Sampath P P and Gabriel Lau Rong Yang
Roaring, Roaring, Roaring - Achieving Greater Heights
Sampath P P:
ON THE SPORTING SPIRIT & GIVING OUR BEST
I fondly remember my late father bringing me to the National Stadium for the Malaysia Cup matches during the 1990s. People did not mind the long queues to get into the stadium, just to get a glimpse of their favourite Football legends and to experience the joy of celebrating wins with others around them. I loved the packed food, Kacang Puteh, the coming together with friends and family, and more importantly, how the stadium would “roar” when a footballer from the Singapore team scored a goal.
The “Kallang Road” was the symbol of Singaporean pride back then.
You’d see this beautiful sea of people clad in red and white - standing and sitting in unison - flowing just like the waves of the sea.
It was a sight to behold.
And it gave this awesome feeling of pride in my heart when I saw everyone come together - regardless of race or religion right there at the Stadium.
So many years later, when Joseph Schooling swam the 100 Meter Butterfly stroke during the 2016 Olympics, it was another great moment for the country. I was anticipating with bated breath watching the TV back then and was so proud to watch Joseph clinch the coveted Medal with a winning time of 50.39 seconds.
Joseph made history and won the very first Olympic Gold medal for Singapore.
ONE BENEVOLENT NATION
Beyond the medals and awards, I hope we embody the sporting spirit. It is not just about winning but rather the process of getting there, watching our competition, and the “perang Habis-habisan” till the very end.
I am a proud Singaporean, living in a city where the world looks to us as The Little Red Dot. My hope for the future generation is to always remember our roots - and grow into a more benevolent nation even as we progress from 3rd world to first.
We must learn to embrace new challenges and opportunities so that we become better.
Like in sports - there is no such thing as second place. We fight and give our very best!
Gabriel Lau Rong Yang:
When covid-19 cases were first announced in 2019, many Singaporeans were skeptical. "It would never reach us" many of us echoed.
Looking back, I could only think how foolish we were. Unguarded and naive, many Singaporeans believed that we as a country were so impenetrable and safe, that we had started to take our safety for granted. Almost like a re-run of the Japanese Invasion of Singapore, Covid-19 started to invade Singapore, making its way into the heart of the country, paralysing us physically, economically, and psychologically.
I still remember watching PM Lee's live address to the nation on 3rd April - "We have decided that instead of tightening incrementally over the next few weeks, we should make a decisive move now, to pre-empt escalating infections. We will therefore impose significantly stricter measures. This is like a circuit breaker."
Many Singaporeans faced issues readapting to the new way of working and schooling, and many physical businesses had to close down, bringing about a massive wave of unemployment. Mental health of Singaporeans was at its worst and Singapore was facing impending doom.
However, the circuit breaker proved an unprecedented driving force. Many Singaporeans took the opportunity to improve and upskill, paving new possibilities and career paths. Businesses also started to adapt, digitalising and making use of online resources to expand their trade. Issues and problems in systems and processes were also quickly being identified and fixed, improving the efficiency of many previously slow and inefficient processes. What was previously unimaginable, was now happening at a rate like never before. It was almost as if, the circuit breaker had triggered the reset button for Singapore, reigniting the will to overcome adversity — and pushing the country to greater Digitalisation.
Having come so far, I am proud to see that a new era of Singapore is coming, one marked by resilience, tenacity, innovation, and advancement. Flights have started to take off from Singapore's shores again, bringing along with it the hope that a new normal is approaching. The economy is starting to recover, and Singaporeans are learning to embrace the new norms amidst a covid-19 stricken world. Singapore will never be the same again. Instead, it will emerge stronger, more resilient, and ready to take on even greater challenges.
As we look towards the future, I believe Singaporeans will continue to stay resilient - giving the best in everything they do, just like they have done in the past. I believe Singapore will achieve far greater heights, and when we look back, we will look at circuit breaker as an icon. It will become an icon of Singapore's fight against covid-19, and how we have once again trumped adversity as a nation and how we have brought the sporting spirit of teamwork and perseverance from our sporting endeavours into our fight against the covid-19.
Like in sports - there is no such thing as second place.
We fight and give our very best!
