national day.

Today Singapore celebrates her national day. In other words the people are paying tribute and maybe even appreciating the ability of nation states to self govern. Something that would not have been possible without gaining independence.

As I reflect upon the meaning and significance of independence day or national day. My thoughts keep going to my home. Malaysia has been a self-governing nation for more that half a century now. While good things have come out from our ability to steer and direct our own nation, we are also forced to look upon the decisions and direction that we have made. The consequences of our action and what it means to us and the future generation.

Gaining national independence and sovereignty is no small feat and I can appreciate the fact that it's something  worth remembering. However having the opportunity to celebrate national day also implies that there is a responsibility that goes along with it. A heavy responsibility actually. This is because we can no longer blame others for the circumstances and domestic problems that we face as an independent nation. We become solely responsible for every success and failure we face as a nation. So as we remember the joy and liberty that comes with having the opportunity to self-govern, let us not forget that with independence comes responsibility and also consequences. That self-government do come with a heavy price and we need to treasure it and more importantly make national independence something that is worth celebrating and appreciating for the future generations.

Happy Birthday Singapore.

p.e.o.p.l.e

I used to believe strongly that some people are meant to be in your life forever. Regardless of what happens between them and more importantly, what the circumstances are. However I have been back home for 2 weeks now and I realized that the most significant friendships and social relationship requires a minimum amount of effort. All kinds of social relationships require effort. The problems comes when you need to decide on which relationships that you want to foster and nurture. You can't have it all not when you have limited time. The tension between the time you have and the relationships that you want to maintain and foster are quite tricky. Hence careful consideration is needed, and deciding on who should stay in your life and which relationships to sacrifice will always be one of the most difficult decision that anyone can make. But I think I am blessed because I always knew who mattered to me and who I wanted to in life forever. So here is to good friends and relationships. Oh how i love people.

Bloody Murder

I was watching the news yesterday. One of the highlights reported in Channel News Asia I found very disturbing. It is regarding police brutality in Pakistan that resulted in a public outcry for justice. So the story goes that an UNARMED teenager was shot my paramilitary forces. In a statement given by the Pakistani authority however is that the teenager was armed. Upon further investigation the teenager was actually unarmed. The teenager was accused of robbery.

I was shocked and not surprisingly extremely upset about this incident. I think that whatever the crime the teenager was accused of , he at least deserved to be treated with dignity and in accordance to the law. He should have been tried in a court of law and punished accordingly. Whatever happen to social justice and the rule of law. The only responsibility that the police has is to protect the security of civilians and NOT punish and murder people accused of crimes. That is up to the legislature and should be done after proper and thorough investigation. Human life is not something anyone can take away with such careless abandon.

I hope that the Pakistani authorities would take harsh measures to prevent this from happening in the future. I do not want to think about another case happening nor do I want to imagine the state that our society has degraded into. The power and authority that the police has over civilians should be exercised with greater responsibility and  care. It is not meant to exhibit barbarity in which the paramilitary troops in Pakistan did to the teenager who might actually be innocent of the crimes that he has been accused of.

the subconscious.

Ever felt like the only thing you needed to do was to go see a shrink? Because if you do not figure you out any time soon , you might just quite possibly loose your sanity and everything that you think you are? I guess this is just my turn right now. When you just can't wait to figure you out and you try to look for somebody , anybody to explain why you are the way you are. OR to put it in  crude terms, why are you so damn messed up?!

It's like what Mayer wrote in split screen sadness :

                    "I can't wait to figure out what is wrong with me.So i can say this is the way I used to be"

the NEP and the future of Boleh Land

You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy

out of freedom.

What one person receives without working for, another person must work

for without receiving.

The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government

does not first take from somebody else.

When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because

the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the

idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get

what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation.

Dr. Adrian Rogers,

Talent or Skill ?

The GE 2011  of Singapore just recently came to a close. There is much hype about the plans and changes that the incumbent government plans to do in hopes of maintaining and enhancing its support base.

I noticed that the issues that Singaporeans are most concerned about are transportation, housing and more importantly Singapore's foreign policy with regards to the influx of foreigners into this tiny island.

I was having a chat with my aunt this afternoon regarding the elections and she spoke about her concern about foreign talent. My aunt was originally from Malaysia and she converted her citizenship for a Singaporean one. It is kind of ironic to have her speak about Singapore's future, however I guess that this island is her life now and she wants a place where she can live in with a sense of security.

My aunt noticed that most of the skilled workers, mechanics, technicians, plumbers and those who work in the industrial sectors of the economy are not Singaporeans. They are all foreigners and this statistics somehow worries her because with the degree of discontentment felt among Singaporeans because of the astronomical number of foreigners coming into this island the government might quite possibly reduce and tighten laws in regards to allowing in foreigners.

I think the problem starts here. If the government were to make the rules more strict, it would mean that it would be more difficult for foreigners to come into Singapore to work. This might appease Singaporeans for a while. However the question we need to ask is this-
             
       Are Singaporeans willing to work and take over the vacancies that will be created when foreigners leave. Who is going to do manual labor, work in the construction site, fix pipes and cars? Are Singaporeans willing to get their hands dirty. I think one of the greatest challenge that the government will face is in trying to strike a fine balance between employing skilled workers and simultaneously doing it in a way that does not irritate Singaporeans.

The government need to convince and persuade Singaporeans to get their hands dirty and elevate the status and perceptions that Singaporeans have towards these jobs. Then only I think Singaporeans can truly claim ownership over their country, when they are willing to convert their talents into skills not only in prestigious jobs but as well as the industrial ones. When this is realized, the government then will be more willing to tighten their immigration laws so that Singaporeans are given priority

Osama dead. His ideals? -very much alive and kicking

It has been reported that Osama has been killed in a recent U.S army operation done at Pakistan.
His death was meet with approval from world leaders around the globe. This man could possibly be the most wanted man in the globe and his death more that anything proves U.S power and capability.

However, the joy over Osama's death doesn't change anything drastically. Yes, the mastermind behind Sept 11 has been defeated by the U.S army. One of most pervasive terrorist organisations in the world has lost its leader,but  it does not mean that terrorism has ended.

If anything, the death of Osama might spur his ardent followers to continue with their proclaimed holy war against the West.This might be done with a fervor more passionate before his death. It is important to note that people although moved and mobilized  to action by charismatic leaders, they are even greatly motivated and impassioned by ideals and ideologies. Terrorism is not dead. The question we need to ask ourselves is  this :
1)are we celebrating the death of one man who caused indescribable pain and injury to millions of people  by attacking the most powerful nation in the 21st century using Islamic fundamentalism as his rallying cry ? or are we just celebrating the death of Osama by which we are able seek closure with ourselves and our misery? that we are finally being able to seek comfort in the fact that justice has been served?

Whatever our reason for welcoming the death of Osama, In my humble opinion, the death of Osama does not make the world a safer place. There are still people out there who share Osama's vision and they have dedicated their lives to this pursuit. We can only truly celebrate when there isn't any significant number of people in the world who are committed to acts of terrorism. We should only celebrate when the world can celebrate its differences without wanting to cause terror and harm towards other nations and peoples.

That my dear friends calls for a celebration. The death of Osama might relieve our sense of anger and injustice perpetrated by Osama's but there is a lot that we need to work towards and we must not lose sight of that. The goal is not to kill Osama but to end terrorism. I do not know if that is possible, but I dream for a better future for all of us.