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The danger of nostalgia weighing upon the present
It is good to know our history, but we must be wary of invoking the past to make decisions about the present.
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There are those who recall the British era here positively, and others who think this glorifies the colonial period, says the writer.
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
Simon Tay
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Talking about the past of our country seems more evident today than ever before. Perhaps it is the National Day mood. As we marked our 59th year, there was a new president and a new prime minister in place, and yet the theme song and dance routines evoked the independence era.
Books, too, have contributed to such discussions, like the recently issued biography of our first foreign minister S. Rajaratnam.
