This view captures the general landscape of the island Singapore that attempts to maintain a delicate balance between keeping pace with modernization and the preservation of her historical heritage. Historically, it was a fishing port. On the left hand side of the picture was the landing site of Sir Stamford Raffles who founded Singapore in 1819. The skyscrapers in the background depict the spirit of constantly raising its citizens to greater heights of achievements. Situated close to the river bank is the Asian Civilisation Museum where we treasure our nostalgic past. Change is a constant feature of this relatively tiny island in South East Asia. Behind the historic landing site are two outstanding buildings. One is the modern Supreme Court that has a "space ship" architectural design. The other is the newly built Parliament House where national polices are debated and laws passed. More significantly, today thousands of people from all walks of life stream into the House to pay their respects to Dr. Goh Keng Swee. The former Deputy Prime Minister passed away on 14 May 2010 at the age of 91 years old. We pay tribute to him for his outstanding contributions in terms of the shaping of the modern Singapore, specifically in education, finance, defence and the arts. While Dr. Goh and the leadership have contributed significantly to the development of this nation to a First World status within a generation, including the transforming of this once very dirty foul smelling river to its presentable condition, we need to be mindful that there are others who may not be able to keep up with the pace of change and are, as illustrated by the floating sandal found at the right bottom corner of this photograph, drifting albeit aimlessly. The sandal neither has an outstanding color nor is large enough to attract people's attention. Notwithstanding that, compassion must be demonstrated to them and opportunity be given to share in the economic fruits. Realistically, there will always be a segment of the population who would lag behind (due to a complex variety of reasons) and there are others such as the foreigners (approximately 20% of its population) who have come from far away places, had incurred huge debts and are in search for a better world in this shore. Maintaining a delicate balance and reaching out to those who are adrift is more than just an art for a civilized nation.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Balance and Adrift
This view captures the general landscape of the island Singapore that attempts to maintain a delicate balance between keeping pace with modernization and the preservation of her historical heritage. Historically, it was a fishing port. On the left hand side of the picture was the landing site of Sir Stamford Raffles who founded Singapore in 1819. The skyscrapers in the background depict the spirit of constantly raising its citizens to greater heights of achievements. Situated close to the river bank is the Asian Civilisation Museum where we treasure our nostalgic past. Change is a constant feature of this relatively tiny island in South East Asia. Behind the historic landing site are two outstanding buildings. One is the modern Supreme Court that has a "space ship" architectural design. The other is the newly built Parliament House where national polices are debated and laws passed. More significantly, today thousands of people from all walks of life stream into the House to pay their respects to Dr. Goh Keng Swee. The former Deputy Prime Minister passed away on 14 May 2010 at the age of 91 years old. We pay tribute to him for his outstanding contributions in terms of the shaping of the modern Singapore, specifically in education, finance, defence and the arts. While Dr. Goh and the leadership have contributed significantly to the development of this nation to a First World status within a generation, including the transforming of this once very dirty foul smelling river to its presentable condition, we need to be mindful that there are others who may not be able to keep up with the pace of change and are, as illustrated by the floating sandal found at the right bottom corner of this photograph, drifting albeit aimlessly. The sandal neither has an outstanding color nor is large enough to attract people's attention. Notwithstanding that, compassion must be demonstrated to them and opportunity be given to share in the economic fruits. Realistically, there will always be a segment of the population who would lag behind (due to a complex variety of reasons) and there are others such as the foreigners (approximately 20% of its population) who have come from far away places, had incurred huge debts and are in search for a better world in this shore. Maintaining a delicate balance and reaching out to those who are adrift is more than just an art for a civilized nation.
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