<![CDATA[Singapore for Singaporeans?]]>The people want it.

The politicians say it.
The economists dread it.
And the press loved it.

Amid the chaos that reeks of intoxication, xenophobia and opportunism that resulted from the wreckage of the Ferrari crash over the weekend, it appears that the simmering discontent we natural-born Singaporeans have, over being elbowed from what \"rightfully\" belongs to us, is finally coming to a head.

\"Singapore for Singaporeans\". What does it really mean? In its literal sense, it seems to imply that Singaporeans must be given first rights of refusal for everything Singapore, especially when there is a shortage.

First rights to register in Primary Schools.
First rights to good jobs in Singapore.
First rights to that empty seat in the MRT train.

It makes perfect sense. After all, it is our country. Non-Singaporeans should respect our way of life, and abide by our rules and regulations, which are mostly made in good sense, such as \"Don't Drink and Drive\". (Of course, there are exceptions, such as \"Don't Chew Gum and Ride\" because it makes us look like \"cows\".)

But herein lies the fallacy of those very 3 words. If Singapore is for Singaporeans who expect to \"own\" the fruits of the labour of Singaporeans, then we must be prepared to accept these fruits, no matter how bitter they may taste.

I rejoiced when I heard the news of Singapore rejoining the Malaysia Cup. But try as I may, I could not recapture the zest and excitement in following the Singapore team through its matches. Gone were the days when I followed with extreme pride and admiration of the exploits of the Sons of Singapore: Quah Kim Song, Fandi Ahmad, Edmund Wee... I know they are not the best in the world, nor even close to being the best, but they are ordinary Singaporean, and so they represent me: an ordinary Singaporean. I celebrated when they succeeded. I cried when they failed. For me, that's what Singapore is: a group of people who never say die, even though they know they maybe outmatched and outclassed by their opponents. No one gets to put us in our place, but ourselves.

I remembered the pride I had when we had our National Stadium, and the awe and joy of being in it to watch the National Day parade. It's not the best in the world, nor even close to being the best. But it is ours. It is Singapore's.

We are immune to all these now, being plugged in and aware of the on-goings in other countries. Universal Studios' in Singapore? I've seen better in Orlando. Marina Bay Sands? Ho-hum. Been there, done that. And I don't feel the same kind of pride with our China-imports winning table-tennis championships. Of course this doesn't do justice to the gallant efforts put in by those athletes. But it is just not the same.

We are always hungry for the best, and we want it right here, right now. We do not believe that we ourselves have the capability of achieving the best, so we do what all savvy businessmen will do - outsource the job. We'll bring in people who are the best, so that we can short-cut our way to success. It's a sure-win formula - fastest time-to-market, greatest agility in responding to changes in demand.

The penalty we pay for always looking for quick-wins is our loss of identity, our sense of belonging. It is true that blades of grass survive better than old oaks because they can bend in acquiescence to strong wind. It is also true that nobody remembers blades of grass, but everyone remembers the old oak tree that fell during the last thunderstorm.

For those who believe that doubling Singapore's population with FT is the solution to the long-term viability of our country, I will counter that it is actually a short-term solution that could do irreparable long-term damage to our social fabric, if it has not already been done.

To date, what new innovations do we, as Singaporeans, really have to be proud of? SIA and PSA? Sure enough, but they are successful by virtue of support from the government as they operate key economic infrastructures. The only companies worth mentioning are Creative and Trek, and both have their fortunes severely diminished over the last 10 years. I don't recall the government making any effort to encourage Singaporeans to buy Creative products, despite it being a true-blue Singaporean company. These are the trailblazers who have cut a path for us, only to see the path overgrown with weeds due to our lack of support in following that path. We lament our lack of entrepreneurs and talent, so we import. Yes, import and use foreign talents we did, from football players to bank CEOs.

And yet, no company will ever outsource the development of their IP to 3rd parties on market contracts. IBM did it back in the 80s with a small project involving a toy called the \"personal computer\" just so they can put up-start Apple in its place, and almost died a decade later when they lost control of the very innovation they gave birth to. No, it is difficult to trust an outsider to design and build solutions for you that you will be eventually dependent on for your livelihood. Apple recognised this because it has learnt its lesson much earlier from its first battles with Apple II clones. Few companies are more anal than Apple when it comes to controlling the secrecy of its devices from engineering to marketing.

In short, I am not against FT in Singapore. On the contrary, I welcome them as people we can learn from, but not people that we can depend on, because these people will simply pack up and go when push comes to shove, leaving us holding the baby. But it IS our baby after all, and as KiasuSingaporeans we all want the best for it, because it is up to us to bring it up the best we can.

So borrowing from the Kennedy-ian phrase \"ask not what the country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country\", perhaps it is time that we as Singaporeans do a bit of soul-searching. Instead of thinking that Singapore's goodies should only be for Singaporeans, let us ask ourselves: what can we, as Singaporeans, do for Singapore? What can we do to recapture the pride of being a Singaporean?

It is not about going to climb a mountain buck naked or hanging a phone in our cleavages during the world cup just to get famous (though I do remember Paraguay because of that 🙂 )

It's about doing things together as Singaporeans, to create a new Singapore identity that we can all subscribe to and feel proud about. It's about not looking down on the achievements of fellow Singaporeans. It's about giving our first right of refusal to Singaporean-made products and services, to give our fledging entrepreneurs a chance to at least grow. They may not be the best now, but they may never be the best if they are always in the shadow of someone else perceived to be better.

I want my children to be Singaporeans who are as proud to be Singaporeans as I used to be, not because of the achievements of our fathers, but of achievements that they create themselves. I want my children to know that they can be world-class and compete with the best, as long as they are willing to put in their heart, sweat and tears.

The question is not about FTs eating our lunch. The question is whether we even know what it means to be a Singaporean.

Let us all be Singaporeans, for Singapore.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/topic/35815/singapore-for-singaporeansRSS for NodeFri, 08 May 2026 03:55:03 GMTThu, 17 May 2012 10:27:45 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Singapore for Singaporeans? on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 17:08:02 GMT]]>Should give tickets to all citizens, maybe on rotation basis - like 1k for IC no starts with 10, 11, 12, etc (for older generation) and those starts with birth year. For the following year then continue from last no. Think it's fairer this way so all will get a chance to go unless wait until kick bucket then too bad. I don't bother to ballot cos don't think got chance. I know there are those who get to go every year cos of certain connections ma cham Singapore belongs to them. :frustrated:

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/804334https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/804334Tue, 24 Jul 2012 17:08:02 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Singapore for Singaporeans? on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 14:39:32 GMT]]>

mummy_goh:
lim72:



Could they be the new citizens? Like all new citizens will get to attend one NDP so as to INTEGRATE???

Oh, didn't know that all new citizens will be given ndp tickets..
Hmmmm... Then the more they should stand up when our national anthem is been played... :imcool:

Totally not true

No such thing as free ndp tkt for new citizens

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/804267https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/804267Tue, 24 Jul 2012 14:39:32 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Singapore for Singaporeans? on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 13:26:03 GMT]]>

lim72:


Could they be the new citizens? Like all new citizens will get to attend one NDP so as to INTEGRATE???
Oh, didn't know that all new citizens will be given ndp tickets..
Hmmmm... Then the more they should stand up when our national anthem is been played... :imcool:

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/804217https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/804217Tue, 24 Jul 2012 13:26:03 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Singapore for Singaporeans? on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 04:39:16 GMT]]>

mummy_goh:
I do not know if this is an :offtopic: here.


But my parents went for one of the NDP previewS recently as my younger brother is a performer this year. Apparently there are many non Singaporeans at the preview (namely the prc), and they dont even bother to stand up during national anthem and pledge recitation..

I think it's a lack of respect.. Plus most of the Singaporeans don't even get a chance to go for the preview.. Not to mention the actual day parade..

I have heard of cases when non Singaporeans are given tickets for actual parade. I just feel that the chances of obtaining tickets from balloting for both preview and actual day are just too slim..
Could they be the new citizens? Like all new citizens will get to attend one NDP so as to INTEGRATE???

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/803759https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/803759Tue, 24 Jul 2012 04:39:16 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Singapore for Singaporeans? on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 04:35:56 GMT]]>Same here. We put in all the names in the family including all Ah Gongs and Ah Mas all these years but never once we are successful with these balloting!

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/803756https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/803756Tue, 24 Jul 2012 04:35:56 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Singapore for Singaporeans? on Sun, 22 Jul 2012 12:44:27 GMT]]>Me too! :sad:


Lucky now our DC all have a chance to attend the preview as part of their national education programme in P5. 😄

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/802330https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/802330Sun, 22 Jul 2012 12:44:27 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Singapore for Singaporeans? on Sun, 22 Jul 2012 12:29:04 GMT]]>I never never got NDP tics before after countless tries of balloting …

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/802325https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/802325Sun, 22 Jul 2012 12:29:04 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Singapore for Singaporeans? on Sun, 22 Jul 2012 09:48:20 GMT]]>I do not know if this is an :offtopic: here.


But my parents went for one of the NDP previewS recently as my younger brother is a performer this year. Apparently there are many non Singaporeans at the preview (namely the prc), and they dont even bother to stand up during national anthem and pledge recitation..

I think it's a lack of respect.. Plus most of the Singaporeans don't even get a chance to go for the preview.. Not to mention the actual day parade..

I have heard of cases when non Singaporeans are given tickets for actual parade. I just feel that the chances of obtaining tickets from balloting for both preview and actual day are just too slim..

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/802274https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/802274Sun, 22 Jul 2012 09:48:20 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Singapore for Singaporeans? on Thu, 12 Jul 2012 07:34:05 GMT]]>

verykiasu2010:
fightingmom:

[quote=\"concern2\"]Flags everywhere. ND approaching. Are you excited? Will you be putting up our national flag?


Oh yes ! Every year ,without fail, we will hang our flag at the window ledge area. :rahrah:

your flag ? or the national flag ?[/quote]Singapore flag

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/794581https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/794581Thu, 12 Jul 2012 07:34:05 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Singapore for Singaporeans? on Thu, 12 Jul 2012 00:34:23 GMT]]>

fightingmom:
verykiasu2010:

[quote=\"fightingmom\"]

Oh yes ! Every year ,without fail, we will hang our flag at the window ledge area. :rahrah:

your flag ? or the national flag ?

Wah liew , vks2010! Is this supposed to be a 欠扁问答题？ :nunchuk:

😉[/quote] :hi5: :rotflmao:

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/794132https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/794132Thu, 12 Jul 2012 00:34:23 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Singapore for Singaporeans? on Wed, 11 Jul 2012 13:18:02 GMT]]>

verykiasu2010:
fightingmom:

[quote=\"concern2\"]Flags everywhere. ND approaching. Are you excited? Will you be putting up our national flag?


Oh yes ! Every year ,without fail, we will hang our flag at the window ledge area. :rahrah:

your flag ? or the national flag ?[/quote]Wah liew , vks2010! Is this supposed to be a 欠扁问答题？ :nunchuk:

😉

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/793923https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/793923Wed, 11 Jul 2012 13:18:02 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Singapore for Singaporeans? on Wed, 11 Jul 2012 12:57:38 GMT]]>

fightingmom:
concern2:

Flags everywhere. ND approaching. Are you excited? Will you be putting up our national flag?


Oh yes ! Every year ,without fail, we will hang our flag at the window ledge area. :rahrah:

your flag ? or the national flag ?

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/793906https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/793906Wed, 11 Jul 2012 12:57:38 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Singapore for Singaporeans? on Wed, 11 Jul 2012 09:52:17 GMT]]>

fightingmom:
concern2:

Flags everywhere. ND approaching. Are you excited? Will you be putting up our national flag?


Oh yes ! Every year ,without fail, we will hang our flag at the window ledge area. :rahrah:

Wa, fightingmom, you're good ah. I see my neighbor lagi better, hang them out all-year-round until it is faded - and it is still there...

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/793796https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/793796Wed, 11 Jul 2012 09:52:17 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Singapore for Singaporeans? on Wed, 11 Jul 2012 09:45:01 GMT]]>

concern2:
Flags everywhere. ND approaching. Are you excited? Will you be putting up our national flag?

Oh yes ! Every year ,without fail, we will hang our flag at the window ledge area. :rahrah:

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/793790https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/793790Wed, 11 Jul 2012 09:45:01 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Singapore for Singaporeans? on Wed, 11 Jul 2012 09:38:34 GMT]]>Flags everywhere. ND approaching. Are you excited? Will you be putting up our national flag?

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/793782https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/793782Wed, 11 Jul 2012 09:38:34 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Singapore for Singaporeans? on Thu, 05 Jul 2012 13:09:36 GMT]]>

jedamum:
ksi:


:rotflmao: :rotflmao: Buy tomorrow's issue lor.... trying to do customer retention with an alternative product.

i went to buy shoe the sales girl said size 7 is out, do i want to try a size 6. 😓

Yup yup yup! This ever happened to me! And for a good few seconds I was trying to decide if my ears heard right!? :slapshead: in the end, that sales guy repeated three times before I decided I heard right and I asked him, \" do you seriously think size 35 can fit me if size 36 is too small for me?\"

He still got the cheek to reply,\"sorry ma'am, I don't think so...\" :rant: :frustrated:

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/790003https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/790003Thu, 05 Jul 2012 13:09:36 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Singapore for Singaporeans? on Thu, 05 Jul 2012 12:51:18 GMT]]>

ksi:
jedamum:

[quote=\"ksi\"]
:rotflmao: :rotflmao: Buy tomorrow's issue lor.... trying to do customer retention with an alternative product.

i went to buy shoe the sales girl said size 7 is out, do i want to try a size 6. 😓

:rotflmao: :rotflmao: provided she said the cutting for this shoe design was bigger, then she had a case otherwise it would be a stretch on the imagination... 😉[/quote]i thought i read cutting the feet to fit the shoes

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/789994https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/789994Thu, 05 Jul 2012 12:51:18 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Singapore for Singaporeans? on Thu, 05 Jul 2012 06:09:33 GMT]]>

patagonia:
Imami:

[quote=\"daisyt\"]Once I asked a PRC bus driver, how much is the bus fare from the bus stop I am boarding to the interchange (3 bus stops only), he 说话： ＂不是很贵＂(not very expensive). I was speechless. The reason of me asking was because I knew there was this bus with fixed fare but I forgot what the number was and I wanted to avoid that bus.


:rotflmao: :rotflmao: :slapshead:

I went to a 7-11 to buy newspapers. The cashier told me it's sold out, come back tomorrow![/quote] :rotflmao: :rotflmao:

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/789751https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/789751Thu, 05 Jul 2012 06:09:33 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Singapore for Singaporeans? on Thu, 05 Jul 2012 05:51:29 GMT]]>

jedamum:
ksi:


:rotflmao: :rotflmao: Buy tomorrow's issue lor.... trying to do customer retention with an alternative product.

i went to buy shoe the sales girl said size 7 is out, do i want to try a size 6. 😓

:rotflmao: :rotflmao: provided she said the cutting for this shoe design was bigger, then she had a case otherwise it would be a stretch on the imagination... 😉

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/789741https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/789741Thu, 05 Jul 2012 05:51:29 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Singapore for Singaporeans? on Thu, 05 Jul 2012 04:49:43 GMT]]>

ksi:

:rotflmao: :rotflmao: Buy tomorrow's issue lor.... trying to do customer retention with an alternative product.
i went to buy shoe the sales girl said size 7 is out, do i want to try a size 6. 😓

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/789692https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/789692Thu, 05 Jul 2012 04:49:43 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Singapore for Singaporeans? on Thu, 05 Jul 2012 04:28:45 GMT]]>

patagonia:
Imami:

[quote=\"daisyt\"]Once I asked a PRC bus driver, how much is the bus fare from the bus stop I am boarding to the interchange (3 bus stops only), he 说话： ＂不是很贵＂(not very expensive). I was speechless. The reason of me asking was because I knew there was this bus with fixed fare but I forgot what the number was and I wanted to avoid that bus.


:rotflmao: :rotflmao: :slapshead:

I went to a 7-11 to buy newspapers. The cashier told me it's sold out, come back tomorrow![/quote] :rotflmao: :rotflmao: Buy tomorrow's issue lor.... trying to do customer retention with an alternative product.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/789672https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/789672Thu, 05 Jul 2012 04:28:45 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Singapore for Singaporeans? on Thu, 05 Jul 2012 03:59:20 GMT]]>

Imami:
daisyt:

Once I asked a PRC bus driver, how much is the bus fare from the bus stop I am boarding to the interchange (3 bus stops only), he 说话： ＂不是很贵＂(not very expensive). I was speechless. The reason of me asking was because I knew there was this bus with fixed fare but I forgot what the number was and I wanted to avoid that bus.


:rotflmao: :rotflmao: :slapshead:

I went to a 7-11 to buy newspapers. The cashier told me it's sold out, come back tomorrow!

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/789649https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/789649Thu, 05 Jul 2012 03:59:20 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Singapore for Singaporeans? on Wed, 04 Jul 2012 08:05:40 GMT]]>Telephoned restaurant to make reservation for dinner, and leave name as eg. Mr Tan or Mrs Wong. The waiter (definitely not local) who answered the phone call actually had to ask, can you spell "tan" or "wong", such common surnames some more…

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/789060https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/789060Wed, 04 Jul 2012 08:05:40 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Singapore for Singaporeans? on Wed, 04 Jul 2012 07:42:18 GMT]]>Singapore (Listeni/ˈsɪŋəpɔər/ SI-ngə-pohr), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, 137 kilometres (85 mi) north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia’s Riau Islands by the Singapore Strait to its south. Singapore is highly urbanised but almost half of the country is covered by greenery. More land is being created for development through land reclamation.


Singapore had been a part of various local empires since it was first inhabited in the second century AD. Modern Singapore was founded as a trading post of the East India Company by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1819 with permission from the Sultanate of Johor. The British obtained full sovereignty over the island in 1824 and Singapore became one of the British Straits Settlements in 1826. Singapore was occupied by the Japanese in World War II and reverted to British rule after the war. It became internally self-governing in 1959. Singapore united with other former British territories to form Malaysia in 1963 and became a fully independent state two years later after separation from Malaysia. Since then it has had a massive increase in wealth, and is one of the Four Asian Tigers. The economy depends heavily on the industry and service sectors. Singapore is a world leader in several areas: It is the world’s fourth-leading financial centre, the world’s second-biggest casino gambling market, and the world’s third-largest oil refining centre.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/789041https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/789041Wed, 04 Jul 2012 07:42:18 GMT