Create museum on pioneers, heroes
YOUNG, new and future Singaporeans need to be aware of the founding years of Singapore as a nation.
They need to know about the lives, contributions and sacrifices of our pioneer leaders, and the context of their challenges and struggles, so as to better appreciate our current state of peace, prosperity and progress.
Let us consider an interactive museum that celebrates the lives of our pioneer leaders.
We could also extend the museum's coverage to include modern-day heroes - such as political leaders, businessmen, innovators, sportsmen and artists who contributed to our progress, put Singapore on the world map, and made an impact on our everyday lives.
This Museum of Pioneers and Heroes will be an ever-growing and inspirational "hall of fame" to remind us of the sacrifices and contributions of the few for the rest of us.
Kevin Cheong
Rape laws should be gender neutral
LAST week, news broke that for the first time in South Korea's history, a woman has been charged with trying to rape a man ("Korean woman accused of trying to rape man"; last Saturday).
Currently, rape laws in Singapore allow for only a man to be charged with rape against a woman.
Ideally, Singapore's rape laws should be amended to be gender neutral.
This would allow either a man or a woman to be charged with rape against a man or a woman, and prevent a situation where a female cannot be charged with rape, or where a male cannot complain of being raped.
Asik Ali Sadayan
Act on real-time flight data
WHEN the black box of the Germanwings plane was found after the aircraft crashed last month, the memory card containing data on the plane's altitude, speed, location and condition was not inside.
Real-time flight data streaming has been under consideration by the International Civil Aviation Organisation for some time now. The main reason it has not been implemented seems to be the age-old issue of who should bear the cost of such data streaming.
It is time that the authorities acted more decisively and required all airlines to implement real-time flight data streaming so that the data recorded by the black box is constantly transmitted to servers located at the airline's headquarters, eliminating the need to search for black boxes.
Johann Senaratna
Have debate on euthanasia
WHEN I was young and healthy, euthanasia was far from my mind. Now, as a member of the pioneer generation, I have signed the Advance Medical Directive and the Lasting Power of Attorney as alternatives.
Watching my grandmother and my mother live out their last days at home and in hospital convinced me of the need for a law on euthanasia or assisted suicide.
Opponents of euthanasia should not deny a person's right to die to end his suffering.
Just as traffic accidents do not justify a complete ban on cars, possible cases of abuse cannot justify a complete ban on euthanasia.
I hope government leaders would have the compassion and political courage to hold a Singapore Conversation on end-of-life issues.
Lo Chock Fei
YOUNG, new and future Singaporeans need to be aware of the founding years of Singapore as a nation.
They need to know about the lives, contributions and sacrifices of our pioneer leaders, and the context of their challenges and struggles, so as to better appreciate our current state of peace, prosperity and progress.
Let us consider an interactive museum that celebrates the lives of our pioneer leaders.
We could also extend the museum's coverage to include modern-day heroes - such as political leaders, businessmen, innovators, sportsmen and artists who contributed to our progress, put Singapore on the world map, and made an impact on our everyday lives.
This Museum of Pioneers and Heroes will be an ever-growing and inspirational "hall of fame" to remind us of the sacrifices and contributions of the few for the rest of us.
Kevin Cheong
Rape laws should be gender neutral
LAST week, news broke that for the first time in South Korea's history, a woman has been charged with trying to rape a man ("Korean woman accused of trying to rape man"; last Saturday).
Currently, rape laws in Singapore allow for only a man to be charged with rape against a woman.
Ideally, Singapore's rape laws should be amended to be gender neutral.
This would allow either a man or a woman to be charged with rape against a man or a woman, and prevent a situation where a female cannot be charged with rape, or where a male cannot complain of being raped.
Asik Ali Sadayan
Act on real-time flight data
WHEN the black box of the Germanwings plane was found after the aircraft crashed last month, the memory card containing data on the plane's altitude, speed, location and condition was not inside.
Real-time flight data streaming has been under consideration by the International Civil Aviation Organisation for some time now. The main reason it has not been implemented seems to be the age-old issue of who should bear the cost of such data streaming.
It is time that the authorities acted more decisively and required all airlines to implement real-time flight data streaming so that the data recorded by the black box is constantly transmitted to servers located at the airline's headquarters, eliminating the need to search for black boxes.
Johann Senaratna
Have debate on euthanasia
WHEN I was young and healthy, euthanasia was far from my mind. Now, as a member of the pioneer generation, I have signed the Advance Medical Directive and the Lasting Power of Attorney as alternatives.
Watching my grandmother and my mother live out their last days at home and in hospital convinced me of the need for a law on euthanasia or assisted suicide.
Opponents of euthanasia should not deny a person's right to die to end his suffering.
Just as traffic accidents do not justify a complete ban on cars, possible cases of abuse cannot justify a complete ban on euthanasia.
I hope government leaders would have the compassion and political courage to hold a Singapore Conversation on end-of-life issues.
Lo Chock Fei
