And we went as far
as flaunting our expensive and new-found toy F1 to none other person than Aung
San Suu Kyi. We acted like some children who have yet reached their full intelligence
to grasp the meaning of life and sufferings, eager to show off our newly-prized
possession to implicitly shame those who have no possession of it.
We have taken our devotion
to material goods a yard too far.
“I want to learn a lot from the standards that Singapore
has been able to achieve but I wonder whether we want something more for our country.”----Aung San Suu Kyi. [Link]
And Aung San Suu
Kyi simply pricked the bubble of our materialistic minds, exposing our emptiness
beyond that magnificent façade which we built our self-esteem on and from which
defines our success. LHL must have found it hard to understand her when
Singapore has already so much more of GDP and infrastructure and wealth than
Myanmar, what else could Aung San Suu Kyi be asking for?
The one thing that
LHL is tenaciously proud of is the same thing which Aung San Suu Kyi has chosen
to shun. And for someone who trumpets about his
own success of building a one and only Marina Bay
in the world, his understanding of success for a country is narrowly and
shallowly focused on economic-digits and hardware. There is no meaningful understanding
beyond numbers and hardware.
“….there is only one Marina Bay
in the world.”----LHL
And here lies the
difference between a nondescript being and a leader. Here is a leader
whose vision for her country that is not circumscribed by the tangibles but
beyond.
Aung San Suu Kyi
did not specify what she meant by “more”. Definitely not a reference to F1, Marina Bay,
Garden by the Bay, the casinos or expensive shopping malls. More likely to be
looking towards the human spirit that is unfortunately not even worth a cent in
economic terms. And therefore is beyond LHL’s understanding.
GDP is not an evil
by itself. It is needed, provided that it triggers to all strata of the society
that contributes to the figure, to ensure a basic standard and quality of
living for the people of a country. Nevertheless, it should not be pursued to
the extent of reducing quality of life for the majority of the people in the
process. And GDP alone does not define the spirit and the soul of a nation.
I may not guess
what exactly Aung San Suu Kyi wants for her country. But it should be closer to
the heart and further from the pockets.
It is easier to
build a house than a home. Doubtless to say that LKY has successfully built a dazzling-looking house. But it is a house, and not exclusively meant for his people who have built it with him.
Aung San Suu Kyi is
thoughtful and looks far ahead for her country whilst LHL is still fanatically collecting
all models of the LV
bags and through the adornments of these bags to shout to the whole world out
there about his prominence and success.
A sense of sadness
simply overwhelmed me at the thought of LHL.
