MR TERLOK Nath's letter ("'Real' pioneers helped build nation from scratch"; last Saturday) reminded me that the term "pioneer" is both a noun and a verb.
As a recipient of the Pioneer Generation Package benefits, however, I prefer to think of it as an adjective that describes the pioneering spirit.
I believe the package is intended to not just "compensate" the pioneers who earned low wages while they were working. As Mr Nath has stated, the dollar value in the 1960s was very high and "most of us could make ends meet with such wages".
Instead, the Government is also trying to encourage the younger generation to emulate our pioneering spirit as we enter the next 50 years of Singapore's development.
Mr Nath said "our generation has seen hard times, and turned out to be thrifty and wise"; we certainly hope the next generation will possess this same spirit.
Times and circumstances have changed. We no longer live in attap huts or use communal bathrooms; most households have their own TV sets and no longer have to watch TV in others' homes. But the need to continue to improve our lives does not change.
Sadly, the "gotong royong" (mutual self-help) atmosphere has vanished as we progressed.
The challenges our younger generation face are different, but the need for pioneers to carve a niche for our small country remains. Instead of throwing up our hands and saying "these are global problems and Singapore is just a small dot", I would like to think the Pioneer Generation Package will remind our next generation to adopt a pioneering spirit in overcoming these challenges.
Geoffrey Kung
As a recipient of the Pioneer Generation Package benefits, however, I prefer to think of it as an adjective that describes the pioneering spirit.
I believe the package is intended to not just "compensate" the pioneers who earned low wages while they were working. As Mr Nath has stated, the dollar value in the 1960s was very high and "most of us could make ends meet with such wages".
Instead, the Government is also trying to encourage the younger generation to emulate our pioneering spirit as we enter the next 50 years of Singapore's development.
Mr Nath said "our generation has seen hard times, and turned out to be thrifty and wise"; we certainly hope the next generation will possess this same spirit.
Times and circumstances have changed. We no longer live in attap huts or use communal bathrooms; most households have their own TV sets and no longer have to watch TV in others' homes. But the need to continue to improve our lives does not change.
Sadly, the "gotong royong" (mutual self-help) atmosphere has vanished as we progressed.
The challenges our younger generation face are different, but the need for pioneers to carve a niche for our small country remains. Instead of throwing up our hands and saying "these are global problems and Singapore is just a small dot", I would like to think the Pioneer Generation Package will remind our next generation to adopt a pioneering spirit in overcoming these challenges.
Geoffrey Kung
