9 April 2003,
School�s back on track.
Alas.
But it was a messy day, and I�m expecting that to continue to tomorrow. Sheesh. Received news that I�m in the LD production. Yeah. I think a competition would be better � so that I can prove my worth. And may the best man win.
The recent class discussion over whether Singapore has a possibility in merging with Malaysia has given me fresh thoughts on my identity as a Singaporean. Should economic growth be our preoccupation? Should the need to ensure everyone has a high standard of wealth overrule our existence as a country? Sure. A government has the responsibility to take care of his people, particularly so for a patriarchic leadership of Singapore. Yet I wonder should the rosy picture of the future painted by the authorities come crashing down, will Singaporeans stay by this country? Or will they take on the expected trait of the citizenry here � that of pragmatism?
Lots of rhetorical questions, yet no answers can be obtained through simple deduction. Many people believe, including the father of the independence of Singaporean pragmatism himself, that Singapore cannot survive alone � it is only a matter of time that it will fall. To who? We don�t know, presumably Malaysia. For economic reasons? Why, yes definitely. Precisely because of Singapore�s approach towards developing progress and prosperity, many people have seen that as the top priority above anything. We sacrificed an active civil society in the name of peace � to attract foreign investors. We taught students to learn to study for the sake of a degree � a perceived to be guaranteed path to a good job, before we taught them to love the nation. Degrees. Degrees. Degrees. For the sake of good jobs which means easy money. What have we turned into?
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7:42 pm