National Day Message

JUSTICE PARTY SINGAPORE

Forty seven years ago, we gained independence and for the first time began to call ourselves Singaporeans.

I was born after the birth of Singapore and as a child, I remembered even then, the feeling that there was a sense of belonging and a certain bond with our country. I lived in Jalan Berseh area and every National Day, we, the whole neighbourhood would display the Singapore flag without fail.

Our living conditions then were not as comfortable as today’s – there were no MRT, public buses were limited in numbers and the infrastructure was still underdeveloped. But the kampong spirit was strong. We were united as a people as evidenced during the Malaysia cup matches. We never felt as if we were of different races. We were one people and one nation.

Over the past forty seven years, our government has brought Singapore into the rank of first world nations, but only economically. Priority has been given to economic policies over social policies to such an extent that the income gap has been allowed widen to a dangerous level. Despite the government’s promise, many have indeed been left behind in the Singapore rat race. Today, we see many people struggling to cope with high inflation and competing with foreigners on local soil for jobs at all levels. The frustrations of many, after years of suppression, finally found their voice through the new media.
If we wish to bring back the kampong spirit and be one united people, the mindset of the government has to change. This is because our government has not catered for the divisive effects of their economic policies. To do this, the government has to pay much more attention to its social policies than it has up to now. As a start, the government should institutionalize a Singaporean First policy where jobs are concerned. They should also have a policy of building up local skills, expertise and talents instead of taking the short cut of importing them. An obvious example would be the importing of foreign sportsmen.

Another area would be the preservation of our cultural heritage. Too often has our little pockets of culture been short changed in the name of economic expediency. All the little neglects by the government act to dissipate the sense of belonging of Singaporeans.
This National Day, my wish is for the government to be less money-minded and be more magnanimous towards the less fortunate in our society. Singaporeans should not be
disadvantaged in their own country.


Lim Bak Chuan Desmond
Secretary-General
Justice Party Singapore
A Heart for Singaporeans
Singapore for Singaporeans
Singaporeans First Policy