Reflections on National Day
i cannot remember when i stopped watching the parade. It must have been before 2005, when i first organised the pink picnic. It was when i knew i wasn’t treated equally. We were told, very clearly, “there will not be pride parades.” So, when the biggest parade in Singapore was happening, we had a picnic. It is my version of that gangsta kid on TV with the middle finger.
Singapore has lost its way. In wanting to achieve all the KPIs, all the results, we have lost our soul. To get every block of flats flying the National flag, instead of building up the community spirit, the patriotism, some idiot(s) just decided to take the simplest solution – pay some workers (usually foreign) to put them up. Today, less and less folks are flying the flags from their homes than in the 1990s.
i have no respect for a ruling party that manipulates, twists the constitution, the numbering of past elected presidents and even the race of the candidate to put in place the president it wants. It is disgusting and despicable. Perhaps you may win the battle, but i wonder if you will win the war. i wonder what the younger generation thinks of all that is happening now. And how that will come back to haunt you years down the road.
i have never felt a sense of pride being a Singaporean for a long time. Ironically, it was at Pink Dot this year that really moved me. i saw Singapore citizens and PRs coming to Pink Dot, i saw people being gracious to one another despite the heat and the crowd, and the constant bumping into one another. There could be an ugly scene there at Pink Dot, but all i saw was the best of who we could be. It was not just about “supporting the freedom to love,” it was also about what kind of society Singapore can be – one that is more inclusive, more compassionate, more patient, more embracing of difference.
Alfian Sa’at may be right in saying “If You Care Too Much About Singapore, First It Breaks Your Spirit, Then It Breaks Your Heart”
Well, for me it first breaks my heart. And i think my spirit is next.