Hi atobe, i realli impressed with the passion and committment u
put in to ans all my doubts.
all i asking is just harmony and happiness.
of coz i want to follow strictly to the pledge i say every
morning, and the pledge is an oath, an oath that every single
Singaporean shld follow strictly. However, if this is going to risk
the harmony of a certain race, i do want flexibility and give
compassion these certain race.
Thanks for clarifying your position, and you should be comforted
with the knowledge that the Pledge written by S.Rajaratnam was
carefully thought and crafted by him, and his entire
effort was edited by LKY - with the final balanced piece is
what has been recited by all Singaporeans for
the last 44 years.
The objective of the Pledge was for Singapore to achieve
'happiness, prosperity, and
progress' - that will spring forth from the
preceding conditions that Singaporeans 'regardless of
race, language or religion' - must strive to 'build a
democratic society based on justice and equality'.
The Pledge was a balanced piece of work to achieve harmony
amongst all the ethnic groups in Singapore, but recognising
that one ethnic group amongst us are ethnically
less competitive, and will need help - the Constitution was
tweaked to guarantee help to this single ethnic group.
This help was modified about ten or twenty years later,
when the program succeeded in creating a substantial pool of
successful high income earners from this ethnic group
Such changes to the original support plans were made only
after discussion and agreement with the managing committee for this
ethnic group, and it allowed for those who have succeeded to
compete with others on equal terms, and not depend on the
offical help available. This was to allow more concentrated
help to be given to those who truly need such help.
This is similar to a parent's concern to the weakest child
amongst all the children, to assist the weakest child to compete
with the stronger ones - as it will not be fair to the weakest
child if neglected, neither will it be fair to the stronger ones
when the weaker child continue to grow and be dependent on the
stronger ones through adulthood.
No one in the family will complain about the parent's extra
attention given to the weakest child.
No one in this community has ever complained about the extra
help given to the weaker ethnic group as a whole, and as guaranteed
in the Constitution.
However, to use this as an excuse or to scare us from achieving
the goals of the Pledge is rather a bald attempt to escape the
responsibility from the solemn Pledge that we have been
consistently made for the last 44 years.
It was simple honesty on the part of NMP Viswa Sadasivan to have
made his speech to remind the PAP Ministers, and the PAP Members of
Parliament that it is time for the PAP Government to work according
to the solemn Pledge that they have also taken every year as
Singaporeans.
Singaporeans have been lulled to sleep without realisng that the
PAP Government has been working in a totally different direction,
while simply paying lip service to the goals of the Pledge that was
recited by them every 9 August .
All the hoopla of 9 August is forgotten the next day, and life
continues as per normal.
Can this continue for another 44 years ?
Is there truly a Democratic Society in Singapore ?
Is there Justice that is equally afforded to everyone in
Singapore ?
Is there Equality in treatment from the Government - to the
Rich and to the Poor, to the Old and to the Young, to the
Employers and the Employees, to Singaporeans and to the New
Arrivals, to the Citizens and that given to those Foreign Talents,
and to Singapore Citizen Workers and to the PAP
Politicians ?
Should we be surprised that after 44 years, we have come full
circle to the hardship and uncertainties of the 1950s and 1960s -
when despite all the glass and glitter, the shiny and modern
transport systems - Singaporeans have to struggle twice as hard to
make ends meet, when Singaporeans remain locked to foreign
enterprise to open shops here and for us to slave for them with
wages not in sync with the Cost of Living and determined by a NWC
that is unknown to the general population ?
