AS PART of National Day celebrations, the 10 residents'
committees (RC) in Sembawang encouraged residents to display the
national flag on July 4 at precisely 10.34am, so that the number of
flags displayed could be entered into the Singapore Book Of
Records.
This exercise seems at odds with the spirit of celebration on
such an occasion, where spontaneity is the quintessential element.
Turning it into a record-setting activity does not seem quite
right.
What is so important about setting a record of this sort? Would
residents care that they have made it into the record book? Would
future years see RCs scrambling to break this record? Does the
exercise mean anything at all?
It would seem that the RCs have forgotten that displaying the
flag is just one of the many ways to celebrate National Day. It is
not the most important way, and if some residents choose not to
display the flag, so be it.
I would rather see residents proudly displaying the national
flag as a gesture of patriotism than for the sake of setting a
record in some obscure book.
The RCs deserve full credit for improving the environment of our
precinct and promoting cohesion among residents. However, their
well-meaning effort in this instance is off the mark.
Lee Seck Kay
