MSN poll: only 18% of Singaporeans will celebrate National Day
August 3rd, 2009 | 
Author: From our Correspondent
In an online poll conducted by MSN (Singapore), only 18% of the respondents indicated they will go to a parade to celebrate National Day on 9th August 2009. (source: MSN)
28% of those poll will prefer to stay at home to play manjong while 26% will leave the country for a quick holiday, with the most likely destination being Malaysia just across the Causeway:
This year’s National Day is on a Sunday which means that the following Monday will automatically be a public holiday.
The government has embarked on a drive to beef up the National Day spirit by hanging flags, banners and other decorations along the roads, public places like the markets and community centers as well as institutions such as schools and neighborhood police stations.
The mainstream media also tries to create a buzz with non-stop updates about the parade previews, speeches of ministers and the usual timely reminder of the “arduous journey” Singapore has been through since achieving independence 44 years ago.
In spite of the publicity blitz in the local media and the relentless efforts of the government to instill a sense of patriotism in its people, most Singaporeans are nonchalant about National Day.
To many, as the polls have shown, it is simply an extended holiday to be spent with family and friends. Even amongst those who attend the National Day parade, they are there to watch the performance rather than to “celebrate” the day with the country’s top leaders.
Young Singaporeans born after 1965 have no bitter memories or experiences of the tumultuous events leading to the nation’s birth.
Singapore was wrecked by a communist uprising, communal riots, and fractious internal politics in the pre-independence years including the traumatic 2 years under the Malaysian Federation from 1963 to 1965 when it was eventually ejected by then Malaysian Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman.
Most Singaporeans are politically apathetic and ignorant after 40 years of continuous one-party rule. Many do not even know the identities of their MPs.
“National Day” is soon becoming a farce with less than one-fifth of the population celebrating it on the island and more than a quarter choosing to spend the day elsewhere.
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20 Responses to “MSN poll: only 18% of Singaporeans will celebrate National Day”
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For me, I will celebrate the coming National Day with my pals. Drinking beer, playing D&D or perhaps drinking beer and playing D&D. In the last two years, I was involved in the National Day parade directly….and hell will freeze over before I watch it this year.
I went to Indonesia last year on their National Day. I was quite surprised to see even villagers celebrating with no one FORCING THEM. It was just organised by a committee and people were proudly celebrating like it was Hari Raya. Perhaps it was because the nostalgia of “perjuangan kemerdekaan”(indeppendence struggle) that made them more appreciative of the significance in celebrating it.
While we here are not yet independent in its true form. All the stories of independence are more of propaganda to legitimize LKY’s rule and to create a personality cult than to tell us of the hardship suffered by all factions including those anti-LKY role in the independence. I am sure that people like David Marshall and Lim Chin Siong did their part in the struggle for independence.
People who are independent speak their mind and are not afraid in speaking out against the truth. People who are independent do not have fear in them other than going against their conscience.
We need new struggle of “independence”, that is against the PAP to fully appreciate independence before we can proudly celebrate National Day.
just stop treating us like fools with spin stories in the MSM. until the country show a tit more care and welfare for its people instead of laying red carpets for the rich foreign PR birds of passage while exploiting the lowlier classes of domestic maids and foreign workers – National Days will continue to mean another day of mourning that we have been thumbed down, emasculated and manipulated in every imaginable way possible in our own country. can we really truly speak our minds and express our honest opinions here?
Anomie in society – the signs are plenty. Money and power crazy drive right from the araldited seat of power, brainwashed mad paper chase, political oppression and indoctrination of false political preachings leading to political apathy virtually soulless of national identity replaced by political correction, religious fanaticism in places, sense of normlessness and belonging etc. May young don’t even know who their MPs are and don’t care.
Who cares about national pledge that is perversion of life’s surreal experience? Who cares about national service’s commitment to defence of this country when it is a life-long liability and employment handicap accompanied by a complete blindness of officialdom to a need for some redress to enable a level play field (even against new migrants without the need to serve) for those who have served this country faithfully?
No wonder only 18% bothers to reflect on national day – even though this sample is unscientific.
This country is like a walking wounded that will die without external enemy attack.
All these are worrying signs for Singapore going forward.
And the flag waving are mainy young families with kids going there to party i.e. FESTIVE ENJOYMENT only – not really understand national identity and loyalty like adult. Nearly half the adult population have either done national service or are doing national service, one would have thought closer to 40% would seriously thought about the meanings of nationhood and national day.
Reality only 18% and of these 18% how many is partying, how many is love for country?
SOMETHING IS BADLY WRONG WITH OUR POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS AND NATIONAL PYSCHE
Fairplayplease – Yeah! Cheers to the truth!
It’s a public holiday. A short break in our lives of trudging slavery.
Singapore is home to foreign workers,
What is there to celebrate at all?
Singaporeans are Squeezed and flattened,
Is Singapore anymore the country of those born here or those that come here and take away your jobs?
silvir24 on Tue, 4th Aug 2009 9:23 am… Greetings.. Do YOU REALISE THIS TRUTHS that is no in the public domain of MSM?
- the audience attendees of National Day Parade is FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE
- MOST of the top 15% of the wealth to do is ALWAYS BUSY WITH SOMETHING ELSE – preoccupied with money chase – don’t have time to contribute time, services and support directly the National Day celebration
- the shameful question is – WHERE IS THE TRUE LOYALTY AMONG THE RICHEST 15% living in private residential accomodation
- it can’t be only 18% who would be keen to join the festivity of national day parade ARE THE ONLY “POLITICALL CORRECT” spreading so thinly across the whole spectrum of our population NOT COUNTING THE 25% PERMANENT RESIDENTS for whom Singapore is not their home and they got not much else to do on this public holiday?
WHERE THE THE HEART, MIND AND TRUE LOAYLTY OF THE POLITICALLY CORRECT APPLE POLISHERS other than periodic spouting of apologist preachings and false prophets in cyberspace.
I find this mind-boggling of our national pysche.
My friend’s bday!
Who cares about national day or the nation’s birthday? Rich classmates are spending national day overseas or pub crawling.
We can truly question the government why the citizens of singapore have so little zeal and patriotism left in them. Maybe we are overworked, our children are overworked. Even our elderly need to collect carton boxes and tin cans. In china, the above 50s relax in their homes and meals are laid on the table three times a day. We are very similar to Mymnmar, that is what i see.
the very least they can do is put our national flag on their flashy cars when driving around Singapore. By doing so, at least show all foreigners/tourists what this country is all about – the drive for success and achievement. You find that in foreign countries, they drive their cars and horn in support of cause-related issue when political activism takes place.
HERE WE CAN EVEN SPEAK OUR MIND IN HONG LIM PARK WITHOUT SURVEILLANCE AND DON’T EVEN PUT OUR NATIONAL FLAG DRIVING ALL OVER SINGAPORE – how more IRONIC OF SURREAL TRUTH is national pride, identity and loyalty can be – AFTER ALL THOSE POLITICAL CORRECT SCREAMING ON THE NET???
Ooops, typo error…..
HERE WE CAN EVEN SPEAK OUR MIND IN HONG LIM PARK WITHOUT SURVEILLANCE should read correctly as ‘ HERE WE CAN’T EVEN SPEAK OUT MIND IN HONG LIM PARK WITHOUT POLICE SURVEILLANCE…
@nomimas on Tue, 4th Aug 2009 10:26 am ..Greetings…good post.
the rich obsessed with hedonistic perversions camouflaged by a thin layer of political correctness?
the poor oppressed of ALL CIVIL political mind thoughts and participation in national politics expected to suddenly wake up CALL of political consciouness of nation-loving in an of orgasm moment of national birthday remenbrance??
IS THE STUPIDITY OF CONTRADICTION NOT OBVIOUS of our freudian suppressed retarded development of national pysche?
[...] National Day 2009 – TOC: We, the citizens of Singapore – Rachel Zeng’s blog: A simple reflection and a wish for Singapore – BEYOND SG: The DNA Coding That Makes Us Singaporean – AngryAngMo: 5 Perfect Places To Watch The Singapore NDP Fireworks For Free – The Temasek Review: MSN poll: only 18% of Singaporeans will celebrate National Day [...]
poor ST has to enlist Lee weiling to be a spokeswoman for the parade.
My take is that the 18% are mostly FTs or PRs? I have never in my life back in sinkapore even bother to watch NDP.
What is there to celebrate when I am jobless ?
Is there a contingent in the parade for the retrenched and jobless ?
I think that’s a very good idea! To give tickets to the unemployed and poor! Then have them be part of the contingent doing something letting people know they’re POOR AND JOBLESS. Wave a white flag, or something.
A contingent of
1. NMPs past and present
2. Political prisoners
3. Unemployed Singapore citizens, PR not welcomed to join
4. Disabled citizens in wheelchairs and crutches
5. HIV sufferers and their spouses
6. Jehovah’s witnesses
7. Citizens disabled, disfigured or bedridden while serving 2-2.5 years of NS, including families of those who died.
8. DBS Minibond victims
the poll is closed? the link is gone anyway.