National Day

Happy 46th Birthday Singapore!

 

Singapore Pledge:

We the citizens of Singapore
Pledge ourselves as one united people
Regardless of race, language or religion
To build a democratic society
Based on justice and equality
So as to achieve happiness
Prosperity and progress for our nation

 Today is National Day and other than the fact that Scott has a very welcomed day off of work we are trying to learn just what does National Day mean to the country of Singapore. 

It is interesting in that Singapore prior to August 9th 1965 was a part of the Federation of Malaysia.  Due to political difference too long to put into this blog Malaysia basically kicked Singapore out of the Federation with everyone expecting it to fail as a country.

Living here has shown us in a very real way that not only did Singapore not fail as a country it has thrived as a country.  It is a strong economic and trading hub.  A popular tourist destination with an average of 7 million plus tourists a year and it is one of the two biggest sea ports in the world competing with Shanghai China.

We watched the National Day Address (click on the link to view the address) and learned that current unemployment in Singapore is at 2.1%, so very low compared to a large portion of the world.

There are many laws in Singapore that get international attention and even the locals know that it is a "fine" city.  Fine meaning that you can face a fine for a good many things.  These things are not a secret there are signs all over the city detailing what the offense is and what the penalty is.

they even sell t-shirts as souvenirs detailing some of the many fines you may find.

Why do I bring this up in the National Day blog?  I think that some of these laws and some of these fines do indeed make Singapore a nice place to live.  As soon as you cross over the boarder into Malaysia you know you have left the safe haven of Singapore, right away you notice the trash and litter all over the roads to name just one thing.

It is interesting living here coming from the U.S.A "the land of the free".  I love our freedom in the U.S.A and am very grateful to those who fight for our freedoms I love that we can protest, bear arms, and chew gum in public. 

With Singapore being so very very close to volatile areas of the world they work hard as a nation to maintain peace and harmony for its citizens.  From what we can see it is working.

We allow our boys to take city buses and taxis and walk by themselves here because there is a safety amongst the community.

 It is hard to explain but as we reflect on this National Day in this foreign land that we are in, we see that we have learned to appreciate some of the things we thought odd upon our arrival.

Singapore is like the U.S.A in that it is a melting pot of different nations the three biggest being Malay, Chinese and Indian.  All three of these nations have different religions and all three of these live side by side in harmony, it really is a unique experience.

And like the 4th of July in the U.S.A. National Day in Singapore is a big deal, the pride of the country shines, there are political addresses, parades and fire works (all of which we will be watching on TV as we know the crowds downtown will be unbearable)

We leave you with a link to the 2011 National Day Parade theme song.

Majulah!
Singapore National Anthem