This Is Home, Truely

I miss many aspects of growing up in Singapore in the 1970s as a kid.

As a toddler, I lived in an attap house in a small kampong with chickens roaming freely outside our home. It was located in Lorong Lew Lian (Durian). Today, Lorong Lew Lian has become totally unrecognizable to me compared with the images I still have in my mind. Just off Upper Serangoon Road, my heart ache each time I pass by the area as the Lorong Lew Lian I knew is forever gone.

Growing up in a kampong was colourful. I remember a particular day when my parents were out and a stray dog wandered into our house. I was scared and climbed up some furniture with my hands clinging on to the window grill for my dear life. I dared not to come down until one of my parents returned home. By then the dog was long gone.

I also remember an occasion when I received an earful and canning from my dad for a prolonged absence from home playing with sands.

Then there was also an evening of frantically packing our belongings due to a fire breakout in a neighbouring kampong. Fire spread very quickly from kampong to kampong and one cannot afford not to be on the alert. Fortunately, our vicinity was spared of disaster.

Now each time I pass through any kampong in neighbouring countries, fond memories would return and I wish I can actually relive them again.

I also miss the five foot ways and the wet markets. My late mother used to work as a hairdresser not too far from our home along Lim Tua Tow Road. I was usually there on Saturday mornings. My condition to accompany my mom there every week was a comic from a particular mama shop. A comic cost less than fifty cents then.

I also still remember when live chickens were caged up in the markets and one could take time to make his or her choice selection. Now whenever I pass by the few remaining wet markets in Singapore, I would revel the familiar smell that would bring back a sense of nostalgia

Then there was the Bengali (Indian) man carrying a basket full of freshly-baked French loaves, suji biscuits and triangular shaped curry puffs on his head walking from kampong to kampong to sell his produce.

The community centres of old were nothing more than single story wooden houses  with simple activities like carom, chess, and basketball. – a far cry from today’s community clubs which offer activities such as zumba classes, yoga lessons, French language courses, sushi making workshops and with facilities such as gyms and cafes.

To say that Singapore has come a long way in 49 years of independence is sheer understatement.  Our progress has been nothing short of remarkable for a struggling island with limited natural resources.

In 1983, as a fourteen year old, I participated in the National Day Parade playing the tuba for my school’s brass band
This year, my fifteen- years-old son performed as one of the mass dancers.
“It is an honour for me to be part of this year’s NDP 2014 and so far it has been a very enjoyable experience” – Michael Lee Yong En, Woodgrove Secondary School

Today’s Singapore is characterized by its clinically clean and green environment, efficiency of public services, iconic skyscrapers, wide choices be it in cuisine, entertainment or education and modern conveniences one can expect of a modern metropolis.

I ascribe our success in a relatively short span of time to the legacy of one man; visionary founding father of modern Singapore, former Prime Minister and Minister Mentor Mr Lee Kuan Yew. His vision was probably ahead of his peers when he said:

 ‘A faint hearted people would have given up long ago. We never gave in, never mind giving up. For that alone, we deserve to succeed. If we press on, in twenty years we shall build a great metropolis, worthy of a hardy, resilient and stout-hearted people.’ ~~ (Lee Kuan Yew in his National Day Speech, August 8 1972)

I believe that the Singapore of 2014 has advanced even beyond his wildest imagination.

But just like any other nations, Singapore is not perfect and not without challenges.

Whilst Singapore has fared well in many aspects of nation building and won numerous accolades, it also has to grapple with issues such as the accelerating cost of living, integration of foreign workers and talents into the Singapore society, emotional well-being of its citizens in a high pressured society and as well as the adverse effect of gambling fanned by the entry of two casinos .

• Singapore was ranked as the costliest city in the world ahead of cities such as Paris, Zurich, Sydney and Tokyo in the 2014 Worldwide Cost of Living Survey by the Economist Intelligent Unit.
• In a 2011 poll by Gallup, Singaporeans were ranked as the least likely worldwide to report feeling positive emotions ahead of countries like Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan and Haiti.
• British gambling consultancy firm, H2 Gambling Capital, reported Singapore as having the second highest gambling losses per adult resident in the world after Australia in a 2013 ranking.

Yes, rankings will always be subjective. But the examples point to real issues faced by Singaporeans.

According to the Statistics on Marriages and Divorces 2013 report, the number of marital dissolution (divorce and annulments) rose and marriage rates fell.

The tests ahead will become tougher as Singapore faces pressure of maintaining a mature economy that is challenged with mounting regional and global competition; supporting the healthcare and well-being needs of a rapidly aging population (900,000 people will be above 65 years old in 2030) among other complex issues.

We will need to prepare our next generation to champion the Singapore cause: handling the challenges ahead and propelling Singapore to the next level.

Our next generation will need to gear up in intellectual capacities, bodies well-nourished and fit for the long haul and spirits that are full of hunger and resilience. They need to capitalize on their God given strengths.

I count myself blessed to have the privilege of experiencing the old and new Singapore. Singapore has become a thriving metropolis. It’s not perfect but it is home.

We’ve got to take the good with the bad and work through issues with the next generation for a better Singapore.

We have just celebrated our 49^th birthday and we are entering into the Jubilee 50^th year of independence – a sort of coming of age and some believe tipping point as the nation continue re-evaluate itself: “what do we stand for and why do we exist? What sort of Singapore do we want?” 

Jubilee offers a window of opportunity to have a fresh beginning and new vision for the future.