1. "Joseph Schooling wins historic bronze at World Championships - CNA 8 August 2015
Schooling bags Singapore's first-ever medal at the World Championships with a bronze in the 100m butterfly final on Saturday night (Aug 8)."
Well done Joseph!! You have achieved a historic first for Singapore on the eve of the 50th birthday! What a present to the nation!
Keep you head on your shoulder and your feet on the ground and you can achieve a LOT MORE beyond the sporting arena!
2. "Singaporeans should celebrate nation's journey most of all: PM Lee - CNA 8 August 2015
"Most of all let us celebrate how we journeyed from Third World to First, as one united people, leaving no one behind," says Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in his SG50 National Day Message.
Every citizen has benefitted from Singapore's progress. Life has improved for all – for Chinese, Malays, Indians and Eurasians; for blue collar as well as white collar workers; for HDB as well as condominium dwellers. We are a nation of home owners. Everyone has opportunities to improve themselves. Everyone can look forward to a brighter future."
We have achieved MUCH. No doubt whatsoever! It was a miracle that Singapore survived and surprised many doubters to be where it is today.
Lessons for me are:
1. much of the credit have to go to the 1st generation political leaders and the hardworking and obedient first generation workers of all races. They DO have common causes to work towards. That period needed iron-willed and farsighted leaders to chart a course and lead an unquestioning force to move ahead and just do it! It worked then. It worked splendidly actually. That were the 1st 30 years;
2. The last 20 years are a different animal from my perspective despite the continued growth in the economy and wealth created. Wealth created from the 'appreciating homes - public and private', from 'importing of foreigners to support and grow the economic pie', and from 'financial products proliferation and innovation', etc. Most people's income increased too. YET, the question of sustainability persists in my mind. Maybe I am too conservative and pessimistic. Maybe I am wrong about my misgiving on the sustainability of these strategies or methods. I hope I am wrong. Still, there is no guarantee that I am wrong!;
3. the soft power or soft measures of Singapore as a 1st world nation still leaves much to catch up and improve upon. E.g. gracefulness in most, if not all, citizens and residents - can we keep things neat and clean without an army of low-waged foreign workers? e.g. unrealistic expectation of a nation where the 'middle class' looks to the government to 'subsidise and provide freebies and goodies' to them? e.g. the continued denial that one has to pay well or one will get 'corrupted monkeys if ones pay peanuts'? e.g. the continued failure to attract talented Singaporeans from the private sector to serve the nation as political leaders resulting in over reliance on the public sector and the armed forces to provide these 'talents'?
How can we have talented Singaporeans would will serve the nation because they KNOW they are needed and it is a THANKLESS task? It is a calling! It has to be an emotional decision as the rational mind would have said NO as entering into public services as MPs and Ministers mean: losing privacy, much higher standard of behaviours and expectations are heaped on them, etc BESIDES the millions in pay that supposedly compensate them for these SACRIFICES!
I am interested in the next 50 years. Can the status quo cut it? NO! An empathic NO in my opinion. Will we have 'truly one united people' if business is as usual? Again, NO! We have to work harder on the soft power of our citizens. Love to learn WHERE the 1st world government think we should start!
Schooling bags Singapore's first-ever medal at the World Championships with a bronze in the 100m butterfly final on Saturday night (Aug 8)."
Well done Joseph!! You have achieved a historic first for Singapore on the eve of the 50th birthday! What a present to the nation!
Keep you head on your shoulder and your feet on the ground and you can achieve a LOT MORE beyond the sporting arena!
2. "Singaporeans should celebrate nation's journey most of all: PM Lee - CNA 8 August 2015
"Most of all let us celebrate how we journeyed from Third World to First, as one united people, leaving no one behind," says Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in his SG50 National Day Message.
Every citizen has benefitted from Singapore's progress. Life has improved for all – for Chinese, Malays, Indians and Eurasians; for blue collar as well as white collar workers; for HDB as well as condominium dwellers. We are a nation of home owners. Everyone has opportunities to improve themselves. Everyone can look forward to a brighter future."
We have achieved MUCH. No doubt whatsoever! It was a miracle that Singapore survived and surprised many doubters to be where it is today.
Lessons for me are:
1. much of the credit have to go to the 1st generation political leaders and the hardworking and obedient first generation workers of all races. They DO have common causes to work towards. That period needed iron-willed and farsighted leaders to chart a course and lead an unquestioning force to move ahead and just do it! It worked then. It worked splendidly actually. That were the 1st 30 years;
2. The last 20 years are a different animal from my perspective despite the continued growth in the economy and wealth created. Wealth created from the 'appreciating homes - public and private', from 'importing of foreigners to support and grow the economic pie', and from 'financial products proliferation and innovation', etc. Most people's income increased too. YET, the question of sustainability persists in my mind. Maybe I am too conservative and pessimistic. Maybe I am wrong about my misgiving on the sustainability of these strategies or methods. I hope I am wrong. Still, there is no guarantee that I am wrong!;
3. the soft power or soft measures of Singapore as a 1st world nation still leaves much to catch up and improve upon. E.g. gracefulness in most, if not all, citizens and residents - can we keep things neat and clean without an army of low-waged foreign workers? e.g. unrealistic expectation of a nation where the 'middle class' looks to the government to 'subsidise and provide freebies and goodies' to them? e.g. the continued denial that one has to pay well or one will get 'corrupted monkeys if ones pay peanuts'? e.g. the continued failure to attract talented Singaporeans from the private sector to serve the nation as political leaders resulting in over reliance on the public sector and the armed forces to provide these 'talents'?
How can we have talented Singaporeans would will serve the nation because they KNOW they are needed and it is a THANKLESS task? It is a calling! It has to be an emotional decision as the rational mind would have said NO as entering into public services as MPs and Ministers mean: losing privacy, much higher standard of behaviours and expectations are heaped on them, etc BESIDES the millions in pay that supposedly compensate them for these SACRIFICES!
I am interested in the next 50 years. Can the status quo cut it? NO! An empathic NO in my opinion. Will we have 'truly one united people' if business is as usual? Again, NO! We have to work harder on the soft power of our citizens. Love to learn WHERE the 1st world government think we should start!
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