MyStory

Mohd Shaharuddin Bin Abu
Prosecutor, Singapore Police Force

Do you know that you share a very important birthday with our country? 3rd December is the date when Singapore's National Anthem, the new flag and Coat of Arms (State Crest) were first unveiled to the newly-self-governing state. How do you feel about that?

I always felt that it was significant, but I didn’t know how significant. My father left us a photograph, taken behind Singapore Recreational Club, in front of City Hall, about six or seven motorcades. I asked, ‘What was the significance of this photograph?’ On the back of the photograph, my father wrote ‘Taken on 3rd December 1959 (Thursday). The day my son was born.’ I’ve always felt that, that was a significant moment, but I couldn’t pin it you see. I was thinking, maybe, since it was not 1965, it’s not that important. So my father was not around at my birth, he was at work.

I feel special, being part of history. Even though I was just a baby then!

How much do you remember about Singapore's journey to nationhood?

My father and my mother were Malaysians, as British subject and British Protected Person, respectively. I was born in Singapore, born and bred in Singapore. We went to Malaysia very often. At that time I remembered, the checkpoint was porous until 1965. We didn’t have any passports; we would just take the taxi in and out. So when we gained Independence, we had to have passports.

Then people had to decide if they want to become Singaporeans or Malaysians. So my father, he thought that, for the good of the children, he chose to become a Singaporean. Then because we became Singaporean, we had to go to the Immigration Department at Empress Place. It was so crowded, I remember! So hot and stuffy! Because we had to have the Malaysian Restricted Passport. So the first time I saw the small blue book that we had to use. And then, because we are Singaporeans and my grandmother was a Malaysian, she had to have a different passport. I always asked her, ‘Why is your passport not the same as mine, you are my grandmother you should have the same.’ So that was one of the things I remembered.

And that time, it took a long time to get your passport. You queue up and it was hot and stuffy because there were hundreds of people, because nationhood just started! So everybody had to make a passport.  But I had to peg my passport to my father. Last time, each parent’s passport could have only four photographs. First I remembered we had to go to the studio. It was a big thing to go to the studio actually. Nowadays taking photographs is not a big thing. Those days, it was a big thing. We had to book with the photographer. In those times, we did not have to fill up disembarkation cards.

How do you think your life might change or be affected if Singapore were to lose its independence?

I don’t think we could have progressed at this pace. Because it has always been the nature of conquering nations to exploit whoever they are ruling. They may not be dictatorial, but they still will exploit the resources, manpower and the talent. And they will not be able to give back a lot. And our state of progress… maybe, we would not have good roads or better schooling or whatever it is, but we will still progress. But if you talk about the rate of progress, and we calibrate it 1 to 10, say, now we are at 10, we would most probably reach, at the very most, 3 or 4. We will still have bad roads and bad public service, I think.

Do you think it's important for Singapore to be independent? Why?

Definitely! You see, whether you like it or not, you can decide on the things you want to do. You are not dictated by other people. What I'm trying to say is, I read a lot, and every time you see the news, and you see everything, everywhere in the world, is not as safe as in Singapore. I went to England after the bomb blasts in July 2005, I realise how safe we are. And we can only ensure our safety because we are saving things that belong to us.

You see, our government has a very tough stance because they are just like a good father. A good father must always be strict, must make sure that the house is safe, the home is safe, the children are safe, so sometimes they can be a bit more firm than the others. Or maybe, that is Asian values. I don't believe that by running around, unsupervised or unstructured, unorganised, we will achieve anything.

We have six national symbols - the Flag, National Anthem, Pledge, State Crest, the Lion Head and the National Flower. Which of these symbols mean the most to you? In what way, and why?

The State Crest. That, to me, was a symbol always imprinted in my mind. It gives me a deep sense of belonging. I just felt that it belongs to me, because it belongs to my country. But actually we are supposed to belong to it. 

What were your growing-up years like?

My mother was a nurse. My father was a policeman. We didn’t have much money, I think. Not that we lacked food, but I didn’t have a lot of money. I always remember that, I only had enough money for the things I needed to buy and not what I want to buy. When we were staying at the police barracks at Pearl’s Hill, my siblings and I would walk to the National Library at Stamford Road every Saturday. It was expensive to take a bus. So we saved about twenty or thirty cents.

So every Saturday morning at about eight or so, we would walk for forty-five minutes, from Havelock Road, Clemenceau Avenue to Fort Canning Hill, and then the library. We would stay there for about two hours or so and then walk back. And there was this itinerant hawker, he would sell tapioca crackers. So we would bring about ten or twenty cents. One cracker was about ten cents each, so we bought two pieces, and then we would put the chilli, then break it to four.

And once in a while, when I had money, we would walk down to Waterloo Street, then we had Indian rojak (an assortment of Indian food). That time, it was not just one stall, there were about eight or nine stalls, so you could choose which stall you want. But they sold almost the same things.

And we only had new clothes during festivities. Only during Hari Raya, then we had new clothes.

My mother was Chinese and my father was Malay, so we were different. You see, during those times, mixed marriages were not that prevalent. In fact, when I was growing up, I had quite a difficult childhood mixing around with my other Malay friends. We were all considered ‘malap’. They didn’t harm us physically, but sometimes we were isolated. But nowadays, inter-ethnic marriages are so prevalent, the social taboo is broken already. But when I was growing up, the taboo was very strong, especially after the racial riots. The society was quite polarised. 

During the racial riots, I only felt that it was tense, because my father was a policeman. He had to work for long periods of time during the riots. During those times, riots or civil unrest occurred very often.

I remember, in the 1960s, there were always itinerant hawkers. I always remember this old man, at Onraet Road. He’s an old Malay man or Indonesian man. He sold tauhu goreng (Malay: fried beancurd). He carried two baskets, a small wok, and a bit of charcoal. So, whenever you order, I think it was twenty cents per tauhu goreng, he would heat up the oil and he would fry the piece of tauhu. While the tauhu was being fried, he would put the peanut, he would put the black paste, then he would grind the thing. Not like now, pre-made.

And food was not hygienic. Things were not hygienic. For Malays, at that time, we could only get halal chicken rice from Rex Theatre, Cameroon Hotel. That time, that was the gravitational point for allMuslims. And then, at that time, Collyer Quay, if you want to eat tulang (Malay: bone marrow soup) at that time, you always go to Collyer Quay. Last time Collyer Quay was, you know, there’s open night market there and people went and ate there. So my father or my uncle would bring us there.

One significant time I remember was, the 1970s, when fast food came to Singapore. A&W! The first one was at Palmer street or Anson Road. And they opened near my school, Gan Eng Seng. I didn’t know what fast food was all about. So my friend brought me there, and he brought me on a Tuesday. That’s why until now, I’m fifty years old, I still remember Coney Dog Day! And I remember that time, a burger was $2.20 and Coney Dog Day was the only time you could get a Coney Dog for a dollar. So we always got a dollar or two dollars and we would buy one root beer and one Coney Dog for two dollars. Root beer was a dollar and Coney Dog was a dollar. It was a lot of money! You got to save for a week! I was given twenty, thirty cents a day.

What are some of the biggest changes between the Singapore of your childhood and now? Could you share more about them?

The younger generations don’t understand this, because they have not lived in tumultuous times. At that time, our country was quite lawless you know. I was robbed once or twice on my way to school!

Last time, crime was very normal! Getting beaten up, getting robbed was something you accepted. And, I didn’t even bother to tell my father, who’s a policeman! Because I thought, everybody got robbed, everybody got hammered! At that time, yes, it was in the 1960s. So once in a while I get stopped. We had no money you know, sometimes we gave ten cents or five cents, and they would just take it and leave you so. So, if a bigger guy were to ask from you money, you were supposed to give it. And you could even see him again the next day! When I was younger, I always thought, that it was a natural thing. Worse things could happen to you actually!

Like public transport also. The MRT is the turning point. When we were young, the buses were very crowded. And there was always a conductor.  So the first thing you do, when you take a bus, is to see where the conductor is. If he’s in the front, you go to the back. If he’s at the back, you go to the front! So by the time he gets to you, you can get down the bus already. If the conductor reaches you before your destination, you part with five cents. If not, you save the five cents! And we normally brought about ten to fifteen cents to school.

Then public transport became better. It made a difference, because first, you have new meeting places. And you can schedule your time, you know you won’t get stuck in traffic. And then, the places we meet also changed. Instead of meeting at the old iconic places like Lido or Capitol, we meet at the MRT, or the places near the MRT. Then the sense of timing also changed. People have this perception. If you are going to meet somebody at the MRT, you must be punctual. If it’s a bus, then it’s acceptable that you can be late. Because, MRT no excuse. MRT doesn’t break down!

One thing I cherish the most, is our medical services. Even though our medical services are a bit expensive, definitely it’s value for money. I can see that it’s among the best in the world. We have improved by a lot. My mother was a nurse. When she was a nurse, Singapore had just gained Independence. Those times, when you became a nurse, you were sent to all those small, small kampungs. They called it ‘pondok’. A pondok is a small hut. If you were a maternity nurse, you were told to stand by there. Anybody in the kampung who wanted to give birth would go to you and you were supposed to help in the childbirth, register and everything. Breech birth, then you send to ‘Si Pai Por’ (Hokkien term for Singapore General Hospital). And then early in the morning the doctors would come and the other nurses would come. So my mother stayed in one of the old clinics, in South Buona Vista.

At that time, health care had to reach out to the people, because the people couldn’t afford it. You see, public transport was poor, people were also poor, and most of them were farmers or maybe labourers. So you had to live in the places where people lived. And you had to station yourself. I think that’s what the British did or the government did. So all these pioneering nurses or policemen had to live in these outposts. Like Malaysia now, they have all these small posts. Last time in Singapore, police too. We had a lot of small police posts. The policemen not only worked there, they stayed there also.

What does ‘Home’ mean to you?

Home is a place where I rest, where I get food and shelter, and feel secure.

Would you see Singapore as your home? Why is that so?

Definitely I have no other home! As a nation, it’s my home, and my home is my home also. I don’t think I’m comfortable with anywhere else.

When you think about Singapore, what are the first things that come to mind?

My friends, regardless of race and religion. Because, eventually it’s just family and friends what. Family is a given. But your friends make the difference. They add colour to your life. When you have friends, especially old friends, school friends, you can be yourself what.

In fact, most of my friends are other races. I call them my brothers. When I was younger, I used to stay in my friend’s house, he’s an Indian. When I was younger, I had a Chinese friend who’s very close to me.

If you have a foreign friend coming to Singapore, what are the top three things that you would introduce your friend to?

Food. Maybe, as a Singaporean, food is the centre of our lives! Food is the common denominator. If you are rich, maybe you go to expensive places. If you are poor, maybe you don’t go anywhere. But if we are middle class, we can afford to have a very wide range. So food. My favourite food is Indian food, either at Serangoon or Woodlands Road.

My generation, food was not abundant during our times. Can you imagine, taking chicken rice was a big thing in the past? It was a treat. And we used to drink a lot of the soup, because, the soup was nice because a lot of Ajinomoto. Nowadays when we eat chicken rice, we don’t take the soup anymore. At that time, the soup was important thing because they put cabbage in the soup. Can you imagine that A&W, Coney Dog, was a big thing? So most probably, food is central because, there was not much variety and at that time we didn’t have the purchasing power. So it became like our psyche. Like, you must eat enough.

What does it mean to be a Singaporean to you?

I just feel we are special. I always feel special to be Singaporean when I’m out of the country. Because I find that, maybe due to the branding, I can go through customs or immigration easier. And people respond positively whenever you say you are Singaporean. They always say it’s a good country, it’s a clean country. Suddenly you are reminded, and my goodness, people think so well of you and we are always complaining.

We live in peace and tranquillity, so everything’s like a given. You’ve come to expect it. You always feel that in Singapore, things must work. That’s what I feel. There’s no excuse for delay or incompetence. We are becoming inflexible and we cannot use discretion that much. We always expect things to work. So things must work and it must be on time. We are moving towards becoming a very focused nation, focused people, focused on getting things done on time. We are less forgiving now. In those days, we didn’t do much, so we didn’t make many mistakes. Now we multitask, so the probability of making mistakes is higher, and the chances of being forgiven are much lesser. Now, it’s a mentality of excellence. Last time, in my generation, it was survival. It had driven us to make things better. But survival is a very big word. It can mean different things in different times, different contexts.

Are there moments you feel proud of Singapore, or to be a Singaporean? Can you share with us these moments?

National Day, even though I had to work! But I always felt proud during National Day. During National Day, we would be in charge of logistics, like the dustbins, barricades, toilets and all, making sure people are safe, have raincoats, food to eat, drinks to drink. I’ve never participated in the National Day as a citizen. But when they have the National Anthem was played, everybody stands sedia (Malay: to attention), then suddenly you feel that we have come of age. You feel that, ok, we have passed through a year safely. We’ve made it. We succeed, we did well.

Since us becoming a self-governing country in 1959, Singapore has overcome many different challenges. Even now, we still face challenges in different forms, such as SARS, H1N1, terrorism and economic downturn. For a small country, we are actually quite resilient. What do you think is the main reason Singapore survives challenges and difficulties time and again?

Because we have generated a people who don’t tolerate incompetence and being late. So we become resilient! Not by choice, actually by need! We have a very strong survival instinct I think. Because from the very start when we became independent, we have nothing to fall back onto what. That’s why Mr Lee Kuan Yew wanted us to merge with Malaysia, because there are resources in Malaysia. So when we became independent in 1965, he was crying. I can understand why he cried! Because he was a good father! He worried that he might not be able to feed his children. That’s why he cried. Because he knew. Malaysia was a resource you know, our resources come from there, the timber, the tin, the rubber, and everything, so if we lose this, we lose the source of income, basically just food. Maslow’s theory! That time, we were at the survival stage, the bottom part of the triangle! Survival was important.

What do you think we need to do in order to continue overcoming challenges in the future?

Ok, the most important thing is that Singaporeans have to be selfless la. That’s a very abstract word but actually it’s very important. In times of crises, I always have this confidence about Singaporeans, that they will gel together.

I’ve seen a lot of bad things happen. For example, the New World Collapse. I was on duty at that time. So people, even outsiders tried to help. And then at that time SCDF was just formed, so SCDF and Police worked together. We compete among each other because we need to survive. But in times of need, we’ll always help another Singaporean. Regardless of the race, in times of crises, the race barrier is no more there, no more discernible. The Malay will help the Chinese, the Chinese will help the Indian. Race doesn’t come into the picture.

What hopes and aspirations do you hold for Singapore?

If you ask me, I think we are at quite a near state of utopia already. To me, we have work, we have a place to stay. We have food to eat, we have clothes to wear. Once in a while we go on tour. So what else do we need? So the question is, what else do you want?

I just hope that the government can provide opportunities for our younger generation. For example, as we expand, the opportunities for having a house to stay, for being employed, having medical services.