There will always be things to poke a fishball stick at, and it’s become a tradition for mrbrown and myself to watch the National Day Rally speech with intent. For those who haven’t, here’s what you should take note of:
Honoring Yusof bin Ishak
Not least because he was the country’s first Yang di Pertuan Negara (Head of State), but by doing so, I’m hoping we’ll also get to remind ourselves that our national language is Malay, and our heritage as a nation is indelibly linked with that of our closest neighbours’.
Municipal Services Office
About bloody time something like that was set up. I’ve talked about the inefficiency of a unicameral legislature, where our poor MPs double up trying to fix the nation’s macro woes while doing OT at weekly MPS. The fish ball stick is most definitely felt across the island. Thank you, litterer, for pricking the conscience of a nation.
Pioneer Generation Card
You’ll probably keep hearing about the Pioneer Generation ad nauseam. The day before #NDRsg, I got a package in the mail containing the PG Card. Now, if my dad wasn’t bedridden and suffering from Parkinsons and dementia, he might have been able to flash this privilege card at various medical service providers and gotten generous subsidies. It’s just a gesture, but one I will be eternally grateful for. My father visits the A&E once a quarter on average, and that $800 annual top up into his Medisave? That’s my lifesaver.
Chinese Cultural Centre
The Prime Minister said it was to celebrate our unique Chinese culture in the “Nanyang” style. I think it’s right we finally stand up and claim as our own the many ways we order our beverages at the kopitiam, and stand tall and defend the kopitiam aunty when she scalds a foreign Chinese person, because everyone should understand that when she says, ‘lai, sio’ in Hokkien, she means, ‘fuck off, I’m carrying a shit load of hot drinks’.