Don't Take Racial Harmony for Granted: Swee Say
The Sunday Times, March 26 2006 (Pg 12)Coming from a school which was mostly made up of students from Chinese backgrounds, I never really had a problem with racial harmony. We celebrated Racial Harmony Day as usual, but the group who were most diverse in race were just the teachers. Then I came to a junior college where there was a good mix of all races. In that particular college environment it was easy to make friends with those who were from different races. However when I travelled abroad during vacations, especially to western countries, I found racial segregation more rampant. This is when I fully understood and appreciated the Singaporean government's actions pertaining to encouraging racial harmony.
In the wake of terrorist attacks and potential attacks, it is obvious that the need for racial harmony is increasingly urgent. Especially since Singapore is so small, and the fact that we are surrounded by mainly Muslim countries. Our only resource is a human resource, and if that fails us then we have nothing left. Given the state of global affairs, especially the conflict in Iran and Iraq, there is potential for racial conflict to occur on a global basis. In which case, we would be easily subdued by the larger surrounding countries.
Though a majority of our population is Chinese, that doesn't mean that we are superior. Perhaps it is this that our government is concerned with: Racial harmony is not easily attained, yet it can be destroyed overnight. It’s not as if racism is non-existent in Singapore, just that it is minimized in comparison to other countries. This might be because Singapore is a small country and easier to manage.
Yet that doesn’t mean we can be complacent. As racial harmony extends into Total Defence, so we must be prepared as best as we can for anything: thus the message “Don’t take racial harmony for granted.”
**image from
here.
Secret Lives of S'pore Teens
The Sunday Times, March 26 (Pg 8)
I'm not very surprised to hear that teenagers (people my age!) are having sex and are sexually active. After all it's a natural process. I am, though, quite shocked at how some of them are so immature as to not use protection. It's not as if there is no sex education programme in schools to inform us about the potential dangers of having unprotected sex with various partners. Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) for one. Also the burden of an unwanted pregnancy. The article also mentioned teens not being serious about sex. In my opinion, it was always something that could only be done AFTER one was married, not before. And for some of these teens, they even have more than one sex partner. Some of them even do it at home while their parent's are around.
I do not support these actions. Do they not have self-control? And what is so urgent about it that they need to do it the moment they feel like it? They may have a more liberal nature than I, yet it isn’t precisely the most sensible thing to do. There are still studies to concentrate on, and if one’s mind is preoccupied with sex then it’s a waste of education.
Of course one cannot say that it is entirely their fault, because after all the media is (just like the article says) charged with sexual content. The media, which has great influence on society, is full of it. Movies, fashion, and Hollywood glorify it. "Sex has become cool, abstinence is not." It's no longer a taboo subject to be hidden behind closed doors. This may be true for them, but not for me. Personally I believe in abstinence. There is no reason why teens should be jumping into bed with the first chance, besides personal preference. There is reason why they should not: as I have mentioned above, STDs and unwanted pregnancies. And all the responsibility and money and mental stamina that is required to deal with such a situation.
Singaporean teens may be ready for sex physically, but on the practical side it's not a good idea. But just because some people do it and the numbers are rising, doesn't in any way mean that there is no hope. These numbers are but a minority of the teenage population. As Mr Ong of Focus on the Family said in the article, "I sense that many people still believe in abstinence. All is not lost." I believe that Singaporean teens are generally sensible and mature people who know what's right and what's not.
**image scanned and cropped from
AVA postcard.
