

ERP Enigma

Six years ago, former Speaker of Parliament Mr Tan Soo Khoon known for his sagacity brought the Singaporean parliamentarians a peek into the future when he spoke on the hot topic of Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) during a budget debate. In his speech he said that the Government’s policy has been that the cost of ownership of cars would be reduced over the long run, but the cost of usage will increase thus the ERP charges will be increased periodically. In his usual actics way of putting his point across, Mr Tan said "We have ERP almost everywhere, or soon-to-be everywhere, (and) we are going to have ERP day and night. I think very soon, ERP will mean ‘every road pay’. “Sir, the day will be quite soon when the only safe place to leave your vehicle is at home, if you are lucky enough to own a landed property. You can well imagine that, one day, if I drive out of my house, the first thing I hear would be this ‘beep’ sound coming from the little device on my dashboard, and everywhere you go, you will be hearing ‘beep, beep, beep’, instead of car horns.”

While the worst-case scenario describe has yet to emerge into a reality, come 7 July motorists will have to face higher ERP charges and those travelling along certain roads leading into the city and away from it will be greeted with more gantries across their path. The government justify the introduction of the gantries in respond to growing congestion on our roads as growing traffic congestion will have an adverse impact on the economy.

From July 7, family life in Singapore should improve, at least for those who pass through traffic gantries as congestion has an adverse impact on family life as family spends more time on the road rather than together. Businesses, too, will become more competitive as the cost of crossing these gantries goes up, leading to faster travel times, which should then lead to lower transport costs overall.

However those who are against the increases in the ERP charges and the introduction of new gantries would argued that the ERP system has helped in smoothing traffic flow, especially in the Central Business District. The main quarrel with the timing of the new round of increases is that it comes in the wake of higher petrol prices and insurance costs. Many would argue that traffic congestion here is still tolerable compared with the traffic jams in Bangkok, Jakarta and even Kuala Lumpur. In fact, some contend that traffic in Singapore could be even smoother but for the ubiquitous road works, tree pruning and numerous traffic lights. Some would say that the reason why traffic is delayed on the roads is because if the presence if numerous traffic light. Singapore probably has more traffic lights per kilometre of road than anywhere else in the world.

The business community has also voiced their opposition to the increases. Car parks in the malls dropped dramatically when the announcement and the problem only seems to be abated when the authorities decided to introduce a “window period” in the mornings between 9.30am and noon that business at the malls in the Orchard Road area improved.


In any case, why raise costs when inflation is already ranging at record levels? The government has been encouraging us to switch to alternative form of transportation such as buses, Mrt and taxis but if the authorities want you to switch to public transport, why do buses and taxis also have to pay ERP charges? Last year, SBS Transit had to pay $2.9 million in ERP charges, $5.8 million in road taxes and absorbed almost $37 million in output GST (up from $28.5 million). The increases in all the charges would ultimately be transferred to the consumers who have had to bear the cost. If the ERP system is not a revenue-raising exercise then the funds raised is surely eye raising and this is only from a part of the public service company. Increase the number by including the taxi companies, SMRT and TIBS.

As the number of gantries increased and the oil prices continues to rise, we are forced to resign and accept it as part of life in Singapore. ERP has synonymous be known as Every Road Pay.

A Gracious Society... Decades to Come !!

Is Singaporean truly gracious? I have been to Bangkok recently the second time in two years and immerse myself in the cultural diversity and lifestyle of the Thais. Though the rapid wave of modernisation has caught up with the people of Thailand in the form of ultra modern skyscrapers and lifestyle it amazes me to observe that Thais still value the simplicity of life and the graciousness of civility which sad to say is missing in us.

There has been many articles in the newspaper of how badly Singaporeans behave in public. There are incidences of elderly being punched just for asking another person to keep the voice down in a public transport whilst talking on the phone, how youths were beaten up for the seamingless innocent incident of looking at another or the usual complaints of not giving up the seats in the MRT or public transport to the elderly or the more needed. Are we Singaporean's just unkind? Are the Asian values of humility and respect loss in the wave of globalisation and modernisation?

The National Courtesy Campaign was launched on 1 June 1979 by Lee, Kuan Yew, the then Prime Minister of Singapore with the aim of creating a pleasant social environment where Singaporeans are considerate and thoughtful of each other's needs. The campaign began as an initiative to encourage Singaporeans to be more polite and friendly to tourists to support the tourist industry in Singapore and the government had thought that the target to build a courteous and pleasant society could be achieved over a period of 10 years. But almost 30 years to the date and 20 years passed the 10 years marked, could we say that we are more courteous than we are back then? Can we say that we are truly a gracious society?

The person behind the campaign himself, Mr Lee Kuan Yew had said during ISEAS 40th Anniversary on January 8, 2008 that Singaporeans will never be a gracious society at least not in his lifetime. Singaporeans are still a long way to develop and mature culturally as a people.

We still have residents peeing inside the lifts as if by doing that they are contributing to the environment but not having to waste water in flushing down the toilet. We have drivers honking their ways around and changing lanes without signalling and realising that they have driven in a inconsiderate manner instead of putting up their hand up as a gesture of sorry decided to show their middle finger, the universal finger of "Bite Me".

Campaign after campaign, slogans after slogans, Singaporeans are still as what they are. If we are not worse off in our social graciousness we are becoming more and more discerning to the extend of demanding. To us, good courteous service is demanded of but as a consumer it is not expected of us to reciprocrate.

I remembered queing behind a lady at a supermarket recently who were dumping all her groceries on the counter causing a few to fall off on the floor. She then blasted at the poor girl for being slow. The cashier could only sheepishly afford an apologetic smile. Being a civil minded as I am, I told the lady off, instead I was awarded with a glaring look. If she can afford to shoot out rays out of her eyes she would have instantly obliterate me on the spot.

When I was in Thailand, what attracted me was the way the service provider will put their hands together and said "Sawadeekrap / kah" (depending on your gender), and this is their way of life. From the hawkers to the banker, from the doctor to the taxi driver from the sales assistant to the tut tut riders. In Singapore we just sent them off by saying 'next please'.

As the saying goes, 'I will not see Singaporeans being a gracious society in my lifetime" may hold some truth afterall. I just hope that at least in my lifetime Singaporeans will learn to be gracious.