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Public holiday?
posted : Monday, February 16, 2015
Verbal diarrhea lol. Haven't posted this many posts in a row for a long time.
There was a recent hooha about ppl getting arrested for drumming during Thaipusam procession. Dun exactly know how this is linked, but eventually there were requests for Thaipusam to be reinstated as a public holiday. So MOM replied. We appreciate the perspectives shared by many Singaporeans on whether Thaipusam should be reinstated as a public holiday. As many have noted, Thaipusam was a public holiday until 1968. The prospect of the British withdrawal and the need to compete for a living in world markets necessitated many changes in the country. The government decided to reduce the total number of public holidays, amongst other things. The decision on which public holidays to give up in 1968 was reached only after careful consultation and discussions with various religious groups. The Muslims chose to give up Prophet Muhamed’s Birthday as well as an extra day for Hari Raya Puasa. The Christians, who had to give up two days as well, chose to give up the Saturday after Good Friday and Easter Monday. The Hindus had to choose between retaining Thaipusam or Deepavali as a public holiday, and chose the latter. These were difficult decisions for the leaders of each faith, with something of value being given up by each group in the larger interest. The Buddhists, who comprised the largest faith and had only one public holiday to begin with, Vesak Day, were not asked to offer any cuts. Some groups continued to celebrate religious events of significance to them, such as Vesakhi for the Sikhs and Lao-Tzu’s Birthday for the Taoists, without these being public holidays. The resulting 11 public holidays that we now enjoy is neither high nor low when compared to other countries. It is the same number enjoyed by New Zealanders, Canadians and the French, among others. Our closest neighbours, Malaysia and Indonesia, enjoy a few more days than we do, but we have a few more than developed countries like the United Kingdom and Germany. But beyond numbers and economics, our calendar of public holidays is a reflection of our multi-ethnic, multi-religious society. There is much value and meaning attached to each of our ethnic and religious festivals, including Thaipusam, both among that particular group and Singaporeans generally. But any move to reinstate any one festival as a public holiday will immediately invite competing claims, and necessitate considerable renegotiation with all communities. Balancing the wishes of each community will not be a simple matter. Neither can we simply re-allocate public holidays by ethnic group, as amongst both Chinese and Indians we have citizens of a few different faiths. While we will always ensure that all Singaporeans can practise their faiths freely, it is impractical to make all important festivals of all faiths public holidays. But it must always be possible for Singaporeans of all faiths to make arrangements to observe their respective religious festivals. We encourage all employers to show understanding and flexibility in this regard. We have learnt to live harmoniously with each other with this balanced approach, where everyone makes some compromises for the greater good. It has served us well for the better part of five decades and remains the best way for Singapore. Alvin Lim Divisional Director, Workplace Policy & Strategy Division Ministry of Manpower I actually thought it's a really sensible and well-written reply. It's an earnest explanation, and it's not always easy to do so. Not in this time and society where everybody mostly just complains for the sake of complaining and have this NIMFY syndrome. I would know. Having grew up and watching as my hometown (yes, Brunei is my hometown, no matter what they say) regress into one that views Christmas trees and lion dances as toxins that pollutes and tempts Muslims into switching faiths (seriously?!) I would think it is even more important that Sg residents value such racial harmony. And while the idea of having more public holidays is enticing (who doesnt like holidays?) and one extra day can't hurt productivity THAT much, it does opens a can of worms and there will be no end to it. So kudos to those in MOM who crafted out the reply (very likely not this Alvin Lim, anyway). Keyboard warriors who flamed them for coming up with a "story" instead of a straightforward "No" - you should be ashamed of yourselves. Not as if you will be satisfied with a straightforward answer anyway. And those ignorant bastards who used this to stir up racial and religious disputes, go hang yourselves. Seriously. Labels: thoughts |
