The late American publisher Malcolm Forbes stated that 'education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one'. This neatly encapsulates Ms Tan's line of argument that our education system, if effective, should have given rise to humble, self-criticising and not 'narrow-minded and provincial' individuals.

However, it is this same education system that has taught us to speak up and denounce what we see as injustice, inaccuracies in information, etc. I do not think that we have a deteriorating quality of people. Granted, we could be more polite in our postings on international forums and blogs and learn a little more Internet etiquette, but speaking up does not make for a lesser Singaporean. And if we analyse the quoted examples with an open mind, these are simply Singaporeans unabashedly proud of their country and quirks.

To condemn fellow Singaporeans in one fell swoop, as compared to those residing overseas, not only places one on an unnecessary moral pedestal but it also does not make for a better breed of Singaporeans.

That said, I do agree with Ms Tan that Singaporeans can improve in the humility department and increase their level of tolerance of criticism.

As the late American poet Robert Frost said, 'education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence'. To this I would add 'or your patriotism'.

This is the way to go for Singaporeans in exchanges with foreigners where we can be self-critical and humble and yet not compromise our beliefs, and communicate that effectively and politely. The last thing we would want for all our 'ability to reflect and better ourselves' is for foreigners to think of us as pushovers.

Lau Ai Lin (Ms)