Hopefully, S'poreans can look beyond self-interest in their
answers <!-- Author --> By Goh Chin Lian
WITH Singapore marking 25 years of Total Defence next year, a
new campaign has been launched to have people post online videos in
response to this question:
'What will you defend?'
Now this question presumes there is something - or someone -
worth defending in Singapore.
The website - www.whatwilludefend.sg - offers some
suggestions.
It says: 'Singapore is home, and everyone has something that we
would defend. It could be your family, friends, way of life, or
even your childhood memories.'
I returned home from a work trip to Kuwait several weeks ago,
and I must say that on coming back, the thing that struck me most
was Singapore's trees and the lush greenery here.
Kuwait, oil-rich as it is, is flat desert. Scarce rainfall has
meant that while some plants do grow, there is none of the same
abundance of green. Nor were the trees as tall.
Here, I am thankful that the rainfall comes abundantly, and that
the trees grow to a good height, with many also providing
much-needed shade.
I am also thankful for the conscious effort made by the
authorities and people alike to keep the place green, even as the
population and economy grow, and people feel crowded out.
Singapore's nature reserves, with their uneven trails, waterside
boardwalks and the growing system of park connectors, are all part
and parcel of this thoughtful planning amid competing demands for
how land should be put to good use.
It would be a pity to lose such beauty and places of solace.
In the past weeks, I have also come across different
perspectives of Singapore that provided an insight into what it is
here that people might think is worth defending.
I was in the High Court on an assignment, listening to a case of
three men who had been charged with being in contempt of court.
They were accused of scandalising the Singapore judiciary by
wearing T-shirts with an image of a kangaroo dressed in a judge's
robes.
The men spoke about freedom of expression and fair criticism to
justify their actions, and declined to apologise when they were
offered the opportunity to do so by the judge.
The case against them was presented by the Deputy
Solicitor-General, from the Attorney-General's Chambers.
The men were eventually sentenced to jail terms.
The youngest among them was a 19-year-old full-time national
serviceman, who was represented in court by a lawyer.
In the public gallery, among the friends and supporters of the
trio, I noticed that there were several who appeared to be just as
young as the national serviceman.
It made me wonder about just how they regarded the opposing
arguments put forth by the trio and the Deputy Solicitor-General,
and how that would shape their view of what they will defend here
in the course of their lifetime.
On other occasions, I have also met foreigners from neighbouring
countries and beyond who have worked or lived here for a number of
years, as well as Singaporeans who have lived abroad for just as
long.
One thing that most of them spoke about was the endemic
corruption and unfairness of particular systems and processes in
these various countries - from traffic policemen who will cream off
motorists who flout traffic rules, to not being able to find a job
or a place in university because of some in-built bias.
Such experiences again weigh on and affect not just their
perceptions of those countries, but also how they then see
Singapore.
The relatively stable political and economic environment here
must rank high and favourably on their list of priorities, and must
be regarded as a plus when compared to where they had come
from.
But having lived here for some time now - and unlike short-term
visitors who leave enthralled and with a cursory understanding of
the country - the groups I mentioned have also pointed to the
frenzied pace of urban life here, and the focus on material
gain.
Overall, there are people who are observant, experienced and
well informed enough, whose initial impressions of a place and its
people can be spot-on and revealing.
By the same token, there are others whose views I would take
with a pinch of salt, because it does, of course, take time for
someone to get to know a people and their land.
Just as some people who heap abuse on Singapore can be said to
have ulterior motives or be misinformed, I think that those who
readily heap praise on it should be subject to the same
scrutiny.
So perhaps, in thinking about the idea of what it is that makes
Singapore worth defending, we should go beyond considering factors
that are in our self-interest.
For instance, some people may think that it is worth defending
Singapore so as to keep a way of life when coffee shops were
staffed only by Singaporeans, and neighbourhoods were made up only
of residents who were Chinese, Malay, Indian and Others.
It need not be so as people come to better understand the varied
backgrounds and cultures - and the similarities - of the new
immigrants who have come in recent years to populate this place we
call Singapore.
Singapore also has people who are needy, elderly and sick. Are
they in our frame of mind when the question 'What will you defend'
is posed?
They, too, live here and many have also contributed to building
up this place. They would also be too weak to defend themselves in
a crisis.
The point is this: Important as our own interests, memories and
wants are, there are broader considerations, inputs and points of
view that we ought to take on board when we mull over the question
of what will make us defend this place.
The appreciation that an expatriate living here has for the
place, the need to look after the interests of a disabled
neighbour, the rant of a critic should all be taken on board
because these, together, will help us come to a more thoughtful and
less self-centred decision.
When it comes to thinking about defending and preserving this
place, we must learn to cast our eyes further than what is just in
our self-interest.
