Got a bunch of kitsch for being born in the right place at the right time.
Next year is Singapore’s 50th birthday.
Babies born next year will receive eight presents as part of the Jubilee gift set which celebrates our nation’s 50th birthday.
These are: a special medallion; a multi-functional shawl; a baby sling; a set of baby clothes including a t-shirt and bottoms, rompers, mittens and socks; a diaper bag; a scrapbook for memories; a family photo frame; and a baby book.
The National Population and Talent Division said these gifts are “a balance of practical and meaningful items.”
“The Jubilee Baby Gift symbolizes our best wishes, hopes and aspirations from this generation of Singaporeans to the next,” said Anita Fam, who chairs the Jubilee Baby Gift advisory panel.
Huh?
Is there a need to shower next year’s newborns with gifts? What have they done to deserve any gift other than being born in the right place at the right time?
What about remembering those born 50 years ago in 1965? These are our citizens who weathered the storms, struggled to make a living, rose from the squalor, suffered poor sanitation, grappled with joblessness, risked death under Konfrontasi, lived through government policies be they good or badly thought-out, built the SMRT, and survive till today? Some made it good, many continue to eke out a living at subsistence level. Despite being eminently qualified, many were pushed aside to make way for “foreign talents” and quite a few are jobless and having a hard time, with employers shunning them the moment they turned 40.
Have we forgotten these people? They turn 50 next year.
Don’t they deserve something?
These Singaporeans continue to contribute to nation building, pay taxes, raise families, provide sons for National Service; on their shoulders this country is built.
They are truly our unsung heroes.
Giving gifts to newborns who have done nothing to deserve anything – what a stupid idea!