Seems like a deviation on the topic of war. Well, maybe we
should start a forum on Singaporean snobbery. To be totally honest
with you, Singaporean do think that they are a cut above the rest,
and rightly so. Ive lived in many countries, in Europe, the USA,
Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and Ive been up and down Malaysia many
a times as my future in-laws reside there. One thing I must say, is
that Singapore is by far, the cleanest, safest, most efficient,
highest standards of living, highest quality of life (other than
the months where we have to tolerate the smog from across the
straits), compared to the rest of these places Ive resided in.
Even my expatriate friends and those who have travelled to
Singapore mentions without hesitation that Singapore is a gem in
its own class. We are a proud people and thats whats driven us
ahead of our counterparts. Pride to excel, pride to be the best,
pride to reclaim the honour of being the no.1 airport, no.1
seaport, no.1 workforce, no.1 highest Asian literacy, no.1 choice
in foreign investment. But Singaporeans snobbish? Its the
upbringing of the kid which decides if he is snobbish or not. If
the child is snobbish, its not the nations success that
determined it.
Having pride in what we have, what we do, what we have achieved,
what we can achieve, is not snobbishness. I dont tear down my
Fiancées home country and say that Malaysia is lousy, filthy and
smelly. Neither do I criticise Indonesia on their inability to
control a rouge community. Nor do I spit on the British government
on their indecisiveness to take control of their public transport,
banking regulation and Euro policies. I dont tell the Americans
that they are on the edge of becoming Global Enemy No.1 with their
stupid foreign policies. Nor do I tell the Japanese to get their
economy into shape, or the Australians to stop being lazy asses and
get their act together. Instead, I learn, and I encourage others to
learn from their mistakes and I appreciate what Singapore has
become and what Singapore is. You cant accuse anyone of being
brained washed into thinking the Singapore is the best by slogans
and PAP campaigns. We are a free nation. The people of Singapore
have the right to travel, to live abroad, to study foreign culture.
We are an elite nation in our own ways, just like the Americans,
the British, and the French are, and we can hold our head high and
say that we are special in our own way. The rest of our neighbours
have yet to achieve our status as a developed nation, but believe
me, they are also proud of what they have achieved. Snobbery only
comes when we fail to accept that we can be beaten at our own game.
Snobbery only comes when we shut our senses to the world, being
myopic to our mistakes and those of the mighty and power before us.
The choice of wanting to be snobbish is your own. We are not a
nation of snobs. We are a nation of Proud People.
The Rainmaker
