Happy National Day

Happy National Day! It so happens, coincidentally that for the past 4 years, I have been overseas during the National Day period. It's not because I am becoming less patriotic, but the fact that it has always been work that takes me away.

Anyhow, I notice this year that besides the blogs covering the Japanese-advertisement-copycat-National-Day-MTV and the frequent fly-by aerial displays, I almost forgotten it was National Day. I seem to see a lack of National Flags hanging out on homes this year despite it being the last week before National Day.

Perhaps the town councils ran out of funds from tightened government budget cuts arising from the increased bank buying expenditure overseas. Last I heard we lost USD$14 billion dollars in these "long term" investments - enough ERP collection for 7 years! I wonder if that explains why we have more ERP gantries popping all over the island despite calls for control of the spiraling inflation.

Or maybe perhaps because our "repressed obedient' citizens have once again heeded the call of our world class government to tighten our belts and forgo meagre wage increases which may have allowed them to display patriotism over worries whether they can afford to put rice on the dinner table. Maybe that is no need for Jurong GRC by-elections to reassert PAP ranks - just go about counting National Flags on HDB blocks should give some rough indication how farked Singapore is today.

Have a great 43rd Birthday Singapore, I am trying hard to remember it in New York because the American flag is being flown everywhere and everyday...wondering if it's because we have been too repressed with the fact that we can only hang up the flags during National Day and this time round, too many issues at hand resulting in a forgetful nation? With this I leave a quote from Benjamin Franklin, which I saw in a statue somewhere in New York which left me an impression: "He who sacrifices freedom for security deserves neither."