Note: This article on cobbler Uncle Kwok is a prelude to the articles we will be featuring as part of our tentatively titled, “Wisdom From The Streets”, series in a week or two on TOC.
Deborah Choo
There he is, smoking, pleasurably and placidly. He’s in his own world momentarily, and seems to enjoy the rain. He is unperturbed by it.
He draws on his cigarette, sheltered by the umbrellas which form a protective shield for him from the downpour. Plastic stools, red and grey, are stationed beside him. They are for his customers, he said to me. He sits on a shorter, wooden stool.
Uncle Kwok is a cobbler – and has been one for the last two years. He is one of the regular cobblers stationed in Chinatown. He would be there from 9.30a.m. to 7.30p.m., seven days a week, rain or shine.
At 58-years old, his scrawny and shriveled frame, his dark complexion and the wrinkles on his face reveal the years of toil in his life. His hair is cropped short with sprouts of white interspersed with varying shades of black and grey. His eyes are accentuated by eyelids beautifully carved just below his eyebrows.
As I approach him, his apparent apprehensiveness turns into curiosity as I identify myself as a journalist (well, a citizen journalist). Uncle Kwok has temporarily stopped work because of the rain. It prevents the glue which he uses to fix the shoes from drying, he explains to me.
He cycles daily to work from his house in Harbour Road, which explains his robust health.
“I save more money by cycling to work!” he said excitedly, his voice booming in my ears.
When asked about his monthly income, he said it was still quite alright for him. Though business has dropped since last year, he manages to get by with his rather steady stream of regular customers. He takes home about $1,000 or so each month, during the current economic recession. When times were better, he could easily pocket close to S$2,000 a month, he said.
Uncle Kwok lives with his 66-year old brother, a retiree, in a one room flat at Harbour Road. He remits money home to his wife and two children – a daughter, 22, and a son, 20. They live in Indonesia and the Phillippines. He would send them a total of S$510 each time, unless his income for a particular month does not permit him to. His wife is an Indonesian whom he met more than thirty years ago whilst on a business trip.
His voice grows louder, laced with excitement, as he recounts his younger days.
“I’ve worked in so many professions before!” he exclaimed. Uncle Kwok’s first job was working as a fish ball noodle seller at roadside stalls which was ubiquitous in Singapore in the 1960s. He was thirteen then. His excitement – and pride – in telling me how he learned how to make fish balls was evident. “I was paid only $30 a month back then!” he said.
“You could buy a bowl of noodles so cheaply! One Jin （斤）for ten cents, two Jin （斤）for fifteen cents! The food was so good! We all sat by the roadsides to eat!” Uncle Kwok said in Chinese, eyes widened with passion. “Now I can’t find such delicious food anymore.”
His career ranges from being a fish ball noodle seller, to working as a coolie for the PSA, to his current occupation as a cobbler. Endowed with a set of skillful hands was his gift.
The rain finally stops.
As a customer approaches, Uncle Kwok turns to me. “Here, I’ll show you how to repair this pair of shoes,” he offered graciously.
“In everything you do, you must be sincere,” he reminds me, “and do the task to the best of your ability.”
Uncle Kwok quickly slips on his S$1.20 red glasses he had bought from CK Tang, and gets to work. His eyes narrowed, his nimble and calloused hands lead the way. As he focuses on the job, he explains that the cutting of the plastic that is used to stick onto the base of the shoe is very important. The key, Uncle Kwok explains, is in the varying degrees of slicing the plastic base that gives such perfection and quality, making it more comfortable for the customer as well. The angle of positioning the cutting tool varies from 10 to 30 to 45 degrees to give a sleek touch that looks neat.
Our chat soon turns to his family. He misses his wife’s cooking, he says. To Uncle Kwok, his family is above all the money he could ever make. He makes it a point to return to visit them at least three to four times a year, each time for a week. Visiting his family during Chinese New Year is a must, he said.
“My son is very handsome! He can even beat some actors”, Uncle Kwok proclaims. His son is currently working as a property agent whilst awaiting entry to the university. “Ah, but he’s so shy. He returns home straight after work. It’s only when I want to go out that he will accompany me. Girls chase him, but he is too shy,” he chuckled.
His daughter is currently enrolled in an Indonesian University.
“All I want for my children is a good life for them. I leave it to them to decide everything,” Uncle Kwok tells me. “They are sensible children.”
“I got to continue to work hard so that they can have a good education,” he said, as he cheerfully greeted the next customer. “I have to feed my family.”
—
Salute to a hardworking man !!!
A quaint story, nice to have some insight into the lives of such people whom we seldom think about, let alone spare more than a glance.
Its a pity that 10, 20 years from now these dying trades will be well, dead, no space for them in our growing society.
Somehow I think the existance of such cobblers, ice-cream sellers and the karang guni man is what makes Singapore unique and gives it some flavour. Rather than sweeping them to one side, perhaps they should be allowed to flourish on our streets.
But of course there must be some sort of QC in place to ensure at least no one is cheated of their money by such “street stalls”.
To Terence,
Indeed it would nice to retain such niche aspects of our society, but the authorities would rather see the back of these street merchants. See what happened to all the street food vendors. Even ice-cream sellers are a rarity these days.
Yeah sad indeed. It’s like the state’s taking a top-down and highly invasive approach towards shaping the city. Rather, we should think about letting the city develop by itself and form its own culture and flavour. Isn’t that how great cities arise? Less intervention please, let the city evolve by itself.
All the great cities of the world took decades and generations to evolve into what they are today. Our city has risen in less than two generations. I guess such accelerated growth leaves little room for the flourishing of all the small things that make a city unique. Even more so in a economically-centric society.
yes i agree with you in the sense that perhaps it is a trade-off that in for Singapore to develop so quickly, some of the autonomy has to be taken away. The problem is whether should Singapore continue down this same economically-centric, heavily state-directed path for its next phase of development? Is it even necessary now?
where is “Harbour Road”? I can’t find it in the street directory.
Yes, I don’t like the idea of Singapore Inc. too. But I don’t think this is gonna change much for the next 20 years, not with the current leadership we have.
Wonder why his family live in Indonesia and he in Singapore.
I have great respects for people like uncle Kwok and truly humbled by his value of life thought. This is a generation of people I am acquainted to (me being one of them but pale in comparison to this uncle). Hardworking, focussed and commited. Indeed, not many are left for the younger generation to appreciate, but then again, will the younger generation appreciate these values? May be and may be not. These days I can only wonder, what had Singapore become? Thre are no memory lane to walk back, all that we see today are nothing but concrete and sky scrappers that epitomize a moder metroplis. However, underneath this, she has lost all the charm o fhte older days including the values only known and cherished by older generation like the star of this article.
The lowly income will always be around and struggle to make ends meet.
What cheeses people off are our highly paid civil servants and leaders, living in a world of their own, do we blame them, no, the system yes!
What make a society is a mix of all types and no one is above anyone. It was a pity too that they took away the “kampongs” , it balances society too. We do not blame the younger generation and our leaders for being like this now, materialistic and self centered.
What strikes me the most about talking to these senior Singaporeans is the simple wisdom in their words. It is so rare to hear these nowadays.
“In everything you do, you must be sincere.”
So simple yet so poignantly true. I can’t remember the last time anyone said such a thing to me.
Nice quote. I will keep that to heart.
I am also sincere.
The only reason his income can support so many people is that his family does not live in Singapore. If they live in Singaproe, it would virtually be impossible for his income to support them.
agree with the cobbler…
not sure how many elites got to learn from him?
aiyoyo
A mindl produce a synthetic city. I missed the good old days where I can squat at the roadside eating satay and mee rebus and not a single sickness befell me in my earlier life. The most laughable is we have all the licensing and grading in place to keep street hawkers at bay but we still encounter food poisoning in the most unforseeable and vetted places and sickness seems a common thing.
7/4/09
Uncle is a genuine unsung hero of Singapore and his job does not need a foreigner or so called FT to do, and this shows Singapore still can and there is more than enough room for our local born Singaporeans in our Modern Singapore.
Regards
Andrew Chuah
The simplest things in life are the most genuine.
I hope the “elites” in their ivory tower will read this story.
Uncle Kwok represents the true Singaporean – hardworking, humble, honest.
Not those in sheep clothing paying themselves obscene salaries from the public coffer.
“In everything you do you must be sincere (and honest)”
Tell this to the insurance agents and RMs.They need to emulate him. Despite the lowly earning he has the skill to give the best to his customers.
Do insurance agents and the RMs have the skill to give the best and put their clients’ interest first? Talk only….where is the sincerity?
The cobblers didn’t choose the highest paying repair to do but all repairs and give his best to whoever, rich or poor. But the insurance agents and RMs only choose the highest paying commission products to sell. That is their sincerity…
I wonder where is MAS? What is MAS doing with fair dealing outcome guidelines.
The cobblers need no guidelines. He is self regulated.He is honest and competent. He is regulated by market forces. He is disciplined. He is not driven by greed and dishonesty. His trade is non enviable but it is an honest living.
Where have all the good people gone to?
joined the civil service i guess
The Difference between clobbler Uncle Kwok and the Elites is the Former has conscience which generates sincerity and humility.
Kudos to fellow Kwok for upholding our traditional/cultural values ! Me 58 too.
Dear all:
my apology for the spelling mistake in Post 23. It should read cobbler instead of ‘clobbler’
sinman.
That honour should go to the likes of uncle Kwok should Singapore loses itself thru cross breeding to a population of 6 million soon
I enjoyed reading this article! Thank you so much! It reminds me of the spirit and work of the late Syed Hussein Alatas in ‘The Myth of the Lazy Native’(1977). There seems to be a comparative story here in Singapore too: current political leaders and those aspiring to great powers wanting to ‘teach’ Singaporeans: to be ‘cosmopolitan’ etc. What we truly lack today on both sides of the Straits perhaps is someone of intellectual depth and political courage like the late Alatas.
Read more about it in an article by Clive Kessler in the April 2009 issue of ‘Off The Edge’.
Thanks Deborah for this article.
What i like most about it is that it does to a certain extend show what Singaporeans are really, especially TOC readers. We can condemn, swear, curse, criticise, debate, argue and can make a lot of hulla baloo over many issues. But beneath this facade there is always a place for the less priviledged, the under-dogs and the poor. Good to have such articles once in a while.
Thank you, Hung Kim, Arthur, and the rest who enjoyed this article.
This is a group of elderly people who make a decent living from the streets – one which TOC wanted to approach – seeking to illuminate their lives and their individual trades. It is indeed very different from the lives of PMETs, undergrads etc.
Do look out for more of such articles during the week of Labour Day.
Thank you once again, to all TOC readers.
Best Regards,
Deborah Choo
Email: deborahchoo@gmail.com
Deborah
Nice story for a change, and a series on this is good (compared to some of your other human interest works).
The article brought tears to my eyes.
I wonder how else other seniors make a living in Singapore nowadays other than as the very visible paper carlton collectors.
As for me, coming from a white collar background, I could find no work upon retirement.
These are the very people the elites have built sg on the backs of, and betrayed. What’s worse, they don’t seem to be aware that they’ve been used their whole lives; that they should have done something about it long ago.
Oh, wait. Maybe he has done something about it – moving his family out of singapore! I won’t be surprised they’re living in a big house. It’s possible in a more rural area in Indonesia.
As I read the article, I begin to reflect on my growing years. I remember a time in my little kampong, tucked away from the civilization of the hustle and bustle of town, we were so accustomed to seeing all sorts of peddlers, peddling simple necessities from bath soap to wooden stools to brooms and dustpans to the bread-on-wheels uncle to the neighbourhood-hopping barber.
I grew up experimenting with all sort of things like repairing my own bicycles and radios to creating my own toys and games. We were a generation that were good with our hands and most things were learnt hands-on.
The generation of those days were so adaptable. You see friends cutting each other’s hair. You see girls sewing their own clothes. You see parents baking their own bread. You see every neighbour looking out for one another.
Today’s generation is so vastly different. I wonder whether the young of today are able to do simple things like mending a torn shirt or dress, or repair their own bicycles. I really wonder because seemingly, their fingers are better than the hand, on their keyboards and games consoles.
I was in KL just a few weeks ago and I noticed this gentleman weaving away on a rattan basket. I recalled the time when such trades were so common on our island and it was not uncommon to have friends who were good at weaving baskets, apart from the many skills mention earlier.
It struck me at that time that we have lost a large part of our heritage where this sort of art forms are concern. Indeed, these are art forms passed on from generation to generation. It will become extinct with the passing of my generation, for sure.
I was telling the missus then, that we are losing this art form and it is not the fault of the people, who were kept busy with the progress of the nation. Gee! Did I say “progress”. What are we progressing into? A nation that is rich (don’t know for how long more) and nothing else? There is no compassion within the citizenry, with each fighting tooth and nail over every piece of ‘development’?
Little wonder that we are going to be retired in JB. Even for a generation like mine, where our hands are creatively good, there is no room for us here, for the simple fact that we cannot display and ply our wares.
And whose fault is it, you say?
Hey Gemami,
interesting comments. While you belong to the generation that has seen Singapore evolve from kampung village to wired nation, I belong to the generation called a digital native, perfectly comfortable with IT and such. My perspectve on this issue differ from yours actually.
Personally, I don’t see anything bad in these trades dying out, although I do feel they should be allowed to exist if they want to. Neither do I find it a necessarily bad thing that we are losing our ability to be self-sufficient and versatile.
Honestly speaking, I think it is merely a simple economic phenomena of specialisation and diversification, which is to be expected in modern Singapore society. Need to mend or wash your shirt? Bring it to the tailers or the washer’s. Get a maid to clean your house, or even a daytime nanny.
It is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing, because we have diversity and choice, and trade is a win-win situation. A curse, because we become materially dependent on others. I shudder to think what will happen if one day the Internet shuts down or if electricity is gone. But we adapt.
While I feel that trades like the cobblers and street sellers are dying out, I will not especially miss them. Society has to evolve. But should we preserve some sort of heritage and memory of these articles of eras gone by? Definitely.
Is it true that compassion is degenerating and disappearing? Perhaps. While communties like villages and disappearing, new forms of communities are springing up, and people find solace and compassion to be contained within. An example would be the church community, which is one of the main reasons why people attend churches.
Honestly, I don’t think we should place moral quantifiers on how society is changing. I choose to see it with a bird’s eye view. Things like love, compassion will never fade. They just evolve in their forms of expression.
Similarly, old habits must die, and new ones adopted.
Hi Terence,
There is no denying that every new generation develops its own culture and the evolution of such culture is inevitable. I fully understand the comfort with which your generation is experiencing and evolving into, and the ease by which you adapt to the ever-changing world, albeit, an electronical and technological one.
My reflection is more on the pace of development and the offsetting price we have to pay because of this development. Don’t get me wrong. Development is good. It is meant to give the people a better standard of life.
And it is here that I lament the fact that we have made far too many sacrifices to keep pace with the rate of development. Perhaps, we are disadvantaged because we do not have any natural resources for crying out loud. And because of this, we need to go global and tap on others for our continued progress and survival. But still, it is no excuse to keep the basic values that were handed down to us by our parents and grandparents.
Development is not a bad thing but the fact that we are over-doing it in a very kiasu & kiasi kind of way that is killing the common folks. In every society, there are all kinds and all types of people who are good at one thing or another. To make every mouse bark like a dog, IMHO, is not the right thing to do.
There is this margin of people who have special talents, who want to earn an honest and sincere living, using the simple skills they possess. Sadly, they are not given a chance to do so because everything is taken away from them either by the progress and advancement of technical abilities or the need to ‘fit in’ just to survive.
The question of demand for such skills can be answered by the healthy spawning of private online businesses and the brisk sales they are reaping for themselves.
The simple comment made by Uncle Kwok is one thing, but the big surprise, to me, is the reaction from so many readers. Why do we marvel at the sincerity of this uncle? Is it because we recognise that it is a value that we are now discovering that we might have lost? What other values have we lost?
true, true,
Some things may change, but there are other things that must remain the same.
That’s what Obama espoused, and that was what got him into the Whitehouse — an appeal back to traditional values.
Compassion and caring for th weak, these are values that must be passed down from generation to generation.
Indeed the story of Uncle Kwok’s plight will be able to elicit a warm reaction from most readers, even the young generation. While his livelihood and attitude to life is vastly different from ours, I believe we can recognise the appeal of a traditional lifestyle and the lack of assumptions and demands it imposes on us, vis-a-vis our own fast-paced lives.
Part of me is sad that such trades are dying out, and I believe it is because the men and women plying these old-fashioned trades have done so with steady perseverance, honest dealings and good intentions mainly. They seem to take satisfaction in their work and feel like they have their place, however small, in society. The above cannot be easily said for most of the current youth in Singapore, the demands and expectations on us being far larger in comparison.
In a way, we envy the simple life led by these people. We may not seem to care much for traditional but it has its place in our hearts.
Good effort for bridging the offline world to the online world
I can’t remember the last time I saw a cobbler on the streets of this city. Probably ten years ago. That said, it’s amazing that the trade still exists and surviving. And it’s definitely something if the uncle can still reap a thousand dollars during a recession, even if it’s through his regular customers. Clearly, he has a bunch of very loyal customers (either that, or he’s been able to get new customers!). Such loyalty can only be earned through committment and the integrity in his work.
There’s no doubt that these trades from the past are dying out – along with certain values entrenched deep in the older generations, as well as the old kampong-sque flavour and culture. This growing city seems to favour economic stability and GDP growth over everything that has to do with the heritage of this society. Skyscrapers are abound – I felt like I was in the middle of a sci-fi movie set when I passed by the marina bay construction sites – and I see little of evidence of history around.
Terence posed the question if the government should loosen its grip on this city’s progress/development. Perhaps, to be less economically-centric and to intervene less in the country’s evolution. It would be great if this can happen. But if you asked me if I would leave this country to it’s own devices, to allow it to nourish it’s own culture, I wouldn’t. At least, not now.
It’s difficult to induce a sort of culture, and more so the sort of culture and heritage we once had – twenty, thirty or forty years ago. We can have the whole industry of ice-cream men, cobblers, roadside foodstalls and weavers back from the past – but it won’t be the same. as long as we are conscious of this new age and environment. It will simply reek of ingenuity.
Seeing a piece of your heritage and life disappearing into history is sad. But as with all history, it is something to remember and cherish. It is also something you can be proud of – like many of you are. Nowhere else, can you emulate the icecream that you had from that balding uncle in 1960, and neither will you hear that noodle uncle tapping his woodpiece outside your house ever again. Your grandchildren won’t have the luck to enjoy that bowl of noodle, just like you don’t quite get what they find in that Xbox thing. But sometimes, if you try hard enough, your granddaughter might just get a smell of the noodle.
Going back to the topic. Don’t you think there is a reason why cobblers like Uncle Kwok hardly exist in Singapore anymore? In his case, it seems a viable trade. But imagine having an industry of cobblers now. What many of you like, in my opinion, is the novelty of his existence…as a piece of history – but at the same time, you wouldn’t want to be in his shoes yourself. I admire his committment and integrity of his work – but I wouldn’t want to spend most of my day helping people repair their shoes.
Just as someone suggested that Uncle Kwok belonged to the less-privileged, I think it’s important to remind ourselves that many of us are more privileged. And we are the ones who have the luxury of going onto the Net and giving feedback on this article about the ‘less privileged’. The irony in this is that while our Uncle seems contented with his life, we are saying in effect that there isn’t enough cobblers like him to perhaps serve as competition.
[i hope i sound less like a smart-alec than i think]
It is easy to forget that nowadays, we are relying more and more on government aid, so much so that we take it all for granted and we complain when the amenities aren’t as efficient or effective as said to be. My neighbourhood has been going through all sorts of structural changes and improvements as far as I can remember – from ‘fire-safe doors’ to covered-walkways and more covered walkways to new lightbulbs everywhere. Now I find a lot of these unnecessary and I am quite sure some of these are for economic means (maybe as a form of injection into the economy) – but at the end of the day when you think about it, the government in general is trying to do something about this country.
A culture or heritage can’t simply be built or brought back and neither does it simply form up like that. Time, people and the world outside all play important roles in sculpturing a culture. No doubt, I believe our government is responsible for some loss of our history/culture/heritage. For example, I wonder if it was a good move with the Chinese dialects. But they did what they felt was needed – and the truth is you can’t tell for sure if it would have been better otherwise, can you? You can blame them for making our education system or whatever in such a way, but it would be too easy to simply throw all responsibility to the government and its leaders.
Culture doesn’t just disappear – it changes. We do have a culture now and someone here has already aptly described it:
“We can condemn, swear, curse, criticise, debate, argue and can make a lot of hulla baloo over many issues. But beneath this facade there is always a place for the less priviledged, the under-dogs and the poor. Good to have such articles once in a while.”
For a positive point of view, you may want to see this society as having changed to a place where….Socratic dialogue and debate can take place. On the other hand, dialogue and debate and feedback is a lot and actually most of what we do. Maybe I’m wrong, but I feel most Singaporeans, young or old, prefer taking a sitback-and-feedback approach to things. As we reminisce about the old times, few of us are actually thinking of ways to preserve those pieces of good history and memory. Maybe it’s because most of us are too busy making ends meet or maybe it’s difficult to come together to organise something and share some memories. Perhaps.
We also talk about the youth, the younger generations and how different they are. I agree. Some of them seem to take pride in not knowing their own mother tongue. Many of them will prefer to indulge in their own amusement or entertainment. And I suspect more than a few would rather know what is the latest xbox game, rather than what toys their grandparents played with 60 years ago. Many of the so-called ‘elite’ are lost in their own worlds and wouldn’t deign to involve themselves with those who can’t help themselves.
But it is also true that there are young kids out there who are willing to learn the dialects of their elders and also the ‘elite’, who choose to contribute to society. It’s not just the adults who have to work harder nowadays, but children and youth as well. As information, news and knowledge become more easily transmitted globally, it’s difficult not to get caught up in trying to catch up with everyone else. Just as some of us hardly have the time to really commit ourselves in preserving the rich heritage and history of this country (who has the time to go protesting in chinatown or organise some nonya feste cum reminiscence party???), I don’t think it is easy for ministers and government agencies to organise large scale campaigns or events every other day. Even when they do, this needs to work both ways; the people need to bother to attend as well.
At the end of the day, I feel it boils down to whether the people, as a whole, government and it’s citizens, are willing to take responsibility for it’s own culture, history and heritage.
40) Zach on April 9th, 2009 12.29 am
But if you asked me if I would leave this country to it’s own devices, to allow it to nourish it’s own culture, I wouldn’t. At least, not now.
I do not think anyone is canvassing for a complete hands-off approach to our evolution process. I did mention that there will always be this little margin where those with ‘side-stream‘ talents and skills, gather. For one reason or another, these are the ones who cannot, do not, or simply choose not to, fit into the mainstream scheme of things. These must be given the avenue to proceed along the options they have chosen for themselves.
How often have we heard the lamentation of someone, professionals included, who wants to, for example, be a teacher but decides to go into banking, because there is better money in it. How many out there have sold themselves short, in regards to what they actually want to do with their lives?
It’s difficult to induce a sort of culture, and more so the sort of culture and heritage we once had – twenty, thirty or forty years ago.
You are only saying this because you are living the transition from old to new. For as long as there is a calculated motive to destroy these age old elements under the disguise of development, we will always be sold to the idea that these age old elements are worth giving up for. Why can’t the old and the new co-exists? Will the old drag down the new? No one has convinced me yet of this. On the contrary, we are lamenting the fact that the new has destroyed the old, at least a huge part of it.
Seeing a piece of your heritage and life disappearing into history is sad.
Do we need to let these things disappear? Will co-existence be a better choice? It is very much like the relationship between parents and children. Imagine a father telling his children, “Go ahead with your lives as you see fit. Your father’s generation was very different from yours and you need to go find and learn your own lessons to learn. Your father have nothing to teach you because what your father has gone through are not applicable to your generation”.
And this will be the case for every new generation. The bonds are broken from one generation to another. Lost forever.
But imagine having an industry of cobblers now.
I agree it won’t be the same if there is an industry of cobblers but we are not looking at this magnitude. We are looking at giving the citizens a choice, to choose to play checkers at the neighbourhood coffee shop or to earn a little extra and be self-reliant. The self-worth barometer will surely shoot up a notch or two, especially with the older folks who mainly ‘waste’ their time away, awaiting the day their eyes shut for good.
It is easy to forget that nowadays, we are relying more and more on government aid, so much so that we take it all for granted and we complain when the amenities aren’t as efficient or effective as said to be.
Does not this sentiment lend support to my comments thus far? I do not think that we are relying on the government more than the government is making us dependent on them. Taking away and destroying these other non-mainstream modes of livelihood is one sure way to make the people dependent on the government. Give this choice back to the people and you will certainly see an immediate display of colour and vibrancy that you have never seen in your lifetime. I guarantee you this much.
No doubt, I believe our government is responsible for some loss of our history/culture/heritage.
This is an understatement. Who else is responsible besides the government? Are the people responsible? Perhaps. Insofar as allowing the government a free reign over the decisions made on their behalf. Ultimately, it was the first generation government that took us a long this path of destruction.
“We can condemn, swear, curse, criticise, debate, argue and can make a lot of hulla baloo over many issues. But beneath this facade there is always a place for the less priviledged, the under-dogs and the poor.
Do we? Can one fit in without re-training, re-skilling and up-what-nots? The answer is plain and clear. We need to, like one smart Alec said so; be the mouse that barks.
As we reminisce about the old times, few of us are actually thinking of ways to preserve those pieces of good history and memory. Maybe it’s because most of us are too busy making ends meet or maybe it’s difficult to come together to organise something and share some memories. Perhaps.
And why are so busy making ends meet? It brings us to the point I made earlier – PACE. Yup! The pace of development is killing us all.
But it is also true that there are young kids out there who are willing to learn the dialects of their elders and also the ‘elite’, who choose to contribute to society.
Sigh! young kids learning dialects. Is it to look good in their CVs or is it really an attempt to discover their roots? I am not so sure. I cannot comment of the ‘elites’ contributing to society but can only question why is there this divide in the first place, between elites and non-elites?
Just as some of us hardly have the time to really commit ourselves in preserving the rich heritage and history of this country
Ah, the finest statement in your post. Who has the time indeed! Why not find this out by allowing those with special talents to ply their wares and showcase their skills? No big-bang campaigns are necessary.
Well said, my sentiments exactly.
I don’t see how we can change this though. Not like the establishment would listen to appeals to retain our heritage. Anything outside their sanctioned national heritage programmes like building restoration is likely to be dismissed quickly.
The forgotten class not only includes cobblers, but also key-makers and roadside hawkers. There also other unsung heroes in our society such as the firemen, the public transport bus drivers, the nurses, and the social care workers. Thanks to the PAP, the policemen is no longer seen as an unsung hero but an extension to their authoritarian regime.
To the commenter named “Zach”,
Your comment is almost 2,000-words long and is not allowed. Even our articles are not that long! ;)
Please shorten your comments. Thanks.
theonlinecitizen (#44),
now we know there is a word limit for comments.
smallvice,
Yes, and we announced it previously here: http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/03/6508/
We’ll put it up more prominently.
Dear gemami;
it’s great to see You back.
Me in full concurrence with your Post #41.
patriot
Thanks Patriot, for the welcome and for concurring with my views. I appreciate very much : )
I’ll keep that in mind :]]]]
nothing to learn from old cobbler, u want a big piece of meat u must shoe polish the appointment holders…that’s the way here