Going into the next chapter of the Singapore story...

Amid much noise in the debate over Singapore's future, I found a number of thoughtful -- and heartfelt -- missives sent to ST and TODAY, as well as this commentary in insing.com from the perspective of a young Singaporean:

http://news.insing.com/tabloid/dismayed-by-white-paper-uncertain-about-future/id-ae6c3f00

Two extracts are especially revealing:


As a young Singaporean looking to move back home after completing graduate school overseas, I find myself wondering what kind of society will I face when I get back.

For me and many in my generation, the idea of owning our own home is laughable.

Unless we have incredibly rich families or inherit a sum from deceased relatives – or have parents who “sponsor” our housing needs like some young couples are getting these days – having our own place is nothing more than a faraway dream (especially if you are unmarried and therefore not eligible for Built-to-Order public housing flats).

I’m happy to work, but it is tough knowing that I will never have the work-life balance in Singapore that I might enjoy elsewhere.

No matter how hard I slog, the cost of living will keep mounting and the worries will probably never end. This, as the island grows more crowded, with more built-up urban spaces, will likely push the humid little pressure cooker that is Singapore to boiling point...

...My grandparents were part of the generation that built this nation.

They have seen us transit from a British colony to being part of Malaysia to then have independence suddenly thrust upon us.

They know what it’s like to have to grit their teeth and get through hard times, to be “pragmatic”.
But Singapore is not like that anymore.

We have passed that period, and moved up the hierarchy of needs.

Today, young Singaporeans want more than just a job and a roof over our heads – although those two things are also increasingly difficult to attain.

We want a real national conversation, to have a voice in the direction our country is headed.
We want a vote that counts and Parliament debates that will have a real impact.

We don’t want to work all our lives, then one day look back and realise that we were nothing more than cogs in Singapore’s economic machine.

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I think people of my baby boomer generation will have to increasingly "let go", and to facilitate the ascendancy of the young. But by the same token, the young of Singapore will need to really, really understand what "to then have independence suddenly thrust upon us" meant and still means, ie which ramifications of such independence remain fundamental.

Politically, we have lived with a one-party dominant system since 1965. Whether this continues or it evolves into something else, it is the young who must now decide. They are already becoming politically active; they have also to be politically astute, both nationally and internationally.
 
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While Singaporeans' housing needs have evolved and have become a hot-button issue, I think we cannot disagree with architect Liu Thai Ker's point about the country's achievement in public housing, in his commentary in today's ST (Feb 13, "Our home: Think big, plan long term"):

    
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Meanwhile, these letters below address a range of pertinent issues:

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Three cheers for three heroes

Finally, if we worry that Singaporeans are increasingly callous and "boh chap" (only minding one's own business), three heroes provide hope otherwise (TODAY, Feb 13)! One of the trio swung into action even though he lives on the 14th storey...