I have always had the uncomfortable feeling when discussing the policies of the government and the nice comfortable environment that some of us are living in. Some of my friends tell me we are better than the countries around us ( jobs, education, etc ) and I do understand what they are saying yet felt something is missing in these conversations.
Today, I finally figured out the missing piece and the hope for Singapore.
I saw a movie where a woman had to pay off a loan because she borrowed some money and a friend used her name to borrow a huge amount as well.
She was struggling to pay it off and I started to wonder why she tried so hard to pay it off when most of the money was borrowed by her friend.
At this point, some of you may say, of course she has to pay off because it’s a legal contract. But I think it’s a bit more than that because we are brought up to know you have to pay back what you promise and owe.
I finally realized that most of us ( including myself ) was brought up to understand that there are couple of things in life ( amongst other things ) that are fundamental :
• Take care of your family
When your family members are not so talented and capable, although we could be disappointed and frustrated at times ( we love them all the same ), we support and help them along.
Or is it more convenient to adopt another person to replace the sibling? Is this legally correct yet morally reprehensible and shameful?
In the same light, when our citizens are slower and less talented/capable, can we replace with a adopted child and say it’s for the greater good? And just give the less talented children $2 a day and tell them they should be grateful?
I find this totally disturbing and revolting that the government can do this on the national level.
Would they do this to their children?
Again, is this legally correct and morally correct, ask yourself? When the candidates visit you in the next few days, wait for him to come and ask him the questions?
• Fairness to all in the family
When we have children, we try to be fair to each of them and treat them all the same and give them all the same things and resources. Obviously, we are human after all and sometimes we tend to treat 1 child better than the other. Sometimes we get away with it.
However, when you withhold funds from 1 constituency on a national level, that is a different ballgame?
How can something we don’t do on a family level be done at the national level? Again, is this legally and morally correct? And this is done with the taxes paid by all citizens.
• Pay back what you promise and owe people
When borrowing money, sometimes, individuals under difficult circumstances cannot or are unable to pay back what they owe and do feel a sense of shame. Generally, no big harm is done when this happens with your friends.
When this happens at the national level, this is a different dimension. When the government and leaders don’t return our money as promised, don’t the leaders feel a sense of shame and discomfort.
In the situation that it is legislated that the money does not have to be returned or later, does it make it right and correct? Is it legally right and morally right? Is it what a man of character would do?
Are all of these easy to do at the individual level, definitely not. Are they even more difficult when you are talking about it at the national level, definitely yes.
But if the reasoning to NOT doing any of these things is because it is too difficult and not possible at the national level, what message are we teaching our children and the future generations.
If the government we elect is not able to have the HONOR and INTEGRITY of :
• Taking care of the citizens
• Fairness to all citizens
• Pay back what was promised and owed
it would only have the political authority and not the moral authority.
The PAP government in the last 20 years have won the legal and political authority to govern yet for me, they have lost the moral authority to govern altogether.
I hope in the next few days, the citizens ( both old and new )will ponder a few more minutes to decide what kind of country and future we want to leave our children.
I hope come Sep 12, we can wake up to a day where we can say and tell our children that we voted for a government that has the legal and moral authority to lead us into a prosperous future.
This is call Honor and Integrity.
Today, I finally figured out the missing piece and the hope for Singapore.
I saw a movie where a woman had to pay off a loan because she borrowed some money and a friend used her name to borrow a huge amount as well.
She was struggling to pay it off and I started to wonder why she tried so hard to pay it off when most of the money was borrowed by her friend.
At this point, some of you may say, of course she has to pay off because it’s a legal contract. But I think it’s a bit more than that because we are brought up to know you have to pay back what you promise and owe.
I finally realized that most of us ( including myself ) was brought up to understand that there are couple of things in life ( amongst other things ) that are fundamental :
• Take care of your family
When your family members are not so talented and capable, although we could be disappointed and frustrated at times ( we love them all the same ), we support and help them along.
Or is it more convenient to adopt another person to replace the sibling? Is this legally correct yet morally reprehensible and shameful?
In the same light, when our citizens are slower and less talented/capable, can we replace with a adopted child and say it’s for the greater good? And just give the less talented children $2 a day and tell them they should be grateful?
I find this totally disturbing and revolting that the government can do this on the national level.
Would they do this to their children?
Again, is this legally correct and morally correct, ask yourself? When the candidates visit you in the next few days, wait for him to come and ask him the questions?
• Fairness to all in the family
When we have children, we try to be fair to each of them and treat them all the same and give them all the same things and resources. Obviously, we are human after all and sometimes we tend to treat 1 child better than the other. Sometimes we get away with it.
However, when you withhold funds from 1 constituency on a national level, that is a different ballgame?
How can something we don’t do on a family level be done at the national level? Again, is this legally and morally correct? And this is done with the taxes paid by all citizens.
• Pay back what you promise and owe people
When borrowing money, sometimes, individuals under difficult circumstances cannot or are unable to pay back what they owe and do feel a sense of shame. Generally, no big harm is done when this happens with your friends.
When this happens at the national level, this is a different dimension. When the government and leaders don’t return our money as promised, don’t the leaders feel a sense of shame and discomfort.
In the situation that it is legislated that the money does not have to be returned or later, does it make it right and correct? Is it legally right and morally right? Is it what a man of character would do?
Are all of these easy to do at the individual level, definitely not. Are they even more difficult when you are talking about it at the national level, definitely yes.
But if the reasoning to NOT doing any of these things is because it is too difficult and not possible at the national level, what message are we teaching our children and the future generations.
If the government we elect is not able to have the HONOR and INTEGRITY of :
• Taking care of the citizens
• Fairness to all citizens
• Pay back what was promised and owed
it would only have the political authority and not the moral authority.
The PAP government in the last 20 years have won the legal and political authority to govern yet for me, they have lost the moral authority to govern altogether.
I hope in the next few days, the citizens ( both old and new )will ponder a few more minutes to decide what kind of country and future we want to leave our children.
I hope come Sep 12, we can wake up to a day where we can say and tell our children that we voted for a government that has the legal and moral authority to lead us into a prosperous future.
This is call Honor and Integrity.
