National Day Parade
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singapore behaving like communist countries?
Stirring PeopleÂ’s passion
A grand party to rally a rich but increasingly divided society that is constantly changing.
By Seah Chiang Nee. littlespeck.com
Aug 12, 2007
Singapore not only marks its National Day on a grand scale but has also evolved it into a national icon that stirs the nationÂ’s emotions.
EVERYONE loves a parade, they say, but few embrace the idea more passionately than Singaporeans when it comes to celebrating National Day.
In fact most Western nations which have never been conquered do not observe their National Day as actively as this young republic had done over the past four decades.
The US marks July 4 or Independence Day with plenty of fireworks, family picnics, concerts and baseball games, but – like Canada and other nations outside the communist world – it has no mass parade.
One reason is they may be too big to allow for one big rallying point, so the important holiday means little more than a marching band, political speeches and flag-bedecked buildings.
The Swedes, who have not fought in a modern war, have a guarded attitude towards celebrating a national day. They say theyÂ’re proud of their country but donÂ’t feel any need to show it.
New Zealand does not even have one. “The timing is right for us to actively and positively advance our national identity – starting with a new national day,” said United Future leader Peter Dunne.
Tiny Singapore has gone the other extreme. During the past 41 years, it has not only celebrated it on a grand scale but has also evolved it into a national icon that stirs the nationÂ’s emotions.
On its 42nd birthday bash on Thursday – Aug 9 – it was on a more imaginative scale than before.
For the first time it was held on the worldÂ’s largest floating stage at Marina Bay watched by 27,000 Singaporeans decked out in patriotic red-white shirts.
As I watched the televised parade, my mind recalled pictures that I have seen of a million-strong people marching in Tiananmen after a new China had emerged and wondered if Singapore had copied the concept.
Nothing beats the communists, including North Korea or the former Soviet Union, which used it to flex their missiles and rockets and accompanied by goose-steeping soldiers.
Singapore, too, occasionally showed off its military prowess (including jetfighters screaming overhead) but ThursdayÂ’s parade, like all others, was mostly of a softer, cultural nature of dancing and songs.
The show was put on the Internet for the 150,000 Singaporeans living abroad.
Inspiring songs in four languages filled the air. Discovery Channel ran a documentary about how the nation came into being.
From early independence, the ruling People’s Action Party had realised – as the Chinese communists did in 1949 – that mass public rallies and patriotic songs could instil a sense of pride and unity in the people.
The marching contingents, the roaring crowds and waves of exploding fireworks amplified by loudspeakers have, I am sure, served to quicken the process of nation building.
The PAP saw a special need for the expensive party. Singapore has been through war, communism and communal strife and often feels vulnerable to threats of one form or another.
“Countries like this will use their national days to arouse sentiments of nationalism and rally their citizens,” one foreign journalist said.
Singapore has another crucial objective: Promoting racial ties.
The efficient way the parade was organised reveals much about Singapore and its people, and explains why it has collectively been successful.
Next to cities like Beijing, New Delhi or Pyongyang, which hold much bigger parades, SingaporeÂ’s capability for clockwork organisation is the most telling.
“Hardly a month or two passes at the end of one parade before planning begins on next year’s,” a foreign journalist observed. Thousands of children would stand in line waiting to do their bit.
“In our own country, these kids would wander all over the place. It’s not easy to get nine-year-old’s to stand neatly in line and obey instructions,” said one South-East Asian visitor.
This yearÂ’s rally was held amid a strong economy and high employment, but also widespread price increases that are hitting the pockets of the broad middle and poorer class.
It was fuelled by an increase last month in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) from 5% to 7%.
The spirit of Singaporeans is dampened by rising costs of almost all their daily necessities, including housing, food, public transport and health-care, making life hard for salary earners.
Above all, this is a widening economic gap. In the past five years the wealthiest 20% got richer while the income of the bottom one-fifth shrank.
The worst sufferers are poorly educated senior citizens who find it difficult to find work in SingaporeÂ’s modern economy.
In his National Day message, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said his government would adopt measures to help them find work and increase their retirement savings.
Lee unfolded a string of sterling news about strong growth (7.6% in the first half) and other achievements that could match those during his fatherÂ’s golden era.
Yet the reactions of their respective followers differed sharply. Lee Kuan Yew was widely praised during his time, while the son is finding it hard to rally the younger generation behind him.
Blogger Aaron Ng wrote of the parade: “The amount of euphoria generated ... temporarily suppresses the unhappy feelings of social groups left out of Singapore’s rapid economic development.”
Other critics are unhappy with the governmentÂ’s refusal to allow opposition MPs to hold outdoor National Day dinners in their own constituencies.
The PAP could field a marching contingent and display party flags at the parade, but not the opposition.
“They promised to build an inclusive society that leaves out no one” a cynic remarked. “The parade does not show real inclusiveness.” -
What, can we expect of a government that dishes out Instant Noodle policies?Originally posted by lotus999:singapore behaving like communist countries?
Stirring PeopleÂ’s passion
A grand party to rally a rich but increasingly divided society that is constantly changing.
By Seah Chiang Nee. littlespeck.com
Aug 12, 2007
“They promised to build an inclusive society that leaves out no one” a cynic remarked. “The parade does not show real inclusiveness.”
The results will only be artificially flavored, and not the real deal...
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its Pappy day, not National Day parade..
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I am thinking, though many Singaporeans are patriotic by wearing red and white outfit for the National Day Parade, with regards to loyalty to country like for this qn for example, will you defend singapore if singapore has a war one day, I have serious reservations about it. I apologise if I am being sarcastic and cynical here.
To tell you the truth, I also hesitate when this qn is asked on me. What do u guys feel? -
Originally posted by tanjun:I am thinking, though many Singaporeans are patriotic by wearing red and white outfit for the National Day Parade, with regards to loyalty to country like for this qn for example, will you defend singapore if singapore has a war one day, I have serious reservations about it. I apologise if I am being sarcastic and cynical here.
To tell you the truth, I also hesitate when this qn is asked on me. What do u guys feel?
we shall see...
i know a lot of people will run... if not, why they buy so many overseas properties... -
Mee too.Originally posted by tanjun:I am thinking, though many Singaporeans are patriotic by wearing red and white outfit for the National Day Parade, with regards to loyalty to country like for this qn for example, will you defend singapore if singapore has a war one day, I have serious reservations about it. I apologise if I am being sarcastic and cynical here.
To tell you the truth, I also hesitate when this qn is asked on me. What do u guys feel?
Since the elites got the best of all rewards and salaries. They should be the one(s) to fight the war at the front line!!!
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without national day parade, we won't have any public hols =P
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Originally posted by Lowclassman:
Hey, maybe, just maybe they will be the most motivated fighters.
Mee too.
[b]Since the elites got the best of all rewards and salaries. They should be the one(s) to fight the war at the front line!!! [/b]
Everyone wants to protect their cash and property aye? -
Not if they keep their money safely stashed away in numbered offshore bank accounts, in which case they'd probably be more motivated to fight their way to the airport in times of national crisis.Originally posted by LazerLordz:Hey, maybe, just maybe they will be the most motivated fighters.
Everyone wants to protect their cash and property aye? 
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Originally posted by Lowclassman:
The rich and powerful do not need to serve military when the need comes. How many US ministers' sons and daughters were being sent to Iraq?
Mee too.
[b]Since the elites got the best of all rewards and salaries. They should be the one(s) to fight the war at the front line!!! [/b] -
Will we be defending the nation..
or will we be defending PAP's regime?
That's the difference... -
Yes, we have public holidays all year round. Yeah, we may very likely have another additional public holiday, so be happy!!Originally posted by selfobliged:without national day parade, we won't have any public hols =P -
NDP! I have given up watching! REad so many talked about LHL was "garbra" and that the performance was mostly for the FTs, so I managed to catch a glimpse of the repeat telecast and watched the utube. NOthing fantastic, it was just another PAP Day. LHL really lacks confidence and he looked so stupid! What a substandard overpaid PM Singaporeans have! With the sort of high pay he gets he should be concentrating on what he was supposed to do! Sigh!
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Yeah... Sg has like one of the lowest number of public holidays in the world...Originally posted by qlqq9:Yes, we have public holidays all year round. Yeah, we may very likely have another additional public holiday, so be happy!! -
Yes, as compared to countries like Taiwan and Hong Kong, Singapore has the least PH. Don't worry, like what I said we may likely have another additional public holiday. Just think after the death of LKY, believe they will set the day he dies as a public holiday every year for Singaporeans to commemorate this great leader who rules with tyranny. ha ha ha!!! and may be, we will get 2 public holidays when he dies, one for mourning and the other is the funeral day.Originally posted by eagle:Yeah... Sg has like one of the lowest number of public holidays in the world... -
But he's really smart and has really contributed quite a significant amount to Singapore... And I don't think any of the Old Guards contributed less than him...Originally posted by qlqq9:Yes, as compared to countries like Taiwan and Hong Kong, Singapore has the least PH. Don't worry, like what I said we may likely have another additional public holiday. Just think after the death of LKY, believe they will set the day he dies as a public holiday every year for Singaporeans to commemorate this great leader who rules with tyranny. ha ha ha!!! and may be, we will get 2 public holidays when he dies, one for mourning and the other is the funeral day. -
Yes, give him and the old guards credit when credit is due. Put it this way, whatever negative comments we may have about this old man, he contributes so much more than the useless son. The useless son is just enjoying the fruit of the labour of his papa and the old guards.Originally posted by eagle:But he's really smart and has really contributed quite a significant amount to Singapore... And I don't think any of the Old Guards contributed less than him... -
This country is run and built by a government whose emphasys is on MONEY, not much anything else...Originally posted by tanjun:I am thinking, though many Singaporeans are patriotic by wearing red and white outfit for the National Day Parade, with regards to loyalty to country like for this qn for example, will you defend singapore if singapore has a war one day, I have serious reservations about it. I apologise if I am being sarcastic and cynical here.
To tell you the truth, I also hesitate when this qn is asked on me. What do u guys feel?
SO, coming back to your reservations, it should not be surprising that everybody (locals & foreigners) will fly off in the event of war... leaving behind the flightless-locals, as well as a handful of "patriotic" locals and foreigners...
We were told to not depend on the government for any help, conversely, people will expect the government to handle it themselves...
In other words; they shall reap what they sow... -
I read that the NDP is meant to let the 150000 locals living abroad. I cannot understand if it meant asking them to come back?
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those abroad will not base on NDP to come back for good.Originally posted by will4:I read that the NDP is meant to let the 150000 locals living abroad. I cannot understand if it meant asking them to come back? -
Why du u said that in ur opinion? I also read in TODAY that one of the locals planned to covert his local citizenship into Australain so he can go to US toOriginally posted by qlqq9:those abroad will not base on NDP to come back for good.
work. -
hopefully the next election, we have another independence day.
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just another PH