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Coffeeshop Chit Chat - Hero's welcome for SM Goh in Fujian!</TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right>
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</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- headline one : end --></TD></TR><TR><TD>It's important to remember where we all come from, says SM on visit to ancestral village </TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- Author --></TD></TR><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Grace Ng, China Correspondent
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SM Goh receiving a "zupu" (an ancestral book detailing the family tree) from Yongchun county mayor Ye Yifan at the ancestral hall where the tablets of his ancestors are placed. Beside him is Mrs Goh. -- ST PHOTO: GRACE NG
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->YONGCHUN COUNTY (CHINA): Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong received a hero's welcome here at his ancestral village in Fujian province yesterday.
Mr Goh was visibly moved though when he first set eyes on the rustic wooden house with high ceilings and open courtyard where his grandfather once lived.
'My origin was that humble - in a small village in a small room where my father was born, in some unknown place in a county in China,' he told reporters.
The idea of retracing his roots came as a result of stories told to him by his late grandmother. Mr Goh's heritage can be traced all the way back to the Ming dynasty in 1403. It originated in Wuling village of Yongchun county, in Quanzhou city.
'I thought it is important first of all for us to know where our ancestral origin would be,' he said. 'We are or were all world immigrants from somewhere, whether it's India, Malaysia, Indonesia or China.'
Acknowledging the 'hot debate going on in Singapore about new immigrants', Mr Goh said he decided to 'put this issue in context by visiting my ancestral village'.
He stopped by the family home yesterday en route from Xiamen to Quanzhou on the third day of his five-day official trip in Fujian.
As Mr Goh headed to an ancient hall that houses the tablets of the village's illustrious ancestors - including a marshal and an imperial scholar - he was greeted by dozens of dancing school children.
The children chanted 'Warm Welcome' as they lined the reddish dirt path framed by the jade green crops of his relatives. Firecrackers crackled, lion- dancers pranced and village musicians clanged cymbals, as Mr Goh spoke in Hokkien with the people.
He also went to an old folks' home that was built partly by funds donated by his uncles and mother.
As Singaporeans reflect on why the country needs 'another wave of new immigrants', it is important to 'remember where we all come from', said Mr Goh. About half of Singapore's Chinese population are Fujianese descendants.
Mr Goh noted that both Singapore's birth rate and total fertility rate were low.
'If you want the economy to grow in future by at least 4 per cent to 5 per cent, you need to have human resources and manpower,' he said. 'So you need to top up the people in Singapore so that we can generate more growth.'
As Singaporeans welcome immigrants, there is also a need to find ways of integrating the newcomers to minimise friction.
Only when there is an understanding on these issues will Singaporeans be able to avoid emotional debates about new immigrants.
'I know there's some debate over this Chinese girl who's a PR in Singapore who took part in the parade, the 60th anniversary of China, PRC,' Mr Goh said, referring to Chinese national Zhang Yuanyuan who displayed her Singapore permanent resident (PR) identity card on Chinese TV.
Her proclamation of loyalty to her motherland angered some Singaporeans.
Mr Goh noted that it is understandable for a young Chinese citizen like Ms Zhang to want to take part in such a 'momentous event'.
He pointed out that Singaporeans who are PRs in countries such as Australia and Britain are not accused of being unpatriotic when they attend Singapore's National Day celebrations there.
'So likewise that must be our attitude - to try and entice these people to take the next step and become a Singapore citizen,' he said, urging Singaporeans to welcome the right people to come to their own country.
'We want to welcome selectively some immigrants - we just can't open our floodgate to all and sundry or Singapore will be overwhelmed. But... we should choose the right people to help contribute to Singapore.'
He added that Singapore is a sovereign state and its people have a 'uniquely Singaporean' identity that embraces elements of China, India and Malaysia - even in the way we speak.
For instance,�Singaporean phrases such as wa ai jiak loti (I want to eat bread) or wa ki pasat (I'm going to the market) would not mean anything to the Fujian people, Mr Goh said.
'They would say 'Li gong si mi? (What are you saying?)' They won't understand a word I'm saying, because that is Singaporean Hokkien.'
Still, Singaporeans should be encouraged to seek ancestral ties as 'we are part of a larger whole', Mr Goh said.
Singapore became independent in 1965 but it can trace its history back to its founding by the British in 1819. Mr Goh said that this reflects that 'we are part of a larger civilisation'.
[email protected]
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- headline one : end --></TD></TR><TR><TD>It's important to remember where we all come from, says SM on visit to ancestral village </TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- Author --></TD></TR><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Grace Ng, China Correspondent
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- show image if available --></TD></TR><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
SM Goh receiving a "zupu" (an ancestral book detailing the family tree) from Yongchun county mayor Ye Yifan at the ancestral hall where the tablets of his ancestors are placed. Beside him is Mrs Goh. -- ST PHOTO: GRACE NG
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->YONGCHUN COUNTY (CHINA): Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong received a hero's welcome here at his ancestral village in Fujian province yesterday.
Mr Goh was visibly moved though when he first set eyes on the rustic wooden house with high ceilings and open courtyard where his grandfather once lived.
'My origin was that humble - in a small village in a small room where my father was born, in some unknown place in a county in China,' he told reporters.
The idea of retracing his roots came as a result of stories told to him by his late grandmother. Mr Goh's heritage can be traced all the way back to the Ming dynasty in 1403. It originated in Wuling village of Yongchun county, in Quanzhou city.
'I thought it is important first of all for us to know where our ancestral origin would be,' he said. 'We are or were all world immigrants from somewhere, whether it's India, Malaysia, Indonesia or China.'
Acknowledging the 'hot debate going on in Singapore about new immigrants', Mr Goh said he decided to 'put this issue in context by visiting my ancestral village'.
He stopped by the family home yesterday en route from Xiamen to Quanzhou on the third day of his five-day official trip in Fujian.
As Mr Goh headed to an ancient hall that houses the tablets of the village's illustrious ancestors - including a marshal and an imperial scholar - he was greeted by dozens of dancing school children.
The children chanted 'Warm Welcome' as they lined the reddish dirt path framed by the jade green crops of his relatives. Firecrackers crackled, lion- dancers pranced and village musicians clanged cymbals, as Mr Goh spoke in Hokkien with the people.
He also went to an old folks' home that was built partly by funds donated by his uncles and mother.
As Singaporeans reflect on why the country needs 'another wave of new immigrants', it is important to 'remember where we all come from', said Mr Goh. About half of Singapore's Chinese population are Fujianese descendants.
Mr Goh noted that both Singapore's birth rate and total fertility rate were low.
'If you want the economy to grow in future by at least 4 per cent to 5 per cent, you need to have human resources and manpower,' he said. 'So you need to top up the people in Singapore so that we can generate more growth.'
As Singaporeans welcome immigrants, there is also a need to find ways of integrating the newcomers to minimise friction.
Only when there is an understanding on these issues will Singaporeans be able to avoid emotional debates about new immigrants.
'I know there's some debate over this Chinese girl who's a PR in Singapore who took part in the parade, the 60th anniversary of China, PRC,' Mr Goh said, referring to Chinese national Zhang Yuanyuan who displayed her Singapore permanent resident (PR) identity card on Chinese TV.
Her proclamation of loyalty to her motherland angered some Singaporeans.
Mr Goh noted that it is understandable for a young Chinese citizen like Ms Zhang to want to take part in such a 'momentous event'.
He pointed out that Singaporeans who are PRs in countries such as Australia and Britain are not accused of being unpatriotic when they attend Singapore's National Day celebrations there.
'So likewise that must be our attitude - to try and entice these people to take the next step and become a Singapore citizen,' he said, urging Singaporeans to welcome the right people to come to their own country.
'We want to welcome selectively some immigrants - we just can't open our floodgate to all and sundry or Singapore will be overwhelmed. But... we should choose the right people to help contribute to Singapore.'
He added that Singapore is a sovereign state and its people have a 'uniquely Singaporean' identity that embraces elements of China, India and Malaysia - even in the way we speak.
For instance,�Singaporean phrases such as wa ai jiak loti (I want to eat bread) or wa ki pasat (I'm going to the market) would not mean anything to the Fujian people, Mr Goh said.
'They would say 'Li gong si mi? (What are you saying?)' They won't understand a word I'm saying, because that is Singaporean Hokkien.'
Still, Singaporeans should be encouraged to seek ancestral ties as 'we are part of a larger whole', Mr Goh said.
Singapore became independent in 1965 but it can trace its history back to its founding by the British in 1819. Mr Goh said that this reflects that 'we are part of a larger civilisation'.
[email protected]
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