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It has been reported that a village in India with about 3,000 households is also celebrating SG50 with Singapore today (9 Aug).
The village, Ullikkottai, in Tamil Nadu was the same one that held a funeral procession for Singapore’s late Mr Lee Kuan Yew after he passed away earlier in March this year. Some 300 people held a 2km procession for the late Mr Lee. A board had the words, “The great man who showed us the way to lead a wealthy life.”
In a way, this also reflects Mr Lee’s own philosophy about wealth. Former permanent secretary Ngiam Tong Dow once revealed that he had a big fight with Mr Lee over the COE scheme. The implementation of the scheme meant that the government was taxing every man, woman and child in Singapore, from the day of his birth till the day of his death, Ngiam said. As COE taxes transportation, nobody can avoid it. Ngiam said:
He (Lee) saw that I was right, but he was a charmer. Looking at me, he asked, “Ngiam, are you the Permanent Secretary of the Budget and Revenue Divisions at MOF?” I said yes, to which he replied, “What’s wrong with collecting more money?”
Today, Ullikkottai has grown from a rural village to one with its own shops, community halls, 24-hour hospitals and ATMs and has become self-sufficient for the most part. Land prices in the village have also elevated. The villagers attribute all these to the late Mr Lee and having had the opportunity to work in Singapore.
It is said that 2 of the 3 households in the village have members who had, at some point in their lives, worked in Singapore as construction workers, plumbers, movers and packers, painters, fitters or electricians.
Today, life is good for the Indian villages. There are now two-storey concrete houses sprouting up around the paddy fields in the village. Some of the houses are even modeled after bungalows seen in Singapore.
Mr Rameshkumar told reporters that he worked in Singapore as a junior glassblower from 2005 to 2014.
Today, he is an owner of SG Scientific Glass Ware, a company in India that supplies scientific apparatuses. Among his clients are Singapore businesses.
He attributes his success to a “Chinese man”, the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew.
He said, “(Mr Lee) inspired me to set up my own company. He believes in truth, hard work and honesty.”
Mr R T Sivanandam, 70, sold his last plot of land he could use to harvest rice in the early 1990s to afford a 15,000 rupee (S$325) air ticket and some living expenses for his eldest son to work in Singapore. Today, five of his children are Singapore residents.
Another, Mr C G Rajendran, a construction worker in Singapore in 1985, also praised Lee Kuan Yew, “Mr Lee is welcoming of us to do something for the country. We could help build the city.”
However the 55-year-old overstayed his visa in 2006 after his work permit expired. He was arrested, jailed and deported in 2007. His only regret is that he can no longer re-enter Singapore. Still, he insisted it was “worth it”.
The villagers will be holding a groundbreaking ceremony for a ‘Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s memorial hall’ at the village today (9 Aug), in conjunction with SG50. They will gather for a ceremony and to celebrate what Singapore means to them.
Indeed, PM Lee has said before that Singapore belongs to everyone.
http://www.tremeritus.com/2015/08/09/village-in-india-celebrates-sg50-together-with-spore/
The village, Ullikkottai, in Tamil Nadu was the same one that held a funeral procession for Singapore’s late Mr Lee Kuan Yew after he passed away earlier in March this year. Some 300 people held a 2km procession for the late Mr Lee. A board had the words, “The great man who showed us the way to lead a wealthy life.”
In a way, this also reflects Mr Lee’s own philosophy about wealth. Former permanent secretary Ngiam Tong Dow once revealed that he had a big fight with Mr Lee over the COE scheme. The implementation of the scheme meant that the government was taxing every man, woman and child in Singapore, from the day of his birth till the day of his death, Ngiam said. As COE taxes transportation, nobody can avoid it. Ngiam said:
He (Lee) saw that I was right, but he was a charmer. Looking at me, he asked, “Ngiam, are you the Permanent Secretary of the Budget and Revenue Divisions at MOF?” I said yes, to which he replied, “What’s wrong with collecting more money?”
Today, Ullikkottai has grown from a rural village to one with its own shops, community halls, 24-hour hospitals and ATMs and has become self-sufficient for the most part. Land prices in the village have also elevated. The villagers attribute all these to the late Mr Lee and having had the opportunity to work in Singapore.
It is said that 2 of the 3 households in the village have members who had, at some point in their lives, worked in Singapore as construction workers, plumbers, movers and packers, painters, fitters or electricians.
Today, life is good for the Indian villages. There are now two-storey concrete houses sprouting up around the paddy fields in the village. Some of the houses are even modeled after bungalows seen in Singapore.
Mr Rameshkumar told reporters that he worked in Singapore as a junior glassblower from 2005 to 2014.
Today, he is an owner of SG Scientific Glass Ware, a company in India that supplies scientific apparatuses. Among his clients are Singapore businesses.
He attributes his success to a “Chinese man”, the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew.
He said, “(Mr Lee) inspired me to set up my own company. He believes in truth, hard work and honesty.”
Mr R T Sivanandam, 70, sold his last plot of land he could use to harvest rice in the early 1990s to afford a 15,000 rupee (S$325) air ticket and some living expenses for his eldest son to work in Singapore. Today, five of his children are Singapore residents.
Another, Mr C G Rajendran, a construction worker in Singapore in 1985, also praised Lee Kuan Yew, “Mr Lee is welcoming of us to do something for the country. We could help build the city.”
However the 55-year-old overstayed his visa in 2006 after his work permit expired. He was arrested, jailed and deported in 2007. His only regret is that he can no longer re-enter Singapore. Still, he insisted it was “worth it”.
The villagers will be holding a groundbreaking ceremony for a ‘Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s memorial hall’ at the village today (9 Aug), in conjunction with SG50. They will gather for a ceremony and to celebrate what Singapore means to them.
Indeed, PM Lee has said before that Singapore belongs to everyone.
http://www.tremeritus.com/2015/08/09/village-in-india-celebrates-sg50-together-with-spore/
