http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/68502
Letters like that make me want to upchuck my lovely breakfast.
Singapore teach the rest of the world to suck eggs? Forgive me while I snort very loudly. I would love to sit here and rant about the other side of Singapore that isn’t a meticulously prepared Visit Singapore advert, the oppression and the poverty of their people, based on ALSO, similar components of a previously colonised state that is still grappling with its identity, much like Malaysia (I’m no hypocrite, I know where my nation stands), where the problems still have to do with race, religion and money.
What a bloody uninformed letter.
You want to know the truth about Singapore? You go to the pantai-pantai outside your primped up Orchard road, you go to Geylang, you walk around Tekka, you talk to the people there. Watch how poor some of them are, barely able to afford basic necessities and you see how marginalised some groups are. Racism is so prevalent isn’t not even underlying sometimes, job opportunities just like in Malaysia, are for the select few who have the right skin colour. My one week in Singapore last year was so eye opening. I’ve travelled to so many places in the world, but I experienced culture shock down South for the first time in my life. Encouraging debate and discussion with some Singaporeans is so hard, why? Most of them are so afraid to say anything. They have been taught to obey and obey they will.
Look at what’s happening with talented, known playwright and author Alfian Sa’at(who I absolutely love btw, he’s a personal hero, catch his play Anak Kampung Bulan Wa Hassan making its rounds in a Malaysian kampung near you. Singapore don’t gots no kampungs, they killed them all. Which is somewhat the point of the play also) and his termination as a relief teacher by the Ministry of Education. Why? I think you can basically make your own assumptions about this, and do read the vague as all hell letter they sent to his request as to why he was terminated. I have much more to say, but I don’t have the time right now. Do however, read some informative Singaporean blogs like
I think Alfian’s mum said it best:
11:54 am – After reading the ST yesterday, my Mum had a talk with me. I’d expected the usual nagging about the number of times she had told me to steer clear of the political and to be a good little quiet boy.
But while putting on her tudung, on her way out, she said:
‘Alfian, if you live in Singapore, you must be like a robot. If they tell you to walk straight, you walk straight. You stray from the path and they will get you. Last time the government said stop at two children, and then they told us to have three or more. Singapore is like that.’
And then she left.
Suck eggs, my foot! This post was inspired by transplanted Malaysian in Singapore, Najah Nasseri.
10 Comments
June 27, 2007 at 1:48 am
Let first state before everyone skewers me. I work in singapore, i am an indian but i was born in malaysia, near senai to be exact. Meesh, yes there is poverty here, even the richest arab countries have abject poverty. I am not sure who u spoke to regarding about job opportunities. I am sorry to say that I disagree strongly with that statement that job opportunities are only for the right skin color . I can boldly say that most corporations practice meritocracy , how would I know, I work for HSBC bank and there are lots of Indian expats here,working for the banks and many other companies. Perhaps , next time, don’t jus stop by at little India. Go to raffles mrt station , go up and jus sit and watch the people. U will see lots of Indians too, there are a few malays. I am sorry to say that it was Singapore that gave me a chance to further my talents, Malaysia jus ignored me and many of my kind. Perhaps , I suggest next time, u visit any government department too, u will see Indians & malays too. Contrast this with our government department . I would agree with you that the local companies , small ones would not employ me but frankly, my talents are better appreciated by mnc’s . There are many good things going here ,but there are bad one’s too, but living on both sides, I can tell you, it’s better here. I never worried about my safety here , or delivery of services by any government departments. I don’t hv to give duit kopi or anything like that. If you were to go up and ask me jus like that ,what I think of the Singapore government, I wont tell u because I don’t know who u are .I will tell u privately though,but ask any taxi driver about politics and u will get to hear all. We don’t hv free blogs & free website but it’s a small price to pay. Do ask yr readers to compare , esp those who have worked here. I have been to many places on holidays but I wont judge the place jus because I stayed there for a week & spoke to some locals. Neway, I am about to settle down soon & my in law’s family wish is that, my future to be wife moves to Singapore, so that she will be safer and also our kids can be be educated here .And what did my father in law used to do, he is a retired school teacher .
June 27, 2007 at 2:40 am
I have a work thing right now, so I can’t reply. But, I will. Soonest.
m
June 28, 2007 at 10:27 am
Hi Stan,
I’m glad that Singapore has been a great place for you. In fact, it has been a great place for my family too – my husband is a Singaporean Ceylonese banker and he’s quite happy with his job.
But I’ve also seen the other side of a country that Malaysians often wax lyrical about – people who have gotten the shorter end of the stick, who aren’t able to do much more for themselves.
After living here for a few years, it’s scary how big the gap is between the haves, Raffles MRT station people (try hanging out at Tanglin Mall or Millenia Walk!) and the have-nots (neighbourhood shopping streets, flea markets or that karanguni market near Queens road bus terminal).
Let me relate a few experiences that have shown me certain attitudes that are reflective of where certain quarters of Singaporean society stand – since your method of disproving Meesh’s assertions were based on observations at MRT stations and malls.
1. My husband drives a BMW. He sent it to the mechanic once. He took a cab to the workshop to pick up the car. The cab driver asked him, “after this you go pick up boss ah?”.
2. We recently hired a part-time nanny to help me with our son so that I can run errands, and eventually, continue my studies. She related a story to me. Her neighbours asked her who’s the new family that she’s helping out. She told them she’s taking care of a Malay boy (since I’m Malay, she assumed that my Ceylonese son is Malay… nevermind.) They said, “Wahhh! Malay also can get nanny ah?”. Then they asked where we lived. To which they replied, “Wahh! Since when Malay live in condo?”.
Yes, there are well-to-do Indians and Malays – come to Mak’s Place at Upper Changi Road and you’ll see Makciks and Pakciks coming over for teh tarik in their Mercedes and BMWs. But does having a handful of rich people, necessarily mean that this country can tell the world to suck eggs? In fact, you’d see lots more rich Chinese and Indians in Malaysia, as opposed to rich Indians and Malays in Singapore – so does that mean Malaysia can teach the world to suck eggs?
As for the small price that Singaporeans have to pay for their situation – it’s not really our place to say what’s small, is it? I’m sure it’s not small for Mr Alfian Sa’at, or the political dissidents who have been sued to the point of financial oblivion, or the countless nameless others who have lost their homes to a system that perhaps favours true blue capitalists, or people who have been told that only Mandarin-speaking people should apply for their vacant positions.
I guess what I get from Meesh’s piece is that the grass is never greener on the other side. If you’re lucky, it’s greener for you. If you’re lucky. And luck never favours the arrogant – which was the tone of the article she was responding to (“Singapore can teach the world to suck eggs”).
Maybe Singapore CAN teach Malaysia a thing or two. Like cleanliness (though I really question the actual habits of individual citizens by how disgusting women’s toilets are!). Or how to run a National Service Program. But it’s nowhere near becoming a great nation that can stand the test of time. And if Malaysia wants to celebrate it’s 100th or 200th Merdeka Day celebration, it should emulate a nation whose own people isn’t busy looking for a new country to migrate to.
June 28, 2007 at 10:31 am
Oh… I forgot to add anecdote 3. My husband was talking to a real estate agent about why the price of our condo project went down so much. He blatantly said – “Locals don’t want to buy condos there – too many Indians.”
June 28, 2007 at 10:54 am
eh.. sorry meesh, am not spamming you, but this is a good link to see balanced criticism – balanced as in both sides also hantam!
http://blueheeler.wordpress.com/
June 28, 2007 at 11:21 pm
Najah, i agree with u. U see, i feel that singapore does not owe me a living or anyone else. It’s a country very much plugged in globalisation. If u hv the skills u can do well, jus like me & yr husband. if u dont hv, u will become like the people u see at karang guni. it’s sad. But today ruthless globalised mnc source their products & locate their companies where they can get the best deals. Most goverments are powerless. There are rich indians & malays in malaysia , more so than in singapore. With the way malaysia is going, seriously how long do u think , it will last. Do any of the current malaysian leaders even hv a clue of what is happening in the world. Just compare the resume’s of the leaders of both countries. See how both of them conduct themselves, see how their subordinates conduct themselves and ask yrself. if u were going to bet, where would u place yr bets. najah, i see myself as a globalised citizen too, if today, this place becomes unbeareable, i will leave. Just like this country & malaysia do not owe me a living, i dont owe anyone either.
June 29, 2007 at 12:31 am
Actually, your last statement illustrates the core differences between the Mkini article and Meesh’s post, and perhap, my opinion and your opinion.
No country owes us a living, but in order for us to be enlightened human beings, I believe that we owe the world, at the very least the community that we’re in, something, if not everything.
I see myself as a globalised citizen, but perhaps not in the way you see this concept.
What’s the point in having those ’skills’ that you pride in so much, if all it gives you is career advancement and not empathy for your fellow man? What’s the point of having an education if it only allows you be a high-flying MBA and yet, have your eyes closed to the injustices of the world? What’s the point of being handed the better hand by fate (and yes, fate did hand us a better hand because here we are with the skills, ability, and facility to have this discussion) when we refuse to use this hand to at the very least, empathise?
And what would become of our souls if nothing inspires us to give back – not a nation’s soil and not a nation’s flag, not our past and not even our future (because caring about the plight of others is as much about our future as it is about theirs) as we go on and on in search of ‘a better living’?
June 29, 2007 at 7:10 am
all i can say is that i’ve spent my time living in Aust (4 yrs) and even people there, in the supposed ‘lucky country’, have lots of gripes. I think every country has its own quirkiness that locals moan (and rave) about, and but they become protective when outsiders become critical of their beloved country. Singapore, with all its wealth, is just that: a cold hard efficient place where money (or the lack of) cuts across all social/cultural/moral/political/religious lines and gives an objective moneraty value to everything tangible and intangible.
July 2, 2007 at 1:55 am
Hey,
Am back. From Singapore, no less! Haha.
While I was there, I manged to see in the newspapers that Singapore during a recent count had something like 66,000 or so millionaires, making 3 people out of every 200 Singaporeans a millionaire. Fine! Great! Impressive!
However, my question and the point of this piece/rant, is reflected very clearly in those statistics. These are the kind of news pieces and figures most Singaporeans will extol when discussing Singapore, these are also the same sort of statistics Malaysians will use to ‘prove’ that Singapore is a better place to be, for various reasons, education system etc.
But, by question from the beginning has been, what about the other 197 people? Many, you will find, are living decent lives, well above middle incomes perhaps, or somewhere along the border, much like you.
As for the rest? How do they fare? In a free market, capitalist driven Singapore, it’s not as simple as if you have skills you will do well. Once again, that is not the situation, there. For you to say that I’m making comments based on spending my time there on holiday, and I don’t know anything… perhaps. But, I have spoken to many, and I mean many, of your temporary countrymen and I don’t mean the ones hanging out at Raffles MRT station. I mean, the drivers, the service staff, the doormen, the ones who live in HDB flats in Geylang Serai and have found their complaints shocking in my old perception that Singapore was the land of millk and honey. They have similar problems as us, like I mentioned, thus my annoyance at the Msiakini letter that had nothing but praise for a country, struggling with the same issues. Same issues, but perhaps in high gloss, is my point. The grass is never greener. I’ve lived in the US as well, and I know the problems it has and how similar they are to Malaysia. Sometimes even worse in different situations, which is why I always find it hilarious when they talk about the amazing amount of freedom of speech granted to the media in America.
Similarly, I refer to Najah’s quote:
“If Malaysia wants to celebrate it’s 100th or 200th Merdeka Day celebration, it should emulate a nation whose own people isn’t busy looking for a new country to migrate to.”
You may find Singapore organized, clean, efficient and not corrupt. So do I, and like Najah mentioned, we can take a page from their book in those areas. But, the arrogance in the letter and in some highly successful Singaporeans minds, is offsetting. None of them seem to care, much less notice, the unglossed problems that stare them in the face everyday. It is easy for you in my opinion to stand up and support what Singapore has given to you because you are lucky, as Najah mentioned. But how about the rest?
“What’s the point of having an education if it only allows you be a high-flying MBA and yet, have your eyes closed to the injustices of the world? What’s the point of being handed the better hand by fate (and yes, fate did hand us a better hand because here we are with the skills, ability, and facility to have this discussion) when we refuse to use this hand to at the very least, empathise?”
Najah has written out the sentiments in my mind perfectly.
July 13, 2007 at 1:19 am
Hi
I am a singaporean Indian male, born and bred here in Singapore.
I like to give my inputs. I suppose if you were to compare to other dysfunctional 3rd world countries then we are of course a great country.
But compare ourselves with some western democracies such as the scandinavian countries and there is no way you can equal them in quality of live. Singapore is not an egalitarian country. I had faced a lot of hostilities from the predominant race here. From down right rudeness and outright abuse and threats of physical violence. And the minorities unfortunately are not accorded the same opportunities. The reality is that small and medium enterprises would prefer to employ a chinese that to engage a better qualified minority candidate.