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S'poreans Divided
...Regardless of race, language or religion... or...
By Ng Tze Yong
May 25, 2009
TNP GRAPHICS: SIMON ANG
THE cynics made little of it, calling it a catfight. But, for President S R Nathan, the Aware saga was more.
In opening a new session of Parliament earlier this week, President Nathan called on Singaporeans to learn from the episode, be more tolerant and embrace diversity.
It was acknowledgement that today, there is more that divides us - big and small - more to unite against, than 'race, language or religion', the bedrock of ideals set by Mr S Rajaratnam in the Singapore Pledge.
What are the new things that divide Singaporeans today? What are the old divisions that have remained?
Can they ever be reconciled?
Singaporeans v foreign workers
Mr Danny Chow, a 61-year-old retiree
'It is not a divide. It is just a reality of life. Whether it is standing too close to you or not queuing up for something, these foreigners are behaving exactly the way they do back home.
'If anything, it shows that they feel comfortable in Singapore, and that's a compliment to us.
'At the same time, it wouldn't hurt for the people who bring them in to give them a better orientation of Singapore culture.'
Mr Swapan Guwranga, 29, Bangladeshi shipyard worker
'Some Singaporeans do not like us. I think that maybe they do not like poor people.
'But there are also many good Singaporeans who help us because they understand that we are in a strange country, and why we came here.'
Christians v Gays
Mr Terence Lim, an engineer in his 40s who's a Christian
'The divide can be reconciled. I cannot force my fundamental belief on others; I can only share. It is up to the other person to decide for himself or herself.
'Moving on from the Aware saga, it will be good to have a dialogue between Christians and the gay lobby.
'But we should first wait for the emotions to settle down and maybe discuss some things behind closed doors first before going public, to prevent any more misunderstandings.'
Miss Jean Chong, 34, founder of Sayoni, a queer women's group
'It's a divide that cannot be reconciled. They will always think we are out to convert people, and we will always seek acceptance.
'At the same time, not all Christians are anti-gay, only a minority. For these people on the extreme end, there is no way and no point in engaging them.
'But for the people in the middle, we can reach out and agree on the lowest common denominator, that gay people suffer because we are being discriminated against.'
PAP supporters versus opposition supporters
Mr Samuel Lee, 48, former grassroots leader and PAP supporter
'This is a divide can never be reconciled. There will always be unhappy people in any system.
'But it is a divide that can be narrowed. PM Lee, for example, has brought the PAP towards the centre left by being more open about the gay issue, for example.
'On their part, the opposition needs to put forward a more coherent stance.
'It takes more passion, courage and love to be an opposition supporter in Singapore than a PAP supporter.
'But at the same time, people need to know what is it that you stand for, not just that you stand against the PAP.'
Mr Koh Choong Yong, 36, vice-president of the Workers' Party (WP) youth wing
'Politics is a gentlemen's game - we disagree on policies but we do not go around calling people names. So it's not as big a divide as people think.
'But what's needed is for more civil servants to stop playing it safe when considering applications for permits and facilities.
'Society has changed. Civil servants have to realise that opposition politics does not equate to disorder.
'They may give us obstacles from time to time, but they can't stop us from continuing our work anyway.
'So why not encourage people to speak up in a peaceful manner instead?'
S'poreans Divided
...Regardless of race, language or religion... or...
By Ng Tze Yong
May 25, 2009
TNP GRAPHICS: SIMON ANG
THE cynics made little of it, calling it a catfight. But, for President S R Nathan, the Aware saga was more.
In opening a new session of Parliament earlier this week, President Nathan called on Singaporeans to learn from the episode, be more tolerant and embrace diversity.
It was acknowledgement that today, there is more that divides us - big and small - more to unite against, than 'race, language or religion', the bedrock of ideals set by Mr S Rajaratnam in the Singapore Pledge.
What are the new things that divide Singaporeans today? What are the old divisions that have remained?
Can they ever be reconciled?
Singaporeans v foreign workers
Mr Danny Chow, a 61-year-old retiree
'It is not a divide. It is just a reality of life. Whether it is standing too close to you or not queuing up for something, these foreigners are behaving exactly the way they do back home.
'If anything, it shows that they feel comfortable in Singapore, and that's a compliment to us.
'At the same time, it wouldn't hurt for the people who bring them in to give them a better orientation of Singapore culture.'
Mr Swapan Guwranga, 29, Bangladeshi shipyard worker
'Some Singaporeans do not like us. I think that maybe they do not like poor people.
'But there are also many good Singaporeans who help us because they understand that we are in a strange country, and why we came here.'
Christians v Gays
Mr Terence Lim, an engineer in his 40s who's a Christian
'The divide can be reconciled. I cannot force my fundamental belief on others; I can only share. It is up to the other person to decide for himself or herself.
'Moving on from the Aware saga, it will be good to have a dialogue between Christians and the gay lobby.
'But we should first wait for the emotions to settle down and maybe discuss some things behind closed doors first before going public, to prevent any more misunderstandings.'
Miss Jean Chong, 34, founder of Sayoni, a queer women's group
'It's a divide that cannot be reconciled. They will always think we are out to convert people, and we will always seek acceptance.
'At the same time, not all Christians are anti-gay, only a minority. For these people on the extreme end, there is no way and no point in engaging them.
'But for the people in the middle, we can reach out and agree on the lowest common denominator, that gay people suffer because we are being discriminated against.'
PAP supporters versus opposition supporters
Mr Samuel Lee, 48, former grassroots leader and PAP supporter
'This is a divide can never be reconciled. There will always be unhappy people in any system.
'But it is a divide that can be narrowed. PM Lee, for example, has brought the PAP towards the centre left by being more open about the gay issue, for example.
'On their part, the opposition needs to put forward a more coherent stance.
'It takes more passion, courage and love to be an opposition supporter in Singapore than a PAP supporter.
'But at the same time, people need to know what is it that you stand for, not just that you stand against the PAP.'
Mr Koh Choong Yong, 36, vice-president of the Workers' Party (WP) youth wing
'Politics is a gentlemen's game - we disagree on policies but we do not go around calling people names. So it's not as big a divide as people think.
'But what's needed is for more civil servants to stop playing it safe when considering applications for permits and facilities.
'Society has changed. Civil servants have to realise that opposition politics does not equate to disorder.
'They may give us obstacles from time to time, but they can't stop us from continuing our work anyway.
'So why not encourage people to speak up in a peaceful manner instead?'
...
