Remembering the pioneers who built Singapore

Minor Issues

- Michael Han

On Polling Day on May 3, my daughter and I stayed up close to midnight. We were awake for different reasons.

She was completing her homework on the history of Europe after World War I.

I was waiting for the results of the general election.

As we sat together at the dining table, she asked me about the fall of the Weimar Republic and the rise of Adolf Hitler.

She asked me about governance and I told her that we all play a part in choosing who we want as our leaders. Collectively, we send a message into the corridors of power, granting electoral legitimacy to the government of the day.

I told my daughter that nobody is a stranger to making Singapore better. From a minister debating in Parliament to a construction worker laying bricks under the hot sun, we all stand together to contribute to our nation's progress.

We had a good chat that night before she returned to her homework. After she retired to her room, I started to think about the many hands, past and present, that have built this city in nature in the last 60 years.

EVERYDAY HEROES

I recalled some years back that former Straits Times journalist Olivia Ho wrote about one such unassuming builder of Singapore. His name was Thio Sin Nam and he has since died. But I believe his indomitable spirit of living the best way he knew how with what he had is very much alive in many of us.

Most people may not have heard of Mr Thio, but Ms Ho's article—titled "Hands that built a city"—showcased a life we can identify with.

She wrote: "While the pioneer leaders were the original architects of Singapore, everyday heroes helped build society here."