By Jeffrey Oon
As I watch the dramatic events unfold in Japan and marvel at the way its people - bruised, beaten but undefeated - struggle to comprehend their new reality, I wonder how Singapore would react if a similar disaster were to engulf our island.
By now, you must have read about how hundreds of thousands of Japanese face a dire struggle for survival with quiet dignity and gaman (stoicism). Of how, despite the desperate conditions they face, the Japanese still wait in orderly queues to cross the road, of how they patiently wait in line for food and water rations to be distributed.
It is a marvel to behold, and so unlike the stories of looting and violence that emerged from the aftermaths of the Haiti earthquake and Hurricane Katrina.
But what about us, how would we react as a nation and as a people? Will qualities such as dignity and pride and a quiet determination that we can overcome adversity shine through or will our famously kiasu (scared-to-lose) attitude rise to the fore in times of panic and self-preservation?
Because when we have lost everything that in Singapore is deemed important - the cars we drive, the watches we wear or the balances in our bank accounts - then we become indistinguishable from our fellow Singaporeans, save for our individual character and qualities.
Where you stay, whether Sentosa Cove or Sembawang, Bukit Timah or Balestier, won't make one bit of difference. Condo or bungalow or not, what will matter, foremost, is if your husband or wife, mother, father and siblings, or your friends and other relatives are still alive and accounted for, and that you are lucky enough to still be able to feel the warmth of their touch and hear their voices.
But beyond that, when the realisation of all that is important takes on a new meaning, will you still extend a helping hand to your fellow man? When food and water are in short supply - be it a half bowl of rice, a left-over packet of instant noodles or a cup of muddy water - will you still happily give it to those in greater need?
Will our leaders come out of their million-dollar homes, roll up their sleeves, pick up a shovel or pail and lead by example, or will they shirk responsibility and hide behind a curtain of finger-pointing and blame?
Will they come out looking like Japan's chief cabinet secretary Yukio Edano, who has been the tireless face of the Japanese government's response to the crisis, or will they come out looking like the unpopular Prime Minister Naoto Kan, criticised for his slow response to the nuclear emergency?
What about the foreigners in Singapore? Will they in the thousands who have been lured, given citizenship and PR status join their adopted nation and its people and stay to fight the good fight - or will they, in the face of impending disaster, radiation or worse, take the first flight out of the country, back to the welcoming arms of their home nation. Only then will we know if the government's relentless preaching about the need to integrate and embed with the rest of Singapore society has paid off - but by then, it may be too late.
How will our big businesses - the SIAs, SingTels and SMRTs react? Will they follow in the footsteps of Japanese noodle maker Nissin, who contributed a million cups of instant noodles to relief efforts, or will they seek to profit from the disaster like the recent example of a local media broadcaster?
And what about our overseas Singaporeans, who represent the best and brightest the nation has to offer - will they return from far and wide to help or will they view the crisis unfold from a distance with ready chequebook in hand?
What about our highly trained 3G Singapore Armed Forces? Will we even respond to the call to report for duty in the first place or will our first instinct be to protect and preserve our loved ones and possessions first? Will our training, untested as it has been, have come to nought at the first sign of danger or, like the 50 Japanese emergency workers toiling heroically at the Fukushima nuclear plant, will we be ready to lay down our lives for our fellow Singaporean?
Singapore's similarities with Japan are remarkable. Both our societies are highly modernised, efficient and advanced. But it is only in time of crisis that true character is revealed. Only then will we discover if the common ties that bind us are strengthened or if they come loose in the face of desperation and panic. Let us hope we react like how our Asian neighbours have, with quiet dignity, pride and respect for one another.
In the words of Yuta Saga, a survivor from the tiny Japanese fishing town of Yuriage that was wiped out by the tsunami, said, "I saw the ugly side of people, and then I saw the good side. Some people only thought of themselves. Others stopped to help."
Singapore, which side will we see?
As I watch the dramatic events unfold in Japan and marvel at the way its people - bruised, beaten but undefeated - struggle to comprehend their new reality, I wonder how Singapore would react if a similar disaster were to engulf our island.
By now, you must have read about how hundreds of thousands of Japanese face a dire struggle for survival with quiet dignity and gaman (stoicism). Of how, despite the desperate conditions they face, the Japanese still wait in orderly queues to cross the road, of how they patiently wait in line for food and water rations to be distributed.
It is a marvel to behold, and so unlike the stories of looting and violence that emerged from the aftermaths of the Haiti earthquake and Hurricane Katrina.
But what about us, how would we react as a nation and as a people? Will qualities such as dignity and pride and a quiet determination that we can overcome adversity shine through or will our famously kiasu (scared-to-lose) attitude rise to the fore in times of panic and self-preservation?
Because when we have lost everything that in Singapore is deemed important - the cars we drive, the watches we wear or the balances in our bank accounts - then we become indistinguishable from our fellow Singaporeans, save for our individual character and qualities.
Where you stay, whether Sentosa Cove or Sembawang, Bukit Timah or Balestier, won't make one bit of difference. Condo or bungalow or not, what will matter, foremost, is if your husband or wife, mother, father and siblings, or your friends and other relatives are still alive and accounted for, and that you are lucky enough to still be able to feel the warmth of their touch and hear their voices.
But beyond that, when the realisation of all that is important takes on a new meaning, will you still extend a helping hand to your fellow man? When food and water are in short supply - be it a half bowl of rice, a left-over packet of instant noodles or a cup of muddy water - will you still happily give it to those in greater need?
Will our leaders come out of their million-dollar homes, roll up their sleeves, pick up a shovel or pail and lead by example, or will they shirk responsibility and hide behind a curtain of finger-pointing and blame?
Will they come out looking like Japan's chief cabinet secretary Yukio Edano, who has been the tireless face of the Japanese government's response to the crisis, or will they come out looking like the unpopular Prime Minister Naoto Kan, criticised for his slow response to the nuclear emergency?
What about the foreigners in Singapore? Will they in the thousands who have been lured, given citizenship and PR status join their adopted nation and its people and stay to fight the good fight - or will they, in the face of impending disaster, radiation or worse, take the first flight out of the country, back to the welcoming arms of their home nation. Only then will we know if the government's relentless preaching about the need to integrate and embed with the rest of Singapore society has paid off - but by then, it may be too late.
How will our big businesses - the SIAs, SingTels and SMRTs react? Will they follow in the footsteps of Japanese noodle maker Nissin, who contributed a million cups of instant noodles to relief efforts, or will they seek to profit from the disaster like the recent example of a local media broadcaster?
And what about our overseas Singaporeans, who represent the best and brightest the nation has to offer - will they return from far and wide to help or will they view the crisis unfold from a distance with ready chequebook in hand?
What about our highly trained 3G Singapore Armed Forces? Will we even respond to the call to report for duty in the first place or will our first instinct be to protect and preserve our loved ones and possessions first? Will our training, untested as it has been, have come to nought at the first sign of danger or, like the 50 Japanese emergency workers toiling heroically at the Fukushima nuclear plant, will we be ready to lay down our lives for our fellow Singaporean?
Singapore's similarities with Japan are remarkable. Both our societies are highly modernised, efficient and advanced. But it is only in time of crisis that true character is revealed. Only then will we discover if the common ties that bind us are strengthened or if they come loose in the face of desperation and panic. Let us hope we react like how our Asian neighbours have, with quiet dignity, pride and respect for one another.
In the words of Yuta Saga, a survivor from the tiny Japanese fishing town of Yuriage that was wiped out by the tsunami, said, "I saw the ugly side of people, and then I saw the good side. Some people only thought of themselves. Others stopped to help."
Singapore, which side will we see?
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