[h=2]Pritam Singh[/h]Politician
As Chap Goh Mei, marking the last day of the Lunar Year passed yesterday, I was lucky to have coincidentally met a pair of outstanding neighbours at Blk 131, Bedok Reservoir Road this Wednesday gone by during my housevisits.
Linda has been creatively decorating the common corridor and lift lobby on her floor with recyclables and items from afar for a few years already. Her long-time next-door neighbour, Rahimah who I met during my housevisits as well, unsurprisingly, spoke proudly of her friendship with Linda. Linda even told me with a chuckle that she also secretly decorated Rahimah’s unit a little too!
Its easy for me to say this is a great example of positive race relations. But with 50 years behind us as a nation, ironically, it should not be about race anymore. Regardless of who lives next to us, whatever his or her race or religion, simple gestures go a long way to reinforce the Singapore spine with real iron. A simple hello, a short conversation and exchanging food, festive greetings can do a lot for better relations between all of us. As the age-old Chinese saying goes (shared with me by another resident!), better to have a close neighbour than a distant relative. Best wishes to all in the Year of the Goat!