Blog post 4 : Reflection

Inquiry question : Why should we remember the 1950s and early 1960s today? (Hock Lee Bus Riot )

The events between the 1950s and early 1960s are important to remember as it has an impact to the current generation. It also allows us to learn many morals and values from the incidents that took place during the generation of our ancestors. In this case, we should remember the Hock Lee Bus Riot incident as it has shows how we should treat each and every one in Singapore equally regardless of race, language and religion.

To begin with, remembering the Hock Lee Bus Riot will let employers learn that the rights of the workers or bus drivers should be protected. It is because “The Hock Lee Bus Strike, like other strikes in this period, occurred because workers were being exploited and tried to protect themselves by forming a union to negotiate for better conditions.” Moreover, “Singapore also had massive unemployment” as “Employers simply could hire and fire at will, knowing they could easily find new workers.” This happened all because the employers did not protect the rights of the workers. For instance, in 2012, there was an incident where Singapore Mass Rapid Transport ( SMRT ) bus drivers protested for a higher pay by refusing to go to work, as they were unhappy about the recent pay increase that Malaysian drivers had received. This lead to them in thinking that they were being treated unfairly. Hence, from this incident, we learn that the workers’ right should be protected.

Secondly, remembering the Hock Lee Bus Riot will let the current generation know the importance of transport in Singapore. It is because “The strikers picketed and attempted to stop the buses from leaving the depots by forming human barriers which cause the entire transport system to be paralyzed...” This shows that bus could not leave and therefore, this will lead to people having to find other means to travel around Singapore. Some might even be late for work as their means of transport is disrupted. For instance, nowadays, transport in Singapore is essential for everyone. Without bus drivers, there will not be any transport and school students will not be able to go to school and also adults, they will not be able to head to work without transport. It will also result in no economy prosperity. In order to prevent such incident from happening, we have to make sure that the drivers should be well-paid and well-treated so that such riot will not happen again. Therefore, by remembering the Hock Lee Bus Riot, we will know the importance of transport and prevent making the same mistakes again.

Thirdly, by remembering the Hock Lee Bus Riot, we should learn that we should treat everybody, even if they have different educational background, equally. It is because quoted from Dr Thum, “The Hock Lee Bus Strike can be seen as a demonstration of the dissatisfaction the Chinese-educated community had for the discriminatory of the policies implemented by the British colonial government.” This shows that if we do not treat people equally, riot may occur as an act of grieving. For instance, if a bus driver finds that he or she is being treated unfairly, he will create trouble by asking his colleagues to protest together, making the company or even the country having difficulties. In worst scenarios, riots may happen. This also causes the country’s reputation to fall if words get spread to other countries that Singapore had treated different kinds of people differently in an unfair manner. Therefore, from the Hock Lee Bus Riot, we learn that every single person should be treated unbiasedly and fairly.

In conclusion, we can learn a lot of the lessons from the Hock Lee Bus Riot. If we look into the details of the strike, there are many things that have the potential to take place, if we refuse to realize that the rights of the drivers should be protected, the treatment that they should receive, as these will let the current , or even the further generation to know the importance of transport in Singapore . Consequence of not learning any moral lessons is shown in the Hock Lee Bus Riot. Thus , as the younger generation of the nation, we should study the cases and learn from every single detail of the incident, in order to develop the country into a peaceful nation with harmony.