One enthused participant wrote: I want to make my country and my family proud. Another read: I want to get A1s. A child expressed this undaunted hope: I want to have world peace.
A few of the messages were more down to earth. I want to get a good number for BTO (Build-To-Order flat). I want to have another baby. I want to win $10 million Toto.
As fireworks and fly-bys filled the Marina Bay skyline on Aug 9, Singaporeans’ hopes and dreams lifted spirits and warmed hearts with levity and optimism.
As I was browsing through the coverage in The Straits Times, the wish of a little girl caught my attention: I want to be a part of a positive change.
That nudged me to reflect.
Aren’t we all part of a positive change in whatever roles we play in this country? Whether we are students or lifelong learners, spouses or parents, employees or employers, social workers or civil servants, the journey of nation-building is like a relay race.
The generation before us ran that race as pioneers and founders after securing full independence.
At some point, they passed the baton to the next generation. And the next generation stands ready to run with it.
We have been running this relay-marathon since then, striving to build a place that we and our children can call home.
Fools and immortals
Some years back, I read the 2022 book, The Last Fools: The Eight Immortals Of Lee Kuan Yew, edited by former ST news editor Peh Shing Huei.
The eight immortals, or the eight praetorian guards, as they were known, were largely “mythical figures” until the book humanised them.
Some names, like Hon Sui Sen, Howe Yoon Chong, Ngiam Tong Dow, J.Y. Pillay and Sim Kee Boon, may still be familiar to the boomers among us.
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One caveat, though – they were far from perfect. One of them was reported to have divorced on grounds of “cruelty” and had “entangled himself with a younger woman”.
Another felt that the People’s Action Party was “a bit too elitist”, with civil servants behaving like they have “a mandate from the emperor”.
Mr Ngiam later retracted those statements and said he had not been fair when making them. He was nevertheless known as Singapore’s loving critic.
Reading the book and about their contributions, I learnt that it is all about teamwork. No man is an island. Neither is our island state about one man.
Every one of the eight praetorian guards was a team player. They had different temperaments and were endowed with different skills, but their perseverance towards a goal beyond themselves was the common thread that held them together.
They came together, against all odds, put their hands to the plough, and managed to build a sturdy foundation, upon which our economy, society and community flourished and remain resilient.
Leaders are remembered fondly not just because they have accomplished much through inspiring leadership, but also because they have not forgotten those left behind.
Among the eight immortals, let me single out just two.
The kampung spirit of a nation
When Mr Hon suddenly died on Oct 14, 1983, then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew said: “I have lost a close personal friend of more than 40 years... I still find it difficult to talk of him in the past tense... His sudden death was a grievous loss for Singapore.”
Mr Hon, Minister for Finance between 1970 and 1983, never put himself on a pedestal, to be seen and extolled, said his daughter, Joan, in The Last Fools. “I’ve seen many episodes in his life where he acted like the next man is as good as himself.
“Once, his secretary at a conference lost her notes. But instead of reprimanding her, he gave her his notes to work on. He refused to sit at the back of his car driven by his security officer, only beside him. So that he would not appear so grand in the back seat being chauffeured.”
Former Economic Development Board chair Philip Yeo remembered this about Mr Hon: “He was very fatherly to the officers who worked under him and treated the younger people very well. I’ve never heard of him scolding people.”
The second immortal is Mr George Edwin Bogaars, head of the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Special Branch from 1961 to 1968. He died in April 1992.
His daughter, Christina, said of him in The Last Fools: “He did not have a big house in Nassim Road, an expensive car and a millionaire’s lifestyle... But he never wanted those things.
“He spoke out against them. He loved other things: intellectual pursuits, reading, time with friends, correspondence and helping others. He travelled when he wanted to. If he was interested in something, like cooking, clocks, or yoga, he taught himself about it.”
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Mr Bogaars’ older daughter, Paulina, said: “I would love people to remember Dad as a guy who is like those of our early Singapore pioneers – humble yet with a focus on the betterment of his kampung, Singapore.”
When we think about Singapore, we think about the stories that have made up the 60 years of independence.
The eight praetorian guards wrote their stories, and for our generation, we will have our own stories to pass down.
Like an embroidered tapestry, we see a more unified and complete picture of our kampung through these stories interwoven together.
Indeed, the kampung spirit in us is still very much alive.
Michael Han is a father of three and managing partner of a legal firm.
