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[h=2]Senior citizen feels sad that it takes a foreigner to remind Singaporeans how fortunate they are[/h]Posted by temasektimes on August 10, 2012
A senior citizen Jeffrey Tan has written to the Straits Times forum today expressing his dismay at the ‘attitude’ shown by Singaporeans towards National Day.
Despite the constant exhortation by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and other PAP leaders, few Singaporeans bothered to fly the national flag publicly to express their love for Singapore.
For some unknown reasons, the number of flags hung this year appeared to be the lowest number which may be a reflection of the somber mood on the ground.
Jeffrey wrote that he was gratified Mr Michael Friedman, an American, is impressed with Singapore and finds National Day celebrations interesting.
“But I am also sad that it takes a foreigner to encourage Singaporeans to fly our flag on our day of independence, and to urge us to be proud of our achievements. The other night, I overheard a European couple, who were sitting behind me at a lounge in Changi Airport, praising our National Day Parade rehearsal,” he wrote.
Jeffrey repeated the same old grandmother story of how “he witnessed the transformation of Singapore from a struggling country in the early years to a world-class city now.”
National Day is traditionally a time for the state propaganda machinery to hit the high gear to instill a sense of patriotism and belonging in Singaporeans.
A senior citizen Jeffrey Tan has written to the Straits Times forum today expressing his dismay at the ‘attitude’ shown by Singaporeans towards National Day.Despite the constant exhortation by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and other PAP leaders, few Singaporeans bothered to fly the national flag publicly to express their love for Singapore.
For some unknown reasons, the number of flags hung this year appeared to be the lowest number which may be a reflection of the somber mood on the ground.
Jeffrey wrote that he was gratified Mr Michael Friedman, an American, is impressed with Singapore and finds National Day celebrations interesting.
“But I am also sad that it takes a foreigner to encourage Singaporeans to fly our flag on our day of independence, and to urge us to be proud of our achievements. The other night, I overheard a European couple, who were sitting behind me at a lounge in Changi Airport, praising our National Day Parade rehearsal,” he wrote.
Jeffrey repeated the same old grandmother story of how “he witnessed the transformation of Singapore from a struggling country in the early years to a world-class city now.”
National Day is traditionally a time for the state propaganda machinery to hit the high gear to instill a sense of patriotism and belonging in Singaporeans.
