The other Singapore

Updated on 12/2/17

Have you ever been called living under a rock? Or not experiencing the “real” world and its harsh “reality”? While stepping into their lifes and their version of Singapore, I realised that I was barely scrapping the surface of the icecap (life).

Its been awhile since I wrote about my Army experiences. Being posted to the 9th Singapore Infantry Regiment (9SIR) was an eye opener for me and it took awhile to complete this post .9SIR‘s main job is to protect the key installations of Singapore. While guarding our enemy-less shores, I had plenty of opportunities to interact with my troopers from different backgrounds and I was exposed to a different painting of Singapore….

Its (NOT) The End (ITE)– A particular trooper of mine has a rather inspiring journey, he reminded me that if someone wanted to change their life, he or she could. He has an extremely humble results in Secondary school and ended up in the Institute of Technical Education (ITE). There he found himself in gangs, endless partying and trying out exotic substances. Somehow, he found his way and did well enough to enter a local Polytechnic. Eventually, he graduated with an excellent GPA and now have a placing in a NUS Engineering course. He may have taken a longer route to University (24 this year), but he managed to overcame his dark past and pave brighter future for himself. His success is a prove that no one is beyond hope and with a little bit of guidance, they may find their way.  ITE isnt “Its The End”.  It is just a small portion of the difficult, yet exciting journey of those who couldn’t succeed (not failed) in our academic system.

Passion-Another noteworthy trooper of mine also graduated from ITE  and has once engaged in gang activities like confrontation, fighting and money making.  In the army he met a fellow trooper (A level dropout) who oddly, inspired him to ponder about his future. This made him realised that he wants to get a Business degree and have a future beyond the underworld. Eventually, he quit his gang and spends his bookouts studying for the 2017 O levels. He hopes to conquer the A levels by 2018 in order to apply for University as soon as possible.  It is a very  courageous of him to attempt this arduous journey that few people will embark, in hopes of altering his future. What excuses do we, those we have survived and benefited from our academic system to not embark on our own ambitious adventures to pursue our passion? It is never too late to put aside fear, laziness and  maximize whatever opportunities that we have so difficulty earned.

Underworld-Inspiring as these journeys maybe, their stories reveal some truth about the Underworld of Singapore, it exists but very subtly. It was really naive of me to believe that the underworld of Singapore (apart from Ah Longs aka illegal money lender)  was a thing of the past. The countless anti-drugs talks conducted since primary school made me believed that the severe punishment and harmful effects of it will eliminate drugs. However, Exotic substances are in fact, accessible and affordable enough for many of them to have tried. Large scale gang fights resulted in some of them being detained or jailed. There is also a illegal betting scene with a pyramid structure that is very lucrative, especially  for those with many underlings. Interesting, gangs are associated with their estates and block numbers and has some sort of structure. Honestly, it was  pretty unbelievable to hear that Singapore’s Underworld is so organized and widespread. However, denying gangs would be denying a significant portion of their eventful yet dangerous journey.

Success– In Singapore, where success is dominated by academic abilities, many of my troopers (ITE/Dropouts/Private) are perceived as failing in the system. Worst of all, some of them feel that way as well. However, after talking to them, I realised that most of them will probably be more successful then those of us aspiring to have a local degree. Their complicated background (e.g. unconcerned parents,lack of money…) have forced them to fight for whatever they wanted, toughening their spirit. One of my trooper, who studied in a private polytechnic to pursue his passion in cooking. He already has plans on how he will advance from a hawker stall to a cafe and eventually to a restaurant chain. Another is a hair stylist who has started since a tender age of  13 to earn his pocket money. By now, his skills has been well polished and he can easily make 3k a month from his saloon. There is also a trooper who spends his days in his father’s Car serving center, acquiring vast knowledge and skills about cars which he plans to build his career on. These are just a few examples, there are still many others who have the passion, ambition and abilities to pursue their own success. This proved that Junior College/Polytechnic and perhaps University are in no way superior over these people who acquired hard skills through experience. True intellect is perhaps irrespective of education background.

Limitations of Diversity-In Singapore, diversity has always been promoted as beneficial to our economy and society. People of different economic,education and racial background  provides different perspectives and ideas, adding value to our workplace and life. However,  after understanding my platoon’s dynamics, I noticed that diversity for the first time in my life, has not been beneficial and has in fact created a severe divide. Whether you party , come from a rich background or have done well in school have shaped their interest and personality. To  be more specific, my platoon is torn between 2 groups. The first group are the smokers, the clubbers and are usually pretty well off, with expensive interest like cars. The 2nd group is the academically inclined and less outgoing bunch. People from both groups rarely interact with each other and whenever they do, it tends to result in a heated argument. Their perception and assumptions about each other have prevented them from befriending and cooperating. Therefore, I realised that diversity can be counter-productive if people share far too different interest and mindset.

My interactions with my troopers has taught me many things and added a new layer to Singapore. The life my friends and I lead are indeed just the tip of the iceberg, a fraction of the real picture. I will continue to learn from them as I struggle to lead them….