Does citizenship make any difference?

What is a citizen’s pledge to be loyal to a country, to protect a country when one becomes a citizen of a country? A citizen of a country, by virtue of birth or choice, by immigration, is supposed to be loyal to that country, to defend that country if it goes to war. What are the official definitions to tell you what a citizen should be? Oxford’s definition, a legally recognized subject or national of a state or commonwealth, either native or naturalized, nothing about defending the country and dying for the country. But would a citizen do that?  Another definition, a native or naturalized member of a state or nation who owes allegiance to its government and is entitled to its protection. This one said owes allegiance to its govt and is entitled to protection, not the other way round.  How about this one, person who is entitled to enjoy all the legal rights and privileges granted by a state to the people comprising its constituency?

In all the above definitions, I am hard put to find one that says a citizen must fight and defend the country, be loyal to a country. But it seems that these are expected, a kind of assumption by the populace. And what it quite clear is that a citizen becomes part of the country he took up citizenship with. He belongs to the country and can claim or should claim that this is my country. Legally this must be the case. Mentally as well. In reality this may not be.

In the case of Omar Mateen, yes he is a US citizen. The USA is supposed to be his country and presumably he must have said his pledge like Singaporeans do, to uphold the country’s constitution or whatever. The funny thing is that Omar Mateen told the 911 officers that his country is Afghanistan. No, he did not say it in that way, that my country is Afghanistan or Afghanistan is my country. Neither did he say the USA is his country although he is a US citizen legally.

He told the 911 officers to tell America not to bomb his country. He is an American citizen but his country…America or Afghanistan? What can we make out of this? A new citizen taking up citizenship and still calling his country of origin his country, not the USA as his country.

What lesson can we learn from this when there is probably a million new citizens taking up Singapore citizenship here, with the new citizens saying our national pledge? Would they call their country of origin their country and not Singapore? Would Singapore be just a convenient place to make a living and all the time their countries would be their countries of origin, like Omar Mateen?

Would a citizenship be just a piece of paper? Would a national pledge be just, yes, an inspiration, nothing to be serious about, meaning nothing. How many of the new citizens here would think in the same way as Omar Mateen?

Would citizenship change anything? Omar Mateen is a US citizen and must behave like an American and must call the USA his country not Afghanistan? If he called Afghanistan his country then it is wrong. Wrong? So what is right, what is real?


Anonymous said...

Wat to do?..SinkieLand is a cosmopolitan city & welcome foreign immigrants wide open due to its demographics. These foreigners found jobs here some become PR & new citizens. Some r just only '骑驴找马'or riding a mule in search of a horse, some r '人在曹营心在汉' or he/she is staying in one country but his/her heart still with country origin. After enjoying all the benefits, they juz pack their bags & sayonara, & Sinkies becomes most stupid & dafts to be made use of.

Anonymous said...

I think the key words for me to ponder is
"owes allegiance to its govt".

Dont double, served NS under the contract of citizenship. Still need to be loyal to the govt. Is this necessary?

I question this part because does the "govt" "owes allegiance to its citizens"?

Can anyone answer this final question? The govt found citizens need more money to pay for their flat prices set by the govt. The citizens want the corporations to pay more on salaries. This was evil thinking to the govt. While the govt will need to increase senior civil servants and ministers salaries by multiple millions dollars, this is upright to the govt.

Citizens change jobs, refused to work as bus driver at $1200pm, cleaner at $500pm, the govt get in prc indian blangali to take those jobs at $500pm $1200pm. Not only that they get in reputable mumbai university fake degrees in state boards to "do work" to depress citizens job seekers properly trained by NUS NTU the top universities in asia. The govt want these graduates to ask for mumbai university salary level. The govt has loyalty to citizens or indian citizens?

There is no loyalty whatsoever when distribution of wealth in a country is biased towards foreigners, yet the govt demand citizens to serve NS at 500pm. Who foot the bills for their sons to work at $500pm? Again the parents of citizens sons. The govt do not deserve this kind of gold for sand loyalty. Citizens offer golden life to do NS, they get sands as rewards for their work and their eventual destiny.

The govt is a confused lot. Taking only benefits for the corporations and treating citizens as silly dogs. When they need citizens to bark if there is invasion, they called citizens bagus. When they dont need them, they dump them at 40s, at their prime age to issue E passes to replace their jobs leaving the latter indebted with flat installments and near zero CPF.

The future citizens with loyalty without using the calculator to work out their retirement CPF will be the scarified lives.

When do the young learn and vote for a proper govt to do the reverse? ie to protect citizens long term interest as priority? Only voting opposition will realize this dream. Citizens must take control of their very own destiny. No loyalty for free. Believe it. Allegiance is not for free.

Anonymous said...

To many FTs....新加坡是天堂! 新加坡是天堂!

Many came here! Many came here!

Many were further rewarded the instant citizenship! Good! Very Good!

So you have more people to fight and protect you!

So you have more people to fight and protect you!

So you have more people to fight and protect you!



Anonymous said...

Doesn't matter new, old or what not citizens, as long as they will vote for PAP, they are good citizens.

Doesn't matter black cat or white cat, as long as they can catch mice, they are good cats.

Anonymous said...

Do you think only PAP citizens should fight and die for Singapore and their private property?

Do you think non-PAP citizens who do not own private property should just mind our own business since we have no ownership stake in Singapore?
Should we just learn to be translators for the Aline invaders?

Anonymous said...

TEPCO Admits Cover-Up Of Fukushima Meltdown



The president of Tokyo Electric Power Company has admitted the company concealed the reactor meltdowns at its Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant immediately after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

The utility did not officially admit the meltdowns until more than 2 months after the accident.

In February this year, it was revealed the utility could have ascertained a meltdown 3 days after its occurrence if workers had followed an in-house manual.

Anonymous said...

@ June 22, 2016 10:02 am

/// Since radiation-induced cancers and deaths take a long time to manifest, the (Japanese) public outcry has been largely muted. ///

What about tuberculosis-induced deaths?
Does it take a long time to manifest?

Anonymous said...

The 70% that voted for pap can't be wrong, right?

They voted with their eyes wide opened! They knew about the 6.9!

Are you one of the 70%?

Anonymous said...

@June 22, 2016 9:56 am

What additional benefits does a PAP member receive that a non-PAP Singaporean will not receive?

JayF said...

Omar Mir Seddique Mateen was an American mass murderer and self-professed Islamist terrorist, who was of Afghan descent. He killed 49 people and wounded 53 others in a mass shooting at the Pulse gay bar in Orlando, Florida. Wikipedia
Born: November 16, 1986, New Hyde Park, New York, United States

>>born in the USA.
>>not American

Lycurgus80ofsparta said...

Omar Mateen swore allegiance to Isis. They are ideologically driven, they do not believe in the concept of a nation state. For them there is dar al harb and dar al islam. The land of war and the land of Islam. They believe in the unity of Islamic lands. For them it is haram to believe in nation states such as Afghanistan. Of course there are also more practical islamist that believe in islam within one country, like the Iranians.

Lycurgus80ofsparta said...


One man's freedom fighter is another mans terrorist, it is as simple as that really. Arguing around this is just playing with semantics.

b said...

He is a nut case - someone who have too much nuts. Many ideologies in this world are like nuts, too much and one will get sick. Patriotism is one of those ideologies.

b said...

Citizenship only makes sense if there is economic benefits attached to it. Otherwise it is as good as toilet paper. Just look at so many third world migrants trying to get to europe or other rich countries, why would they do that if patriotism is important?

Anonymous said...

Don't under estimate the power of race and religion. Omar was a US citizen but his home country is more important to him than the good life the US is offering him.

Anonymous said...

What nut case, you scolding my bastard son?
Well, it's ok, go ahead, you have my permission.
And thank you.

Anonymous said...

Heard that there was another lift problem, today.

All 4 lifts at Block 28B Dover Crescent serving 40-storey lost power on Wednesday.

Recently, there was a lot of problems with lifts.

May be we need to set up another Institute/Council Of Lifts And Escalators Engineers and NTU should be tasked to train engineers/graduates in this field.


Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

@ RB:

>> Would citizenship change anything? <<

Depends on the individual and how seriously (or not) they take citizenship.

Either which way, NO, it won't change a damn thing. "Citizenship" is just a form of "membership" of one big club, and distinguishes the "in group" from the "out group".

"Imagine there's no cuntries"---John Lennon.

Anonymous said...

This article is indeed thought provoking. Our CEC debate it at length in our usual place after riding. From our perspective, we are quite international. In fact most of the Kuda we are riding are not local but foreign talents from Vietnam, Thailand, China and Philippines. Our association with Kuda Club International is also international and even our local members have other nationalities. So it is a tough call.

Yew Kuang
Kuda Riding Club
Singapore Chapter
In Association with Kuda Riding Club International

Anonymous said...

So is the Singaporean citizenship a privilege or a liability?

Is the PAP membership a privilege or a liability?

Anonymous said...

Lao goa's "disciple"

"Ownself talk (to) ownself"

Just like lao goa's "ownselves check ownselves"

Equally "no cure" le

Matilah lao goa

Matilah Matilah

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

@ 653:

>> So is the Singaporean citizenship a privilege or a liability? <<

Depends how you USE it. Singapore is NOT a lot of things. However the things that Singapore is "good" at tend to get better and better such that they become "excellent".

Being a Singapore citizen, who is free to travel elsewhere and live on a resident visa, you can MAX OUT the "good" of Singapore, whilst diminishing the adverse effects of the "bad" things about Singapore.

This method is known as "putting your own self-interest (as you define it, not others) AHEAD of anything else in life".

You live, your business. :-)

Anonymous said...

MS aka JF aka L80ofStupidtar

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

@ 1041:

What? A Holy Trinity?

Good. I just prayed to jesus. He's going to give your children cancer ;-)