Dear PM Lee,
I refer to my feedback on the display of our national flag during National Day celebrations in 2011 and 2012. 2012 email to PM Lee and MPs
Less than 5 per cent of HDB residents display their flags and their numbers are dwindling every year. This observation has been made by another citizen.http://therealsingapore.com/content/different-national-day
Flags cost only a couple of dollars (thousands given to primary school students) and hooks have been installed for hanging flags. Even then, Singaporeans simply cannot be bothered.
There are implications but the government does not seem bothered as well as long as each GRC grassroots members continue to put up tens of thousands of flags every year.
Typical HDB block with one or 2 flags on display:
National Day flag display is merely a competition among RCs out to impress their political masters.
Citizens of every other country display their flags spontaneously, except ours. Are most Singaporeans simply lazy or are there underlying issues which Singaporeans continue to use the non display of flags to signal displeasure to the government?
From making babies to being ‘future ready’, the government should discontinue with its dinosaur age treatment of its citizens, as if we could be easily programmed.
Let’s take a look at just how ‘bochap’ our RCs are. They are only concerned about RC flags but oblivious to those put up by residents. For years, this has been happening in just about every estate with such flags unseen for months. (below)
Eunos, Tampines, Beach Road, Pasir Ris, etc.
Nobody seems to be in charge despite there being at least an average of 2 grassroots members per HDB block.
The MP of Block 2 in Eunos seriously needs to address the attitude of its RC members. It’s a disgrace. 5 August 2013:
Last year, I had provided feedback to the PMO twice before writing to MM Lee Kuan Yew for action to be taken on an incident of a flag put up incorrectly for 5 months, similar to those examples above.
What happened to engagement? Do we have a grassroots system where no one wants to lift a finger due to the absence of incentives? The situation has not improved much this year.
2 August, 2013:
Many issues are only a phone call away. Ordinary Singaporeans are not to blame after years of being conditioned to be fearful and apathetic.
But certainly not the 30 plus thousand strong grassroots members. What about our 136,000 civil servants? ‘Everything needs to be told policy’ is not working.
It is an insult to citizens to incentivise us (financially or otherwise) to display our pride for Singapore. Just because it appears to have worked for our self serving grassroots members, the government should not assume the majority of us are similar.
Instead of getting to the root of the problem, the PA, through CCs, throws money at ‘solutions’. This must be discontinued as it will continue to send the wrong message.
As the chairman of PA, please do not trivialise this issue.
Thank you.
Phillip Ang
TRS Contributor