He Dipei and Rosepriya Chidambaram
The Future of Our Singapore
He Dipei:
I am a baby boomer, a post World War 2 child born in 1947. I have two elder brothers five and three years my senior. Post war Singapore is a very poor country and a British Colony. My early life was in the Tanjong Pagar and the Singapore Harbor Board port areas. My father was a stevedore loading and unloading cargoes and my mother works in the godowns in the port zones to sort out cargo spillages and general cleaning. My parents have hard lives and their combined daily wages can just support the family. My two brothers go to a Chinese school, and they stopped schooling before they completed their primary 6 standard.
I vividly remember as a child I was sick with high fever and was sent to the Outram General Hospital. I was four years old then and doctors diagnosed was a polio infection. My left hip bone and muscles were infected by polio virus. There was no medical cure at that time and required body immunity to fight the virus. After two weeks in OGD the hospital transfers me to St. Andrew Hospital at Tanjong Pagar for rehabilitation. I remember I caught the chicken pox there and put in an isolation room alone with a small glass opening at the door only. When parents visited me, they just peeped through the small glass panel and called me, I cried to papa and mama.
I was later again transferred out to another St Andrew hospital at Changi Road because of my needs for longer rehabilitation. I stayed two years plus in that hospital. I remember my father and brothers took turns separately to visit me because it was a long bus ride. I have been separated from my family since I was a young child. My father hides snacks in umbrellas and brother catch spiders in hospital garden which was next to the beach to show me. Being in hospital for so long from the loves of parents and siblings I must have developed independence from a very young age.
When I reached 7 years old, the hospital told my parents that my polio left leg will be handicapped for life. They told my parents that its better I leave hospital to start primary school. They prepared me with the hip supporting iron braces with a shoe for my left leg and I practiced walking with the “iron leg” before I leave the hospital. Upon discharge at 7, I am more matured, I can see the outside world every day and understand more of my family's living conditions and our country's environments.
Singapore was in the process that the British was giving self-government then. The Singapore of that era in the 1950s was very poor with rural villages too. The unemployment was very high like 20% many without permanent jobs. There were triads everywhere who collect protection money from street hawkers. Fights and killings between triads everywhere who control their territory was a daily affair. Gambling and opium dens were flourishing together with prostitution in populated areas, all with triad protections. Corruption was also rampant in the civil service then.
I lived through those turbulent periods that racial rioting, workers strike during my school days were common and will never forget that it hurts everyone. Being from a very poor family, it was a struggling to make the grades and never dreamt of getting into those better schools and then get into a university.
After I finished my O-level I was unable to secure a job for 20 months because of high unemployment and competition for jobs. It made me learn the hard ways of life that with low education the chance of getting a good job for a better life was slim.
Under my family circumstances I must be a hands-on and street smart boy while I struggle through my teenage years. My cousin was very close to me during our school days, and to earn pocket money we go into the forested areas to pluck fruits from trees and lay them on old newspapers and sell them on the floor of street markets. Games were playing marbles in the soil with dug in holes, making toys out of bamboo broom sticks and swimming sessions in the monsoon drain in our neighborhood during thunderstorms.
Even with the polio limping leg, my resilience and independence were built from young age like Forest Gump. Then I got an opportunity when I was accepted as an in plant trainee in one of our statutory boards which also gave me the chance to further my study in electrical engineering. I got lots of hands on experience and teachings from the very helpful engineers from various divisions. After I finished my training and better qualified, I could join various multi national companies (MNCs) and while working those few years, I was given the leadership roles to design and supervise the construction projects. With the good experiences acquired, I was employed by an international Dutch company who were constructing agricultural projects around the world. They head hunted me to join them as their project electrical engineer for a US $100 million sugar plantation and mill project in Malang, Java in 1972. My remuneration and benefits were same as the Europeans and US expatriates and paid me is US$. After this project, I was moved to other projects all over Indonesia. I was married before this overseas job and the good income was saved by my wife for the family. However, sacrifices away from Singapore for long periods affected my family start up and have no children which concern my mother.
I decided to quit my overseas job in Indonesia and return to Singapore for good to start a small partnership business with my savings, However, during my works in Indonesia, I met many business peoples and after they knew I am leaving Indonesian projects, they wanted me to be their commission buying agent in Singapore.
The initial six months was very slow and not much business activities and to past time I even go watch movies during working hours with my partner. Then a big break came when one of my East Java business friend flew in with a big enquiry for some East Java projects. From that time onwards, I also secured project works in Singapore. Within two years of business operations, I made $400,000 profits. With those profits in the reserve, we look at going into manufacturing because of the high demand by MNC’s for sub contractors to manufacture parts. With Singapore booming economy in the late 1970s and 80s my businesses grew very well.
I moved from my Jurong East HDB flat to a 5100 sq ft freehold landed property in the Eastern area. Life was good for my family, and we could travel around the world from US to Europe, Japan, ASEAN, etc.
From my experiences, I managed to get those opportunities was the timing of our country fast growing economy in the 70s and the better skills I managed to acquire which was relevant to the jobs and my business then. The flourishing business gave better life for my family was also our country was doing very well a decade after independence with a good and honest government. Singapore economy went up many levels to become one of the Asian Tigers.
However, we cannot take all these for granted because we are a small and vulnerable country and our future generations will have to continue with good educations, acquiring high skills with relevant experiences to get a better life. I have confidence with our younger generations who will understand how our pioneers have lade down the foundations for them to continue to bring Singapore forwards. How will our younger generations carry the torch towards Singapore 100 years of independence?
Rosepriya Chidambaram:
Like what PM Lee has shared, 'Just as our forefathers saved and invested to build what we, the current generation, are enjoying today, so, too, we must plant trees so that our sons and daughters, and their sons and daughters, can enjoy the shade'. Singapore has been blooming into a beautiful green city.
Being part of the younger generation, everyone has their part to play. I was identified as a student since secondary school days. I was then elected to the executive committee in the student council. That was indeed an eye opener to build a better community. We had organized many activities such as cleaning up the beaches, visits to old folks' homes and food donation drives. Upon graduation, I started to step up and volunteer in many different type of events and even had the privilege of organising them.
Singapore has continuously encouraged work life balance in every possible aspect. I believe this is the reason why my parents were able to spend time with us since young. We looked forward to weekends and enjoyed family time. My siblings and I will plan our schedules and ensure that we create memories and moments together. We share everything that happens in our lives on a daily basis and started to help our society by volunteering at events and activities. This has made us network with people from different walks of life.
As a family, we volunteer in National Library Board at kidsREAD program launched in year 2004 which cultivate reading habits among children from less privileged families, aged 4 to 8 years old. Spending the 1 hour weekly with the kids to read and do activities or craft works has allowed us to learn from each other. These activities have made me creative such that to plan something ahead for the children and make them enjoy the session. Definitely an unforgettable one!
SG100 seems far away but it's just a few years from now. Everyone have to put in their effort and ensure they have an individual responsibility creating a greater impact in this not so little red dot. It always seems impossible until we do it. What are we waiting for? Let's put our gear on and step up to lead or work in teams to achieve the best for Singapore. Majulah Singapura!
