national day rally 2005
today, i am proud to be a singaporean. even in making that statement, i do feel ashamed of myself, for not being proud to be a singaporean, everyday. watching PM Lee's national day rally speech, i now have a minute taste of the nationalism that the germans and italians felt in 1871 and 1870, and the nationalism that our forefathers lived on, something i will never be able to comprehend fully. PM Lee's speech was awe-inspiring and touched upon topics that were closely felt by most singaoreans. in his words, he had a 'wishlist' of what people wanted him to talk about in the rally, and he promptly delivered.
on education, i'm glad he focused on the achievements on the polytechnics and ITEs,for in my opinion, they are very still very much overlooked and despised by other singaporeans, notably their peers; the same situation in which neighbourhood schools are despised or likewise which normanl tech and academic students. the examples he brought up were relevant to what he was saying and most notably, it was his personal presence in such institutes that fortified what he said.
on the ageing population, he made specific mention to how to get people not to retire so early. you can't expect to work for 30 years and then rest for 30 years, you'll go 'gaga' as so he put it. i remember he was rather firm about this.
on the service industry, he made particular mention on the service qualities of singaporeans, which drew laughter especially with the 2 video clips, Tow Gay not enough and Tow Gay never enough. if i might, i just want to voice my opinions on this issue. i hate it when i go into the store and the sales girl or guy is on the phone, muttering sweet nothings to his/her friend and paying no attention to me. i don't mind, but what will foreigners think?
uber alles, the most mermorable part of his speech was towards the end. PM Lee painted us a picture of what singapore would be like tomorrow, more specifically on our nation's 50th birthday, 10 years from now. the 'tour' that he took us on showed us how his 'reinvention' of singapore would be like, and with the aid of the diagrams, it was particuarly effective. one thing that struck me out, was that he gave us hope, he gave us optimism, he gave us something to look forward to, excitment. how often do any of us get that nowadays? now, hear, hear! here's a leader.
i will never forget how PM Lee ended his rally. he spoke of the lack of splendor and colour and mass displays in the earlier national day parades. particularly, he spoke of the 1968 parade, where if i'm not wrong, he was either in the marching contingency or the band. so he went on to say that during that year's parade, it was downpouring and everyone was drenched, including himself. then he waited to see if everyone would stay put or run to shelter. no one did. everyone was drenched, everyone continued marching, to their delight, to the cheers of the crowd. one people, one spirit. then he cried. i was moved to the verge of tears. for those of you cringing in your seats now, or for that matter for those of you who even read until this point, i make it no point to hide my tears or be ashamed about crying. therefore, stop cringing.
i am proud to be a singaporean, and i thank God forevermore, for placing me here. Amen.
on education, i'm glad he focused on the achievements on the polytechnics and ITEs,for in my opinion, they are very still very much overlooked and despised by other singaporeans, notably their peers; the same situation in which neighbourhood schools are despised or likewise which normanl tech and academic students. the examples he brought up were relevant to what he was saying and most notably, it was his personal presence in such institutes that fortified what he said.
on the ageing population, he made specific mention to how to get people not to retire so early. you can't expect to work for 30 years and then rest for 30 years, you'll go 'gaga' as so he put it. i remember he was rather firm about this.
on the service industry, he made particular mention on the service qualities of singaporeans, which drew laughter especially with the 2 video clips, Tow Gay not enough and Tow Gay never enough. if i might, i just want to voice my opinions on this issue. i hate it when i go into the store and the sales girl or guy is on the phone, muttering sweet nothings to his/her friend and paying no attention to me. i don't mind, but what will foreigners think?
uber alles, the most mermorable part of his speech was towards the end. PM Lee painted us a picture of what singapore would be like tomorrow, more specifically on our nation's 50th birthday, 10 years from now. the 'tour' that he took us on showed us how his 'reinvention' of singapore would be like, and with the aid of the diagrams, it was particuarly effective. one thing that struck me out, was that he gave us hope, he gave us optimism, he gave us something to look forward to, excitment. how often do any of us get that nowadays? now, hear, hear! here's a leader.
i will never forget how PM Lee ended his rally. he spoke of the lack of splendor and colour and mass displays in the earlier national day parades. particularly, he spoke of the 1968 parade, where if i'm not wrong, he was either in the marching contingency or the band. so he went on to say that during that year's parade, it was downpouring and everyone was drenched, including himself. then he waited to see if everyone would stay put or run to shelter. no one did. everyone was drenched, everyone continued marching, to their delight, to the cheers of the crowd. one people, one spirit. then he cried. i was moved to the verge of tears. for those of you cringing in your seats now, or for that matter for those of you who even read until this point, i make it no point to hide my tears or be ashamed about crying. therefore, stop cringing.
i am proud to be a singaporean, and i thank God forevermore, for placing me here. Amen.
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