When the news of the Lying in State ceremony was announced, I was thinking to myself if it was really necessary to have it opened to public for as long as 4 days. However, when I saw the procession from Sri Temasek to Parliament House on Wednesday morning, I knew we would be in for a long wait if we really wanted to be there to pay our respects.
So my family and I decided to go wait it out on Friday night. When we were there last night, never have I felt so overwhelmed by the events that took place. Singaporeans are known for being pragmatic and efficient. The queue last night started from City Hall Mrt Station and one had to go through a few underpasses to first get to Padang and then onwards to the Marina Floating Platform and finally round Boat Quay before reaching the security checkpoint before the Parliament House. After waiting for almost an hour outside of the Singapore Recreation Club, senior police officers and army personnel came over to make announcements to urge people to go home because there were way too many people and the Padang is absolutely packed. It can no longer take in any more people for safety reasons. I was expecting people to start leaving or stop joining the queue on the opposite side of the road but to my surprise, people stay rooted to their feet. The queue was hardly moving at all and even after 3.5 hours, we only moved a mere 100 metres. The crowd did not diminish but instead grew larger as we waited longer. Being realistic did not overrule people's emotions to want to be at the Parliament House to mourn for a great man. For a good 5 minutes, there was absolute silence along that stretch of road. Cars were stopped by the policemen before the junction, people kept silent and waited for further announcements. For the first time in my life, I witnessed how our nation had come to a standstill. It did not matter whether we were sleepy or tired, we just knew that we had to wait.
At around 1 a.m., people started distributing bread, water, h2o, apples, sandwiches, etc. At that point in time, I started to wonder what should be the decision - to leave or to stay? I think if I were on the opposite side of the queue, I would definitely turn back home. However, we were just at the entrance to the Padang and that "so near yet so far" feeling really was too ingrained. I started to discuss with one of my cousins my thoughts. The police had made repeated pleas for people to leave because young children were having a hard time staying amidst the crowd and for safety concerns, it would be better for some people to leave so that there will be more space for others. It takes courage for someone to give up at this juncture and say, "I will make way for others" and though I will not be able to pay my respects to Mr. Lee at the Parliament House, at least the others can. This brings me to Economics and the idea of the "Tragedy of the Commons" Vs "Invisible Hand". Adam Smith said that if everyone were to be rational and maximise their own self-utility, the outcomes to society will be the best. Yet, when everyone in this case persevered in order to gain their maximum utility - which is to pay their respects, why then would this result in a stalemate situation? Everyone was waiting for the person next to him or her to leave. Anyway, we decided to leave at around 2.30 a.m.
What warmed my heart a lot was how this entire saga had unfolded throughout the week. My cousin and I went back to queue just a few hours ago and along the entire journey, there were volunteers giving out all the necessary items - umbrellas and ponchos, bread, biscuits, h2o, jia jia liang cha, water, chrysanthemum, ribena, wet tissue, trash bags, etc. They did it with a smile plastered on their faces, constantly reminding us that we need to stay hydrated. The army officers were also stationed at various checkpoints to encourage us and tell us how far we were away from our destination. People spoke politely, without the usual frustrations of people who emphasise so much on efficiency and being realistic. The queue was long but it was not too chaotic overall. None of the jostling and pushing, just the occasional one or two desperate to move a step ahead. I felt that if everyone had lined up in rows of two, it would have been more comfortable for everyone. While queuing up for the security check, I noticed people were trying to cut corners to get into a queue that was non-existent so I decided to turn around and politely asked everyone not to attempt to cut corners because it will simply slow everyone down. I was not too hopeful of people listening to me but to my surprise, people indeed stopped attempting to cut the corners. Bravo, Singaporeans!
Over the last week, I am pretty sure the top search on all internet search engines was probably none other than Singapore's founding father, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew. I think we, Singaporeans, have indeed showed the world who we truly are.
All the talk about Singaporeans being the most emotionless, apathetic about politics, uncaring, kiasu, pragmatic have all been overthrown by our display of our unity in the last 4 days. I have never seen Singaporeans so united in my entire life, sticking it out with each other during this period of national mourning. When we remain silent about your criticisms, it does not mean that we do not have a view of things. We just choose to respond at the appropriate time and the time has come with the passing of a leader whom we have a love-and-hate relationship yet have so much respect for him and bear so many bittersweet memories of him in our hearts.
Westerners say that Singaporeans do not have freedom because we fear the PAP. It is just that everyone's opinion of freedom and definition of success differ. I agree with an article which argued about what freedom is like in Singapore:
- to be able to walk on the streets in the middle of the night without fear, especially for women
- to have our young children going to school without fear of being gunned down, etc.
I think I personally value the above more than freedom of speech. There is a Chinese saying, 祸从口出，which means that words spell trouble. Whatever you do in life and whatever decisions you make, there are bound to be people who will agree and disagree. Their judgments and opinions stem from their experiences and way of life. Someone might tell you to stand up for yourself while another might tell you to let live and let go. There is no right or wrong, just who and what kind of a person do you want to be.
People also measure success differently. Some of us measure success by wealth, fame and status and there they go, chasing after the numbers and economic outcomes. Some of us measure success by our relationships with others - friends, family, colleagues and social outcomes affect them. They want less money but more time. At the end of the day, is there one measure that is more superior than the other? No doubt Mr. LKY used his own measure of success - strong economic growth to ensure Singapore's sustainability and made that the mantra of Singapore's governance, but a nation's definition of success is and will always be set by its founding politicians, ain't it? Americans value freedom because they were a colony and their fight of independence was successful when the campaign was fight upon the basis of freedom for all. Likewise, Mr. LKY fought a successful campaign to help Singapore gain independence because that was what Singapore needed at that time. We need employment, housing, and stability during those turbulent times when the world was divided between communism and democracy. There are critics out there who talked about how he had forced his definition of success down Singaporeans' throats but I disagree. If he had forced it down our throats, he would not have won the election in 1959 and in 1963. He won because he delivered the needs of the electorate - jobs and houses.
One thing, amidst all these criticisms of him being autocratic, is that I would like to remind everyone that he empower you to make changes if you did not like his way of governance. If you think that Singapore lacks freedom, lacks options, lacks creativity, you can pack your bags and leave anytime. We are a highly connected air hub and you can always fly to another country to get inspirations. His bilingual policy enables you to travel to two of the most powerful economies in the world - U.S.A and China, free of barriers. We cannot all be the next USA or Japan or countries in Western Europe. We can have a democratic system but there will always be variations. The world is non-homogeneous and it should always be. God created mankind and made us to be different on purpose. You do know that animals and human beings are discouraged from breeding within their own family or among their own offsprings so that we will not have the same DNA and end up lacking the right immunity for different things. So if we are all meant to be different right from the start, why should we all work towards becoming the next USA or UK or France or blah blah blah.
Singapore does not have the creativity of the West but we have the discipline and rigour that they lack. People talk about Singaporeans not being creative and risk-taking and hence we do not have enough entrepreneurs. Any entity or project is successful because there are A FEW who wants to lead and MANY others who follow. If everyone wants to be a leader, who is going to do the dirty job? Let those who are risk-loving be the ones to lead and for those who value stability more, let them be the workers. In that way, the world can then function! At the end of the day, if you think something is not to your fancy, change yourself. Don't expect the world to change for you.
When I was blogging on Monday and Tuesday, my lil sis asked me, "Since when did you become so patriotic or a big fan of LKY?" I told her I love Singapore because she gave me everything that I own now. I like Mr. LKY and I truly respect him and Dr. Goh Keng Swee as well. There is this unspoken affection, not just because of what he did to turn Singapore into a homeland. They have such great minds and put them to such great use. I see these people, read about them and gain tons of inspiration from them. They propel me on whenever I want to say "FML" because I realise that actions ALWAYS speak louder than words. They give me strength in adversity and teach me not to be complacent even in good times.
However, I do not think that everyone has to agree with me and his fans. Those who are critical of him should still have the room to express their opinions. It is just that in this week of mourning, they should just let him enjoy the glory that he deserves. It is like how people cease fire during a war when something tragic happens to either party. Unless you are going to be dead tomorrow and today is the last chance that you have to chide him, just give this dead man a break. You still have the rest of your lives to express your opinions.
Before I sign off, I just want to sum up all that I have written with this - Despite all the claims about his one-size-fits-all approach to governing, what is important is "we live with dignity under his rule", and isn't dignity the most basic and also the most important need of every human being universally? If you are willing to work in Singapore, you never have to beg. If you are truly in need, the government will never leave you in the lurch. If you are able to give, don't hold back.
R.I.P. Mr. Lee Kuan Yew. 1923 - 2015.
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