Thursday, August 09, 2007
National Day Speech
In case you're wondering, PM Lee has spoken... from the top floor of the National Library.
The man's gotta show that he's funky mah!
But his National Day speech, unfortunately, was not so funky... very typical really. See here.
Some of the stuff he talked about... you just knew they would get mentioned. For example:
1) SG does well with economic growth and jobs
2) SG does well in sports
3) SG students are smart and winning stuff
4) SG is efficient so hence, we got F1
5) SG is whoring itself so we're getting the IRs
Well ok fine... so PM Lee didn't say the 'whoring' bit in point 5... but you get my point.
Of course he also talked about things like the aging population, how more capable aka rich S'poreans must help the less fortunate ones etc, and that we gotta basically work hard and support ourseleves and not take early retirement coz your CPF will not enough.
But that's stuff they've been talking about all year anyway.
But you know... I wish there was more mention on 'heart-ware' and cultural stuff.
If you follow the link I set above, you'll see the summary of PM Lee's speech and I quote:
"Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has called on Singaporeans to work together to transform the country and make it a special home for everyone.
He said in ten years' time, it would be a new Singapore with its own unique identity and a can-do and never-say-die spirit of the Lion City. "
So you have words like, 'special home', 'identity' and 'spirit'... but it's all so cold and calculative-like. As I read it I thought... it's like encouraging robots to work harder... 1983 - Big Brother is watching to make sure you work hard so everyone will survive and will become even more hardworking (aka 'never-say-die').
He's effectively managed to turn the word 'home' into something cold, empty, lonely... a city of tall gleaming glass buildings that screams 'effectiveness' but is essentially cold. We have to keeep working, striving to hit the mark and be efficient professionals.
Where's the "enjoy time with your family, take time out to relax, catch a movie (coz btw, SG films are getting better), attend a poetry recital, read a book.... even as you work, remember the little little precious things around you, coz that's what SG is about... being a warm home for you and me" or some speech like that.
It's like, the more they push this whole efficiency thing til instead of being happy that everything will get oh-so-efficient... i'm more depressed.
This year's NDP theme is 'Nationa Day Festival: City of Possibilities' and once again, it comes across as being so technical. Possible to host F1, possible to have IR, possible to be biotechnology centre of region, possible to be so high-tech with wireless all over the island and HD tv in every homes. The promo banners are so dead.. it's so sad lah!
There's no... possible to marry and start a family with no worries, possible to manage time between work and everything else, possible for everyone to live comfortably... possible to call this home... possible to be happy.
So maybe I'm whinning... but I think some of the things I've said are quite valid lor... I love my country very much and I do appreciate the little things like being able to walk down the streets at 3am in the morning without worry, the govt's attempts to keep radical ideologies out etc... but... the thing is this - Singapore has high standard of living, but low quality of life.
And we could all do with a little more love... instead of another 'World No. One'.
The man's gotta show that he's funky mah!
But his National Day speech, unfortunately, was not so funky... very typical really. See here.
Some of the stuff he talked about... you just knew they would get mentioned. For example:
1) SG does well with economic growth and jobs
2) SG does well in sports
3) SG students are smart and winning stuff
4) SG is efficient so hence, we got F1
5) SG is whoring itself so we're getting the IRs
Well ok fine... so PM Lee didn't say the 'whoring' bit in point 5... but you get my point.
Of course he also talked about things like the aging population, how more capable aka rich S'poreans must help the less fortunate ones etc, and that we gotta basically work hard and support ourseleves and not take early retirement coz your CPF will not enough.
But that's stuff they've been talking about all year anyway.
But you know... I wish there was more mention on 'heart-ware' and cultural stuff.
If you follow the link I set above, you'll see the summary of PM Lee's speech and I quote:
"Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has called on Singaporeans to work together to transform the country and make it a special home for everyone.
He said in ten years' time, it would be a new Singapore with its own unique identity and a can-do and never-say-die spirit of the Lion City. "
So you have words like, 'special home', 'identity' and 'spirit'... but it's all so cold and calculative-like. As I read it I thought... it's like encouraging robots to work harder... 1983 - Big Brother is watching to make sure you work hard so everyone will survive and will become even more hardworking (aka 'never-say-die').
He's effectively managed to turn the word 'home' into something cold, empty, lonely... a city of tall gleaming glass buildings that screams 'effectiveness' but is essentially cold. We have to keeep working, striving to hit the mark and be efficient professionals.
Where's the "enjoy time with your family, take time out to relax, catch a movie (coz btw, SG films are getting better), attend a poetry recital, read a book.... even as you work, remember the little little precious things around you, coz that's what SG is about... being a warm home for you and me" or some speech like that.
It's like, the more they push this whole efficiency thing til instead of being happy that everything will get oh-so-efficient... i'm more depressed.
This year's NDP theme is 'Nationa Day Festival: City of Possibilities' and once again, it comes across as being so technical. Possible to host F1, possible to have IR, possible to be biotechnology centre of region, possible to be so high-tech with wireless all over the island and HD tv in every homes. The promo banners are so dead.. it's so sad lah!
There's no... possible to marry and start a family with no worries, possible to manage time between work and everything else, possible for everyone to live comfortably... possible to call this home... possible to be happy.
So maybe I'm whinning... but I think some of the things I've said are quite valid lor... I love my country very much and I do appreciate the little things like being able to walk down the streets at 3am in the morning without worry, the govt's attempts to keep radical ideologies out etc... but... the thing is this - Singapore has high standard of living, but low quality of life.
And we could all do with a little more love... instead of another 'World No. One'.
