02/05/2013

Snapshots of Inaugural Labour Day Protest


Scenes from the protest


Well said!

Young parents worried for their kids’ future

Spot on!

Placards designed by ordinary Singaporeans

One of five bales of cloth with signatures of protest

Getting the shot for posterity

Punk boy from the last protest (Photo by Lim Weixiang)

100% Singaporean – and proud of it (Photo by Shawn Danker
Father with his daughter, wearing the shirt that was on sale for the event
Father with his daughter, wearing the shirt that was on sale for the event (Photo by Lim Weixiang)

Singaporeans make their love for food known (Photo by Shawn Danker)

People power was a common motif at Hong Lim Park. And despite what the G would like to say, the people vehemently against the the white paper are still fixated on the 6.9 number (Photo by Shawn Danker)

An aunty proudly holds up her placard for all to see. Who she wants to save is up to anyone’s imagination (Photo by Shawn Danker)

Even the punk community has come out in full regalia to add their voices to the cacophany of faces at Hong Lim Park despite the day’s sweltering heat (Photo by Shawn Danker)

Former AMP director Nizam Ismail, who pulled out as a speaker but still turned up for the event, together with his wife and child (Photo by Lim Weixiang)

Tan Kin Lian was on hand giving out clappers (Photo by Shawn Danker)

LKY makes his presence felt (Photo by Shawn Danker)

Dr Ang Yong Guan makes an appearance (Photo by Shawn Danker)

Masked man and woman with a message (Photo by Lim Weixiang)

Roping in the kids (Photo by Lim Weixiang)

M Ravi in hilfiger. He was one of the first speakers (Photo by Lim Weixiang)

Tan Jee Say was the last to speak (Photo by Lim Weixiang)
This man, Robert Fernandez, caused a commotion and disrupted the speakers mid when when he demanded to be given a minute to speak.
This man, Robert Fernandez, caused a commotion and disrupted the speakers midway through the speeches when he demanded to be given a minute to speak (Photo by Lim Weixiang)

The event ended with a recitation of the Singapore pledge (Photo by Lim Weixiang)

Member of the public posing a question during the press conference (Photo by Shawn Danker)

Member of the public speaks to the press (Photo by Shawn Danker)

These photos were taken at the May Day protest that was held at Hong Lim Park. Organisers estimated the event to be attended by between 5,000 – 6000 people. Read what our editor, Bertha Henson has to say about the event.

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1st May Population White Paper Protest @ Hong Lim Park









Discuss.com.sg, 1 May 2013

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The Singaporeans at Hong Lim May Day


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May Day messages at Hong Lim






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May Day 2013 protest at Hong Lim Park














Gilbert Goh


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May Day protest at Hong Lim Park

A smaller crowd showed up at Hong Lim Park today to protest against the Population White Paper. Depending on which media you listen to, the estimate of the crowd varies between 1000 to 5000. But one thing for sure, the crowd is smaller than the huge turnout 2 1/2 months ago.
Here’s a photo of the crowd at around 6:40pm.


Some say Singaporeans are forgetful and have forgotten about the Population White Paper. I think most people think that we have already said everything that need to be said in February. The ball is on the other side.











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Some Singapore may day protest placards

may day 5
may day 7












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 Gilbert and his speakers

Gilbert being interviewed
The speakers
Gilbert and Zaobao reporter
Ravi enthralling the crowd
An independent speaker on his own
This one is carrying LKY on his back
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01/05/2013

Chinese Dialects - The Real Singapore

爱拼才会赢 (Ai Piah Cia Eh Yia)

DOES SPEAKING DIALECT AT HOME REALLY AFFECT LEARNING MANDARIN IN SCHOOL?

 All ethnic Chinese Singaporeans are born to parents who belong to one of several dialect groups here. There isn’t any ‘formal’ schooling or training (as in formal lessons conducted in a classroom) wherein our children are taught to speak the dialect of his or her parents, grandparents, and elders. Rather, it is quite literally by word of mouth that from birth we are inducted, nurtured, taught and ‘immersed’ by our parents into the cultural mores, values and habits of our respective dialect groups. Meaning, this comes about very naturally especially and particularly between mother and child (hence, the real origin of the term ‘mother tongue’ to describe this intimate nurturing relationship. Regrettably the term has been quite brazenly hijacked by the MOE to describe the compulsory learning of Mandarin by all ethnic-Chinese Singaporeans). 

 In other words, dialects are the very essence of the conduit for the vital flow and direct transmission of our ancestors’ unique cultures, values, social and traditional mores, to descendants, in particular the younger generations. By extension and implication, the loss of the use of our dialects can therefore lead to an inexorable and irreversible dilution and eventual loss of our ethnic roots and cultural ballast over time. And on a timeline, after 30 years of govt sanctioned prohibition, I would say we are really almost on the precipice’s edge of dialects’ extinction – it is going the way of the dinosaurs. 

 So the corollary (i.e. consequence and conclusion) must be that without a living and functional use of dialects, it is almost impossible for our ancestors to ‘speak’ to us through our elders in the most intimate way possible.

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SUPPORT THE REINTRODUCTION OF DIALECTS ON LOCAL TV/RADIO PROGRAMS IN SINGAPORE

According to the Media Development Authority, they are not lifting the ban as “ the problem of falling Chinese standards among young Chinese Singaporeans will be exacerbated if the profile of dialects in the media were raised”

We are pushing for the lifting of the ban on dialects on local television and radio programs because the belief that the learning of dialects interferes with the mastery of Mandarin and English is no longer valid. Huge amount of linguistic research has shown that it is possible for young children to be multilingual. We also have living proof – Youths from Hong Kong and Malaysia and fluent in not just English and Chinese but also in dialects. Singaporean youths may lose out from the ever increasing global economic competition and rise of China as well as it’s dialect-speaking states.

Disallowing dialects on local radio and television programs also marginalize the elderly from being in touch with current affairs, having access to entertainment and even communicating with their own grand children.

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ABOLISH THE BAN ON DIALECTS ON LOCAL TV/RADIO PROGRAMS IN SINGAPORE

 Activists also believe that this language barrier isolates the elderly even from their own families where they are unable to communicate with their own grand children.

“Dialect is what we use to communicate with elderly. Only through television can kids be more exposed to different dialects and as we hear it more frequently, we would learn them and communicating with elderly would not be a problem,” said Phneah Wei Xuan, a secondary one student in Hwa Chong Institution.

“I belong to the generation whom my own father unthinkingly forbade me to learn Hokkien/Teochew/Cantonese etc just because then Lee Kwan Yew said so. This prevented me from communicating effectively with the older generation, and we now have a generation of lost myriad of rich cultures not passed down to us,” said Mr. Mervin Tan.

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MINISTER HENG SWEE KIAT, HOW DOES SPOKEN DIALECT BURDEN SCHOOL KIDS?

A child has the ability to absorb whatever is interesting like a sponge. I taught my children how to count from one to ten in Japanese, Thai, Tamil and Malay and they could do so at 4 to 6 years of age.

An Indian friend from Malaysia could converse in fluent Cantonese, Hokkien, Malay and Tamil besides English. Languages and dialects are best learnt from a young age.  By insisting that our our children are capable of learning only two languages, we are belittling them.

Emphasise on mother-tongue language if the government must but why eradicate dialects when there are no studies to prove conclusively that learning dialects will impede learning other languages? The official view of the government requires a review.

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