I agree with you completely about donating money. You never know which ones are lying to you. But what we do is between us and our God(s) and what they do with the money is between them and their God(s).

HOWEVER….

I disagree with you saying that Li Jia Wei and the likes are taking Singapore for a ride, or that they are mercenaries.

You see, when I see Li Jiawei, I see a foreign talent and not a Singaporean. Sure, she is a Singapore citizen, but I doubt whether her heart has any place for Singapore. I see someone who is a mercenary. Feng Tian Wei’s case is much less redeeming.

Part of my indignation stems from the fear that they are just taking Singaporeans for a ride. They are just trying to clean us out. Sure, some may argue that we are using them too. Wrong. The powers that be are the ones who are using them. The ordinary citizens foot the bills.

They are on the same level as our construction workers, our domestic maids, our rich ang moh expats… they give us what we don’t have, and in return, they earn a living in this safe and peaceful sunny island.

Is it really wrong of these people to come here to seek a way of life, to seek for opportunity, to seek for riches and happiness? Aren’t these the very reasons why our forefathers, our ancestors arrived to this land?

What more do you want Li Jia Wei to do to prove that she’s a worthy Singaporean? I can’t think of much. She earned us a medal, gained glory for Singapore in numerous table tennis championships, paid her taxes, contribute to the economy of Singapore just by living here. That’s more than what we can say of many “true Singaporeans” like the fake beggars that has been reported, or that you have met.

Sadly, we consider these scums of society, these Singaporeans that have hands and legs and con and cheat us of our monies, true Singaporeans. What? They’re shit but at least they’re our shit?

At least our “foreign talents” earn an honest living, working as athletes, lead a decent life and continue to fight for Singapore, despite getting spit on the face by other Singaporeans.

We keep whining and bitching about how these foreigners are disrupting our way of life. They talk too loud, they don’t speak English, they smell funny etc. etc. When push comes to shove, we’re Asians, us Chinese and Indians are practical and money driven people. If it was a choice between a failing economy and bearing with slightly noisier and smeller neighbours, I bet majority of the Singaporeans would still chose the later.

If you want to criticize these “foreign talents” for coming to our country to “steal” our money, fine, go ahead and stop living in houses, stop patronizing kopitiams that hire China aunties, tell the maids to go back to Indonesia and Philippines, and as a result pay, more taxes because of the decline in women wanting to have babies due to the lack in domestic help. Don’t be a hypocrite just because foreign talents in the sports field are earning much more than these construction workers or maids.

Yes, we are all here for one reason, money. Perhaps you should go find more Singaporeans that are willing to devote their lives to building houses, doing household chores, playing table tennis day and night… not for the money… then we start talking.

Sure, maybe we should question the policy that got them here, even review it, maybe change it, but since none of us really have the monopoly on the truth about the hearts of these individuals, now that they are here, we should treat them as one of us, as a Singaporean.

Let the sin be on them, not us.

The sin is not on them, but on us. We elected our government and gave them the authority to make these choices. I am not saying that the choices they have made are wrong or right, but don’t push the blame on these people that are here for the exact same reason why you and I are here. If anyone were to be blamed, it would still have to be us.

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1. We are Singapore, Singaporeans – Are we?
2. My Vote Counts [Singapore General Elections 2011]
3. The Flaws of Singapore’s GRC System

 Japan Times – Japan banning plastic bags

China banning plastic bags

Another resource

But concerns that the estimated 30 billion plastic shopping bags utilized every year are contributing to global climate change when incinerated have prompted the government to call for restraint.

“Our country consumes a huge amount of plastic shopping bags each year,” said the State Council, China’s cabinet. “While plastic shopping bags provide convenience to consumers, this has caused a serious waste of energy and resources and environmental pollution because of excessive usage, inadequate recycling and other reasons.“

But like candy wrappers, chewing gum, cigarette butts, and thousands of other pieces of junk, millions of the plastic bags end up as litter. Once in the environment, it takes months to hundreds of years for plastic bags to breakdown. As they decompose, tiny toxic bits seep into soils, lakes, rivers, and the oceans, said Cobb.

    * The production of plastic bags requires petroleum and often natural gas, both non-renewable resources that increase our dependency on foreign suppliers. Additionally, prospecting and drilling for these resources contributes to the destruction of fragile habitats and ecosystems around the world.

* The toxic chemical ingredients needed to make plastic produces pollution during the manufacturing process.

* The energy needed to manufacture and transport disposable bags eats up more resources and creates global warming emissions.

When plastic bags breakdown, small plastic particles can pose threats to marine life and contaminate the food web. A 2001 paper by Japanese researchers reported that plastic debris acts like a sponge for toxic chemicals, soaking up a million fold greater concentration of such deadly compounds as PCBs and DDE (a breakdown product of the notorious insecticide DDT), than the surrounding seawater. These turn into toxic gut bombs for marine animals which frequently mistake these bits for food.

Please don’t try to convince others that plastic bags aren’t a problem to the environment. Try to convince yourself it is.

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1. My Vote Counts [Singapore General Elections 2011]
2. The Flaws of Singapore’s GRC System
3. We are Singapore, Singaporeans – Are we?

I understand why many would have such strong resistance against the government’s attempt to make Singaporeans more aware of being environmentally friendly. I am not a zealous environmentalist and I am guilty of not bringing my own bag to the supermarkets. Although, I do make an effort not to take plastic bags if I have less than 5 items.

When I was studying in Australia, I don’t recall Aussie government or supermarkets imposing such tactics. But I do remember many many shoppers bringing their own green canvas bags to ‘Coles’ (Aussie equivalent of NTUC). It was quite weird at first, what motivates these people to bring their own canvas bags to the supermarket instead of having the “convenience” of getting plastic bags free? I vaguely remembered that my mother was denied an extra plastic bag from the Aussie supermarket. You know how in Singapore, we always tell them to give extra plastic bags when we’re buying heavy items in case one plastic bag isn’t strong enough to hold? Well, the supermarket lady refused to give an extra plastic bag and my mother was mildly irritated.

Maybe, just maybe, there are other alternatives that would be as effective as charging one dollar for every plastic bag on a specific day of the month. But I suspect educating Singaporeans, especially the older generations like my mother or your mothers, would not suffice. Simply because, the mindset of their generation is to ignore what they don’t know, to not find out what they don’t know, and to not care about what they know.

I am sure many supermarket aunties would find bringing bags to the supermarket a bigger hassle than destroying the Earth. The latter requires less effort – just go about your normal lives asking for more plastic bags.

Perhaps we should start offering paper bags instead – which is a smaller baby step than asking people to bring their own bags. But in the long run, we’ll run out of paper to make paper bags.

Plastic bags aren’t only nuisance waste, when we incinerate the plastic, it produces many harmful chemicals into the atmosphere. Do we really want our children and their children to be paying for the price of us not making an effort to bring bags to supermarket? Do we?

This more or less confirms my suspicion that Singaporeans are Republicans at heart fighting for a Democratic government (this is with reference to U.S. politics).

Earth dying? Cannot be la, they keep saying everyone going to si (die).. Si Si Si so many years, the Earth still fine what! Waste my money and time on stupid plastic bags.. Even if the Earth die is many years later, that time I already shang qing tian (go up to heaven), why I care so much now?

Let me end this post with my favourite environmentalist comedy song act I saw on TV a couple of years ago…. From Melbourne Comedy Festival 2006 Gala Night

Tim Minchin’s

BRING YOUR CANVAS BAGS TO THE SUPERMARKET

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2. We are Singapore, Singaporeans – Are we?
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It’s 8.15am in the morning and I was reading a few blog posts before I head off to work. and. I. see. this. blog.

http://adamzhang.com/bring-your-own-bag-campaign-is-ridiculous/

RIDICULOUS?

I’m so going to write a long essay to point out whose the ridiculous one. PLASTIC BAGS are BAD for the environment!

OBVIOUSLY, Singapore hasn’t been doing a good job educating Singaporeans the evils of Plastic Bags. Typical Singaporeans only know how to complain of the inconvenience it is for us to bring plastic bags.

Complain, complain, complain.

Soon the Earth we live in is going to die, but of course, why should we care? It’s only going to be dead during the times of our children and our grandchildren and perhaps, if lucky, our great grand children.

Selfish, selfish, conceited, little humans.

No, I’m not trying to lecture the blogger who wrote that post, because many other Singaporeans share his sentiments. But why are these Singaporeans so under-educated!!

*sigh*

I’ll come home tonight to write the long essay on why and what can we do to change Singaporean’s mindsets. I’ll just have to ponder about it in office.

*edit: sorry adamzhang, if I sounded too harsh. It’s really important for everyone to play a part to saving our Earth. And maybe it’s just infuriating to read about Singaporeans caring more about a little convenience than of the environment*

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2. We are Singapore, Singaporeans – Are we?
3. Not Enough Foreign Workers in Singapore?