I cut&paste this about the pledge from my blog "
Singaporeans know it by heart. How can we not? From ages 7 to 16,
we said this every Monday-Friday in school. We repeated this so
often that we just concentrated on the 'sounds', as not many of us
actually THOUGHT about what it means.
So, here is the pledge. Please read it slowly, allowing the meaning
of each word to sink in. Then as you finish, allow the meaning of
the entire pledge to sink in...
Our Pledge
We, the citizens of Singapore,
pledge ourselves as one united people,
regardless of race, language or religion,
to build a democratic society
based on justice and equality
so as to achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for our
nation.
On hindsight, the pledge reads well; a little too well if you asked
me. While the key words are simple enough to be understood, I find
that this ease of comprehension lulls us into agreeing with the
ideals inherent in the pledge; it lulls us into complacency. We get
complacent because it appears that S'pore is currently 'living out'
the pledge; as if everything written already exists here in sunny
S'pore.
In S'pore, do we really subscribe to the notion of "regardless of
race, language or religion"? Can a Malay or Indian become prime
minister or defence minister? Can a non-English speaking S'porean
become an MP? And what about peace-loving Jehovah's Witness serving
jailtime in S'pore as they refuse to carry arms during compulsory
army-training? Maybe "regardless of race, language or religion"
should be removed if we keep mouthing the words but not put it 100%
into practice.
How about "to build a democratic society"? Yes, time and again the
govt emphasise we are a democracy: we hold regular elections where
(almost) everybody can contest and/or vote. Does the buck stop
here? How many democracies in world have been ruled by the same
ruling party for the past 40 years...uninterrupted?? And how about
the 'independent' Elections Commission in S'pore; one that reports
to the prime minister's office? Maybe "to build a democratic
society" should be removed if we keep mouthing the words but not
put it 100% into practice.
What then "based on justice and equality"? Surely with the govt
using the term 'meritocracy' ad nasuem, there must be some truth in
it, right? S'pore's brand of justice is swift and efficient, I
agree. But what about justice for 'overseers' whose oversight
resulted in run-ins with the law/establishment? The continuing NKF
saga appears to have not put the Ministries overseeing it into the
spotlight? But why not, since these ministries gave NKF the
'permit' - and thus tacit 'oversight' - to operate? Where is the
'justice' for the incompetent head-honchos of the Info-Devpt
Authority who overpaid Singtel S$300,000,000 (yes, 300 million)?
And what about 'equality', especially with all this talk about the
tangible elite/commoner divide in S'pore? Maybe "based on justice
and equality" should be removed if we keep mouthing the words but
not put it 100% into practice.
And finally, "so as to achieve happiness, prosperity and progress
for our nation". "Happiness"? Is the 70 year old who has to work
12-hr-days cleaning our foodcourt rubbish 'happy'? If the exec
works 60hr weeks just so to pay off his Jaguar and landed property,
while neglecting his family, "happy"? We have "progressed" in many
tangible areas, but what about civic-mindedness, or political
consciousness, or environmental awareness? Has our conscience
"progressed"??
But I do agree 100% that we have achieved "prosperity". No
questions about that.
So, there you have it....I've edited our new pledge; one that truly
reflects what S'pore is today:
Our Pledge
We, the citizens of Singapore,
pledge ourselves as one united people,
so as to achieve prosperity for our nation.
