Questions posed reflected youth's concerns

April 21, 2006
The Straits Times

I READ with great interest and confusion Miss Tan Bee Lan's letter, 'The young should give MM due respect, credit' (ST, April 19).

While she may be shocked at the questions asked of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew in the dialogue, she may want to note that the questions asked are the most prevalent among those of my generation.

That Miss Tan is expressing great discomfort only goes to show how disconnected she is from a significant portion of Singapore society - significant in the sense that she will have to depend on those youths for sustenance in old age, as she so rightly noted.

While she seems enthusiastic about deriding conventional wisdom, may I also point out that it is a tad too conventionally stereotypical for her to say, 'We are looking at a 'what-can-you-do-for-me' generation. It is transactional and there is no gratitude.'

Miss Tan is clearly appreciative of MM Lee's track record in providing for Singaporeans like herself what they desired. In what way is that not 'transactional'?

Based on what reason is she arguing that she is not being supportive of MM Lee because of what Mr Lee did for her?

Soo Kwok Heng
Victoria, Australia