Wednesday, 8 April 2015

[Straits Times] Youth forum

Standing on the shoulders of a giant

THE death of Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew has greatly affected many Singaporeans. He was a man of great talent and far vision, and was deeply passionate about his country.

Mr Lee was a strong believer in harmony, especially racial harmony.

It is thanks to him that Singaporeans now live in a country where people of all races can live and work together without fear of discrimination or persecution.

He believed this small island could have a great future. He made it possible for a tiny red dot to leap over every hurdle and race past many other nations.

Mr Lee's death is a great loss, but it is also a wake-up call for Singaporeans.

Today, we pick up his torch. We stand upon the shoulders of this great man, and make our commitment to keep building on the foundation that he laid, so that future generations can stand on our shoulders to carry Singapore to even greater heights.

This is how we should honour Mr Lee's memory.

Samantha Ang E May, 13,

Secondary 2 student







Be welcoming to migrant workers

I AM happy that there is a group of people willing to reach out and include migrant workers in our society ("Migrant worker tribute"; In, Jan 26).

A lot of us hold distorted stereotypes of migrant workers, seeing them as low-class beings whom we can easily shove blame, and vent our frustrations, on.

However, migrant workers are human beings just like us.

Everyone, regardless of race or status, is entitled to fundamental human rights.

There is no reason for us to feel superior to these workers.

We should look up to these people, and be more welcoming towards them. I am sure this will touch them and make them feel more included in our community. It may even have some positive impact on our society.

I hope the tribute will shatter stereotypes and change people's mindsets about migrant workers.

Jeslyn Pan Jia Qi, 14,

Secondary 2 student







CALLING YOUNG READERS:

If you are 21 or below and want to air your opinion on any issue, e-mail your letter to stforum@sph.com.sg with the header "Youth Forum". Do include your age, educational level and contact details.