You can consult your country's newspapers whilst away from home - I read the BBC news online and the Daily Mail online. I can also read on line the news from Singapore Straitstimes.com ;
This week's news featured two main personalities. Singaporeans are celebrating the success of Jacob Schooling who won the 100 meter butterfly swimming event.
The other life being celebrated was the President.
The news from Singapore is about S R Nathan, former president, who died this week. I discussed this with a Singaporean Indian friend. As in many countries with minorities, a minority VIP is appointed as President when the Prime minister is from the majority group (in Singapore the Chinese are the majority and the Malays and Indians are minorities with English speaking groups).
The president has to be a Singaporean, I think a Chief Justice. As my Indian friend humorously said, "You have to to be a citizen and to have worked hard helping the government and the people for many years. You can't be The President if you're a recently arrived Filipino tap dancer or a tightrope walker!"
In Little India a picture of S R Nathan is in the street alongside a tented area with seats for speeches and homages.
I go back to the Singaporean newspapers with renewed interest. To my surprise I find that S R Nathan is a great example of the rags to riches story beloved of motivational speakers at Toastmasters International meetings all over America, England, Singapore and the world. S R Nathan lost his father at an early age, did badly at school, but in later life through hard work and determination rose to prominence.
(Photo to be added shortly.)
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and
No comments:
Post a Comment