TR EMERITUS

Muslim leaders from several swing states on Saturday descended on Dearborn, Michigan, to launch a national campaign against the reelection of President Joe Biden — a response to his handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict. Organizers from Michigan, Minnesota, Arizona, Wisconsin, Florida, Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania are calling the campaign #AbandonBiden, vowing to ensure that Biden is a one-term president. It has been opined by many observes that Biden is in the pocket of Netanyahu and therefore the US is unable to stop Israel from doing anything it wants in Gaza. Will Biden end up as a one-term president?      Read More →

Some people prefer to call it Alternative Party politics but I will call it as it is. It's definitely never easy to be in opposition politics. In fact, it is easier to quit from opposition politics than keep on to it for life. This is why I have utmost respect to JBJ, who in spite of all the persecution and verocious attacks from PAP, he stood his ground to his last breathe. I have wanted to quit Opposition Politics for Three times in my whole journey because it's really a tiring and thankless process. As a friend always say to me, it's easier to make money than getting involved in opposition politics. He concluded that I don't like money. He is not the only one who have said that to me. Each and everytime I wanted to quit Opposition Politics out of disappointment or pure fatigue or just felt betrayed, my heart went soft whenever my mind keeps reminding me of the cliff we are moving to without any sense. "Let them die! Let them suffer!" Many people utter these while leaving the opposition political scene or simply migrated out of this country. Yes, that would be the easiest way out without all these hassles. Living happily ever after for myself and my family isn't that difficult at all. Even my friends from the PAP side have just thrown in their pink IC and renounce their Singapore citizenship without any regret. Every time I witness a person just quit Opposition Politics, I felt envious, although part of me felt sad. Most people would have realized I am very good at Mathematics, making calculations and deductions that many would never have thought of, but in reality, I failed in calculations for my own self interests. It's always easier to quit rather than fighting on. But I am destined for it.   Goh Meng Seng      Read More →

Two tragedies shook this little red dot. One happened two years ago. The other happened last year. You may have probably heard or read about it. More than two years ago, a 15-year-old, armed with an axe, left his classroom and waited in the toilet. When a 13-year-old student entered, he repeatedly slashed him. The two were not known to each other. They were studying in River Valley High School. Now 18, he pleaded guilty yesterday for culpable homicide. The court was told that the accused was suffering from major depression disorder. He had attempted suicide in 2019. At that time, he was assessed at the Institute of Mental Health. The other happened in June 2022. A 15-year-old girl stabbed her grandfather seven times in his room. At that time, she was living with him and her parents. After the stabbing, she took the lift to the 25th floor and jumped to her death. During the coroner’s inquiry, it reports that “her diary did not reveal any ill intention towards her grandfather, although one entry indicated that she faced difficulties when talking to him.” In another entry, she wrote that she had "great parents who care for her" and that she loved her friends. However, she talked about suicide in her diary, just like the accused in the other case. Lesson? If there is any lesson here, it is about life. It is about embracing life. When something this tragic happens, we do have many questions. This is especially so considering how young they are. They have not even celebrated their 18th birthday. I don’t think I am able to fully understand what went through their young minds when they did what they did. They took innocent lives. One even took her own life after that. The other intended to do the same, but it didn’t go as he had planned. He now faces a prison sentence of 16 years. I don’t think they were “snap” moment either. The acts were largely unprovoked. It’s premediated. They had time to think through what they planned to do. At every moment, they could have aborted the plan. Sadly, they carried it through. Earlier, I mentioned about embracing life, and cases like this is a good lesson for parents to view their child in a different light. In our busyness, we seldom notice that they may be silent sufferers. It’s far easier to assume that they are tough enough to meet the challenges of the day rather than to sit them down and explore the struggles they face. We try to avoid the subject because we don’t want to hear what we ourselves are too jaded to address. They tell us that we are living in the best time of history. Lowest infant mortality rate. Highest life expectancy. Clean and accessible water. Fascinating technological breakthrough. The world is superbly connected, with control at a touch of the handphone screen. AI is also making life incredibly simple and convenient. We are economically well off, and medical science and early detection can reverse cancer and extend life. We are indeed at the top of the food chain. We have made it, scaling to the summit of our achievement. Yet, our children are entering a world that is highly daunting. It is a world they are often at a lost to navigate. It is also a world that make them question their worth, ability and hope. We have become less tolerant of failure. We are obsessed with sprucing up our resume, without giving much thought to character development. We are often defined by our possessions and titles. The meaning of life is reduced to the material things of life. Those who have much tend to treat those who have little as a means to their end. We lead lives of quiet desperation, thinking we are never good enough, and the anxiety is passed down to our kids. In the past, we are able to assure our kid that everything will be ok. The sun will come up tomorrow. But nowadays, we struggle to assure ourselves of that. And our kids can sense our insecurities. The sun is hidden behind the dark clouds, and we can’t even be sure that the sun will come out tomorrow. Against all that, our children are left behind. They are lost in the dazzling jungle we call technology, globalisation and unbounded prosperity. Life is good, sure, but something is still missing. We are so well dressed, so well fed and so well informed, yet our soul is groping for meaning, and our kids are hardest hit by it. They are clueless and defencless against the lostness that they feel. After I read about the cases, I drew near to my daughter. I didn’t say anything to her. I just wanted her know that I am here. Like her, her dad is also figuring things out. He’s none the wiser. I believe there is no better way to move forward, except to move forward together. We can’t afford to leave anyone behind. It is the loneliest feeling to be lost by yourself, and everyone is groping in the dark alone. Sharing our light in the darkness only makes our surrounding brighter. Our kids just need enough light to take the next step forward, and the assurance that we are in this together, even as a silent companion, lifts their soul and hope up above the turmoil. I believe that is the safe anchor that we as parents can offer to our child so that they will embrace life, and cherish every moment they have living their own.   Micheal Han * The writer blogs at Facebook.    Read More →