National Day 2022 :: Stronger Together 🇸🇬

Singapore turns 57. In his National Day message, Our Prime Minister "called on Singaporeans not to fear, even as more storms and turbulence lie ahead. “We must never stop imagining and building the Singapore we want, even as we strengthen our guard against what can go wrong,” he said."

The skeptical part of me was like, sure, we can agree on the major things of what might go 'wrong', but what about social norms? Is your wrong my right? Can we be truly secular and inclusive, or we're going to stick to traditionalist norms and ostracize people who don't subscribe to the ideals and 'guiding' moral principles of religious groups?

“We can keep our nation peaceful and secure, build a more prosperous economy, and forge an inclusive society that all of us can belong to and can be proud of, for many years to come.”

Okay, if you say so. Sovereignty is hard won, and hard earned. We can all be proud of ourselves. Everyone's gotta try harder to continue building, and shape the shifting sands that hold the foundation to this city we call this home. Both Terence Ho at TODAY, Taufiq Zalizan and Loraine Lee at CNA wrote opinion pieces on what 'home' truly means to Singapore's residents and Singaporeans overseas. These are short pieces, but sufficiently thought-provoking. 

Many of us are able to choose our country of residence. As I had chosen to stay in Singapore, and not reside in another country for the next 10 to 12 years, minimizing even leisure traveling (because, dog), there're others who feel differently. Singapore can be a short-term home for many too, and that's perfectly fine. Having families in Singapore or owning a property don't make this city 'home;. Many will also choose to leave and return to where their hearts are. 

Importantly, even as we talk about being a 'global citizen', this means very differently things for different people. CNA puts it out succinctly,

Dr Rebecca Grace Tan from National University of Singapore’s (NUS) College of Humanities and Sciences added: “On the other hand, many low-wage migrants have actually been less able to return home due to the uncertainty over whether they can return should they desire to do so.

“Hence, when we use the term ‘global citizens’, it is vital that we understand that the freedom of movement is understood very differently, depending on which class of migrants one is speaking of.”

As I watch city-destroying events develop across the world, I fear that Singapore won't be able to withstand external threats in this manner. Internally, what different social groups want are becoming markedly diverse. Nobody wants to budge on either stance. We can't even agree on repealing Section 377A, and some factions keep saying a repeal won't protect marriages. ARrrrrrrRRrrrgh. Can we just get the Constitution and the laws coherent, and remind people that what protects marriages are commitment, fidelity and faith. How about we also criminalize adultery? That should help. Anyway. I'm not going to talk about this. BAH.

Anyway, I'm not one to even bother watching the National Day Parade or wear red and white, gather with others to do 'patriotic things' or want to sing National Day songs or watch fireworks. I don't care about those. Doing all those won't make me more of a patriot. Not having the same opinions as the majority doesn't make me less of a Singaporean. Being Singaporean isn't just about that pink NRIC I hold. That's simply technical. There're things I love about this country, and there're many I dislike and would like to see these aspects changed. 

I'm only a second generation Singaporean. If you think about it, this country is made up of migrants, and will be made up of migrants for years to come. So people who are too into this 'you foreigners and us' thing can take it down a notch. Singapore turns 57. I ask for us, the citizenry to stay sane and be reasonable. Let's be less self-entitled, and be a little more considerate and respectful all around. Terence Ho's words in TODAY ring true, 

Societies are fracturing along the lines of race, religion, sexual orientation, ideology and political affiliation, to name a few.

Singapore is not immune to these pressures.

In fact, our society is becoming more heterogeneous. A range of identity markers — including but no longer limited to race and religion — are distinguishing us as individuals and groups. Nationality, then, becomes just one of the myriad markers of who we are as persons.

Some countries have responded to these challenges by foisting a strong national identity on all citizens, new and old — forcing conformity in ideology, language and dressing, or suppressing competing claims on personal allegiance.

Singapore, by contrast, has always allowed its constituent races to retain and express their cultural distinctiveness. This broad tent mindset should be extended to immigrants and new citizens, as is fitting for a global city and cosmopolitan society.

But those who take up citizenships must make the effort to acquaint themselves with local customs and culture. There is no compulsion to shed one’s culture of origin, but to embrace the Singapore identity and all that this country has to offer.

With heightened great power contestation, the pull of ethnic and cultural forces beyond our borders may generate strains within our multiethnic society. Various social and political ideologies are also spreading rapidly across borders through social media.

Whether Singapore can hold together as a nation depends on whether Singaporeans can learn to live with others who are different, or whether our loyalties are so divided by competing identities that we cannot move forward cohesively as a nation.