Reply to a friend's email

...If a particular theory/idea/conception/work appeals so much that it draws you in deeply, do beware. I have not finished Orientalism, but let's not neglect the fact that our basis of concurring with many of the points raised could be due to our own experiences - esp how ignorant the West can be of the East, and how interpretations are often distorted. Nonetheless, history is never simplistic. In the history of China, missionaries (esp Jesuit missionaries like Matteo Ricci) have played a part in its development; at the same time we could be over-generalizing if we assume that ALL accounts of the East by colonial masters are distorted. Westerners often impose their own interpretations with coloured lens, but whether it is intentional or otherwise warrants closer examination. In my own research, I have also discovered that many Western theories on Education do not fit Asian societies totally, to the extent that they sometimes fail to provide any basis for explaining Asian phenomena. For eg, in areas like China education policies, researchers in HKU have come up with "structured ambiguity", "tolerated illegality" etc to describe how despite the presence of resistance towards policies from the Central government, many provinces are still able to make progress.

It may seem unreasonable to expect third world countries to care about the environment when they cannot even feed themselves. Some cynics go as far as saying that either way, death is the final result. Nonetheless, it is precisely in these under-developed areas that people are most vulnerable. A typhoon can sweep through a state in US and the government can react in time, but if the same happens for an African nation, the effects could be detrimental. Yes, those who have money and who are making more money by the day are mostly responsible for pollution etc, but the crux of the issue here lies in the survival of our human race, not finding the "right" party to blame. It may be a Singaporean "small-island" mentality at play that has caused many of us, in a sub-conscious manner or otherwise, to forget the world-at-large, and to overlook issues that are so close to us. Hold your indignation, for the time has come to adopt an all-embracing stance and hopefully stall the degradation of our environment. Am I sounding like an UN spokesperson? Haha.. Nonetheless, I think there is value in understanding the Millennium Development Goals, and follow its state of implementation. Google it and try to know something about it. I will be writing an article this weekend that is indirectly related to the MDGs, particularly the need to focus on the needs of females within a community, especially in developing nations. Perhaps many Singaporeans may not find this topic appealing, but to those who care, I hope my words can prove intriguing enough for them to start caring for a greater world beyond rising transport fees, ERP and F1. We may not be able to do anything, but if we are to brand ourselves as being sufficiently enlightened, we also need to step out of the Singaporean or Asian frame of mind. In Hong Kong, it is hard at times to reconcile the Singapore I know with what others expect of the nation - especially when these expectations and criticisms are reasonable. I also do not want to appear over-defensive, but I realized that the way to make people appreciate our stand is to have in-depth understanding of theirs. In the process of comparison, interaction takes place and both parties get to see their own contexts - as well as the way they view the other's context - in a better light.

I have a lecturer teaching Curriculum studies who's born in China, studied in Princeton, worked in Singapore for 8 yrs and holds a Singaporean passport, and who is lecturing in HK now. He is often very skeptical about our education policies and systems, and through comparison with other contexts, Singapore does become a laughing stock in his interpretation. Sometimes, when I feel that his understanding is too shallow, I do try to counter-propose an understanding. Yet, what can I say when the whole class gets "amazed" at knowing we sing the national anthem every day? It made me realize that such displays of patriotism are not even practised in PRC, but at the same time, I am all the more proud that we are able to do something like that when "patriotism" always seem to come with a negative connotation in present Western context, or in viewing Asian contexts with a Western eye. I am now convinced that the problems arising from new immigrants do not stop at getting Singaporeans to accept them. It is paramount to get them to understand that they have to abide by our rules and contexts if they choose to be our citizen. They have the right to criticize, but I think they need to do so in the correct spirit of hoping that our nation becomes a better home, not out of mockery and debasing by comparing with benchmarks of some supposedly "modern" ideas. Because, if I were to migrate, I will live with such a spirit in my new homeland.