MyStory

Jonathan Joo Shun Zhang, 1984
Human Resource Officer, Rasa Sentosa Resort Singapore

"It [Independence] allows us to be masters of our destinies, not second-class citizens."

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?

To be honest I have no idea until I came across this project. I feel special to be related to Singapore in such a way.

It’s been 50 years since Singapore achieved self-governance, and 44 years since Independence. I would like to find out more about your thoughts about Independence.

Singapore has seen three governments during its history - British, Japanese and Malaysian.

Have you ever wondered what it will be like if Singapore is not independent?

Honestly, no. I’ve never thought about it. What if we didn’t gain independence. Because the fact is that when I was born, we were already independent. So I didn’t go back and think about what would happen if we didn’t.

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

Of course, I think by being independent, we will be masters of our own destinies. If you are under somebody’s colonisation or under somebody, we will be second-class citizens. They will not take care of you, as compared to if you are going to take care of yourself.

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?

I think it’s a collective of the six, and then I’ll feel like these six makes us Singapore, rather than I feel for any one of it. I mean, each of the six by itself doesn’t bring across the whole message.

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

The internet. I think when I was in secondary school, I was using a modem. Then after that it changed, until today, so it’s only within a few years, now we have wi-fi, wireless ports in Singapore. With that comes the information. So it’s like availability of information, which is one big change. If you want to look for information, now you just need to google. And as people become better informed, people become more demanding.

What does it mean to be a Singaporean to you?

It’s more about where we came from. You can be known for your financial development, you can be known for your cleanliness, you can be known for your security, but if you don’t know where your country comes from or the history, background, then it becomes just a place for you to stay.

We started off with nothing, so we have to work hard for everything. So I guess people will just cherish what they have more. Although now I think the younger generation takes things granted more and more, because they didn’t really know how we earned this kind of privileges.

Singaporeans are more hardworking. Because, we didn’t have anything. Everything we have now, the pioneers worked hard for it. So if we don’t continue working hard for it, if we don’t continue looking out for ourselves, then who is going to do so for us? Because we have progressed, and after a while, if we don’t continue progressing, we’ll regress. If we don’t be on our toes, we will regress.

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

When I was a spectator at the National Day Parade. I like to take photos, so when I take the spectators, then you see a whole sea of red. Then you see, there are so many Singaporeans. They took the effort to dress in red and white, and took the effort to come down and they really cheer and they come down to celebrate the nation’s birthday.

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 the government is very prepared. The government has the foresight. But in terms of people wise, they are getting too comfortable, they know that the government will take care of them, so they will just let the government take care of them. In terms of individual citizens, I’m not sure how prepared we are to react. But our government certainly reacts very well.

Actually I have absolute confidence that we will stand together if a crisis strikes us. Because, I think when crisis does strike, it might take a while, but people will just suddenly be stunned or shocked and they will realise that, actually we only have each other, which is not a lot, so we have to stand together. It’s more like … the realisation part la, I believe, it will strike if a crisis does strike.

What hopes and aspirations do you hold for Singapore?

I think, just cherish the people around you, and have an open mind. I mean we are all caught up in the rat race. Your career, your family, your pay, now you buy a HDB, you need to pay half a million. We are all concerned about issues as such. So if you recall back five years, what can you recall? If you cannot recall anything, it’s quite sad right. So that’s more of what I’m trying to say.