Happy National Day, Singapore

Like it or not, this video clip so reminded me about my NS days.


(link here if you cannot watch it)

I swear I felt a tear duct opening up. I'd be lying if I say it didn't stir up nostalgic feelings within me when I watched it. I felt patriotic. I felt Singaporean. A part of me wanted to embrace these youths and tell them, "Hey I understand. I've been through that sh*t. We all are kakis, abang-adek."

None of us who have been through the 2.5 years (that was the length of service during my time) can say the Army didn't change us.

Someone commented to me: "Why am I so bitter with the government?"

Read my lips: I'm NOT.

I'm sad. Disappointed that my birthplace is no longer my home. Or whatever is left of it. I no longer understand the policies. I no longer buy the 'carefully structured' speeches my politicians and most MPs make. I fail to understand the race to be #1, to be a rich nation with billions of economic worth with no heartware to understand the daily struggles of the low-income bracket families. Or the struggles of our past elderly generations who laboured for the country during their youths. It was as if they were robbed of it for somebody's cause.

To tell them they cannot enjoy the fruits of their labour, to work longer, retire later. To tell them their wage increases will cause inflation and to suck it up yet increasing their own salaries to astronomical sums.

These make me sad. And angry.

I feel patriotic when I speak up. As Barack Obama puts it, “Dissent does not make one unpatriotic.” - June 30, 2008.

Again, I will like to clarify - I believe FTs are important in a country. I, too, am considered an FT in Australia. However the policies that the .sg government has put in place do disadvantage our local youths.

Even for your death or disability in the Army, your family is paid peanuts. And not the 'peanuts' coined by our dear Mrs Goh CT to the tune of 60k/month (search "NKF golden tap Durai" in Google).

Happy birthday, Singapore.

PS. To all the gals who have wondered why your young men kept talking about their army days, it is for the same reason you go toilet together in pairs. We never outgrew the bonding we felt during those years of service.