My eldest brother Micheal is a man of peace. During my
childhood, I often teased him, for he would avoid confrontation
always, and always look for diplomatic ways to end conflicts. He
would not even bear to watch violence on TV.
It was only after he had served NS that he began to open to the
rest of us for his behaviour.
Micheal would always accompany mom to bring lunch to
dad, walking from Kallang to Geylang where my dad's shop
was, who was trading in basic necessities such as rice, soap, etc
to both chinese and malays nearby at UBi kampong back in the late
60s.
Singapore then was an independent nation, and trying hard to
survive. Majority of Singaporeans were uneducated, for it had been
denied to them by the Brits, to keep the population stupid. My
brother was fortunate, for the new govt started schooling for all
kids, regardless of race or religion, rich or poor.
Dad didnt face much problem doing his biz, even though times
were still hard. Many of the triads were kept under control by the
govt, streets cleaned up, and trade fully encouraged. Corruption
was virtually gone. there were free health checks conducted, govt
works on roads and infrastructure, unheard of during the previous
govts.
There were curfews too, for many bloodthirsty chinese
commies were still around, largely toothless by then as most
of their leaders had been locked up. Those that were around were
still active, attempting to stir shit, telling the uneducated
chinese on the flaws of the current govt, lies and halftruths,
seeking for so called 'peaceful' demostrations, honeyed but fiery
sermons were often preached otherwise.
Dad and most others were not keen, for they were experiencing a
more stable life than they ever had before. Even grandpa agreed,
after so many long years of strife and uncertainties.
During May 1969, the malays were pitted against the chinese.
Agitators on both sides were flaming all kinds of accusation
against the govt and the different communities. Uncertainties came
back. Most were just simple folks who wanted peace with one
another, and yet, many were manipulated against each other.
Rioting was strife towards the end of the 60s, tension was
everywhere. My dad's customers, who were from all different
communities, were tense and suspicious of one another. He tried to
stay away from it, acting indifferent to the slogans shouted around
by all kinds of ambitious men, one moment they were claiming
freedom for all, next shouting racial chavuanism.
Sometime in early june, Micheal and mom were delivering lunch to
dad, despite the tension and riots. Mom thought she would be safe,
and was concerned for dad anyway. She was pregnant too. And then
along the crowded road, they came upon a malay mob welding sticks,
parangs, and alighted sticks, some thrown into shophouses setting
it on fire.
Out of nowhere, a group of chinese men storm upon the malay mob,
and caught up in the chaos were many ordinary people such as mom,
running and fleeing in all directions. Micheal got separated from
mom, and was crying out amidst the screams, shouts and blood
flowing freeling from fighting bodies then. He was only seven
then.
Stranded alone in the whirlpools of hate and murders, he
instinctively ran to Dad's shop which was fortunately nearby.
Dad who was helping to put out his indian neighbour's shop, which
was engulfed in balls of fire and smoke, made worse by the highly
flammable timber construction. He saw Micheal, and quickly rushed
him away, hammering on the doors of neighbouring shops which had
closed shut in fear.
None would open, till he came upon an old arab couple selling
spices, who fearfully open the door, seeing the child in dad's arm,
quickly pulled them in. But dad didnt stay after entrusting Micheal
to them. He ran into the fighting mob to seek out mom. Micheal was
in hysteria when he saw dad slam shut the door.
It was hours later that Micheal saw Dad, all bloody with cuts on
his body and clothes, his blood mixing with others. Mom, dazed and
was equally blooded, but the blood were from other people. Somehow,
dad managed to find mom, who was caught in the crossfire of
communual hate, and drag her to saftey in the arab couple's house,
till the riot police and fire service came later to tame the wild
streets.....
Sanitised by good ( not perfect ) policies, from citizens whom
we elected to high office, many of us, including me, pampered and
kept safe, are never aware of how it truly feels like back in the
wild early days of our nationhood.
Never again must we break those bonds sworn upon by our oaths,
built up over the years,whatever the reasons, so that some
ambitious men, tricksters and their honeyed rhetorics, may get to
rule. It is the common people who often pay the price.
Never must we be duped by these people again and their
rhetorical whores who thinks murders are ok, who seeks to
manipulate the truth by twisting it with lies and half truths, whom
hunt the easily dissatisfied and simple minded for their own
ends.
You will know who they are by their fork tongued words
uttered and maniacal tyrannical behaviour, whom exists even today
and a burden we must bear and watch out for. Freedom they would
scream, but only for themselves and would readily deny it to others
who speak out against them.
Just as some of our forefathers had been duped and
then discarded on the roadside as collateral dammage victims,
awaiting the police and public service to pack them in body
bags.
As a child, i read widely on all kinds of books and subjects. I
often wondered why the Almighty would led Moses and his chosen
people around the desert for 40 years till He gave them entry into
the promise land.
It was only when I got older then that i realized, the Almighty
had to ensure the bad habits of the older generation had to
be fully wipeout, and new generation fully educated on
civilised ways, then can a new civilisation arise.
Singapore may not had been a promised land, but it is destined
to be one for our people, amongst emerging and yet till now
struggling modern nations after the horror of second world war, for
the future of our next generation.
Credit due must be given, for what we have today is not by
magic, but by the sacrifices made by forefathers and their wise
vote to select those worthy of leading the nation.
44 years had passed. We are ONE now, white or black, rich or
poor, roadsweeper or PM, as most of us had honourably pledged, as
well as the evidence of our hardwork and achievements done
together, for all to see.
You, your forefathers, and mine were responsible. Don't let it
all go to waste, as we lead and guide our next generation to be
better than we ever were, riding every and any storm that may
arise, with none to be left behind, and done with rational
intelligence and in peace.
Is it not amazing that the X-rated character will indulge
in falsehood to perpeatuate a cunningly crafted lie to serve
some diabolical agenda ?
"Singapore then was an
independent nation, and trying hard to survive. Majority of
Singaporeans were uneducated, for it had been denied
to them by the Brits, to keep the population stupid.
My brother was fortunate, for the new govt started schooling for
all kids, regardless of race or religion, rich or
poor."
What kind of false propaganda are you spreading ?
Did the British deny the early settlers in Singapore of
education - when Sir Stamford Raffles had set up Raffles
Institituion as early as 1823 - (almost 4 years after the founding
of Singapore in 1819) ?
How did you obtain such X-rated propaganda to be blind to
the fact that ‘Singapore education from 1820 to 1965 had
set the foundation for the high standards of Singapore Education
Policies’ (*1) in the 21st Century ?
An abstract of the above
mentioned reference is as follows:
Malay education, funded by the
British government, was encouraged and provided for free. English
was not taught in the village schools as the British deemed early
training in the child’s mother tongue as an absolute
necessity.
With the exception of Malay education, Chinese
and Indian schools were largely left to their own devices. The
Chinese schools were entirely funded by private enterprises. The
Chinese community was largely responsible for setting up their own
schools. The teachers, nearly all China-born, taught using
textbooks imported from China.
Last of all, English schools opened to all
children on fee-paying basis. English schools were supported by
private enterprise but assisted by the government. English is the
medium of instruction. Many of these publicly funded government
institutions and aided schools started by the Christian missions
were free from government control until
1919.
If not for the hardwork of our founding fathers in
supporting education by private funding of Mission Schools - would
Singapore have seen the many scholars and sportsmen-women
that came through the halls of Anglo-Chinese
School, Methodist Girls School, St. Andrews School, St. Joseph
School, St. Magaret School, St Patrick School, and Chinese
schools that included Catholic High School, San-San School, Tao Nan
School; as well as the Nanyang University to rival the University
of Malaya - (the early name of present day NUS) ?
Should we admire the intelligence of an X-rated mind to
encourage that we should discard the thinking of our forefathers -
who had the foresight that a X-rated mind can hardly fathom
- due to its stunted education and exposure, with a
X-rated mind that is able to only absorb without critical
thinking.
"During May 1969, the malays
were pitted against the chinese. Agitators on both sides were
flaming all kinds of accusation against the govt and the different
communities. Uncertainties came back. Most were just simple folks
who wanted peace with one another, and yet, many were manipulated
against each other.
Rioting was strife towards the
end of the 60s, tension was everywhere."
If we accept your carricature of yourself and your brother
visiting your dad working in Geylang in the 1960s, you
must be at least age 50 today - if not
more.
What kind of X-rated intellect will produce the kind of
false propaganda that you will dare to spout through an honest
forum here in this Speaker's Corner ?
Was rioting strife towards the end of the 60s ?
In using the word "strife" are you suggesting that rioting was
the norm throughout the years from independence in 1965 till 1969
?
You must have a poor view of LKY's abilities in governing
Singapore during that period ?
Is your analogy based on factual events, or from the X-rated
creavity of a bankrupt mind that is bent on intellectual
dishonesty to spread the false propaganda - when recorded
documents of the events are clearly available:-
‘The precursor of the 1969 “race riots” in Singapore can
be traced to the May 13 incident in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya
in West Malaysia. It was triggered by the results of the General
Elections in Malaysia and had spilled over into Singapore despite
the fact that Singapore was already kicked out of Malaysia – as
there were remnants from UMNO that decided to stay on in
Singapore.’ (*2)
Should we allow an X-rated mind to dupe us with false
efforts at being original, when the entire effort is nothing more
then a poor plagiarising attempt of someone's work that is
similarly dishonest as a grand manipulator of events to suit a more
specific agenda to grab the political center.
