Go to your MP instead of
complaining”
Elysa Chen
The New Paper
28 Apr 2009
While some of his countrymen are eagerly joining in the bashing
of Singapore on the Facebook group ‘Singapore Sucks’, an English
teacher from the UK who has been living here for the past five
years is leaping to Singapore’s defence.
This unlikely knight in shining armour is Singapore permanent
resident Anthony Fulwood, 30.
Mr Fulwood, who lives in an executive HDB flat in Bukit Panjang,
is so proud of Singapore, he even dubbed himself an ‘ambassador’ to
promote ‘life in Singapore’.
That is why when he heard that a group had formed on the social
networking site to criticise his adopted homeland on things like
the lack of freedom and the ungraciousness of its people, he felt
that he should speak up.
‘It hurts me when I hear people attacking my home like that.
When your home is being attacked, the first thing you do is to
stand up and defend your home,’ said Mr Fulwood, who is active in
grassroots work in Bukit Panjang.
‘I don’t want a gold star, and no one’s going to give me a gold
star either, but I just want people to know the truth about life
here,’ he said.
Mr Fulwood, who has lived in India, Africa and the Middle East,
added: ‘People always say that the grass is greener overseas. My
challenge to them is: Go overseas and see what it’s like in another
country.
‘I am sure that 100 per cent will come back and say that
Singapore’s better.’
Mr Fulwood listed government policies such as the baby bonus
scheme, his HDB home, the community spirit and safety as some of
the reasons why he loves Singapore.
He also felt that there was enough political freedom here as
people have the right to choose in elections and they have the
Speakers’ Corner to voice their opinions.
‘Yet, people don’t want to go to the park. They want to complain
in pubs and Facebook groups. These teenagers that complain about
things they know nothing about are immature,’ said Mr Fulwood.
‘They should approach their Member of Parliament, and try to
solve the problem. But these people want an audience. That’s why
they go to Facebook to complain,’ he added.
American expatriate Bill Hedman, 52, the managing director of an
investment firm said: ‘Singapore’s great. I have had no problem in
the last seven years my wife and I have been here.
‘Everything is clean, there are good restaurants and everything
works. The business climate here is also very good. The Government
is very pro-business.’
Addressing one of the main grouses of the Facebook group, the
lack of freedom here, Mr Hedman felt that ‘Singapore is still a
young country, but political and artistic freedom will eventually
come’.
The only downside to living here, he said, is the ‘hot and humid
weather’, but that did not bother him much either as he is from
Florida, he added, chuckling.
Agreeing, Mr Lin Menuhin, 45, a British expatriate who has been
working here for the past three years, said: ‘Singapore is a
regional hub that’s efficient and comfortable, and provides a safe
environment to work in.
‘As someone who is here for work, to be honest, there is nothing
negative I can find about the system.’
Singaporeans have also rallied online to rebuke the comments
made by foreigners. Some observers have noted the irony that
Singaporean netizens are defending their country against
accusations that they themselves have often made online.
Explaining why Singaporeans are reacting so defensively even
though they may agree with the foreign critics, Dr Tan Ern Ser, an
associate professor in the Department of Sociology in the National
University of Singapore, said it was because Singaporeans wanted to
‘reserve the right to criticise ourselves’.
And even though the Facebook group has garnered at least 400
supporters, Dr Sulfikar Amir, from the School of Humanities and
Social Sciences in Nanyang Technological University, said: ‘They
may not necessarily represent the opinion of the majority of people
here, which is why so many others have hit back at the people who
have set up and joined this Singapore Sucks group.’
When The New Paper asked the creator of the Facebook group, who
gave his name as Mr Wils Cheng, why he created the group, he said
in an e-mail reply: ‘I did expect some negative reaction but I
never thought that the group would be covered by sites like Stomp,
Asiaone, The New Paper and Singapore Enquirer.’
It is not known if he is a Singaporean. Adding that he was
’surprised’ to see how his group could have ’stirred up such a big
fuss’, Mr Cheng said: ‘I don’t see Japan Times covering the group
‘Japan Sucks’ or the French AFP writing about the group ‘France
Sucks’.’
