Tan Jian Wei / Writer
I used to remember the days when I had to be at the parade square by 7.25am every day to sing the national anthem and recite the pledge.
School songs used to be sung only on Mondays and later on, on both Tuesdays and Thursdays when there were English and Mandarin versions of it. Needless to say that by the time I got to the school which had 2 versions of school songs to learn, I had stopped bothering with memorizing the lyrics. But the one constant through all those mornings that I spent in school was the pledge and national anthem.
Since finishing the first year of National Service, I have had hardly any opportunity to sing the national anthem or recite the pledge. I have come to see August 9, National Day, as a day when I can do both of the above. Some people may say that there really isn’t much meaning or purpose in singing the national anthem and I used to think along the same lines back in primary school.
It just seemed like a chore. I even pondered why we school children had to sing the same song over and over again every day. After all, even if we hadn’t learnt the words to the national anthem in Primary 1, surely we would have known by Primary 2, having sung one year’s worth of national anthem?
Seconday school was thus a turning point for me in this aspect. Singing the school song was a much more passionate affair to me given the school spirit that had been inculcated within us. It was apparent many of my school mates sang the school song with a lot more zest than the national anthem. It dawned on me that it was really all about how passionate one felt about being a Singaporean.
At that time, as I became more aware of what was going on in and outside of Singapore, I began to realize how blessed I was to have grown up and stayed here all my life. I am proud of being a Singaporean, which is why I have sung our national anthem with pride ever since my years in secondary school.
I’m not sure what my fellow Singaporeans feel about seeing the national anthem and/or reciting the pledge but when I watch soccer/rugby/baseball matches on cable TV, I can see the players and spectators singing their national anthems with pride, gusto and zest. Whether it is the Star-Spangled Banner or God Defend New Zealand, it is hard to find anyone in the stadia not singing their own national anthems. Do correct me if I’m wrong but sporting events are some of the few events at which one can sing his/her national anthem. This only serves to make me appreciate the opportunities that come my way when I am able to sing Majulah Singapura.
So come this August 9th during the National Day Parade, you can be sure that I will be singing our national anthem with a lot of pride, gusto and fervour, even if I’m not able to attend the parade itself in person. And I hope you do the same as well.
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Good for you!!!! I rather sing some Megadeth or Slayer songs though.
I like her voice as well. I think it will carry the message through. I hope everything is fine in blogosphere. I have just read something that has disturbed me.
http://aaron-ng.info/blog/the-sad-state-of-blogosphere.html
I hope it is not true. I hope like national day and everything great in singapore, we can all sort out our differences. Even if we cannot agree, let us agree to disagree, but to just walk out is horrible. I dont like it
yeah..once we finish our studies, i really cant recall any occasions where we get to sing the anthem..but well, if u wake up early / stay up late enough daily..u will get to watch the national anthem on tv..its not as shiok as singing it out loud..(especially, if i am on the bus and the tvmobile starts showing the anthem)..but i find myself humming to it..if i am home, i will be singing along..!
Sing the anthem with pride, and take ownership of what it means. It belongs to us.
No can do, Cell, it belongs to the Lee family and those he favours. The rest of us are just tenants. 99 years leases and a lifetime of toil.
Ahsayman,
That’s defeatist attitude.. I was taught that I should not give away what is mine to others..
Haha
Oh I never give up what is mine , never. Those who knew me when I was much younger, would never believe their eyes, when I kept my head down, gritted my teeth, suppressed my tears of fury, all in the name of making a living. This government had taken away the most basic of freedom. The freedom to earn a living with dignity and not as a punching bag to uphold the debatable axiom of “The customer is always right.” So much so as to perpetuate an ever widening merry-go -round of “giving as much as one had taken.” Where will that lead us to as a people, as a nation? That’s reality in live mode for you. Cheers Cell.
As Singapore celebrates its National Day, the recent news of the authorities denying Burmese activists their visas is a serious matter which reflects the country’s unfulfilled obligations towards its migrants. As I argue in my blog, (and which if you are interested to read, just click on the link), ‘Singapore was an immigrant society prior to independence’ and that it continues to open its doors. Unfortunately, it has failed in many aspects when it comes to the immigration issue.
I agree with the writer. I get a lump in my throat when singing Majulah Singapura.
And frankly I’m a little fed up with the attitude of fellow Singaporeans. Don’t equate everything with PAP. You should all be proud when singing the national anthem. It’s not PAP’s anthem. It’s our anthem. I guess the fault is the education system here. When Zubir Said composed it in 1958, it wasn’t intended to be a propagandist tool like what the rest of the national songs are. It was composed in an era when there was hope and dreams. Singapore was not an economic success. But there was pride. And it shouldn’t matter who the ruling party is or who your MP is. We are all Singaporeans.
I have come to realise that as much as we focus on the various issues with the PAP and the govt as a whole, we have lost the meaning of just focussing on the heart share aspect.
Are we going to waste one whole lifetime just cursing and swearing at the govt?
What abt the simple things that we can sit down and laugh over with with our family and friends?
Yes, granted all the various issues are valid.Nevertheless, do we still come home to our family which are safe and education needs taken care off so that we can launch ourselves for the future.
To make our Country sustain in the next few years, I guess we can either create chaos and turmoil by supporting the opposition parties which do have valid arguments as well. Or we can “infiltrate” the govt by being a President Scholar or govt bond holder and then hopefully carry our agendas for the betterment of the society as a whole.
One thing is for sure : as of now, we have to think with our minds and not with our hearts. The competitive environment has caused to think only abt functional benefits and tangible incentives, looking at the lack of pro family iniatives at the workplace. We need to be strong to be able to sustain our heart share in our country. If not, we are just going to be a country of individuals.
For me, I am going to try work hard using both my heart and mind. Happy National Day Spore. 43 years together and counting.
@m9
“create chaos and turmoil by supporting the opposition parties” ?……you are making presumptions about the opposition and their supporters. Care to elaborate how you come to have such an idea ?
“infiltrate the govt by being a President Scholar or govt bond holder and then hopefully carry our agendas for the betterment of the society as a whole”
…..nice idea, but give the readers example/s of such success to date.
“if not, we are just going to be a country of individuals”
…..we have reached a stage where we have elites running the country as they please and looking after themselves extremely well !
Nice to hear you mention using both heart and mind…..
……….sadly lacking in the present leadership.
Why dont you send your article to the ST. I guarantee you it will sure get published!
Sorry I do not share your sentiments because I also get to travel and also notice how blessed the other countries are and I ‘ll be out of here when the opportunity comes.
It is easy to ‘appreciate’ Singapore IF you are in the high income category.
But for the general and large majority of mid, low and zero-income, ‘appreciating’ Singapore is the furthest thing in their minds. Believe me…
And as far as I am concern, I’m TOTALLY disconnected from all this national festivity and fervors. I find it has lost its meaning – what the heck are people supposed to be celebrating? Progress for who, in what way, and are we progressing? What the hell is there to appreciate? Appreciate all the appreciating costs of living???
Ok, sure. We have a CLEAN, SAFE, and STABLE environment to what?
- to TOIL, SUFFER, & LIVE FRUGALLY IN!
While our all wise, and ‘caring’ government hikes their salaries to the moon and beyond… so that their crutch mentality that paying themselves higher and higher salaries, keeps corruption away. And the poor and needy cannot be accorded welfare because it will become a crutch mentality….
..celebrate lah… celebrate…
I will be writing an article about the “best years for Singapore”. They were during the 1970s. I shall explain why, in my article.
I am old enough to go through the best years. Many young Singaporeans were borne after that decade. I hope that my points will give good lessons on how we can go back to the good years.
Or better yet, enjoy the best of all nations. Must admit it’s addictive..