Singapore: from Third World to First World (2E4 Shi Hao's father)

     My father Ong Chin Yek was born on December 30^th 1953. His father’s name is Ong Kim Choon. His mother’s name is Neo Hwee Tee. He has eight siblings. He used to live in Old Jurong Road in a kampong at track eight. His family ran a provision shop selling foodstuff and toiletries. Every day after school, he had to go to the provision shop straight after school to help out in the shop until eight in the evening. After that, my father had to study. As there was no light, my father had to rely on kerosene light to study. There was also no time to play as they had to tend to the family business.

     My father attended a primary school called Yu Hua Primary school. He also attended St Theresa’s Secondary before going Ngee Ann Polytechnic. There were also no such things as extra activities in those days. My father is a strong believer in Buddhism, which was enforced by my grandfather. My father still goes to temples to pray whenever he is free. My father also rarely went out with his friends because of his responsibilities. My father lost his father at the age of twenty when my grandfather’s vehicle had a head-on collision with a truck which was coming from the opposite direction. He was killed almost immediately. The whole family mourned the loss.

     My father got married at the age of forty to my mother who was thirty-four. They had a simple ceremony, but they did not receive any blessings from my mother’s church. I think it was because Christians are not allowed to marry out of their religion.

    My father also lived through the racial riots. He told me that many people lost their lives during those times and there were curfews put in place. He could not remember much about the Indonesian Confrontation. My father could not remember anything about being under David Marshall and Lim Yew Hock as he was very young during that time.

   During the times under Lee Kuan Yew, my father told me that it was a very difficult time for Singapore. Lee Kuan Yew faced many problems like lack of proper housing, no proper roads and transport. The living conditions of Singaporeans at that time were very poor. Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew brought in the assistance of Lim Kim San who built public housing for the citizens and with the old guard, made up of S. Rajaratnam, Goh Keng Swee and Toh Chin Chye set up a proper government to take care and improve the standard of living of Singaporeans.

     Singapore, on the recommendation of the Malaysian Prime Minister Tengku Abdul Raham, joined the Malaysia government to form the Federation of Malaysia. As Singapore grew stronger day by day as the old guard of the People’s Action Party were committed to giving Singaporeans a better life. Malaysian Government at that time, began to feel the threat from the Singaporean government and feared that the Singaporean government would take over the Malaysian government, Singapore broke away from Malaysia, and became independent. But relationship of both countries can be defined as a “love - hate” relationship, because both countries are so interdependent on one another.

     Thus after independence, PM Lee Kuan Yew and the old guard, began the long road of hard work to raise the standard of living of Singaporeans to the next level. Under careful planning and good policies, Singapore began to grow speedily. Life has always been peaceful without any further racial riot curfews, because we are bound together under the pledge that has been ingrained as we recite it from the day that we start school.

       Under the stalwart leadership of PM Lee Kuan Yew and under Goh Chok Tong’s leadership, we continued to have peace and prosperity, although there were a few small problems. We were hit with recessions. We were able to pull through the difficult time, because Singaporeans were co-operative. With Goh Chok Tong’s easy demeanor, and practical character, we were able to pull through another era of stability under his leadership.

With Lee Hsien Loong at the helm now, and the country has been reaching a plateau in all the policies, he is faced with another set of problems. The younger Singaporeans that have never gone through hardships like our parents are taking all political issues for granted. He is going through second term now, and under his leadership, I am sure that we will be able to have another ten years of quiet stable political environment.

Ong Shi Hao - Sec 2E/4