Singapore – The PSP has shared a video highlighting the “Spirit of Singapore” while touching on current issues such as the high cost of living and retirement as confirmed by the people themselves.
On Tuesday (March 3), opposition party Progress Singapore Party uploaded a throwback video on their Facebook page which featured Singapore of the past and the people’s perspectives on the country’s transformation throughout the years.
“Since my days as a doctor and member of Parliament, [I would ask], ‘Is this in the interest of Singaporeans? I must look after the people,'” wrote Dr Tan Cheng Bock, PSP’s Secretary-General, at the introduction. The video was a montage of different individuals, with some reminiscing on the past while others focused on today’s issues.
Many have noticed the numerous changes that have happened in Singapore, from the now quiet Kallang Roar that once held the Malaysia Cup and brought the whole nation together as “one Singaporean identity” to the continuous increase of the cost of living. One would need to have a higher salary to keep up, said one individual in the video. “If you observe carefully, most Singaporeans will feel the impact in the long term,” he said.
From the perspective of a university student, such changes have caused students to apply for courses that would give them the highest starting income when they enter the workforce. “And a lot of people will go into professions that they do not enjoy because of the higher starting income,” said the student. “This usually comes with poor-work-life balance and poor working conditions. I can see a lot of my peers and even seniors go out there and suffer in the workplace,” she added.
Meanwhile, another individual mentioned the reputation of Singapore as a “rich country” yet has its senior citizens still working. “We are known to be a rich country yet we have a lot of old people working and some of my friends from overseas they ask me ‘Your country is so rich why do you have old people working so hard collecting cardboards and selling tissues?'”
The video noted how there is a need to focus on other aspects like age, gender, disabilities, or mental health on top of the diversity that Singapore is known to embrace. “The government has been reusing the same answers for the past 50 years,” said the university student. “But I think in the new world, these answers are no longer sufficient.”
“You must walk on the ground to understand how we live,” said one uncle. “The government has to understand and empathise with the people,” he added.
Others described the Singapore spirit through the eclectic mix of its food, the Western and traditional blend of its cultures, the convergence of people from different backgrounds, and the ability to work together to build up the country.
Watch the video below:
https://www.facebook.com/progresssingaporepartyofficial/videos/192307542059406/?v=192307542059406
Many netizens shared that they too miss the old Singapore with its “unique identity.”
