Skip to main content

Worrying

If I were from the ruling party, I would be worried about the many times people were quoted saying the following kinds of things (not quoted verbatim because I don't have the articles anymore):
r I want upgrading because I don't want my estate to be left behind, like Potong Pasir.

r I want upgrading because it will increase the value of my flat.

Me-first. I-want.

Well, I'm not from the ruling party but I do think that such sentiments don't fall in line with that exhortation about staying together, moving ahead.

On the other hand, I was amused to read comments rebuffing the upgrading offers, such as the following (again not quoted verbatim; read these in TNP):
U I don't want a sitting toilet. I'm happy with my squatting toilet.

U I don't need the lift to stop at my floor. I'm 63 and I can climb the stairs.

Well, it just shows that you can find whatever quotes you need to support the point you want to make.

By the way, did anyone talk about lifts for the multi-storey car parks in HDB estates?
Labels:

Comments

fuzzoo said…
Like you I also find it very disturbing. I believe that in any country, the Gahmen is the single most important factor in shaping the culture of the people and I don't like how things are turning out in Singapore. E.g. the Gahmen's way of selecting estates for upgrading is encouraging a very selfish mentality. They should prioritise according to the number of old folks or the age of the blocks - some kind of system that is fairer and shows that as a society we are able to think of others that are more in need than ourselves. Even the fact that the Gahmen uses upgrading as a carrot shows how self serving they are.
5:08 pm
Anonymous said…
Yeah, Fuzzoo,
I thought that it was supposed to be according to the age of the estate...
10:02 pm
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

True train school

‘Having eyes, but not seeing beauty; having ears, but not hearing music; having minds, but not perceiving truth; having hearts that are never moved and therefore never set on fire. These are the things to fear, said the headmaster.’ How would you like to have such a headmaster? I finally re-read (read it first as a teenager) Totto-chan, The Little Girl at the Window , a ‘school story’ by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, translated by Dorothy Britton. Totto-chan is the name Tesuko Kuroyanagi called herself, and the book is about her life during her school days at Tomoe Gakuen. Totto-chan was expelled from her first elementary school because of her ‘disruptive’ behaviour, which included constantly opening and closing her desk top (because she was so thrilled by it), ‘vandalising’ her desk (because there wasn’t enough space on the piece of paper to draw) and standing by the classroom window waiting for street musicians to pass by or talking to swallows. Her mother, although probably alarmed about the ...
3 comments
Read more

The Secret Romantic Guesthouse (2023)

The title has an airy, genial feel and the show does have its airy, genial side, but also think of it as TRAPPED, since everyone was trapped by the past.   It was fun trying to figure out who was who, who was on whose side and how the awful king would fall.   The scholars It wasn’t too hard to guess that Kang San (Ryeo Un) is the deposed/missing prince and that he isn’t really gruff and disinterested although he’s exasperated and rolling his eyes most of the time.  Shi-yeol (Kang Hoon) has the best ‘disguise’, with the nice contrast between his highly-skilled fighting and loyalty versus his silliness.  It felt at times that Yoo-ha (Jung Gun-joo) was an extra but finally, he gets that one brave act of letting himself be captured to protect the rest.   Shi-yeol identifying himself to Kang San as his watchman was dramatic but the most shocking revelation in the show was that the Old Guy (Shi-yeol’s mentor) is the king’s watchman!  Howe...
Post a Comment
Read more

No wonder

According to a poll of about 300 people, reported in yesterday's Sunday Times, (how come nobody ever asks me these things?) , the Seven Wonders of Singapore are (in order of merit): 1. The Esplanade (a whopping 82 votes) 2. Changi Airport (53 votes) 3. Sentosa 4. The Merlion 5. The Singapore River 6. Food 7. Mount Faber and LKY (tie - 10 votes each) Some 'offbeat choices' which didn't make it to the top 7: aunties selling tissue paper at coffee shops, Singlish, kiasuism, 4D-Toto outlets and Newater (said someone of Newater: 'We are probably the only country with branded recycled sewage.' Well said, ha ha.). Maybe it's a personal bias but I feel that a 'Wonder' must also have strong historical and cultural/social value (so I'm rather miffed that Angkor Wat didn't make it to the 7 Wonders of the World; in fact it was never in the running for the top 7). Therefore, these choices are a little too modern for me. The Esplanade, for example, is a...
8 comments
Read more