Here's a trivia question for you: which country celebrates its independence on August 9?
09 August 2004 10:40 pm
That would be my country, Singapore. We're 39. Very young, aren't we? But it looks like the country's behaving in human-age terms, approaching middle age and going over the hill before you can say 'Count on me, Singapore' (this the title of one of a number of nationalistic songs that have been blaring on TV for the past month).
We're going to have a new Prime Minister. We hope he'll keep us happy. We hear the economy is growing. Good, good. But we're a tiny country facing intense competition from our neighbours and losing jobs to them because labour is cheaper there. We used to be the world's busiest container port. I'm not sure if we still are, or if we've lost to Hong Kong. We already lost the Airport of the Year award to Hong Kong last year and this year. But Singapore Airlines is still first. Whatever. The point is we're approaching full capacity and I fear that hard times are ahead. The only expedient thing to do is I guess what's already been happening now, for us to be a whore and serve everyone, anytime, anyplace. They say we're runty upstarts, but we actually do know our place.
I keep hearing that song, 'Home' on TV. We had to sing it too in school during the National Day observance ceremony and concert. If I hear someone breaking into "This is ho-me, truly, where I know I must be ..." one more time I will give him/her an evil glare. Enough already, all this talk about staying here and not taking off at the slightest sign of tough times. That's not why I'm planning to leave.
Sometimes there's no room at home for you. That's why you must fly away, see if you can build another home somewhere else. If you're really home, Singapore, you will welcome me if I should return. You will not jeer at me for having tried and failed.
We'll see what kind of home you really are.
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