What it means to me to be a Singaporean

sWaiZZy SG

Dear friends and countrymen,

Having been a spectator to all that has gone on in our little country these 23 years, I must say has been an enjoyable and entertaining experience. I would in my opinion like to express my feelings towards all the issues i feel that are close to my heart.

One people, One nation, One Singapore?

It is with pride that I would like to share my personal experience of patriotism with all of you. In 2006 I was selected to be a part of our countries NDP celebrations. This will always be especially dear to me as it was the last ever NDP to be held in our glorious National Stadium. To me, it definitely has been the one single moment where i have toroughly felt the warmth of the Singapore People. Standing together and celebrating in our success, it reinforced all my beliefs that we have come a long way under sturdy leadership since our days as a mere fising village.

It is with sadness though that other than this single celebration, i have felt a sense of lacking in noticing the Singaporean spirit outside these national celebrations.

Being a student overseas currently, has further opened my eyey to what we truly have taken for granted. Now a student in Australia I find myself in a community where people treasure life as it is and strive to make the lives of others around them better through the smallest of deeds. A trip to the supermarket yields a plesant driving experience where horns are needless and courteous drivers who give way readily. A smiling cashier who spends the minutes at the checkout bothering to ask how your day has gone. People who hold the lift readily instead of pressing the close button on sight of your approach.

Though they say the grass is always greener on the other side, I have never once had the idea of giving up my citizenship as a Singaporean. Because in many ways we are still number 1 for many of the right reasons. Services here are slow and administration is a nightmare. Simple tasks here can often take days unlike our over-efficient homeland. Not to mention a hardworking people that keep services and entertainment open past 5pm! Magnificent food at the hawker centers at 3 dollars compared to sub standard substitutes here at at least 8 dollars. Believe me, the standard of living here isnt that cheap.

While the pressures of living in our cosy country are evident, we must admit we are a fortunate people. Our government gets more stick sometimes than credit! I refer to a previous post by fellow Singaporean Shaun Jalleh http://www.sgforums.com/?action=thread_display&thread_id=267471

In my humble opinion i feel this is yet another example where we as Singaporean fail to preotect our own identity. Have we no pride or compassion for our fellow man? Where have the good values of our forefathers, pareants and religions taught us? Is it really so hard to help our fellow man? I quiz myself as to what i may have done that day in Shauns position. And i have come to this conclusion, I would have stood up for a fellow Singaporean and told our foreign friend to not judge us by her single encounter, because i believe we are better than that as Singaporeans. People of a developed country.

Many a times we have been labled a kiasu, selfish, kiasee, bo chup people. All that has to change! As a developled country we have the moral responsibility to stand up and live like people of standard! We do not need and should never allow foreigners to teach us to be gracious and civil! As educated people in a competitive society, it should be our perogative to encourage one another and aspire for more. Singaporeans do not lack compassion, look at how many people have to beg compared to our neighbouring countries! Many organisations receive enough help from the public to continue caring for the poor and aged.

In short my fellow countrymen, lets be grateful of what we have and strive to make Singapore a more plesant place to live! A simple hello, not pretending to not see the poor helpless person approaching the lift while pressing the door close button and saying thank your for small graces, all make living in our little built up country a little more plesant. Wouldnt that be nice?

Building our country into the worlds hub for almost every industry is not easy thus we should leave that to our capable government. However, making our country into the most desirable place to live is our duty. My friends, Lets all make Singapore a better place to live. Majullah Singapura! [/b]

Rock^Star SG

Surely the old woman that Shaun Jalleh met is of an unsound mind? Or at least that was the way she presented herself.

I wouldn't give two hoots, wasting my saliva on people who rant. Perhaps there were many on the bus that day who felt the same.

I used to feel patriotic when I was in NS. The greatest outburst of emotion I have ever felt in my entire life was probably singing Majulah Singapura at NDP 2000. That was at the Padang and I was in the marching contingent. I felt like I would defend Singapore's security at all cost.

Now, dollars and sense, passion too....probably matter more than anything else.

Why would I want to defend a country where the govt cares little for the people?

Economy growing at 8% every quarter is all they care about.

Why should I defend Singapore when our press decides what we should read and what not?

Why would I want to defend a dynasty that is not mine?

maurizio13 SG

Well, that goes with the lifestyle of a first world nation like Australia, unlike Singapore, which strives for growth in GDP, first in everything, but ends up with citizens whose attributes are less than first world standards.

The grass is indeed greener than Singapore, if you still haven't realised. Well, it's a choice one has to make; between a more individualistic lifestyle and a constrained lifestyle. One cannot have the best of both world as economics dictates. Efficiency is also subject to interpretation. What is your definition of efficiency? To me, efficiency is the completion of a task in a timely and cheap manner. Are our ministers cheap? If it takes team A $1,000 to complete the task in 1 hour, while team B uses $4,000 to complete the task in 30 mins. I wouldn't call team B efficient, because it used more resources than team A, though it completed the task earlier.

Obviously, you are not a business or economics student. Since you are still studying, I think it's forgiveable to make this mistake. The cost of 8 dollars is justified, because on the average, Australians make many times more than our salary. Since you are using money made in Singapore to finance your living and education in Australia, then obviously everything will seem exhorbitant when compared to Singapore. I have a friend who just came back after 6 years in Australia, she's planning to stay there permanently, if things are so expensive and unaffordable, don't think she would have made the choice to migrate there.

If we compare ourselves to Hong Kongers, South Koreans and Taiwanese. We are just average. They deserve the stick because more could be done to help the citizens and it does not include self serving policies like increasing one's own pay at the expense of citizens.

Number one in everything! What has all these number one in everything done for Singaporeans, it's a egoistical delusion created by the ruling elites to entrap the dumber Singaporeans. Have all these number one in everything translate to shorter working hours, higher pay and better quality of life? More often we are told to tighten our belts and we have to work longer hours. Well, don't expect to be making 3rd world salary (Singapore) in a first world nation with the intention of spending it in a first world country (Australia). Ask the average Australian, I am sure that they are alright with the price. On the whole, Australians make many more times the average Singaporean in Singapore.

Change? It's not possible with the current regime, it's their system which forces us into a kiasu, selfish, kiasi and bo chup attitude. Maybe when there is a regime change, there will be hope for Singapore yet.

If it's not easy for them to manage, maybe we should outsource them to better qualified ministers from Ireland, New Zealand and Finland, which are paid less.

spinsugar SG

The reasons why many Singaporeans take no pride in their "national identity" is because we do not have anything to identify with. Our national heritage buildings are knocked down in the wink of an eye to make way for something more "commercially viable", like ERP gantries. We hardly have a say in how our country is run, or even by whom. 66.6%, but how many actually got to vote? Plans are announced as a final say rather than as an open discussion. This is not our country. This is a hotel.. a bizarre money-making resort catered to tourists, expats and the elite. Yet the average earning Singaporean continues to be shortchanged in almost every aspect, so that the status quo can be maintained. If we speak up, we are ruthlessly cowed MICA / Mr. Brown style.

Our 4 million smiles is simply another "grin and bear it for the foreign investors" exercise. When will the average Singaporean holding regular non-managerial jobs ever be allowed to do something on our own, to feel Singaporean, to have a hand in Singapore's development aside from quietly slugging away in an office cubicle 12 hours a day, 6 days a week all year for shockingly below par pay compared to the living costs, all for the sake of "progress"?

Whose progress?

zix1 SG

maurizio, well said. Laughing

zix1 SG

"Building our country into the worlds hub for almost every industry is not easy thus we should leave that to our capable government".

Not every Singaporean is expecting the above as TS stated. It is the government who many times want to and working towards to. Capable? yes, indeed very capable of making tons of $$$ at the expense of the people.
How to have national pride when our lives here are so controlled? Mr. Green

reyes SG

ALW SG

What it means to be a Singaporean.

1. By hook or by crook, die die must get a cert.

2. Served 2 years NS and going back for reservist.

3. Always remind yourself, as a Singaporean you should not smoke because it's harmful not only to your body but your wallet.

4. Whenever you see a long que don't hesitate to join them.

5. Always bring tissue when out for lunch, you will need it for "chopping" seats and well it's kinda of expensive to buy from tissue sellers, they selling at $1.20 now.

walesa SG

Originally posted by maurizio13:

If it's not easy for them to manage, maybe we should outsource them to better qualified ministers from Ireland, New Zealand and Finland, which are paid less.

Seriously, it makes perfect sense for the art of running this regime to be outsourced to the Finns, whose top politician earns a seventh of what the top fascist makes here.

As a matter of fact, here are some perks you can count on for a cabinet whose payroll would cost the taxpayers a seventh of what this regime extorts : extensive social welfare program (from education to healthcare), genuine press freedom (the Finns are ranked joint 2nd on that score), churns out a higher GDP per capita (and GDP) and more importantly, they've got leaders who are not only capable of fixing the opposition, but also run a coalition government with greater efficiency. Surely, it makes perfect economic sense to outsource an overprice job for incompetent thugs to the consummate pros with a distinguished track record, eh? Laughing

ShutterBug SG

Very well said, Spinny,...

MIW Agents, please take note...
These are PRECISE reasons and the cause of Mr GCT's Long Term Worry - Local Talent Drain/Leakage.

ShutterBug SG

Originally posted by sWaiZZy:
Dear friends and countrymen,

Having been a spectator to all that has gone on in our little country these 23 years, I must say has been an enjoyable and entertaining experience. I would in my opinion like to express my feelings towards all the issues i feel that are close to my heart.

One people, One nation, One Singapore?

It is with pride that I would like to share my personal experience of patriotism with all of you. In 2006 I was selected to be a part of our countries NDP celebrations. This will always be especially dear to me as it was the last ever NDP to be held in our glorious National Stadium. To me, it definitely has been the one single moment where i have toroughly felt the warmth of the Singapore People. Standing together and celebrating in our success, it reinforced all my beliefs that we have come a long way under sturdy leadership since our days as a mere fising village.

It is with sadness though that other than this single celebration, i have felt a sense of lacking in noticing the Singaporean spirit outside these national celebrations.

Being a student overseas currently, has further opened my eyey to what we truly have taken for granted. Now a student in Australia I find myself in a community where people treasure life as it is and strive to make the lives of others around them better through the smallest of deeds. A trip to the supermarket yields a plesant driving experience where horns are needless and courteous drivers who give way readily. A smiling cashier who spends the minutes at the checkout bothering to ask how your day has gone. People who hold the lift readily instead of pressing the close button on sight of your approach.

Though they say the grass is always greener on the other side, I have never once had the idea of giving up my citizenship as a Singaporean. Because in many ways we are still number 1 for many of the right reasons. Services here are slow and administration is a nightmare. Simple tasks here can often take days unlike our over-efficient homeland. Not to mention a hardworking people that keep services and entertainment open past 5pm! Magnificent food at the hawker centers at 3 dollars compared to sub standard substitutes here at at least 8 dollars. Believe me, the standard of living here isnt that cheap.

While the pressures of living in our cosy country are evident, we must admit we are a fortunate people. Our government gets more stick sometimes than credit! I refer to a previous post by fellow Singaporean Shaun Jalleh http://www.sgforums.com/?action=thread_display&thread_id=267471

In my humble opinion i feel this is yet another example where we as Singaporean fail to preotect our own identity. Have we no pride or compassion for our fellow man? Where have the good values of our forefathers, pareants and religions taught us? Is it really so hard to help our fellow man? I quiz myself as to what i may have done that day in Shauns position. And i have come to this conclusion, I would have stood up for a fellow Singaporean and told our foreign friend to not judge us by her single encounter, because i believe we are better than that as Singaporeans. People of a developed country.

Many a times we have been labled a kiasu, selfish, kiasee, bo chup people. All that has to change! As a developled country we have the moral responsibility to stand up and live like people of standard! We do not need and should never allow foreigners to teach us to be gracious and civil! As educated people in a competitive society, it should be our perogative to encourage one another and aspire for more. Singaporeans do not lack compassion, look at how many people have to beg compared to our neighbouring countries! Many organisations receive enough help from the public to continue caring for the poor and aged.

In short my fellow countrymen, lets be grateful of what we have and strive to make Singapore a more plesant place to live! A simple hello, not pretending to not see the poor helpless person approaching the lift while pressing the door close button and saying thank your for small graces, all make living in our little built up country a little more plesant. Wouldnt that be nice?

Building our country into the worlds hub for almost every industry is not easy thus we should leave that to our capable government. However, making our country into the most desirable place to live is our duty. My friends, Lets all make Singapore a better place to live. Majullah Singapura! [/b]

You know, whoever you are,...

Your posting reads like a fairy tale book... or even a Secondary School Textbook...

Nicely written, well put.... but loades with MSG... looks like a container load of Instant Noodles...!!! Shocked

Ito_^ SG

Neutral Neutral Crying or Very sad

spinsugar SG

*pass tissue box* Embarassed

sWaiZZy SG

In relation to maurizio 13,

LoL i am a finance student! Albeit maybe not a very good one hehehe Smile But heres my take on the issue

1) Aussies pay higher than Singaporeans? Not really considering their exhorbitant tax rates that encourage non participation in the workforce. Why do I say this? Because doctors and other highly skilled workers here are taxed in the excess of 40%. Tax here is very dependant on how much you earn. ie you are not taxed on the first 20k and subsequently you pay tax as your annual income increases. I hope thats clear enough to understand. This high tax rate on higher income earners provides for their dole system where non participants in the workforce are given money for not working. Dosent this create for inefficiency? Moreover, it clearly is evident that higher income earners here are not gratified for their skills here due to their taxation principles. You often find that many in the top tier of earners work more out of passion rather than choice.

2) Housing here is just as expensive as Singapore. A 2 room apartment can range from 200k up to 500k depending on location. In terms of size, I do not see much difference in a 400k house from a 3 room apartment. The only advantage is you get to live in a low rise building with fewer neighbours and perhaps more "personal space"

3) Labor unions here are very strong and enforce minimum wages, inefficiencies often occur due to strikes from many service and basic infrastructure sectors which often lead to stops in transport indusries. Being here and witnessing how strikes can affect your daily livelihood is not a fun prospect. Something i appreciate that dosent happen back home. Though they do enfoce minimum wages, i throughly feel it often is a stumbling block for many businesses as all these measures often take out an economic competitive edge that many startups may have.

4) Cars here are cheaper than Singapore for sure but realise that it is more than a necssity here due to the vast differnece in distances we have to travel here to get to places which service our daily needs ie postal services, food and entertainment. Fuel prices are pegged to Singapores. Withour making barriers to buy a car in Singapore it would really make our country a living nightmare to live in. Already many of us complain of morning and evening traffic. Think how it would be worse if everyone could easily afford a car. We would probably need to park in River Valley just to be in proximity to walk to Orchard road!

Quote: maurizio13
Number one in everything! What has all these number one in everything done for Singaporeans, it's a egoistical delusion created by the ruling elites to entrap the dumber Singaporeans. Have all these number one in everything translate to shorter working hours, higher pay and better quality of life? More often we are told to tighten our belts and we have to work longer hours. Well, don't expect to be making 3rd world salary (Singapore) in a first world nation with the intention of spending it in a first world country (Australia). Ask the average Australian, I am sure that they are alright with the price. On the whole, Australians make many more times the average Singaporean in Singapore.

I beg to differ, the average Aussie dosent earn as much as Singaporeans and in terms of personal wealth they lag far behind. A simple economic example. Less hours on supposedly more pay but taxed at relavant rates in relation to income scale. ie average ussie earns 100k per year which equates to a $30,550.00 tax bill before various levies. A simple anology, banks here pay fixed deposits in the excess of 6% per annoum as compared to low measly rates in singapore of around 2-3%. What does this tell you? That banks do not hold much liquidity and can easily to afford to pay more on deposits with them. In short, Aussies bo lui and dont save. Testament to many of my uni Aussie friends who i have talked to can testify.

Please see http://calculators.ato.gov.au/scripts/asp/simpletaxcalc/InputDetails.asp

rates based on full residency.

To cut a long story short and mind me for my lenghty post Razz

I am not a PAP supporter, nor am i some planted agent who plants textbook stories in forums just for kicks or am paid to do so. Nor am i someone that agrees with the fact that our quality of life has been eroded and infringed upon by government intervention. I however chose to look at the big picture and have come to support the argument that a hardworking citizen in Singapore can find and make a comfortable living.

Adressing the comments in ministers pay, I only have this to say. There are many other people around you earning silly money doing less work than you, not only ministers, people like your boss. Why not go take issue with them? If there are so many empassioned Singaporeans that take such harsh stances on ministers pay, I have this to say, its a democratic country and there are always trend setters and followers, if you think that its a job that pays so well or too much, work towards that position and make a difference. Step up to the challenge!

ShutterBug SG

Originally posted by sWaiZZy:

Adressing the comments in ministers pay, I only have this to say. There are many other people around you earning silly money doing less work than you, not only ministers, people like your boss. Why not go take issue with them? If there are so many empassioned Singaporeans that take such harsh stances on ministers pay, I have this to say, its a democratic country and there are always trend setters and followers, if you think that its a job that pays so well or too much, work towards that position and make a difference. Step up to the challenge! [/b]

Salaries of individual 'bosses' owe it to themselves the amount they make. The government owe's it to us the moment the take office by popular votes, that they ensure all are provided equal opportunities to make a living, and costs of living are well within the means of all citizens. Note, I did not mention hand-outs, or welfare.

Unfortuinately, costs of living has been skyrocketting, jobs are given to FTs, and healthcare is beyond most people's reach, as for CPF - it is more an elusion than ever.... RETIREMENT has become a Myth...

bigmouthjoe SG

But you do realise that many businesses in Singapore already have their competitive edge cut before they even started, with all the high rental and such? Haiz... Crying or Very sad

sgdiehard SG

Very Happy It is refreshing to have views that are opposite the mainstream ideas in this forum. I salute you. Many here will label you government agent, PAP dog, bootlicker, blah blah.....and if you dare say anything bad anymore about Australia, very soon you will have all gun fire targetting at you, from air land and sea. Laughing But don't be disheartened, facts are facts, and I am glad to hear more facts, especially about other countries. Here in this forum, some facts about Singapore, especially the government, are repeated thousand times and are used as reasons for every bad happening under the sun.

Many more people travelled and lived in Australia came back to Singapore then those who migrate to australia. Most say they "migrate" there because there is no future here, but they leave their CPF, properties behind, just in case... Laughing Yes, looking at the big picture, work hard and appreciate the people around you and you will be comfortable everywhere you go, including Singapore. There is no heaven on this planet, certainly not australia.

But woe is to Singapore if Singaporeans strive to become ministers because of the high salary! Twisted Evil All governments, including Singapore, should be credited where they deserve, but paying themselves self justified high salaries rid themselves of the moral authority, the honor and glory of the servants and leaders of the people. Be a CEO of a big corporation, you make more money.

If you are making S$2 million a year, another S$1 million won't change your lifestyle. But if the people you are supposed to look after is having problem with their meals, every extra S$1 extra can be another pin on your pillow.

With knowledge in Finance, you will make a lot of money, but when it comes to wealth management, money is not the only wealth you would be concerned with.

have a good day. Smile

Jontst78 SG

Very simply put. Why people choose to migrate, as discussed in another thread.

(X level of Education) + (Y level of effort) = Z level of living standard in SG
(X level of Education) + (Y level of effort) = Z + A level of living standard in maybe Aussieland.

A Singaporean citizen who is hardworking will be able to earn a comfortable living both in another country and in Singapore. Now it becomes a matter of choice of which location is more comfortable.

We live in a first world country, we are not peasents. Peasents worry about their rice bowls at every harvest. Now if a person were reasonably capable and hardworking, he/she would want to be rewarded with some creature comforts. We are afterall in a first world nation. Now, its comes down to how much comfort he or she will get "over there" with the same amount of effort? if its more over there, why stay?

will4 SG

Last time a Chinese national lecturer openly told his fren in a loud voice saying local men no manner need NS to teach them manners.

zix1 SG

really like your response above. Well packaged!