The conspiracy theorists are already having a field day. Goh Chok Tong’s speech on Sunday night is the latest talking point with many focusing on the fact that the “government needs to win hearts, not just arguments”.
As that debate continues, let’s focus on the thrust of his speech which revolves round the one word that is being used very often these days:Trust. There has to be trust in government, and we would like to emphasise, in the people, too.
Trust, as we all know, doesn’t happen overnight. It happens after many years of developing mutual respect for each other, sharing of thoughts, ideas, plans, and most important, listening to each other’s point of view.
So who should clap first? The one with the power. Nothing like going down a few steps to show genuine care, empathy and support. No harm in temporarily putting aside ideology while throwing out a lifeline for those who are crying for help.
Is anybody listening?
The art of listening
Worrying, satisfying
Pieces of the puzzle are beginning to fall into place. Now we know that the man who died in prison might be alive today if the officers who restrained him had checked to see if he was ok. And if the officers had understood the risk in pinning down a prisoner and placing him chest down in an isolated cell.
Both were not done and Dinesh Raman’s family has lost a son.
Another piece of another puzzle is the revelation that CPIB director Eric Tan could have prevented his colleague from allegedly embezzling $1.7 million in public money if he had been more diligent in implementing the rules.
There is a worrying link between the two cases. The Prison and CPIB officers, despite being in sensitive and critical departments, were lackadaiscal in the way they went about their work.
There is no doubt that Singapore’s reputation for being a stickler for rules has taken a knock. You can have all the standard operating procedures but they have to be followed by all and sundry.
And it is the job of the leadership to send out the clear signal that zero tolerance is the way forward.
Having said that, we are satisfied that the people responsible have been dealt with, that the government has accepted responsibility for the prisoner’s death and that his family is being compensated.
The numbers and the realities
By The Independent
Good news on GDP. But MTI confirms that importing more foreign workers in 2003-2008 led firms to substitute workers for machines, dampening productivity growth.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry increased its GDP forecast significantly, from the 1% to 3% range to the 2.5% to 3.5% range. This came on the back of a final Q2 GDP figure that was higher than the flash estimate: 3.8% versus 3.5%. The quarter-on-quarter figure – a scorching 15.5% versus an anemic 1.7% in Q1 – suggests an economy picking up momentum.
All this will come as a relief to Singaporeans and rightly so. However the report makes clear that structural improvements remain elusive. Singapore citizens unemployment rose slightly, and productivity growth, while significantly improved, is still negative.
The improvement on the GDP front was essentially driven by four factors:
- a stellar performance from financial and insurance services, especially “financial intermediation and sentiment-sensitive clusters”
- a less-bad-than-expected manufacturing performance thanks to biomedical production
- decent growth in business services, particularly engineering and architectural services; and
- an uptick in wholesale services, driven by electronics re-exports.
Unemployment rose slightly, from 1.9% in Q1 to 2.1% in Q2. The unemployment rate for Singapore citizens, however, stubbornly stood at 3.1%, up from 3% in Q1 and higher than that for the population as a whole, in line with historic norms.
The Q2 Economic Survey paints a picture of an economy that is being increasingly defined by two things: services as a growth driver, and productivity growth as a speed-bump.
Much of the growth in the past few quarters has come from services. In Q2 2013, some sub-sectors stood out as growth turbo-chargers: financial services, retail and tourism, logistics and professional services. Tourist arrivals, for example, rose 7.5% year-on-year in Q2, driving revenue in hotels and food-services.
Clearly these rising stars should command maximum attention from both policy-makers and companies, so that Singapore can wring even more high-value exports and productivity increases from these sectors. At the same time, risks from an overly exuberant financial services sector need to be watched closely. The recent policy moves in respect of mortgage financing show that MAS is taking a vigilant stance on this front.
The manufacturing sector is also showing signs of improvement, but some of this is due to the artificial stimulant from bio-medical exports, which are notoriously volatile and tend to drive export figures more than job creation. Manufacturing contributed very little to net job creation in Q2. However manufacturing does seem to be on an upswing, with robust quarter-on-quarter growth. Moreover, the manufacturing sector does have many positive linkages with services industries such as finance, construction and professional services. The bigger question may be how to restore manufacturing’s role as a mid-to-high end job creation engine.
MTI’s optimistic prognosis for the second half of the year may yet be challenged by some economic realities. The fact that external demand grew 3.1% in Q2 while contracting 4.1% in Q1 suggests that the full effect of the Q2 slowdown in China, to which Singapore is more vulnerable than many other economies, has not yet been fully felt. Financial services growth may be crimped by an outflow of global funds into the US as the US dollar appreciates on the back of Fed tapering. Moreover, MTI’s composite of leading indicators – its basket of more predictive indicators of economic performance – showed a mere 0.2% increase in Q2, versus a 0.4% hike in Q1. This suggests that the outlook is less sunny than might be thought.
On productivity growth, some improvement was noted in Q2. Labor productivity fell by only 0.3% in Q2, in contrast to the 3.8% drop in Q1. However this is probably due in large measure to the pick-up in economic growth, which tends to give productivity a short-term lift. Moreover, the picture differs sharply by sector, with productivity growth being pulled up by financial services (which grew by a whopping 10%) and contracting significantly in almost all other sectors. In tackling the fundamental structural impediment of low productivity growth, a hard struggle lies ahead.
Perhaps the most striking element in MTI’s Q2 report was an econometric study that demonstrated how the liberalization of foreign worker importation in 2003 to 2008 led companies to substitute workers for machines, with dampening effects on productivity growth. In mitigation, the MTI report did point out that the substitution effect was small and the “the government has already taken steps to reduce firm’s reliance on low-skilled FWs”. This is in keeping with the past practice in government statements of qualifying admissions of past policy mistakes by pointing out that corrective measures have already been taken. However this still leaves one question unanswered – do the measures that have been taken to control FW influx go far enough?
While this conclusion is hardly surprising and has been the opinion of many commentators and economists for years, the MTI team should be commended for their intellectual honesty in publishing this conclusion so forthrightly. This admission is a timely reminder of the urgency of Singapore’s productivity challenge. It is also a useful warning to future generations of policymakers about the perils of putting headline GDP growth on steroids, to the detriment of long-term economic fundamentals.
The way we see it
The Independent’s view of the news
SAME SAME, AGAIN?
This newspaper hopes that today’s sitting of Parliament will not cover old ground, as has happened so often in the past.
But the questions tabled by PAP MPs — on the spate of high-profile scandals involving government officers — don’t give us much confidence because they revolve round the same old theme of trust.
The PM and his deputy have already issued statement after statement on that.
The real questions are:
- WHY did it take the case of the CPIB officer, who was hauled to court for allegedly siphoning $1.7 million, four years to uncover?
- WHY are scandals like this cropping up with such regularity?
- ARE there any flaws in the government’s check-and-balance system?
Probe, MPs, probe.
No need, PM
It is strange that the PM has to elaborate on why S R Nathan was given the top award for this year’s National Day.
Everything that Lee Hsien Loong said on Friday was a repeat of what was mentioned when the honour was announced.
So why? The only reason we can think of is that some questions must have been raised about the choice of Nathan.
We say there is no need for PM’s explanation because, if nothing else, of Nathan’s two long-forgotten actions:
- HIS offer to be the hostage during the 1974 Laju hijack.
- HIS appearance as ambassador to Washington on the Larry King Live TV show to defend Singapore’s decision to cane American teenager Michael Fay for vandalism in 1994.
And with the world’s spotlight zeroing in on this little red dot.
Strange……really strange
A Straits Times report on the launch of Lee Kuan Yew’s latest book had this intriguing sentence: He was not assisted to his seat.
Duh?
Maybe ST wanted to show that Lee was still sprightly. Maybe it was told to do so.
The bigger worry is if it was the former because it shows an institution, which has a longer history than the PAP government, stuck in the mud of old habits.
Self-censorship, again?
Throwaway line, but…
Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin made an important point but, oh, but what a throwaway line it was.
In an interview with The Straits Times he spoke of his encounter with a “landed property resident who was quite established, working in an important establishment”.
What are you doing for people like me, she asked him.
Well, minister, welcome to the new world of entitlement where the rich are not shy to ask for more while their poor cousins are toiling away, some even suffering.
Now, how to even start talking about philanthropy?
Politics in digital world
A new book co-authored by Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt says Singapore is a good case study on political pressures and technological challenges.
“Even in as tighly controlled a space as Singapore, government restrictions and social codes have limited leverage in the online world,” the book says.
PM Lee Hsien Loong is interviewed in the book, The New Digital Age: Reshaping The Future of People, Nations and Business.
But his quotes — like “the danger we face in future is that it will be far easier to be against something than for it” — just shows how the government has yet to come to grips with this transformative medium.
Our advice: start by liking it, the rest should follow.
The adopted son of Singapore
By Zafar Anjum
Movement is life—that’s what I had learnt at an early age. Prophets, sages, poets, soldiers—all had taught me this lesson. I was born in a nondescript part of India where most of my relatives lived in a 30-kilometre radius, making me feel claustrophobic, making me yearn to get out and see more of the world. As an Urdu couplet goes:
The essential thing is to undertake a journey; of hospitable persons there is no dearth; There are a thousand shady trees on the roadside. (Khwaja Haider Ali Atish)
After the early years, came a succession of reliefs—just before my high school exam, I moved from my native village to a small town, and after my matriculation exam, I moved to a university town, Aligarh, close to Delhi, India’s capital.
Even in that sleepy university town, the five years that I spent were restless, filled with a longing to escape. Finally, I moved to Delhi where after attaining some more degrees I started upon my first job. With my new-found salaried existence and the umbilical cord with my parents snapped, I walked like the happiest man on the planet, free to make my own destiny.
That feeling was not to last for long.
In nearly eight years, I changed five jobs. Not all my fault. New businesses were forming and bursting like soap bubbles, emanating from the straw out of Manmohan Singh’s new bottle of ‘economic liberalisation’ policy.
In 2004, when my career was teetering on the precipice of uncertainty and a tsunami of regret of not opting for a government job was about to wash off my remaining confidence, a miracle happened. I was picked up for a job in Singapore. My career was saved from a crash landing.
When I came to Singapore, life unspooled for me in a slow motion in this Big Apple of Asia. The country’s prosperity, its clean and transparent system, its open-hearted people flashed like a beacon of hope. I thought my suffering was over. I thought I was going to achieve nirvana by the bank of the Singapore River.
It was not to be so. The lightening of misfortune struck me once again.
Within a year and a half, my employer, the National Kidney Foundation—at that time, Asia’s biggest non-profit organisation with S$120 million in reserves—was hit with a scandal. The poisonous effluent that spurted out of NKF CEO TT Durai’s fabled ‘gold tape’ devastated the organisation. As a result, when the knife went over the beast’s belly, hundreds of employees floated out like dead babies covered in the slime of stigma. I was also one of them.
Most of my compatriots went back to India. I stayed back. For me, there was no escape from struggling, either here or in India. I was a member of the minority and a migrant worker in both the countries. I did not want to struggle in the heat and dust of Delhi. Delhi’s crumbling public transport system, the regular power cuts, the daily fight for water—were nightmarish enough.
In Singapore, I was jobless for nearly six months and I had a pregnant wife to support. Life seemed to be an interminable series of misfortunes and humiliations. The bed of roses turned into a thorn-filled haystack and my constant companions were worries—how to pay the rent, how to take care of the spiralling medical bills and how to put food on the table. There were times when I was scraping the bottom of the barrel and coming a cropper. By nature I am shy of social company. My circumstances made me a social recluse. Many times I politely refused dinner invitations because I didn’t have enough money to pay for the taxi and buy that bottle of wine as a gift. My writing ambitions made for the window and bankruptcy began to knock on my door. I forfeited thousands of dollars in an insurance policy that I had painstakingly built up for my daughter’s future education. The sleepless nights made me sick with high blood pressure.
Look at my misfortune! The lasso snapped,
When the edge of the parapet was just a shot way off! (Qaim)
I was never afraid for myself. I just wanted a decent life with ample time to read and write. The suffering was more on account of my wife and my child who were the unintended victims of this mishap.
Later on, some of those bitter experiences seeped into my writing. They became the blood and sinews of my collection of short stories, The Singapore Decalogue.
It took me several years to get back on my feet and I am indebted to many friends and well-wishers who held my hand in my days of want and suffering. I am still reeling under the impact of my ‘lost decade’ and clearing the debris of the disaster. I still feel like a ghost, an apparition, slowing emerging out of that haze of ignominy and defeat.
Along the way, some good things happened that helped me survive.
The same Singapore where my dreams soured gave me ample opportunities to get back on my feet. I got my first newspaper job here. I received a writing grant for a book from the National Arts Council, and I succeeded in signing up with the same literary agent in Singapore whom I had failed to entice a decade ago in India. Last year, I also turned a homeowner from a rent-paying tenant. All along, my family enjoyed the ease of life and the sense of security that Singapore offers. Today, we hardly miss India as we find the sounds and flavours of our motherland right at our doorstep.
What my struggle taught me is resilience. Failing and falling is a part of life and the only way to get through the storm is to endure it. God is with those who are patient, says the Quran.
It was precisely for this reason that the story of Satyam, one of India’s top IT services companies, attracted me in 2009. Resembling the NKF saga, Satyam was hit with an accounting fraud and its mastermind was its own founder and chairman, B Ramalinga Raju. When I heard of the scandal, my heart went out to the company’s thousands of ordinary employees who I knew would suffer for no fault of theirs. How would they pay their rents and mortgages? How would they support their families? How many of them would develop hypertension and insomnia? Miraculously, the government of India stepped in, brought in a league of extraordinary gentlemen who stabilised the company and auctioned it off to the Mahindra Group. Thousands of jobs were saved in the process.
Satyam’s story of falling and then rising again made a perfect subject for me to pursue. In its resurgence I could see my own story’s reflection. That was one reason why I decided to chronicle it in The Resurgence of Satyam, which has now become a business bestseller in India.
My story is not over yet. I am still at a sort of crossroads—between a nascent writing career and achieving literary success, between leading a bottom-of-the-middle-class existence and the creamy layer, being wedged between Singapore and India and the world beyond. There are many possibilities and many challenges. It can cut both ways, hurting me or healing me. For sure, there will be more struggles in store, more rejections and failures. Where there are dreams, there will be setbacks and struggles. But afraid I’m not. I’ll keep on moving in pursuit of my dreams, ready to embrace whatever comes my way.
Even like the wave, the caravan of my life does not know the course it is destined to pursue;
I know not whence it has come and whither it will go. (Qaim)
Zafar Anjum is a Singapore-based journalist, writer and filmmaker. He is the author of The Singapore Decalogue and The Resurgence of Satyam.
Immigration — then and now
P Francis, who emigrated from Singapore to Australia in 1990, reflects on his early years as an immigrant and what awaits new arrivals now.
IMMIGRATION is a hot topic today, especially in Australia, as the federal elections are on the horizon and the ‘boat people invasion’ of the land of milk and honey accelerates and hogs local headlines. The annual intake of immigrants to Australia has soared and 190,000 are expected in 2012-2013.
After World War II, since 1945, there has been a surge with an influx of 7.2 million people – about a third of Australia’s population today. Each decade after 1950, there have been almost a million arrivals. For instance, between 2000 and 2010 there were more than 1.2 million immigrants; in the 1990s over 900,000; and in the 1980s about 1.1 million. The trend is spiralling upwards as compared to 1.6 million over 15 years from 1945.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the largest source of immigrants in 2008-2009 was India with 59,400, followed by mainland China (33,300), the UK (29,300) and NZ (28,000). The last two countries used to be the major source countries, but India changed that trend in 2006-07.This despite allegations that “Indian students carrying laptops and mobiles were being targeted” in some robberies.
I emigrated from Singapore in 1990 with my family on a “one-way ticket” after succeeding at the third attempt – through a job sponsorship in Melbourne to set up desktop publishing. I had actually collected forms from the Canadian High Commission, then in Anson Road, just before the Australian approval arrived.
In my case, I was determined to leave for a better lifestyle and even surrendered my Singapore citizenship soon after arriving in Melbourne so that I could withdraw my CPF and use it to buy a house without a loan. That done, I worked two jobs like many other new immigrants to send money to aged parents and because my wife took nearly three years to find a regular job – it happened after Jeff Kennett won the State election to become the 43rd Victorian Premier in October 1992. The State economy then moved up a gear as employers gained confidence and hired more staff – among them new immigrants.
There were already more than 140 ethnic groups in Australia then. Today the largest source of new arrivals is China, followed by India – many of whom come on student visas. The dream of owning a house and a car or two (one for the wife to go to work or ferry the children in ‘mum’s taxi’ to school) is within the grasp of the majority.
Using CPF funds, I was able to buy a new double-storey house (called a bungalow in Singapore) for A$166,000 before spending about A$60k for the landscaping, furnishing and adding a conservatory connected to the rumpus (games/TV) room. It was located about 33km from the city. More importantly, it had friendly neighbours, including Greeks, Italians and Asians. For some reason the local media uses Asian for Chinese-looking people only! I did not want to pay more in the inner suburbs,where there were trains and trams, because the houses were more than 50 years older and rarely had an extra bathroom, living area and double garage.
In Singapore, I bought a new 1980 four-cylinder Mitsubishi Lancer GL for S$27,500. In Melbourne, I have changed my car a few times. But imagine buying a new Australian-made 2001 six-cylinder Ford Falcon Forte for $27,800 including extra accessories! That car is still driving well and I love it.
When I look back, I traded in a home in a congested city, where owning a car was expensive and finding a job without “knowledge of Mandarin is an advantage” tagged on at the bottom of the job advertisement was difficult. Generally, over in Australia, you are given a “fair go” and it is possible to buy your dream home, own a car or two, and English is required in most jobs.
My personal view on the standard of living in Australia compared to Singapore is very basic: how many years’ average gross income do you need to buy a new average car? Or even a three-bedroom single-storey house? Over here, a young non-graduate worker may earn gross $30,000 pa – but usually opts for a used car. As for a house, the same worker’s gross income for 10 years will pay for the house.
Make no mistake about it, uprooting your family and moving to a foreign land that you may have holidayed in once is not everyone’s cup of tea (not even the tarik version)! It requires loads of determination and stamina to overcome obstacles in job searches, housing, education and integration into Australian society.
For instance if you are invited to tea it means dinner and not tea, cakes and scones! If you are told to bring a plate, ensure it has food on it. As for drinks, including alcohol, BYO means bring your own. The best part, in my opinion, when eating out with friends or colleagues is that you do not have to “fight” to pay the bill Singapore-style because you belanjar, lah! Everyone usually pays by splitting the bill.
In the 1990s, many local Aussies ate Chinese (food) or takeaway, such as fried rice, sweet and sour pork or chicken and beef in blackbean sauce. This is a paradox because the first Chinese arrived during the gold mining boom circa 1850 and, you guessed it, many were cooks! This history can be seen at the Chinese Museum in Melbourne’s CBD where Lighting Up Multiculturalism is on until 15 September. The gold rush between 1851 and 1860 saw the growth of Ballarat and Bendigo into large regional centres.
Today local Aussies are more adventurous with the menu because of the influence of immigrant colleagues. Some have also learnt to “share” dishes in a meal. There are many Thai, Indian and other ethnic restaurants springing up even in the outer suburbs to tempt the palate. Singapore and Malaysian food is easily available and the better ones are authentic and have to follow strict food-handling rules.
Italy-born Walter Varrasso arrived in Melbourne by boat in 1957 when he was eight years old. He recalled vividly: “Egypt had closed the Suez Canal for a few years and sunk ships to block it. We had to sail around Africa.” Those days the greengrocers, milk bars and fish-and-chip shops were run by Italians and Greeks. “Today,” he said, “they are run by the Chinese, Vietnamese and Laotians – the boat people of the Vietnam war. I lived in Abbotsford then, where there were no Asians. Today Vietnamese and Cambodians dominate the area.”
On racial discrimination, Walter said: “In my school days, I copped racial abuse and the ‘white’ boys called me derogatory terms, such as ‘diego’ and ‘wog’ (Western Oriented Gentleman). My teacher wanted me out of the school since I was ethnic.” Now he is part of the “white” community in Australia.
Today new Australians have difficulty finding work as they grow older and compete with young university graduates for limited vacancies. Some become self-employed as couriers, taxi drivers, security guards or operate stalls in shopping centres and weekend markets. Those with savings may buy lottery and fast-food franchises. Others, who made wise investments in property or shares, can retire and enjoy the fruits of their labour.
Victor Soo arrived from Singapore in 2003 as a skilled migrant. Today he runs a food place and observed that Aussies have learned to eat spicy food on their travels. He said: “I befriend everyone to integrate with society, not just Asians. Job position does not matter here.”
In 2013, the road for new arrivals is smoother as there is more help for them to assimilate in a society where Asians are accepted. Many study hard to become professionals, such as accountants, dentists, doctors, nurses and in IT. However, blue- collar workers in the trades can earn more than office workers!
So long as you are young and not fussy about the type of work you do, you are able to survive. Many Indian “students” arrive and take jobs the locals shy away from, including petrol station attendants, supermarket trolley collectors and taxi drivers. I know of a Sri Lankan engineer, who is on a two-year visa where he is required to clock 38 hours a week to obtain permanent residency. He is working as a cleaner. It is something not everyone (certainly most Singaporeans) will want to do because of the“What will people back in Singapore say?” attitude.
If the clock could be turned back, and I had to make the decision to emigrate once again would I do it any differently? No, I would not – there are no regrets because you cannot compare an apple with a pineapple. I believe opportunity does not knock and you have to seize it and make the most of it because you cannot find heaven on earth!
Singapore's No 1 soccer fan
By Suresh Nair
PASSION is a seven-letter word deep-seated in Associate Professor Ho Peng Kee as he plays a pivotal role in promoting Singapore football.
Now retired from politics, the former senior minister of state (law & home affairs), who was formerly the FAS (Football Association of Singapore) president, continues to score goals as the FAS adviser, supporting the Lions, even during a recent international friendly match in Myanmar.
He believes that to be a true fan requires the living experience of football. It is not about being a mere spectator. It is about being a participant. Using his role-model experience, he says that attending away games is an important ritual for fans involving a number of psychological and logistical challenges.
He has a defiant stance against “fair-weather supporters”, those who only attend matches occasionally or when their team is doing well.
A genuine football fan, he says, is one who “attends both home and away games without fail”. “Wear apparel that reflects your support,” he adds. “At the games, cheer vociferously in unison with other supporters. Come whether the game is important or not. Keep coming whether or not the team is winning or losing”.
In an exclusive interview with The Independent, Singapore, 59-year-old Ho pours his heart out on the importance of fan-atical support in making football the No 1 sport in Singapore.
Question: How do you see your role as a fan, or even as a VIP fan, in supporting the Lions, as you did recently in Myanmar?
Answer: Fans must be passionate in their support. Don’t be there just to show your face. Be there to make a difference by making your presence felt in a positive way. An indelible memory I have is jumping up from my seat, shouting in sheer joy, in the VIP box in Bangkok Stadium in 2007, right next to my Thai hosts, who sat glumly beside me, when (striker) Khairul Amri took the ball from near the halfway line, ran almost half the field and let fly with a venomous shot that curled into goal.
That equalizer won Singapore the Tiger Cup for a consecutive time as we triumphed in the first leg in Singapore. I was then 30 months into my FAS presidency.
How do you view the inconsistently-toned support for Singapore football?
Our fans like to see winning teams. But, really, it’s when our teams don’t do well that they need passionate fans to spur them on, to get them going. Fans should remain loyal and stick with the team through thick and thin. This way, there is real joy when the team wins some honours at the end of the season, because you were there to lift their spirits up when they were down.
Your thoughts on the contrasting fan support in the MSL (Malaysian Soccer League) and S-League?
I think it’s understandable that the level of passion and support for the S-League teams differs from that for the Lions XII. Whatever FAS or the authorities call the Lions XII, a club team, fans see them as a Singapore team.
The Malaysian state teams see them as a Singapore team. So, there is really no comparison. I will not be worried at the different levels of support. Key is for each S-League team to press on in reaching out to potential supporters in their “hinterland”, surrounding constituencies, neighbouring polytechnics, ITEs and private schools, foreigners living here (Japanese for Albirex Niigata and French for Tanjong Pagar (which has four French players).
Obviously, fan support for the 17-year-old S-League is declining. What more can be done to draw back the crowds?
Attendance at this year’s S-League games has increased by 20 per cent. compared to last year. So, there is promise. I’ve attended about 20 S-League games this year. The atmosphere, at the better games, has been quite good.
What we need are better playing fields so that the football can be played at an even faster pace. The S-League together with Singapore Sports Council (SSC) is working on this.
At some games, I’ve sat on the other side of the pitch from across the VIP stand, the lower stands which are nearer the field of play. The feeling is quite good because you are more absorbed into the action. Now, many clubs send their players to the shopping malls and hawker centres to publicize their home games. Every little bit counts. So, I’m optimistic about the S-League.
Your view of the fanatical fan support, a la ‘Kallang Roar’ of the 70s and 80s, compared to the whimper-like support now? Any reasons for the lack of rousing fan support?
The “Kallang Roar” will need a rebuilt Kallang Stadium, aka The Sport Hub, to reverberate once again. That will come if our Lions XII continue their good form and run, complemented by a rising national team under new coach Bernd Stange.
The fan support at Jalan Besar for the crucial Lions XII games has been heartwarming, portending better things to come when the Sports Hub is built. The key is to continue nurturing and developing our various age group teams, which under Zainudin Nordin (current FAS president) have been doing well.
What, in your opinion, are the most important value-adds of a die-hard football fan?
Attend both home and away games without fail (unless exigencies call). Wear apparel that reflects your support. At the games, cheer vociferously in unison with other supporters. Come whether the game is important or not. Keep coming whether or not the team is winning or losing. If opportunity arises, encourage the players, for example, shake their hands, hug them, send them a card, cheer them when they are on the move – and all the more so, if they are losing their games!
Were you a fanatical football fan during your teens? Please recall one or two of the most memorable matches you’re seen as a fan.
I’ve watched many Malaysia Cup games at the National Stadium. I recall the likes of Arshad Khamis, V. Kanisen, Mohd Noh, Arumugam (the ‘Spiderman’ goalkeeper), Soh Chin Aun (The ‘Towkay’), Dollah Salleh, the Bakar brothers from Penang. I remember standing right at the top of the National Stadium at one of the matches soaking in the entire atmosphere. It was great!
Please trace your football playing moments. I believe you were a striker and enjoyed scoring goals.
No, I was not a striker, a bit short for that. My favourite position was right or central midfield. I’ve captained every team I’ve played with and the midfield was the best position to be at. I am not particularly skilful with the ball, no mazy runs like Quah Kim Song, but an aggressive midfielder who tries to win the ball and then spread it around, more like Billy Bremner of Leeds United.
A memorable moment? Learning that the offside rule does not apply in seven-a-side games! Playing for National Junior College (NJC) against Raffles Institution (RI), I raised my hand to the referee thinking that he would blow for offside when an RI player, whom I was marking, scored a goal.
I still remember the referee shaking his head and saying: “No offside”.
How fanatical is the Ho family, being footballing (or sporting) fans?
I courted my wife through sports. She played badminton for Singapore University (SU). I played football for SU. We were at the Biennial Inter-varsity Games (BIG) games in Jakarta in 1976. I started showing my interest in her then. Between my wife and me, we played the following sports competitively when younger, track and field (she won a gold medal in high jump, representing Singapore Primary Schools against Malaysian schools in Penang in 1966), badminton, netball, biddy basketball and rugby.
We have three sporty girls, now aged 30, 26 and 20. They represented school, college, university in games such as netball, basketball, football, softball, table tennis, touch rugby and athletics. As you know, I believe strongly in the value of sports in inculcating positive values in our young people and in bonding families. My family and I live it!
From your political years, who were the members of Parliament (MPs) and/or ministers who were football fans? The most memorable politician-footballer?
There were many, some more skilful than others, but all very passionate.
Yatiman Yusof played despite a heart problem. Abdullah Tarmugi was not that mobile, but sent his son to strengthen our MPs’ team! Lee Yiok Seng tried hard and injured himself. Others like Leong Horn Kee, Davinder Singh, Loh Meng See, R Ravindran and R. Sinnakaruppan sportingly donned their gear when called upon. A great bunch!
They did it, the kids I mean
By Abhijit Nag
“If there be a paradise on earth, it is here, it is here,” proclaims the inscription at the entrance of a famous Mughal building in India. The existence, location and admission rules of the Pearly Gates are open to debate. But if heaven is a state of mind for a moment in time, this correspondent experienced it on August 9 off Marina Bay in Singapore. No kidding, the experience was validated by the sighting of the Father, the Son and the Holy Goh.
Jokes aside, it felt wonderful to be at the National Day Parade (NDP) 2013. It was dazzling, heartwarming. A great show was put up largely by the kids of Singapore.
But the first lump in the throat this correspondent experienced was when the giant screen on the stage showed the old man. He looked so fragile, wispy-haired, rheumy-eyed – the man who with his team built this Singapore that celebrated 48 years of independence yesterday.
To recall an old rock’n’roll hit he won’t approve, you can’t judge a book by looking at the cover. Appearances can be deceptive. On the rare occasions he speaks, he is still as insightful as ever. But he was there only to be seen, not heard, yesterday when all the noise was made by ordinary Singaporeans – the parade participants and the cheering spectators.
True to NDP tradition, the leaders did not speechify, exhort, leaning back on their chairs instead or waving flags as the participants marched, sang and generally made whoopee. It was Singapore like no other day and everyone seemed to be enjoying the break, including a smiling President Tony Tan, who shook hands with a cartoon character. Really.
I saw the future of Singapore and it looked bright. Happy, smiling, singing, dancing, cheering, the bubbly kids who seemed to be everywhere at the parade really made a difference. Whoever came up with the idea of making NDP 2013 a children’s special should be signed up as a campaign manager by someone or the other for the next general election. This dude really knows how to work the crowd. I could not help smiling at the kids who gave out balloons, kacang puteh, and showed us how to do the Singapore wave. Their happiness, their enthusiasm, was infectious.
I wonder how many oldies like me chuckled when Gurmit Singh & Co sang, “We built this city on rock and roll”. That was a hit for Jefferson Starship. Grace Slick and her original band, Jefferson Airplane, are probably best known for their hit, White Rabbit, which was about Alice in Wonderland and, some say, drugs.
I am old enough to remember a time when hip young men did not want to come to Singapore because they would have to cut their precious, long hair. Now it is Singaporeans who want fewer foreigners working and living in their midst, but everyone can twist and shout – at least, on the dance floor. Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel , the Rolling Stones – almost all my idols have by now performed in Singapore.
Yes, Singapore has changed. Caught in the excitement of the Pop Quiz where the spectators answered questions about Singapore, my wife said: “Singapore really knows how to bring the people together.” That certainly seemed true at NDP 2013 where everyone seemed to be cheering and waving flags or light sticks or making a racket with rattling clappers when not taking pictures with their cameras or smartphones.
Thank goodness it happens only once a year. Aren’ t you supposed to go to heaven only once?
Why not a party?
By Tan Bah Bah
The buntings are up for the National Day Parade or NDP, as most Singaporeans would refer to the national bash. Once a year, Singaporeans from every section of society get together to celebrate the country’s birthday – with much pomp and glory. But is the dancing, singing, flag-waving getting a little repetitive? Many approach the event with both a burst of pride and patriotism and a sense of déjà vu.
There had always been something stirring about the sight of Lee Kuan Yew (when he was in his ramrod prime) arriving to take his place on the VIP dais. Loud applause would greet him as his motorcade rolled in. Thunderous cheers would break out as he emerged and waved at the crowd. Similar palpable excitement would ripple through the audience, albeit mixed with increasing nostalgia and acceptance of mortality, in the last few years, as a less vigorous but still determined Lee joined his fellow MPs.
In the post-LKY era, the arrivals of the Prime Minister and the President (complete with 21-gun salute), the playing of the national anthem and, lately, the reciting of the National Pledge continue to be some of the highlights of every NDP. The symbols of statehood are reinforced again and again into the national psyche.
NPD also offers an opportunity to showcase many aspects of Singapore life – the reassuring military hardware and capability (the jetfighter flypast, helicoptered flag and precision parachute jumps), the community and civic groups, business fraternity, youths, culture, drills, fireworks and general song and dance.
The big question, 47 NDPs later, is: Do we now squeeze the format into an all too familiar routine – and risk the parade being as exciting as making or drinking
3-in-1 coffee? Or should we let the customers suggest other interesting ways to keep the brew fresh – and let it become something to look forward to, to enjoy every year, instead of an event which may have outlived its usefulness?
We do not necessarily have to settle down into a top-down , centralised, over-controlled, politically correct, picture-perfect parade year in, year out.
Try new approaches. Here are some thoughts and ideas, culled by this writer from Singaporeans who have taken part in the NDP as well as watched and interacted as spectators with their rattles, whistles and torchlights.
- Cut down the propaganda: The NDP is neither the right place nor the occasion to preach productivity or filial piety or trumpet the higher tonnage of PSA container ports.
- Periodically, let the various regional communities organise the parade: Encourage them to bring the flavours of their areas into the NDP. One year, Bukit Timah/Ulu Pandan/Holland Village will perhaps have more English-educated types showing off their Shakespearean talents or international perspectives. At another NDP, Ang Mo Kio/Bishan/Toa Payoh will bring in the heartland colours. At yet during other parades, the Central Zone (CBD) and an extremely vibrant West Coast (universities and Sentosa) will keep the proceedings slightly less predictable .
- Invite elected opposition parties: The party must have a minimum of three elected MPs, including non-constituency ones. This would be a logical development in the new normal. After all, the PAP always has a contingent in the parade. Plus, opposition MPs represent Singaporeans and already take part as VIPs in the grandstands.
- Allow a special sports champions group: All recognized sports, or at last those covered by the Singapore National Olympic Council or Football Association of Singapore.
- Make one year a special “care for the handicapped year:” Let the National Pledge be recited by a group of handicapped persons. This would be a highly visible commitment to the cause of a more caring society.
- Hook up live to Singaporeans around the globe: Examples are our ambassadors, students, the Singapore diaspora (however small), businessmen, travellers in off-the-beaten-track places, such as Mt Everest or Afghanistan. They can just wish the country “happy birthday” or the masters of ceremonies can have a conversation with them.
- Work towards a more relaxed parade: Emphasize on the celebratory part of NDP. It is about time to let go. This cosmopolitan society has enough creative instincts to do a good job of organizing and enjoying a great party.
Happy birthday, Singapore!
Tan Bah Bah is a retired journalist. He was a senior leader writer/columnist with The Straits Times and managing editor of a local magazine company.
Ah Singapore! Sweet relief
Look who is loosening up. Singapore wants freedom of speech – on s***.
No offence meant. While the four-letter word, usually fudged by asterisks in print, did not escape the lips of the Singapore envoy, the message was clear. Singapore wants free and candid airing of privy problems to ensure everyone gets a proper shake in a restroom.
If you are not privy to this, you have been probably been following the news in the Straits Times. To recap the news, Singapore’s first ever resolution was passed by the United Nations last month — to declare Nov 19 World Toilet Day. That made the front page of the Straits Times.
But here’s what it did not add. This is from the AFP report:
“I am sure there will be laughter among the press and the public when it is reported that the UN is declaring a World Toilet Day,” said Singapore charge d’affaires Mark Neo before a unanimous UN General Assembly vote in favour of the measure. “Their laughter is welcome, especially if they recognise the prevailing and unhealthy taboo that prevents an open and serious discussion of the problems of sanitation and toilets globally,” Neo told the 193-member assembly.
Note the words: “open and serious discussion” of …. Yes, s*** in a nutshell.
Unfortunately, it’s not always flushed away. There are still plenty of places where it dries in the bushes, bakes in the soil … yech! You don’t want to go there, but we can’t turn a blind eye to the problems of the millions of people who are still deprived of toilets.
That’s what the Singapore envoy said. And if anyone thinks it potty – this focus on fecal matters – that view is not shared by the UN General Assembly. It voted unanimously for the Singapore resolution. For a good reason, too. As the resolution noted, of the world’s seven billion people, six billion have mobile phones. However, only 4.5 billion have access to toilets or latrines – meaning that 2.5 billion people, mostly in rural areas, do not have proper sanitation. In addition, 1.1 billion people still defecate in the open.
Open-air defecation is “extremely harmful” to public health, the assembly noted. Ending open defecation will lead to “a 35 per cent reduction of diarrhoea, which results in over 750,000 deaths of children under five years of age every year,” said Neo. He also pointed out that “without safe and private toilets women and girls face the threat of violence when they go out of their homes to relieve themselves”.
It is interesting that Neo was talking about problems – lack of toilets, open-air defecation –faced by other countries, not Singapore.
Does it mean Singapore is taking more interest in the lives of other people? For, after all, this was the first UN resolution proposed by Singapore. How apt that the “Air-Conditioned Nation” should propose a World Toilet Day!
While others talk of freedom and democracy, Singapore is concerned about health and hygiene.
The UN resolution could be seen as the Singapore addendum to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The latter’s Article 25 says: “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.” The new resolution adds a specific , calling for better sanitation.
It’s a victory for Singapore’s “Mr Toilet” Jack Sim, who expressed relief at the UN resolution. “It feels like I won the Nobel Prize for sanitation,” he said. The World Toilet Organisation he founded in 2001 has celebrated November 19 as World Toilet Day all these years. Now the UN has joined the celebration, too, just as he wanted.
He duly thanked George Yeo, who made it possible. The former foreign minister impressed by his good work put him in touch with the foreign ministry, which helped him meet the UN delegates in April. The rest, as they say, is history. Nobody dumped on the Singapore motion for universal , healthy, hygienic toilet breaks.