Forum: We are our national flag at heart
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Every August, Singaporeans hang the national flag outside our homes. And every August, the wind reminds us that it has absolutely no respect for protocol.
Within days, many flags don’t resemble flags. They curl, fold and twist themselves into abstract art, sometimes looking more like giant popiah than proud national emblems.
But perhaps that’s fitting. Singaporeans aren’t exactly a uniform bunch either. We come in different races, religions, languages and personalities. We speak Singlish, the Queen’s English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil, sometimes all in the same conversation. To outsiders, we may seem like a wonderfully confusing lot.
Yet, if you could gently unroll every one of us, you’d find the same thing at heart: one crescent moon and five stars.
Our flags may curl. We may grumble about the weather, certificate of entitlement prices and long queues for our favourite hawker stalls.
However, when it matters most, we somehow straighten ourselves out for one another and for Singapore.
Happy National Day, Singapore.
Winston Chong Yong Jeah
