National Day Celebrations

This is the second post for Term 3 and it was posted 30 minutes after the first post!

National Day Celebration happens annually but all the concerts or parades are somehow similar. They always consist of performances, singing sessions and marching parades. Even in the

National Day Parade held in Padang this year, the 3 hours-long parade is a special one to me as that was the first time I saw the NDP being held in the Padang.

Now let’s get back to topic. What is the rationale behind all these similar parades and concerts? Well, in a school’s context, the main aim to instill the patriotic spirit in the students so that we “may better serve our country” (evidence from the National Pledge). And in the country’s context, the aim is to tell the world that Singaporeans are united, strong and posses a powerful patriotic spirit that celebrates the independence of Singapore.

I will talk about my experiences and feelings for the NDP@HCI and NDP@Padang.

Since Singapore is the 'mother' of Hwa Chong, I shall discuss about the NDP@Padang first. There were all the same stuff, such as the parade, marchpast of Singapore’s military, performances by several organizations and the singing sessions by Singapore-born stars. I watched the NDP on Channel 5 and my friends initially planned for an outing at the Marina Barrage so that they can watch the beautiful fireworks at night. However, I backed out as I had a lot of studies to catch up on and partly due to the fact that Marina Bay area will be thronged with thousands of people. Sure enough, they called me at midnight to tell me that they are still on the train going back home and I laughed like a mad horse on steroids! As a NCC cadet, I liked the parade most as I can witness the standards of marching by the several contingents. The NCC contingent’s marching was 100 hundred times worst than our school’s as they could not hold the rifle properly. I somehow feel they are a disgrace to NCC as NCC is known for their marching among the uniformed-groups.

There were a few singing performances by Singapore Idols like Sezari, and the 2010 Theme Song singer Corrinne May. I feel that this year’s theme song is much sentimental and soothing, compared to the previous ones. The performance depicting the army in the future is performed by the Singapore Armed Forces. The performers were dressed like superheroes and the spectators will be shocked to see this performance as the arm is thought to be serious and strict.
Now is about the NDP@HCI. The Organising Team of this event did a good job as the school seemed enthusiastic and interested during the concert, which is a good sign because it was a different case compared to the concert last year. Last year, most my classmates were playing their handphone games and chatting around. We had history test afterwards, which was a wet blanket to our jovial spirits.

In conclusion, the annual NDPs that we watch has a lot of hidden rationales, such as sending a message to the world that Singapore is a strong country. Even though NDP is propaganda-related, we should still celebrate wholeheartedly as 9th August was the day Singapore grew independent.