MyStory

Ms Jenn Wong Wee Leng
Allied Educator, Ministry of Education 

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?

Yes, I know, I learnt it in school. And my mom told me that they were giving out presents on that day, but I didn’t get them maybe because I was born late in the evening. Frankly speaking, I feel very special, to be born on that day. I’m part of history, I’m really part of history, witnessing how Singapore changed throughout all these 50 years. It is a short time, but we have achieved a lot.

What were your growing-up years like?

My first home was along Kim Tian Road, near where they used to call ‘Si Kah Teng’ (Hokkien: Four Legged Pavilion). It flooded when it rained. I experienced the floods and then we saw pigs being drowned, mice being drowned and they would just float when the rain stopped and the water started to reside, you can see them floating. But it was a very short stay for me, when I was about two, three years old, I think Bukit Ho Swee fire. That was when a lot of people had to move out of the attap houses. So we moved to a flat at Bukit Ho Swee. But my grandmom still stayed at the kampung, so I frequently visited her.

My grandmom didn’t come because the  flat was just only one room, that’s all. One room, one kitchen and one toilet. So it was too small for my grandmother to come along with us. There were six of us in the Bukit Ho Swee flat, Block 19. We moved again when I was about nine, ten years old. And I had another three additional siblings after we moved to Jalan Bukit Merah. That was one room, one hall. We moved because the place my grandmom was staying was  starting to be demolished. So she had to find a place to stay. My father being the only son and in those times, must stay with the son. So we moved.

We stayed there for less than ten years because my dad passed away. I was 11. My dad was a school bus driver. When he died of leukaemia, there were not much savings and there was no insurance. Medical fees were very high back then, for us. We were in debt. Even his coffin was given to us, we were that poor. The medical bills mounted and people knew that my dad might not recover, so they were not willing to lend money to my dad, because if they lent my dad, and my dad passed away, they couldn’t get the money back. So they lent money to my mom and we had to pay the debts, that was how poor we were.

My mom wasn’t working all the while until my dad passed away. And when my dad passed away, my mom was eight months pregnant. And about a month later, my sister was born. And then she was adopted by a nurse.

It was not all bad. There was fun. There was toughness. My mom was unable to hold a nine to five job because so many children to look after! So what she did was that, she approached the MP back then. I think it was Mr Chng Jit Koon, to help her to get a stall. Her purpose was that she was able to look after her own children, because at the stall, the children came back home, changed and went back to the stall to help her out and then spend some time at home studying. So among us, we rotated and way back there were two school sessions. So those in the morning session would help at the afternoon portion of it, then those who study in the afternoon would help in the evening part of it. So that was how we passed our teenage years.

Of course we also had extracurricular activities. My parents, there’s one thing that they fully believe in, they fully and firmly believe in education. So the both of them were very strict with our education. So whenever there was a red mark, that was it. We would get hell.  Once I was at position 29 in class. But my dad just made me kneel on durian husk. Ya it bled, I kept on crying. And that’s how serious they took education. During back then there were only three terms and not four terms, so it was just mid terms that I got that treatment. So, I worked very hard and but the last term, I got the Position 9, still it was no good. It was no good. My dad was so mad that he burnt a bunch of incense and wanted to push into my mouth, that was how violent my dad could be, you know. And he was stopped by my grandma, stopped by my mother, saying "You must be crazy", you know. So I think it’s more of a threat, not so much to do it. But it really was something that they believed, that education is the most, most important thing.

It was very tough on my mother. Alone, and at that time… we were considered a burden to all the relatives and there was a lot of conflicts. There was a lot of abandonment by relatives. But my mom was a very tough woman and very strong, she was an entrepreneur. She’s also very determined, very determined. And she persevered, and she did not allow anything to stop her from achieving her goal of bringing up her children well, and that her children received enough education. And provided a comfortable house. She worked very hard, and we were able to move out of Jalan Bukit Merah, a few years before I was married at 24. We moved to a three-room flat in Tiong Bahru Road. That’s where we spent most of our growing up years. Later, my mom bought another house at Telok Blangah. So for a woman without a husband, she’s able to buy.

The first thing she sold was  vegetables. It was terrible and she really cried because she couldn’t drive. There was no transport, no taxi, taking taxi was a luxury. She had no experience in business  because ever since she married my dad, she had stopped working. And my father being the only son, wanted more sons. So they, that’s the reason why I have so many siblings, because he wanted more sons, until the sixth one then was a son, the only brother I have also.

Then she tried for a few months to sell sweet potatoes, people advised that sweet potatoes can last for a few days. So she tried and she felt that ‘Oh no, it’s not possible to survive and I’m not going to feed my children.’ So, she went back to the MP and asked the MP give her a stall. The MP gave her a stall, and she went to a chicken rice stall to learn for three days. And for three days she learnt the skill and then she came back and she started her own stall. She was a very smart lady I would say, very intelligent lady. So, she was doing okay but the environment was not suitable for her to carry on the business, so she went back to the MP again she explained to the MP why. The MP was quite reluctant to give her a stall. But she said, ‘You must help me one more time.’ So she was very determined and the MP say "Okay I’ll let you try one more time" and this time she succeeded. She was able to see my sisters and I through education, college life and university. So life was quite tough.

My mom won the best mother award probably about ten over years ago. At the Bukit Timah constituency I think. She’s happy now. She’s still learning English, she learns how to swim at the age of 60 something and she swims well. I’m very proud of my mom I would say. And she’s really a good role model and somebody whom you know that as long as you’re determined, just fight your way in and you will achieve, you know. And she knows that the only way she can survive and bring up her own children.

My mom didn’t like us to work part-time but at the end of Sec 2, I worked for about 2 months from 6pm to 10.30pm as a waitress and I was paid S$8 a night It was tough. She just feels that we should stay in our stall and help. Because that would already help to bring in the money. So I would say that if it’s tough, it’s not that tough too that whereby we have to work and juggle so much time, no. I think, I think my mom has done in such a way that we have sufficient time to study, we have sufficient time to help out and as long as we do what is required, we don’t really have to struggle that much.

We wore hand-me downs, I remember. My mom sews so before my dad passed away she was sewing all our clothes, our school uniform, and as long as the colour was there. And we wore different patterns to school. Very unique.

Oh, my mom was bullied. Men were trying to push my mom to a corner, and bullied my mom. And made my mom pay more and then said nasty things. My mom fought back, she didn’t give them a chance., She came from China at two years old, if she has received education, I think she would be one of the renowned people.

There was one incident she shared with me. My mom was selling also other things, this stall she was selling cuttlefish and kang kong. So she cooked the chilli so well that a lot of people loved to come back to eat. After that we were doing a roaring business, then there was this guy who came and said that it was so expensive. So he took the plate and he threw it near the dustbin area. My mom saw it, she kept quiet. Then after a while my mom went to collect back the used plate. He said, ‘Oh I threw it that side.’ My mom asked him, ‘Why did you throw away my plate?’ He said, ‘Your thing so expensive, I just put it that side.’ My mom said, ‘I can’t find the plate anymore.’ (Actually, my mom kept the plate already.) And then you have no right to take my plate so you please pay.’ The man said, ‘Ok how much I pay you?’ My mom said. ‘No, you have to pay me the plate, I don’t want your money.’ So my mom just wanted to make life difficult because he bullied her. So what she did was she made this man to go and buy the kind of plate. And this melamine plate was not cheap back then. And it’s very rare in the market unlike now. So the man grumbled, grumbled, but he got no choice because he knew it was his fault so he went, he went to look for it but could not findany. Then in the end he came back and found my mom, then my mom said, ‘Okay I charge you two dollars.’ Back then two dollars was big. So my mom showed to people that, ‘Don’t try to bully me.’ So life was that tough that you as a woman, you can be bullied. But she fought for her rights. And that’s why I also learn from my mom to be very tough.

When my dad was around, I experienced eating rice with soya sauce.  My mom kept mentioning to us, ‘Your dad has to borrow from loan sharks.’ So, that was frightening. Of course he had not allowed loan sharks to come to the house but then, I remember specifically it was a bowl of rice, plain water, and pour soya sauce and just eat. I was like, were we so poor? But my dad, when he made money, he didn’t forget bringing joy to the family. He would, every weekend without fail, he would bring us out. Without fail. My mom said, even have to borrow from loan shark, he would borrow to bring us out. Because he felt that family coming together once a week was very important to him. So either sometimes if he had the money we would go to Mayflower Restaurant at Robinson Road. That was the only, one of the big dim sum restaurants that he would bring us. It was so big and so crowded there, sometimes we had to wait for people to finish before we could sit down and eat. Then he would bring us to the beach, or he would bring us to Punggol. It would be just an outing for us, for the whole family to come together. Because he worked from morning to night quite late so he didn’t see us much.

I started working after secondary school, and took part-time courses. My salary was $180 a month, as a general clerk. Life was better but not that great if you look back. Because out of $180 I gave my mom $100. So I was left with only $80 to survive.. As years passed, life has improved, my siblings and I are doing well in our own professions .

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

The infrastructure has changed a lot. The way the government has moved towards stabilising the society, providing for us, the younger generation really has a very good life, they don’t understand what is ‘hardship’, they don’t understand what is ‘poor’. And what it means to fight for a job.

And the security that we have, the stability that we have, I think it’s very difficult to find. And one Australian friend was telling me "Where on earth you can find a girl walking late in the night alone on the street without any fear?" I mean that was like 20 plus years ago. Then I look at him say "Why not? Singapore can." He said not back in Australia, not back in America, there’s no way that anybody can just… especially a girl can walk on the street. So with that I realised that you know… we, the younger generation has actually taken security for granted, they also have taken stability for granted.

If you really look at Singapore, there are plenty of jobs. There’s no worry about, there’s nothing to eat tomorrow, you know. As long as you work, if you don’t mind the kind of job you are doing, you will get some food. Don’t count luxuries but your basic needs. I’m in counselling, if you talk about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the very first two levels are basic needs then the security needs, I said Singapore has met it. Singapore is already there, so it’s now only just on your own. I think now the government is talking about entrepreneurship, I think this is where the government knows that they cannot forever open up the road. But I think they are teaching Singaporeans to fish. So in terms of stability, it’s like, everyone has a house to stay, if you do your part. Everyone will have a job if you’re willing to work.

Are there changes that you find positive? Could you share them with us?

Our government has really done a very good job in opening up opportunities for jobs to be created. And strengthening the infrastructure and building the entrepreneur society and opening up the market for trading, for business. That’s why we’re able to have a roof over our head. Of course, not everybody will enjoy this. Frankly speaking I really enjoyed all the policies that the government has set over the years. When I tell people that they didn’t believe it. It’s very much what do we want to do ourselves.

What does ‘Home’ mean to you?

Home? A place I really can be who I am. Singapore is my home because I achieved what I want to achieve here. I have tapped on the resources, I don’t need to look anywhere else. I feel safe to be here, I feel provided, I feel equipped. And I feel sufficient. This is how I feel a home should be, that my children need not have to run out somewhere to find love, my children doesn’t have to go somewhere to find somebody to comfort. My children don’t have to go out to find money, until they come out to work. Ya. A place where I can be strengthened, a place where I realise my dreams. So I think it’s the resources that you have. It’s available, are you willing to tap on it?

What does it mean to be a Singaporean to you?

I really don’t know how to explain. I just feel good to be a Singaporean. I just feel in a very simple word, good. And, it means that I need not suffer like in my early days. Without even stepping out, I am able to enjoy a lot of things, you know, career, home, food, the needs, the necessities.

What hopes and aspirations do you hold for Singapore?

The younger generation does not know what it takes for Singapore to come to this stage. They will not be, seriously, they will not be able to experience it, not able to even fathom it or even to feel it and understand it. But I think they should at least be given an opportunity to fully realise that, hey, there’s a lot of hard work, and not take things for granted. So, I think the government is into national education, really feeding and building the history but I think there’s still a lot to be done. I really hope that the government can look into the developmental needs of the younger generation.