I mean the real kind of kampong spirit when the people feel as one,
think as one, to protect each other’s interest as one people, as
Singaporeans? This is not the fake or synthetic kind of kampong spirit
where you have to ask the people to come out to meet everyone with free
chicken rice thrown in and all you get is some plastic smiles that
disappear the moment each goes his separate way.
There was this sense of belonging, of being one people, being
Singaporeans at the few Hong Lim Protests. And you can also feel that
when the free makans and free shows and free handshakes with ministers
in the Singapore day in the big cities in some parts of the world when
Singaporeans were invited. There were identity and belonging.
Unfortunately these events did not last for more than a few hours. The
most enduring and endearing sense of belonging, of being Singaporeans,
can be found in the social media. This is where, despite being rudely
called the fringes, the Singaporeans gathered to share their thoughts
and views and speak as Singaporeans, to defend the rights and interests
of Singaporeans.
The issue of discrimination against Singaporeans for jobs, the rude
foreign cyclist bullying a local female Singaporean driver, the mad
foreigner at the Woodland Bus Interchange, etc are events that brought
the Singaporeans together, without being told to do so. The Singaporeans
spoke out as Singaporeans against the abuses against Singaporeans and
their country. They share the same ideology, the same emotions and
attachment that this is my home and country, that we are one. No
prompting needed. It is spontaneity, the real kampong spirit that is
missing in general.
In the social media, the Singaporeans gravitate together to be with one
another, to side with one another, to look out for one another, to speak
out for one another. How could these kinds of feeling and behaviour be
spread across the island for all Singaporeans to feel Singaporeans
again? It is tough in the train when 70% of the commuters are foreigners
most of the time. It is tough at work if the majority of the staff is
foreigners. It is tough when many of your neighbours are foreigners, PRs
or new citizens that still act, feel and think like foreigners.
Social media is reviving and keeping the kampong spirit alive and healthy.
15 comments:
u might see the kambong spirit in oxley road ... maybe two
Agreed. Attempts to "Force" Kampong Spirit by government e.g. the setting up of CC & RC etc does not work. People are looking up on social media as the mean to interact.
This reminds me of HDB creating a walk path but people just do not want to use it. At the end residents create their own path instead.
Kampong spirit? It died when the last kampong was demolished to make way for high rise living.
Now we live in a high rise environment. Every body cares for himself. One hardly knows his neighbour and surely do not greet each other.
One way we can make this little dot a better place to live in is to vote in Singapore born MP to serve us.
it is very difficult for sngaporeans to have kampong spirit if we strived to be a global city ........
to be a truly global city you have people from ALL corners of the world to be your citizens and PRs.......
how to have kampong spirit....
which/what kampong spirit......
if we try hard enough, at most we can have ROZAK spirit.....
cheers.........
Redbean pau, the kampong spirit was still alive and kicking when kampong people moved into the first HDB flats. It was still alive in the 1970s and early 1980s in the old estates of Queenstown, Redhill, Toa Payoh, etc. The kampong spirit died in 1984 when the last of the old guards were forced into early retirement by LKY so that Baby Lee (who became MP and minister in that year) will have no one to scold him when he makes mistakes. I say early retirement because compared to 90, late 50s and early 60s is considered early. What a waste of great talents!
You need not wait till year 2030. Just look around you now. Your living environment had changed.
You are no more just surrounded by the familiar local Malays, local Indians, Eurasians and local Chinese neighbours, you now have to live with people/new citizens/PRs from all corners of the world in your same block of flat.
What/which kampong spirit are we talking about?
There is a revival of the kampong spirit in the east.
Let's see if it continues to spread westwards.
The kampong spirit was the social order back then.
Now the social order is different. There is more emphasis on individual autonomy and choice -- i.e. choice of association.
In a kmapung, you had little choice. but to remain with that social order for your survival. So basically your associations were in that kampung itself and whatever temple/ mosque/ church you worshiped at. Everyone worshiped. Even if you were atheist, you had to shut the fuck up and "go along to get along" because if you were ostracized form the social order, chances are you'd not survive.
Nowadays, we pick and choose our social networks on and off line. So if we're community spirited we join Lions or Rotary, if we like golf we join clubs which have golf, if we like fine dining, we seek out groups of like minded individuals etc.
Now it's much better. We are able to have many diverse networks, and are members of many different communities.
Humans have always helped each other -- depending of course on the nature of the circumstances.
Who say no kampong spirit?
Come down and visit us at our PAP HQ Building.
We have a lot of kampong spirit.
The type that you don't see when the sun rises.
Kampong spirit had died when
the Kampongs were destroyed.
October 28, 2013 5:26 pm
虛伪造作,假甘榜精神
kambong spirit die when they force the racial mix in every block of flat
knnccb .... what to do?
however ... there is still a kambong spirit existing in an enclave near mt vernon
Kampong spirit was MURDERED AND KILLED for some to divide and rule.
Though the kampong spirit is long dead, the Divide and Rule tactic is very much in practice.
It has always been selfish spirit. The kampong spirit is a tool used by the some people to get vlounteers to work for free to their benefits. PS: IN this world, nothing is free, nothing is fair.
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