Being away from home didn't make us any less concerned about what is happening to the place we call home - Singapore. For the last 2 weeks, the election fever seems to have gripped the whole nation. Singaporeans, for many years, have not been too concerned about the elections. The ruling party, PAP, has been governing the nation for the last few decades and through the efforts of our founding fathers, the nation is clean, prosperous and the pride of many. I'm thankful that the founding fathers made life better for my grandparents, for my parents and for me. I respect them and salute them for their courage, their efforts and their foresight. I'm always proud to say that I'm a Singaporean, I love my country very much and chose a profession that allows me to do something for the nation. This is my home is and where my roots are.
For the past two weeks, we read every single article about the election, from Channel News Asia to The Temasek Review to The Online Citizen to The Satay Club. We watched every rally video that we can find on Youtube to listen to the candidates and some left a deep impression, though not all are positive impressions. Mr Chiam's video brought tears to my eyes. He suffered a stroke 3 years ago and never managed to recover fully. Looking at how he struggled to stand behind the microphone to speak to the audience pains my heart. It's painful but he never gave up. He's still fighting, fighting to be a voice for Singaporeans.
Facebook is filled with notes written by ordinary Singaporeans about their views, opinions and thoughts about the election. Some are very well-written and thought-provoking. How I wish I was in Singapore for this election to feel the fever! I have friends who commented that they've never felt more Singaporeans before. I've never heard a louder recitation of our National Pledge - everyone stood together, shoulders to shoulders, with their fist to their heart.
This is the Singapore Spirit that has almost disappeared. This is the SINGAPORE Spirit that unites us together. This is the SINGAPORE Spirit that we want our next generation to feel and be proud of. If we do nothing about it, in a few years time, Singapore would probably have more foreigners than Singaporeans. What spirit is there to speak of then?
Tomorrow, we're going to drive 8 hours to Canberra to vote. It is a long drive, it's going to burn our entire weekend and our votes are probably not going to make any difference to the results but we're still going. We love Singapore, we love her too much to simply walk away. We want to make a difference, we want to be heard. The results might not be what we hope for but at least we've tried. We'll be able to hold our heads high and tell our children and our grandchildren proudly that we did try to make a difference.
For the past two weeks, we read every single article about the election, from Channel News Asia to The Temasek Review to The Online Citizen to The Satay Club. We watched every rally video that we can find on Youtube to listen to the candidates and some left a deep impression, though not all are positive impressions. Mr Chiam's video brought tears to my eyes. He suffered a stroke 3 years ago and never managed to recover fully. Looking at how he struggled to stand behind the microphone to speak to the audience pains my heart. It's painful but he never gave up. He's still fighting, fighting to be a voice for Singaporeans.
Facebook is filled with notes written by ordinary Singaporeans about their views, opinions and thoughts about the election. Some are very well-written and thought-provoking. How I wish I was in Singapore for this election to feel the fever! I have friends who commented that they've never felt more Singaporeans before. I've never heard a louder recitation of our National Pledge - everyone stood together, shoulders to shoulders, with their fist to their heart.
We, the citizens of Singapore,
pledge ourselves as one united people,
regardless of race, language or religion,
to build a democratic society
based on justice and equality
so as to achieve happiness, prosperity and
progress for our nation.
This is the Singapore Spirit that has almost disappeared. This is the SINGAPORE Spirit that unites us together. This is the SINGAPORE Spirit that we want our next generation to feel and be proud of. If we do nothing about it, in a few years time, Singapore would probably have more foreigners than Singaporeans. What spirit is there to speak of then?
Tomorrow, we're going to drive 8 hours to Canberra to vote. It is a long drive, it's going to burn our entire weekend and our votes are probably not going to make any difference to the results but we're still going. We love Singapore, we love her too much to simply walk away. We want to make a difference, we want to be heard. The results might not be what we hope for but at least we've tried. We'll be able to hold our heads high and tell our children and our grandchildren proudly that we did try to make a difference.
I have a friend on JET prog who decided that she wants to vote... so she flew back to singapore, vote and flew back... SHe was in SPore for less than 24 hours... salute to her, but I dont think i can do that... Well... but i still love my country!
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