A SINGAPOREAN SINGAPORE
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"We the citizens of SIngapore pledge ourselves as one united people regardless of race,language or religion...."
Do I still believe in that?Yes I do.I am A human first and above all,a Singaporean second.
I still believe in something.I still believe in a cause.I still believe in hope for my country.I am not Half-Chinese,I am not Half-Indian,I am not Chindian.Yes,those are my identities,my labels in society,but foremost and second to being human,I am a Singaporean.
Do you have hope for Singapore?Do you believe in being a Singaporean?Do you take pride in it?Who are you?Why are you here?
Ask yourself these questions.Are you Chinese Singaporean or Singaporen Chinese?Or are you just merely something else?Or are you Singaporean?
I am human.I will not surrender.I am Sardaukar.
From a Singaporean of Chinese-Indian-Portueguese ancestry -
Singaporean culture and pace of life apparently does not permit us to pause and take stock.
Yes it would be nice to recognise myself as a singaporean and not a chinese singaporean. That sense of identity and national pride would surely galvanise my efforts during national service regardless of whether i serve in an all chinese rifle company or a mixed-racial platoon of cooks.
Sadly, when i think of the word singaporean singapore, i think only of kiasuism. So devoid are we of common sense sometimes that only first will do. And to come in second best is to lose-face, a generically chinese trait. -
Apart from the fact of nationality, is there an agreed Singaporean identity?
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Singapore has never had an identity culturally i.e a single identity because it has always been a mix. Mix... i hate that ****ing word.
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I have been away from Singapore for 4 years now. Left to backpack around China and now I am somewhere near the Atlantic - Ireland. I resented SIngapore when I left for not being true to its identity - multi-racial. I felt that some races were given more advantages, and preferances than others. I wanted to know why Chinese New Year songs were played on radio on chinese new year and no Deepavali or Hari Raya songs on the relevant festive days. Why is there a Speak Mandarin campaign and not Malay or Indian or any other languages? Why are chinese and hong kong residents given special rights to enter singapore? No one has yet answered me.
Travelling around the world has only taught me that people see Singapore as a CHINESE country. I hated having to explain that it is multi-cultural because everyone seems to know LKY is Chinese and somehow they got the idea that Singaporeans speak Chinese and that we are ALL Chinese. I also love my asian identity and again, it seems that chinese is equals to asian. I am still thinking of ways to shake that damning idea that people have.
What I do now is that I go on to explain to people the racial mix that we have in Singapore. That we mostly speak English on top of our respective mother tongues. That SIngapore was part of Malaysia and traditionally, the Malays were the natives and that our national anthem is in Malay. I feel good saying that, I really do.
Last year I was back in Singapore for a short break. I was in two taxis where the drivers were Indian. Both voiced their discontent against the government that "some people are more equal that others i.e the chinese community". One had very strong words. Both felt that Singapore felt less like home.
A close friend of mine was posted to SPH for her school holidays last year by her Poly. She was apparently approached by one lass at work that said, "I'm very happy you are here. You are the first non-chinese we have, you know! Personally, I also don't have any non-chinese friends!"
Why is this all happening? How can this all be improved? Will it ever improve? What does the government have to say about this?
What do people have to say about this?
For me, I'm not going home till Singapore can feel like home. Which saddens me cos there's where my heart is..... -
I find this hard to discern. Especially when we chinese Singaporeans are EXPECTED / REQUIRED to learn and speak Mandarin.
Personally, I am chinese, but I prefer speaking my own dialect. And thusly, I am Teochew.
As for what being Singaporean means to me; I can only state what is obvious - toil and pay my bills and taxes. Nothing else. -
I'm a human first.
I'm a chinese second.
And thirdly I'm a s'porean. -
So what's your ethnicity?Just asking out of curiosity.As I am proud to proclaim,I am a chindian if anybody asks.I agree with you on a lot of respects.I come from both sides of the fence,being Chinese and Indian.I have felt torn between my cultures,until I went to Australia to study,where I decided to embrace an Asian identity,a Singaporean identity.I remember who I am,even though I am westernised to a great extent.Watch "The Last Samurai".In the end,the Emperor says words along that line.A very noteworthy thing to keep in mind.Originally posted by orchidae:I have been away from Singapore for 4 years now. Left to backpack around China and now I am somewhere near the Atlantic - Ireland. I resented SIngapore when I left for not being true to its identity - multi-racial. I felt that some races were given more advantages, and preferances than others. I wanted to know why Chinese New Year songs were played on radio on chinese new year and no Deepavali or Hari Raya songs on the relevant festive days. Why is there a Speak Mandarin campaign and not Malay or Indian or any other languages? Why are chinese and hong kong residents given special rights to enter singapore? No one has yet answered me.
Travelling around the world has only taught me that people see Singapore as a CHINESE country. I hated having to explain that it is multi-cultural because everyone seems to know LKY is Chinese and somehow they got the idea that Singaporeans speak Chinese and that we are ALL Chinese. I also love my asian identity and again, it seems that chinese is equals to asian. I am still thinking of ways to shake that damning idea that people have.
What I do now is that I go on to explain to people the racial mix that we have in Singapore. That we mostly speak English on top of our respective mother tongues. That SIngapore was part of Malaysia and traditionally, the Malays were the natives and that our national anthem is in Malay. I feel good saying that, I really do.
Last year I was back in Singapore for a short break. I was in two taxis where the drivers were Indian. Both voiced their discontent against the government that "some people are more equal that others i.e the chinese community". One had very strong words. Both felt that Singapore felt less like home.
A close friend of mine was posted to SPH for her school holidays last year by her Poly. She was apparently approached by one lass at work that said, "I'm very happy you are here. You are the first non-chinese we have, you know! Personally, I also don't have any non-chinese friends!"
Why is this all happening? How can this all be improved? Will it ever improve? What does the government have to say about this?
What do people have to say about this?
For me, I'm not going home till Singapore can feel like home. Which saddens me cos there's where my heart is.....
We are multiracial and multicultural,born of the sweat and blood of Chinese,Malay,Indian,Eurasian and other migrants.We are a country descended from the blood of migrants.I agree that Chinese are favoured in some respects and that chinese culture is pushed too much.No offense,for I myself am Half-Chinese,but seriously,the Chinese in Singapore are as you put it "treated more equally than others".
All I can say is that I fault LKY for this.He has done so much good for the country,economically.But socially,the price we have paid is enormous.We must know the value and we must know the price.
Now,I feel that Singapore is in a stage of transition,where the soul of my people,the Singaporean people,is at a crossroads.I am a part of that soul,as are every one of us.We make up its fabric.We have to decide where the soul goes.For the long-term sake of my nation which is my home.
[looking at above,you can see that the PAP propaganda worked on me.I am a patriot who likes to wax poetic] -
i see myself as, 1. a member of the human race,
2. son of my parents, 3. singaporean. -
Orchidae as hit a nail on its head. This 'some are more equal than others' issue has been intrinsic within our society but like a bad penny, it has proven difficult to voice out.
Our multi-racial position is questionable at best. Perhaps we should change the phrase multi-racial harmony to multi-racial tolerance. Everywhere, we have indians, malays and chinese shaking hands but working separately in their offices, bringing out the 'you do yours, i do mine' mentality.
The fact that outsiders consider singapore a province of china is bad enuff. It shows our govt has not succeeded in promoting Singapore as a true-blue nation where radically different races have lived together and succeeded where others have failed.
We have developed into a nation of personal-achievers, a ship with a crew where everyone works for themselves. There is disjoint teamwork whenever a racial issue is involved. Why else would ppl reject the notion of the singaporean identity? -
i feel like i'm an ALIEN
an ILLEGAL ALIEN who has no rights then i'm treated like a coolie slave
i think i beter leave here like a refugee
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Originally posted by ShutterBug:I find this hard to discern. Especially when we chinese Singaporeans are EXPECTED / REQUIRED to learn and speak Mandarin.
Personally, I am chinese, but I prefer speaking my own dialect. And thusly, I am Teochew.
As for what being Singaporean means to me; I can only state what is obvious - toil and pay my bills and taxes. Nothing else.
What are some of the countries where people don't have to toil and pay taxes? -
Originally posted by ShutterBug:I find this hard to discern. Especially when we chinese Singaporeans are EXPECTED / REQUIRED to learn and speak Mandarin.
Personally, I am chinese, but I prefer speaking my own dialect. And thusly, I am Teochew.
As for what being Singaporean means to me; I can only state what is obvious - toil and pay my bills and taxes. Nothing else. What are some of the countries where people don't need to toil and pay bills and taxes? -
To answer a question asked, I am half Malay, half white (in no order of preference). I am proud to be Asian, something about being ethnic and cultural that makes me proud.
Since I've been travelling, I am also a world citizen in a way - I am Buddhist in Tibet, Hindu in Calcutta, Catholic in Ireland and Muslim in Tunisia.
Anyway, I feel that the whole more equal than others thing has got to be sorted out in Singapore. It cannot be ignored that silently, non-chinese races are feeling resentful. I do not know how long more people can smile and pretend that these issues do not exist because it will bound to come up soon enough. I do not want to think of Singapore as living in multi-racial "tolerant". I want Singapore to be in multi-racial harmony because that is what makes it special. In times of world chaos, I think that it is absolutely wonderful to be able to live with one another co-dependently. Times are changing. Alot more people are inter-marrying now. I think alot of families are made up of people from different cultures. Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe in my grandparents generation, some time during the war, many chinese kids especially girls were given up for adoption to none chinese families. My maternal grandmother was one. And I know another lady in that similar situation. I just feel that there is no trust that exist like that anymore. I believe that alot of those who gave their kids away in that situation gave them to people they trusted which I don't believe in an instant exist anymore between races.
I do not blame the Chinese race per say on this issue. Yes, I do blame the PAP because who else can I blame? And for that, I don't vote for them. Something more substantial has to be done - more than just talks and seminars that are all show. We cannot afford racial disharmony in Singapore - we are too small a country for that. We need to recognise that firstly, this problem of discontent exist. That there are companies out that that only emplot chinese races. That there are Singaporeans out there that have got absolutely no Malay or Indian or Eurasian friends. That children in schools are not mixing well racially.
When asked recently about what it means to be Singaporean - I said, "To grow up with a Malay mum, a Caucasian dad and a Chinese grandmother. To go to school and see Mrs. Siva, the Maths teacher wearing her Sari and a pendant with a picture of Sai Baba on it. To go to English class and Miss Suriati is there wearing a hijab waiting for us to get to our seats. To have Mr. Singh allow us play basketball during P.E. To visit Indian friends as a family during Deepavali and Christian friends at Christmas. To give Hari Raya goodies to non-Muslim neighbours on Hari Raya morning. To remember vegetarian and Halal food when inviting friends over. Those are some of the things that make me Singaporean." -
Agreed.What Singapore needs is a real social revamp.A country is like an organism in an environment.Diversity breeds strength and creates wealth within the Singapore system due to many different inputs,a multicultural nation being an asset as it encourages alternative viewpoints and provides taps to other nations.
All countries live by the adage - "Adapt or die".Simple as that.Singapore needs to adapt to face the challenge of 2 rising powers.And one way is favouring the minorites perhaps,in the manner of the Swiss,and encouraging trilingualism.Why not have all students learn basic Malay in primary school.It is the national language after all and provides a link to our heritage. -
x2. My sentiments exact
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Why all the talk about "chinese being more equally treated" in Singapore? I don't see other races being discriminated upon. And about the lack of a speak Malay or Indian Campaign, has the thought ever occur to some of you that Mandrin standards in Singapore is very low and thats what promted the campaign?
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i dun like that word too.. so i always use hybrid... dunno, it sounds better somehow... -
chinese singaporeans = chinese who came from china (or some other countries with chinese) and became PR here.
singaporean chinese = chinese who were born and raised in singapore.
I am firstly a human. Secondly I'm a woman (nuu ren. LOLZ) and thirdly, I'm Singaporean Chinese. o.O; -
Sounds very national front to me.
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i wonder wats the problem at all?
is the problem cause by chinese?
im a chinese..most of my frens are malays..some indian..
my gf a malay...
i dun see it as a problem since the day i start making frens..i dun really care if u are black white or blue...wat is the color of your blood?
one of u say there aint Hari Raya music or deepavali celebration music on the radio when the festival come...pls have u ever turn on the radio n listen? there are other festival music being play out there..there are other festival program being shown out there..
the reason u hear more chinese music in Singapore..becos there are more chinese..simple as tat..
open your eyes n ears..if u claim u are open minded...things are not as it is..
a problem will become a problem when u start thinking it is a problem.. -
Yup. Agreed.
The moment we start thinking less in terms of ethnicity or race, the less of a problem this supposed racial discontent problem will be ...
Oh btw I'm a Singaporean and it's not by choice
cheers,
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Is there a Singaporean Singapore to speak of?
IMO, its just another state led activity. Everything went too fast (not that it's bad) and this city state was facing a crisis, which explains emphasis on economic growth. However, we (as a country) haven't had much time to grow and develop our heritage. Most of our legacies are chosen and reconstructed by the state.
but, i must say that there has been some slight changes and i do hope that in the near future, there's something which i can identify with being Singaporean. -
Oh God please, there is nothing narrow minded about recognising that the God Damn country has a problem. Come on, you must be joking, I have not heard any other festivities songs being played other than bloody chinese. Same goes with the what-you-call it screens on buses and TV screens on some MRT stations. I don't care if the Mandarin level in Singapore is low. GOD! The level of English in SIngapore is near pathetic - why is there no Speak English campaign as big as the Speak Mandarin campaign. I don't care about race or religion as well - as long as people don't about mine. That is exactly what I mean - Singapore is small, we intermarry etc and it is scary to think that some people out there actually have no friends other than those from their own races. If there is no problem, then why do the "minorities" feel a hidden anger and resentment. Easy for some to say that they don't feel the problem exist - you are the majority. How many of us actually recognise the fact that the country is actually natively malay? Ever been to the Asian civilisation museum - most history or artifacts there are depicting Chinese culture and history!!
When are we ever going to let people know that SINGAPORE is not CHINESE because that is the message that we are giving. And what about the fact that we are giving special rights of entry and remain to mainland chinese from china to enter Singapore based on ethnicity and money factor? Look, the list goes on. I can't even go anywehere in the world without people asking me if I speak chinese as soon as I say I'm Singaporean.
Seriously, mates, something needs to be done. Leave this thing a while and it will cause our nation huge problems. We cannot afford that, for we are too tiny.
As far as I'm concerned, YOU need to open YOUR eyes and ears. Not me, I've seen and heard enough that I'm numb. -
then tats your problem..im still hanging with my malay frens...Originally posted by orchidae:Oh God please, there is nothing narrow minded about recognising that the God Damn country has a problem. Come on, you must be joking, I have not heard any other festivities songs being played other than bloody chinese. Same goes with the what-you-call it screens on buses and TV screens on some MRT stations. I don't care if the Mandarin level in Singapore is low. GOD! The level of English in SIngapore is near pathetic - why is there no Speak English campaign as big as the Speak Mandarin campaign. I don't care about race or religion as well - as long as people don't about mine. That is exactly what I mean - Singapore is small, we intermarry etc and it is scary to think that some people out there actually have no friends other than those from their own races. If there is no problem, then why do the "minorities" feel a hidden anger and resentment. Easy for some to say that they don't feel the problem exist - you are the majority. How many of us actually recognise the fact that the country is actually natively malay? Ever been to the Asian civilisation museum - most history or artifacts there are depicting Chinese culture and history!!
When are we ever going to let people know that SINGAPORE is not CHINESE because that is the message that we are giving. And what about the fact that we are giving special rights of entry and remain to mainland chinese from china to enter Singapore based on ethnicity and money factor? Look, the list goes on. I can't even go anywehere in the world without people asking me if I speak chinese as soon as I say I'm Singaporean.
Seriously, mates, something needs to be done. Leave this thing a while and it will cause our nation huge problems. We cannot afford that, for we are too tiny.
As far as I'm concerned, YOU need to open YOUR eyes and ears. Not me, I've seen and heard enough that I'm numb.
i dun see it as a problem...
do u hang out with other people out of your race?
not just hi bye...best frens since young...
yes no no yes?
seriously u hate the majority so much..that u trying to find problem when there aint no problem..
u never heard anything other then chinese on the radio?
have u ever switch on the radio to other FM to hear?
have u been to Malay village during Hari Raya?
have u been to a muslim coffee shop?
the muslim stall near my bro stall were playing malay song on their radio..we are watching malay show on channel 12...
when u cant see something doesnt mean its not there..out of sight out of mind?
its u who are narrow minded..