DR JANIL Puthucheary become a Singapore citizen just three years
ago but believes his newly-minted status is not an obstacle to how
he can continue to contribute here.
Turning around a question put to him on whether he was
Singaporean enough to represent voters, he said: 'The question is
not where we come from. The question is who is going to be prepared
to stay and fight and make this country what it will be, what it
can be. I'm that person. I'm staying, fighting, I'm fully
invested.'
The senior consultant at the Children's Intensive Care Unit at
KK Women's and Children's Hospital, made clear in comments on
Monday that the decision to take up citizenship was not by
accident.
Multiculturalism and meritocracy were major factors, said Dr
Puthucheary, 38.
Born in Malaysia, he attended secondary school in Britain. After
graduating from the medical faculty of the Queen's University in
Ireland, he pursued post-graduate training in Belfast, London and
Sydney, before settling here in 2001.
'Ours is not a perfect society. We have not and may never reach
the ideals that we're aiming for. But I passionately believe that
we are far further along that road than any other place that I can
think of,' he said, noting the drive here to integrate communities
further.
Read the full story in Tuesday's edition of
The Straits Times.
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JANIL PUTHUCHEARY
'No, not at all. Certainly my father never expressed any anger
or rancour so I could not express any anger for that. It was
something that... happened in the long history that we were told
about. It wasn't something that we lived with or we knew of
ourselves.'
'It's the job of the PAP to be elected as often as possible and
get as many of its candidates in Parliament. Whether there's a
viable two-party system depends on what else is put up for
Singaporeans to choose from.'
Source:
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_647803.html
