TR EMERITUS

Regardless of political belief and/or divide, I want to wish all my fellow citizens a very Happy National Day. Together, we have definitely come far as a nation and as one united people. Singapore has not merely survived but prosper and is highly recognised and respected internationally. In 1965 when Singapore was kicked out of Malaysia, we were like an abandoned small child in a tough and dangerous neighborhood and nobody gave us any chance of survival, much less to prosper and if we did not make it and had to crawl back to rejoin Malaysia, it would be on their terms and it would take no genius to know and understand that their terms were unlikely to be any kids gloves in kindergarten terms. Our baby step by step survival journey were not given. It is not an exaggeration to describe it as short of a miracle story. I wish for my country to continue to be strong, to prosper, to be wealthy, to be safe, bubbling with hopes and opportunities for the young ones and fulfillments and satisfactions for the not so young ones and continues to be relevant, contributing and being useful to the international community. Singaporeans are not a heartless or an ingratitude people. We are forever grateful to our founder pap government leaders and more who were totally dedicated, committed, competent, selfless, sacrificial and single-minded in securing our survival and our well-being etc but it also saddens me much when I see many educated suckers who are mistaken and confused about the relationship between government and country. Let me explain. Our loyalty and patriotism are forever dedicated to our country, ie, The Republic of Singapore. Our loyalty, worship and patriotism shouldn't be directed at any political party. After all these years of education, IT exposure and being an independent country, Singaporeans ought to be more politically astute, mature and smarter to recognise that parties come and go and people can change over time. Governance standards and competence rise and fall too. It is the same throughout human history. Past success is no guarantee of future success. (Please read the above 2 paragraphs again). In conclusion, Happy 58th National Day once more. Think.   Simon Lim      Read More →

Kudos to all Singaporeans. It was a good night of nation bonding and celebrating. A night to remember. Kudos to Royston too. His direction made lights come alive, and the hopes that shine so brightly have brought a sense of purpose and unity in our hearts, even for those watching at home or abroad. I write about many things, many ideas, but my thoughts in words and characters are only as good as the virtues it seeks, embraces and anchors on. And the message of NDP is one of that pillars of virtue upon which my thoughts and conviction are built. It’s about coming together, working together, and succeeding together. Wishful? Not really, if you cherish freedom thru industry, diligence and passion. Statesman and philosopher Edmund Burke once said: ”“The conditions of liberty had to be nurtured through prudent statesmanship, moral education, national and local loyalties, attention to circumstance and a healthy respect for the “latent wisdom” of long-established customs and beliefs.”” That is what it takes to rise about the ashes. That healthy respect for latent wisdom for long-established customs/beliefs is our lodestar last night. It’s our guiding light, when we all join hearts and voices to celebrate how far we have come in the 58 years of nation building. That one night is indeed a labour of love that took months of commitment and focus to bring the thousands of little lights to shine beyond the constellations. Maybe idealism is an overnight affair, with fireworks and screams of jubilation. But, the magic in it is how it inspires the hearts of the young and old, the rich and poor, and the able and differently-abled to bring together their unique talents, and ride the storms and typhoons ahead for a better tomorrow. It’s a forging process, a forward moving march, in the the anvil of time. It takes one people, one nation, and one Lion City they call Singapura to brighten the way, come what may. Alas, nothing less will do. If the role of our leaders is to inspire trust. Then, nothing should be taken for granted. Never let success go to their heads. Neither failures blacken their souls. Most importantly you can’t rush such thing. Don’t be fooled by slogans, false promises, and the lure of grandiosity (self-importance). Here is Edmund Burke again to ground us with this piece of wisdom as commented by a journalist, Bret Stephens. “At the core of Burke’s view of the revolution is a profound understanding of how easily things can be shattered in the name of moral betterment, national purification and radical political transformation.” “States, societies and personal consciences are not Lego-block constructions to be disassembled and reassembled with ease. They are more like tapestries, passes from one generation to the next, to be carefully mended at one edge, gracefully enlarged on the other and otherwise handled with caution lest a single pulled thread unravel the entire pattern.” That is how fragile trust is. One single thread loosen, and the damage, if it goes unnoticed, will unravel all. Trust, conscience and nation building are not Lego bricks. Most times, they don’t come pre-formed or pre-canned. You have to shape and mold them thru effort, wisdom and time, paying deference to custom, belief and tradition. It’s the nuances in the micro-changes that we often overlook or take for granted. Our nature is intricate, especially when we come together to build up, not tear down. And our society is profoundly complex, especially when we answer the call to stand together, not apart and divided. Yes, none of us are perfect. Far from it, in fact. But there is a defying magic emerging when imperfection comes together toward a perfect hope, and suddenly, just like that night of celebration, we are a force to reckon with, against the downward gravitational pull of our self-centred nature to fall apart. That magic needs to be sustained thru collective efforts, like tapestries held together, by interwoven threads, from one generation to the next, carefully mended at the edge, and gracefully enlarged on the other. That’s what the unity of one people is all about, and we should never loose sight of it. It’s always about the people; the leaders just happen to be there. An individual or nation is never lost when their eyes are fixed on a purpose that is larger than themselves. And every step they take together, regardless of how far they have strayed, will eventually bring them back home. For this is home, truly.   Michael Han * The author is a Director at Hoh Law Corporation and blogs on Facebook.        Read More →

It’s been a funny two months, as funnily enough, very good for the ego. The day I landed back in the UK, I ended up at a function where I was deemed “Good Looking,” by someone whose opinion on the subject matters to me. Weeks later, I found myself in a yoga class where a few people came up to me and asked if I was a fitness instructor because they found I had a “muscular physique.” That phrase would be repeated later on at a client meeting when the client noticed. I guess you could say that it’s an ego trip. I am now pushing 50 and words like “muscular physique” and “Good Looking” are not phrases associated with men pushing 50 and so I guess one might say that I should just accept the compliments where I can get them. However, the truth is I don’t feel particularly good looking or muscular, even if at least one of the compliments came from someone I wanted to notice. While I am fitter than I used to, I am well aware that I am far from muscular or good looking. The reason for that comes down to one peculiar quirk of my exercise routine – I’m usually topless when I exercise. Your own body, as they say, is the one thing that won’t lie to you. So, when people tell me I am good looking or that I have a muscular frame, the belly makes its presence quite clear when I go to work out. So, I am well aware that I am far away from being muscular I bring up this analogy because tomorrow is Singapore’s National Day and our 58th birthday comes at a very particular time. Singapore’s formerly “perfect” government has found itself in a rather “imperfect” position. We’ve had a corruption scandal involving a minister and our Speaker of Parliament who was once a prominent star in government had to resign over an affair. Our Prime Minister, who is over 70 and searching for a retirement option has had the unenviable task of explaining how the system is holding strong when a good portion of the public suspect it is falling apart. Our Prime Minister’s Speech on the issue can be seen here. How did this all happen? Why is Singapore’s once famously invulnerable and omnipotent government looking like it has feet of clay? Well, I would argue that the problem is that the government never got naked and looked at the one thing that would not lie – the body that is the nation of Singapore. Sure, Singapore does compare very well to most parts of the world and everyone who visits inevitably praises Singapore as wonderful place. We have, as our mainstream media has reminded us, have the best airline in the world, the best airport and we’re generally the best of everything, according to the number of international polls. I think of the people who have praised my physique and I’ve been really thrilled to get that praise. So, I can imagine what our cabinet must be feeling whenever one of the international polls rates something about Singapore amongst the world’s best. However, does the external praise do one any good? Well, I’m lucky in the sense that the faults of my own body are petty glaring. The tummy (the place where fat is often the most difficult to remove) makes its presence felt. Try as I might, the belly fat remains visible for all, including myself. So, whenever someone tells me I look good, I go back to my basic work out routine and my body has a way of reminding me that I still have plenty of work to do in order to get to where I would like to get before my 50th birthday. So, the question is, do our ministers have a “get naked” moment where the one thing that can lie, speaks to them. If you look at Singapore’s institutions, you’ll notice that our ministers have effectively become like a radio station commercial – “Hear only the good stuff.” Let’s face it, our President is supposed to be “independent” but two of the last four have been effectively selected. Our judges have made some good decisions but nobody seriously expects the judiciary to rule against any senior politician. As for our mainstream media editors, well, let’s put it this way, most know who not to offend. Nobody wants to get naked and look at the body that cannot lie. So, they only hear the good stuff and take it as the gospel truth of how things are. Talk to enough HDB residents and there is inevitably one complaint – the MP only appears during election. So, its this clear that the good stuff that our government has been hearing is not the whole truth. Shouldn’t we use this National Day to get naked to see the real state of our nation?   Tang Li *Although I’ve been based mainly in Singapore for nearly two decades, I’ve had the privilege of being able to meet people who have crossed borders and cultures. I’ve befriended ministers and ambassadors and worked on projects involving a former head of state. Yet, at the same time, I’ve had the privilege of befriending migrant labourers and former convicts. All of them have a story to tell. All of them add to the fabric of life. I hope to express the stories that inspire us to create life as it should be.      Read More →