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Coffeeshop Chit Chat - Lim Boon Heng: PAP is a party of the ppl</TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right>
Subscribe </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=msgtable cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="96%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=msg vAlign=top><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgbfr1 width="1%"> </TD><TD><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgF width="1%" noWrap align=right>From: </TD><TD class=msgFname width="68%" noWrap>kojakbt22 <NOBR>
</NOBR> </TD><TD class=msgDate width="30%" noWrap align=right>9:00 am </TD></TR><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgT height=20 width="1%" noWrap align=right>To: </TD><TD class=msgTname width="68%" noWrap>ALL <NOBR></NOBR></TD><TD class=msgNum noWrap align=right> (1 of 2) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgleft rowSpan=4 width="1%"> </TD><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>15132.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgtxt><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD>June 13, 2009
S'PORE SINCE 1959: A PERSONAL ACCOUNT
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- headline one : start --></TD></TR><TR><TD>How far we've come
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- headline one : end --></TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- Author --></TD></TR><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Lim Boon Heng </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
IN THE 1950s, Punggol was a rural community which eked out a living from the land. I grew up in Lorong Renjong in Ci Yuan. The names remain today: Renjong is a station on the LRT line; Ci Yuan is a community club; both are in Sengkang.
Entertainment for us then was the occasional free movie screening in an open field. One day, the Farmers Association staged a cultural evening at Pei Chai Public School, the local Chinese primary school. Of course, we all went.
The play depicted hardworking farmers being exploited by the rich. In the climax, they overthrew the rich and took command of their own destiny. We went home feeling good.
That was part of the run-up to the 1959 general election for the Legislative Assembly. Everybody was talking about it. The People's Action Party was the big talking point. Some said if the party won, we'd all be poor. But then we were all already poor! On May 30, the PAP won by a landslide.
That was 50 years ago. I was in Primary 5 .
Would our lives improve under self-government? Slowly some changes took place, with community self-help a key feature. The m&d tracks were improved through gotong royong.
On the designated day, lorries came to deliver granite rocks and chips. We had assembled with our cangkul, which we used to spread the granite over the m&d track.
As kampung folk, we were extremely pleased that the Government had given us granite to improve our road. That we had also built it ourselves made the new road ours.
When the hot season came, the wells ran dry for those who lived on higher ground. Water trucks came, and we filled our pails gratefully. We couldn't water the vegetable plots, but we had water to drink, to cook and to bathe. We were careful of every drop.
Later, water was piped to our area. Those who could afford it paid to have a line to their homes. Those who couldn't, fetched water from the public stand-pipe.
The PAP Government built new government schools. I attended Montfort School, an aided mission school. We felt we had better teachers and a better education in mission schools. It was true then, except for a few government schools like Raffles and Victoria institutions.
However, a few years after secondary school, I realised the balance had tilted. Rosyth Primary School, which we didn't think much of, had become an outstanding school. I told my alma mater that if we didn't improve the school, it would be left behind.
There was always something in the news while I was in school. It was a time of change. I was in Secondary 3 in 1963, when Singapore achieved independence through merger with Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak to form Malaysia. We felt it was for the better; we'd have more opportunities.
Racial riots broke out the next year. My O-level studies were interrupted twice by the riots.
The people in Ci Yuan were simple folk. Whether Malay, Indian or Chinese, we had no problems with one another.
Language certainly wasn't a barrier. Why, even the Indians understood Teochew, the dialect of the area. If you didn't see her, you couldn't tell it was Letchmi speaking.
But at night, jittery villagers were rattled easily. They beat empty oil drums to scare away troublemakers. The sound sent a chill into our bones.
A goodwill committee was formed, and we had our own vigilante group. Villagers were rostered to patrol in the night. Peace and order were eventually restored; trust returned.
Merger with Malaysia wasn't working. On Aug 9, 1965, I was stunned when I heard Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew proclaiming Singapore's independence.
We were alone. Our future was in our own hands.
The PAP Government built new HDB flats. For us in the rural areas, these were not necessarily an improvement. We were used to acres of space, and didn't fancy being confined to flats. Indeed, one of the topics for essays at my school was about 'pigeon-holes' in the sky!
But years later, when we wanted to buy our own home, my wife and I were disappointed that our combined income exceeded the ceiling for public housing by a few dollars. We had to buy a private walk-up flat that was nearly three times the price of a five-room HDB flat - and it was not as well-built!
When I completed my A levels, I hoped for a scholarship to go to university. Indeed, I was fortunate to get one to study in Britain.
We were a privileged few, but we knew our duty. Each of us had no other thought than to return after graduation to work in Singapore.
We received periodic newsletters through the Singapore High Commission in London. One day we read about the building of our own armed forces. A Defence Fund had been set up, and public donations were being solicited.
We held a collection among the Singaporeans at my university, and sent our little contribution. We were happy to play our part.
On graduating in 1970, I joined NOL, one of the enterprises set up by the Government to create jobs for Singaporeans. In 1980, I stood for Kebun Baru in the general election.
This is my personal account of the first 20 years of the PAP Government, years which defined its principles. It was a party of the people, dedicated to improving their lives.
It harnessed community spirit, be it to develop infrastructure or to forge a harmonious society. It imbued self-reliance, and enabled people to achieve the best they could. The writer is Minister without Portfolio in the Prime Minister's Office and chairman of the People's Action Party. This essay appeared originally in Petir, an organ of the PAP, to commemorate the party's 50th year in power.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
S'PORE SINCE 1959: A PERSONAL ACCOUNT
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- headline one : start --></TD></TR><TR><TD>How far we've come
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- headline one : end --></TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- Author --></TD></TR><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Lim Boon Heng </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
IN THE 1950s, Punggol was a rural community which eked out a living from the land. I grew up in Lorong Renjong in Ci Yuan. The names remain today: Renjong is a station on the LRT line; Ci Yuan is a community club; both are in Sengkang.
Entertainment for us then was the occasional free movie screening in an open field. One day, the Farmers Association staged a cultural evening at Pei Chai Public School, the local Chinese primary school. Of course, we all went.
The play depicted hardworking farmers being exploited by the rich. In the climax, they overthrew the rich and took command of their own destiny. We went home feeling good.
That was part of the run-up to the 1959 general election for the Legislative Assembly. Everybody was talking about it. The People's Action Party was the big talking point. Some said if the party won, we'd all be poor. But then we were all already poor! On May 30, the PAP won by a landslide.
That was 50 years ago. I was in Primary 5 .
Would our lives improve under self-government? Slowly some changes took place, with community self-help a key feature. The m&d tracks were improved through gotong royong.
On the designated day, lorries came to deliver granite rocks and chips. We had assembled with our cangkul, which we used to spread the granite over the m&d track.
As kampung folk, we were extremely pleased that the Government had given us granite to improve our road. That we had also built it ourselves made the new road ours.
When the hot season came, the wells ran dry for those who lived on higher ground. Water trucks came, and we filled our pails gratefully. We couldn't water the vegetable plots, but we had water to drink, to cook and to bathe. We were careful of every drop.
Later, water was piped to our area. Those who could afford it paid to have a line to their homes. Those who couldn't, fetched water from the public stand-pipe.
The PAP Government built new government schools. I attended Montfort School, an aided mission school. We felt we had better teachers and a better education in mission schools. It was true then, except for a few government schools like Raffles and Victoria institutions.
However, a few years after secondary school, I realised the balance had tilted. Rosyth Primary School, which we didn't think much of, had become an outstanding school. I told my alma mater that if we didn't improve the school, it would be left behind.
There was always something in the news while I was in school. It was a time of change. I was in Secondary 3 in 1963, when Singapore achieved independence through merger with Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak to form Malaysia. We felt it was for the better; we'd have more opportunities.
Racial riots broke out the next year. My O-level studies were interrupted twice by the riots.
The people in Ci Yuan were simple folk. Whether Malay, Indian or Chinese, we had no problems with one another.
Language certainly wasn't a barrier. Why, even the Indians understood Teochew, the dialect of the area. If you didn't see her, you couldn't tell it was Letchmi speaking.
But at night, jittery villagers were rattled easily. They beat empty oil drums to scare away troublemakers. The sound sent a chill into our bones.
A goodwill committee was formed, and we had our own vigilante group. Villagers were rostered to patrol in the night. Peace and order were eventually restored; trust returned.
Merger with Malaysia wasn't working. On Aug 9, 1965, I was stunned when I heard Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew proclaiming Singapore's independence.
We were alone. Our future was in our own hands.
The PAP Government built new HDB flats. For us in the rural areas, these were not necessarily an improvement. We were used to acres of space, and didn't fancy being confined to flats. Indeed, one of the topics for essays at my school was about 'pigeon-holes' in the sky!
But years later, when we wanted to buy our own home, my wife and I were disappointed that our combined income exceeded the ceiling for public housing by a few dollars. We had to buy a private walk-up flat that was nearly three times the price of a five-room HDB flat - and it was not as well-built!
When I completed my A levels, I hoped for a scholarship to go to university. Indeed, I was fortunate to get one to study in Britain.
We were a privileged few, but we knew our duty. Each of us had no other thought than to return after graduation to work in Singapore.
We received periodic newsletters through the Singapore High Commission in London. One day we read about the building of our own armed forces. A Defence Fund had been set up, and public donations were being solicited.
We held a collection among the Singaporeans at my university, and sent our little contribution. We were happy to play our part.
On graduating in 1970, I joined NOL, one of the enterprises set up by the Government to create jobs for Singaporeans. In 1980, I stood for Kebun Baru in the general election.
This is my personal account of the first 20 years of the PAP Government, years which defined its principles. It was a party of the people, dedicated to improving their lives.
It harnessed community spirit, be it to develop infrastructure or to forge a harmonious society. It imbued self-reliance, and enabled people to achieve the best they could. The writer is Minister without Portfolio in the Prime Minister's Office and chairman of the People's Action Party. This essay appeared originally in Petir, an organ of the PAP, to commemorate the party's 50th year in power.
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