An Angmoh with roots in Toa Payoh?

Source: http://singcitizen.com/portal/2009/03/an-angmoh-with-roots-in-toa-payoh/ Retrieved 29 Mar 2009

Reading Neil Humphreys’ article today in The Straits Times[0] on how he will ‘address the thorny issue of my mortality’ by planting a sapling in Toa Payoh Town Park so that he might have the answer to how might his ‘daughter come to remember her nomadic parents’, I could not help but be amused to find that this Angmoh, hailing from London, had, perhaps, become convinced that he now had ‘Toa Payoh roots’ since he had stayed in Toa Payoh while being stationed in Singapore earlier. This idea which he nuanced in his reference to a suggestion about planting a sapling in Toa Payoh Town Park and then thinking ’my family’s trees will literally grow roots in Toa Payoh’ does not sit well with me.

Of course, literally, when such a sapling is planted, and subsequently does grow into a tree, Neil can think that when he comes back to visit Toa Payoh, he is ‘going back to my Toa Payoh roots’ as the title of his article today suggests. 

But, as a Singaporean who grew up in Toa Payoh long before the Angmohs and other foreigners invaded the satellite town, I turn squeamish when thinking Neil actually had Toa Payoh roots. Here when I use ‘roots’ I was more thinking of ‘the place or culture that a person or their family comes from’[1]. When I first saw the heading, ‘Going back to my Toa Payoh roots’, of his article, that was indeed the first thought that flashed across my mind. Of course, on reading the article, I realised it had more to do with marking Earth Hour in Singapore today.

Nevertheless, Neil’s article has given me an excuse to put words to feelings which otherwise might have difficulty finding their way to print and might have remained thoughts weighing on my mind.  Today, in Singapore, one in four residents are foreigners. Whilst I welcome foreigners into the HDB heartland where I have been living since a young boy, and whilst I also do accept such foreigners becoming citizens in due course, I cannot help but be concerned that the safe Singapore I have been living in might turn into a place where it may no longer be safe to walk in the streets anytime of the day or night. Newspaper reports of the elderly being robbed in lifts and void decks, and of our greying men, particularly those past 55 years old, falling prey to China nationals who eye these newly rich men’s wallets, reinforce this perception. In Hougang, where I now live, day in and day out, when I walk around my neighbourhood, I see elderly Singaporean men sitting in void decks, whiling their time in coffeeshops or strolling along the streets — all in the company of younger female China nationals, some of whom look half the men’s age. 

As a disinterested passer-by, I have no doubt in my mind what these women are up to. But, I can’t help feeling sad for my fellow Singaporean men who have found their second spring, so to speak. I first wrote of these China ‘dolls’, as I call them, in July 2004[3]. Today, the situation remains the same or is perhaps worse. I still think that ‘as long as our Singaporean men are willing and eager to flirt with these China dolls, whether they be prostitutes or study-mums, the problem won’t go away. It’s simply supply meeting demand’[3]. And I still believe that  ’our post-middle-age Singaporean men want to feel attractive. They want women to ingratiate themselves with them — something that might not be forthcoming in their homes. Most of all, I think they all want to feel young again. And these China dolls do know how to make them feel young and attractive.’[3] Despite the passage of five years, the problem of educating our greying Singaporean men to make them ‘realise that they are courting trouble both at home and with the law’[3] remains unsolved.

As one who will shortly be wearing that ‘newly rich’ title by virtue of the fact that I will be eligible to draw on my CPF savings at age 55, I have occasionally wondered whether I would slide into the routine that these elderly Singaporean men have come to accept as their rejuvenation. Would I become a target of these friendly foreign women? Truly, I wondered about this a week ago when I received more-than-warm reception dished out by a non-Singaporean hairdresser while getting my hair cut at a neighbourhood salon. I guess I must be looking old now to have attracted this woman’s attention. For years, I have been trying to fight growing old. I pull out any white hairs I see in my hair on a daily basis. I try not to dress like an ‘uncle’ [4]. But, I end up being called ‘uncle’[4] by every young person I meet nowadays. It must be true. Much as I deny it, I am on the threshold of becoming a senior citizen.

So, what can I do to ward off these dangers lurking in the heartland? I am fortunate my wife is much younger than me. I have been lucky to have the PAP government minding me and my surrounds for the past half century. But I hope the government will take notice of the dangers that have surfaced since it relaxed immigration rules in 2003. I am grateful to be in good health. Mike Ellery once said that on turning old, ‘you begin to notice that girls stop turning to look at you over their shoulder with a wicked look in their eye. Then, you realise that even if they did, you’re too old to do anything about it.’[5] Thanks to Mike, I am reminded that these China dolls really are not interested in me but in my money. With all these going for me, I guess I will likely age safely and perhaps gracefully.

Coming back to Neil’s article, I venture to say that he might have been clearer if he had mentioned ‘putting down roots’ instead. Putting down roots suggests ‘making a place their home, for example, taking part in activities there or by making a lot of friends there’ [2]. Hey! I am comfortable with him and his family putting down roots here and eventually becoming Singaporeans. After all, my parents also had their roots elsewhere, in China that is, but chose to put down roots here in Singapore. For this, I am truly grateful to this day.

Notes:

[0] ‘Going back to my Toa Payoh roots’ by Neil Humphreys. The Straits Times Page E6 28 Mar 2009

[1] Collins Cobuild English Dictionary: You can refer to the place or culture that a person or their family comes from as their roots.

[2] Collins Cobuild English Dictionary: If someone puts down roots, they make a place their home, for example, taking part in activities there or by making a lot of friends there.

[3] Monday with the Editor Invasion of the China dolls, 5 Jul 2004

[4] uncle: an informal way of addressing a man who is past 40 years old

[5] Mike Ellery in ’The Gift Of Age’, a book written by already-old Singaporeans for Singaporeans who are growing old, as well as for the younger generation. The Gift Of Age ISBN 981 232 213 2 Published by RSVP Singapore in 2001