National Day

All Red; Patriotism or a cynical coincidence?

Ever since this blog came into existence, I've always tried to snap a photo to commemorate National Day. In the first year of this blog, I chose a stereotyped and touristy icon of Singapore, because I was looking at Singapore from a distance yet with memories still fresh in my mind; just like a tourist. In the second year, the image was one of looking at home from the perspective of a newly returned. It was also at the start of the boom that we are enjoying today and I was bullish about the future. But thoughts about the future made me realise how easily we have discarded our past, how little of our architectural heritage we have retained, especially after trooping across grand European cities not so long ago. This year, I had an idea of what I wanted to say but I wasn't sure of how to go about doing it. Usually, I go photo hunting a couple of days before National Day but this year, I literally waited to the last minute before I went out in search of a photo. I guess I waited to the last minute because I needed that extra urgency to overcome the inertia and to find the courage to be intrusive.

And so we are experiencing an economic boom, with astronomical growth figures. My neighbours are snapping up Ferraris and Lambos and the property market is going up up up. As part of the countdown to National Day, the media has been reporting about strong economic figures and splashing pictures of happy Singaporeans, smiling and basking in the growth and prosperity of the nation. The ST has even kindly provided a guide as to how we should spend our new found wealth. I could have stuck to this theme of prosperity and easily snapped a photo of the festivities and the many happy campers that have lined the esplanade to watch the big parade. But the ST has already done that and tomorrow's papers will be plastered with photos of smiley contented faces. At this point, I think the question that we have to ask ourselves is whether this is an accurate reflection of our society as a whole. And this should be followed very closely by the question of whether enough attention is being paid to those who have not benefited from this growth and who are left behind. I believe that it is through this questioning that we are able to determine how discerning a society we actually are.

I think this photo brings a sober note to the pipe-piper tune that has been played repeatedly over the past few days. The old man pushing the trolley piled with old cardboard boxes had just stopped to check the dustbin situated below the flag. It was a disheartening sight, seeing an old man rummaging through a dustbin for bits of scrap to sell. I stared for far too long and missed that shot. As he walked away down the empty corridor, it felt like he had turned his back on both the dustbin and the flag. But the irony of it all is that perhaps we have turned our backs on him. We, collectively represented by the flag. This visual suggestion is amplified by the emptiness of the corridor which is highlighted by its length and the shuttered shop fronts. It is after all a public holiday, a day of rest. And so I wonder if the Uncle's red t-shirt is a symbol of patriotism or merely just a cynical coincidence.
Happy Birthday Singapore.