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If there's a war, why should we fight?
The
latest letter/article is at the top. The letter/article that started the
debate is right below.
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Excerpt of
an article by ONG Soh Chin in The Straits Times of 13 Apr
2002 |
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The
Patriot - To Live And Die In Singapore |
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"Trust a child to articulate the most honest and brave
questions that mere adults cannot. |
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" 'Daddy, if there's a war, why should we fight for
Singapore?' |
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"...Would you die for your country? In fact, would you
die for anything? The assumption, I guess, is that you would
if you were truly patriotic... |
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"A Chinese Singaporean friend of mine feels he would
not fight for Singapore, but he might for China. |
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"So, is it so surprising or shocking to know that some
Muslims are drawn to the idea of taking up an Islamic cause
on behalf of the Palestinians or even the Al Qaeda? |
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"These are all ideas that are alien to me. For all my
purported Westernised and liberal views, I feel very
strongly Singaporean. While I empathise with causes in other
lands, I do not think I will be prepared to fight for them. |
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"But then again, I am not prepared to fight for
everything that Singapore believes in... |
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"Does patriotism mean blind obedience?... |
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"Like love and respect, patriotism cannot be forced and
taught in school. |
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"One can enforce a sense of duty. But duty does not
equal love or patriotism. |
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"Often, when asked if one would die for anything, the
answer would be yes, for friends and family... |
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"Singapore is still a young nation. And it is going
through adolescent pangs - for want of a better metaphor -
as its people try to define themselves and what they stand
for... |
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"For truth be told, you have to stand for something, or
you'll fall for anything. |
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"But, coming back to the matter of dying for one's
country, I can only conclude with this - that at the end of
the day, it's not wanting to die for your country that is
important. |
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"It's living for it." |
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Excerpt
of a letter by LIM Tat to The Forum, The Straits Times of
8 Apr 2002 |
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Patriotism
and openness may be linked |
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"... He (Dr Balakrishnan) articulates a concern that
is real and strikes a chord with some, if not most, of us
who served and have served this nation as NSmen. |
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"I would like to offer my take on the issue. |
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"I must confess to being troubled by Bukit Timah MP
WANG Kai Yuen's retort that he 'saw no dilemma' with the
issue raised and was prepared to send his three sons to
'fight for Singapore, to die if necessary'. |
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"As a father of three, I would instinctively spare no
effort to protect my family and children from harm's way. |
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"The issue is real and beyond rhetorics. |
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"I cannot envisage a situation where I would
willingly send my loved ones to die for a cause, if an
acceptable alternative exists. |
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"As a Singaporean, I could perhaps convince myself
intellectually that this country is worth dying for if I
understood and perceive the current leadership to be fair
and in touch with the populace. |
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"Although this would be the starting point, the
ultimate decision would depend on family, friends, and
most of all, by a desire not to let down fellow soldiers
in my unit. |
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"Finally, if the nation's leaders wish to generate
greater patriotism, they must be prepared to allow a
greater level of dissent in the political arena and on
matters deemed 'political'. |
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"I do not know whether there exists an empirical
corelation between a country's political 'openness' and
its citizens' patriotism, defined perhaps by their
willingness to sacrifice themselves for the country. |
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"However, my gut feeling is that a lot more candid
and open debate, both within and without Parliament, on
policy issues affecting our country will become necessary
before the answer to the question posed by Dr
Balakrishnan's 11-year-old becomes moot." |
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Text
of a letter by HO Tze Yee to The Forum, The
Straits Times of 8 Apr 2002
What's
worth dying for in Singapore? |
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"The reason some citizens are willing to die for
their country is that they value their way of life dearly. |
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"These citizens feel their country is able to provide
them with a way of life that no other country can. |
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"Therefore, they are willing to die defending their
country. |
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"Before we ask the question whether Singaporeans
would die for their country, we have to ask: What do we
have in Singapore that are worth dying for? |
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"Unfortunately, for many Singaporeans, this lies in
the pursuit of the material five Cs. |
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"If we expect the citizens to die for their country,
there must be something beyond material things that is
worth dying for. |
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"Equality, justice and freedom should define the
Singapore way of life. |
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"If economic gain is the only thing of value in
Singapore, it is no wonder many say they will simply leave
the country if there is a crisis. |
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"This is because the five Cs can be obtained in any
other country, in a shorter amount of time sometimes and
with less effort. |
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"There is nothing that compels them to stay here, let
alone die for their country!" |
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Excerpt
of an article in the From The Gallery column by CHUA Lee
Hoong in The Straits Times of 5 Apr 2002 |
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Lively
Debate On Life And Death Issue |
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"...Out of curiosity, I did a rough survey of five
colleagues in the press room: 'Will you die for Singapore?' |
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"One was unequivocal: 'Of course not!' The second:'I
have a feeling I'll run,' The third: 'Hard to say.' |
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"The fourth: I guess I will, if young people feel they
have a say in how the country is run.' |
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"The fifth: 'Of course. Apart from your country, what
else do you die for? Other than your religion, of course.' |
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"A ray of hope for Singapore! |
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"Interestingly, the last two are also the youngest,
both under 28. |
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"What else did the exchange between Dr WANG and Dr
Balakrishnan show, other than the prevalence of the
commitment-phobic Singaporean? |
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"Well, to me, it signals a generational shift in
Singapore politics, the promise of more interesting times in
the legislative chamber. |
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"Hopefully, it's the gradual evolution of the political
apathy we are notorious for, into an active interest in -
and eventual commitment to - the life of this
nation..." |
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Excerpt
of a Straits Times article dated 5 Apr 2002 (H2) "If
there's a war, why should we fight?" |
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"It started as a question an 11-year-old boy put to
his father: To die or not to die for Singapore? |
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"Yesterday Dr Vivian Balakrishnan raised his son's
haunting question in Parliament, sparking off a debate on
the question of just what might make people stand up and
fight for their country. |
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"While Dr Balakrishnan said that the issue was one
that troubled him, older MPs like Mr WONG Kai Yuen and Dr
ONG Chit Chung said they had no doubts whatsover and would
readily send their sons into battle for Singapore. |
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"The Minister of State (National Development) had
opened his maiden speech in Parliament with an anecdote
about his son, a fifth-generation Singaporean. |
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"He recounted, 'Two nights ago, my son ... asked me,
'Daddy, if there's a war, why should we fight for
Singapore?' |
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"And the dilemma was not one faced by his son alone,
but one confronting Singapore's younger generation in
varying degrees. |
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"These youngsters are asking, 'what is it about this
place, why should I fight for it, what happens if I die?',
noted Dr Balakrishnan. |
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"...Dr Balakrishnan rose later to add an epilogue to
the much-talked-about conversation. |
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"His son had concluded that he would defend Singapore
'because this is his home, his family and his friends are
here', and if the Government treats him fairly. |
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"His point, he said in conclusion, was this: 'It is
important for each generation to ask itself the
fundamental questions of nationhood and transmit that to
their children..." |
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