OTTO FONG | Author / Self-Publisher
Singapore is 50. We’ve been quietly building some really strong foundation for a peaceful country. We’ve been working really hard to create good basic education for our citizens. But we are far from the greatness that Singapore can be. We’re a melting pot but we’ve yet to melt. We don’t understand how to look beyond physical and ideological differences to judge each individual by his/her deeds rather than skin colour, sex, religious affiliations and sexual orientation. We do not know how to disagree objectively, while still respecting that public spaces are meant for everyone. Our government is like a parent who still treats us like we are 12 – to be favoured when obedient, or to be silenced, punished, corrected and contained. We need to start removing our blinders, whether the government is ready or not. We need to get to know each other, to learn to empathize, to listen, to not be afraid to speak up, and not be afraid to fail. For that to happen, we need to embrace the Scientific Method – the same one we were taught in secondary schools: Observe, Ask, Formulate, Test, Gather Evidence, Refine or Reject, then Observe some more. We need to stop taking what political or religious leaders say as truth, stop looking at issues in black and white, but arrive at our own conclusions via a rational process. I hope Singapore will shine like a great mirror, reflecting on what is possible in a very diverse SE Asia. We already have the infrastructure to support a truly diverse society; we just need to start shaping that kind of citizen within ourselves.