Why should we remember the Hock Lee Bus Riots...
We should always remember the Hock Lee Bus riot because it lets us reminisce of what happened in the past in Singapore and also to know not to repeat a similar incident again. The Hock Lee Bus riot started in 25 April 1955 where the dismissed workers of the Hock Lee Amalgamated Bus Company went on strike with supporters and Chinese middle school students. It started off as a strike to improve wages and working conditions but escalated into a riot in February 1955.
One reason why we should remember this riot is because this is a very significant topic to the peace Singapore has now. This riot had shown us, the people of Singapore, a very big flaw that we had at that point of time. We have come to realize from the Hock Lee Bus Riot that problems cannot be solved by riots, demonizing people, applying simplistic solutions, or simply saying that decisions can or should be made simply because they are legal. For instance, one critical point that Mr Lee Kuan Yew said in one of his speeches was that the colonial government was blinded by its inability to understand the public. They could not see the legitimate grievances which fueled public anger. They also framed the strike as a purely law and order issue, dehumanized the strikers, and sought simplistic explanations. The colonial government failure to understand the public was a very big flaw at that point of time. Another evidence can be found when David Marshall previously pointed out that everything the colonial government had done – call in the police and troops to indiscriminately break strikes – was entirely legal. Also, everything the Hock Lee manager did – indiscriminately fire workers and refuse to accept the arbitrator’s decision – was also legal. Something can be legal yet illogical and immoral at the same time, just like in South Africa, where racial discrimination was legal and encouraged in until just over two decades ago. Thus, falling back on the letter of the law is not enough to address your problems. These sources show the government had neglected people’s opinion at that time.
Secondly, the riot lets us remember what the people at that time had gone through and that we must cherish the Singapore today. In 1955, we sure made mistakes, not respecting people, not treating them with dignity and making harsh decisions. But through these mistakes, we make improvements so that such incidents or riots will not happen again. Our current government is trying hard to improve on that flaw. They even have a “Meet-the-People Session” event that allows people to meet their MP and voice out their opinions. The MP will then address it to the Parliament, who will try their best to solve it for them.
Therefore, our group thinks that Hock Lee Bus Riot is very important to remember because it serves as a reminder of the mistake our government made back then; neglecting the people’s opinion. We will also remember the sufferings our pioneer generations went through. Their sufferings allow us to have the peace we enjoy now so we ought not to destroy the peace, but instead improve it by understanding each other and voice out our opinions politely.
One reason why we should remember this riot is because this is a very significant topic to the peace Singapore has now. This riot had shown us, the people of Singapore, a very big flaw that we had at that point of time. We have come to realize from the Hock Lee Bus Riot that problems cannot be solved by riots, demonizing people, applying simplistic solutions, or simply saying that decisions can or should be made simply because they are legal. For instance, one critical point that Mr Lee Kuan Yew said in one of his speeches was that the colonial government was blinded by its inability to understand the public. They could not see the legitimate grievances which fueled public anger. They also framed the strike as a purely law and order issue, dehumanized the strikers, and sought simplistic explanations. The colonial government failure to understand the public was a very big flaw at that point of time. Another evidence can be found when David Marshall previously pointed out that everything the colonial government had done – call in the police and troops to indiscriminately break strikes – was entirely legal. Also, everything the Hock Lee manager did – indiscriminately fire workers and refuse to accept the arbitrator’s decision – was also legal. Something can be legal yet illogical and immoral at the same time, just like in South Africa, where racial discrimination was legal and encouraged in until just over two decades ago. Thus, falling back on the letter of the law is not enough to address your problems. These sources show the government had neglected people’s opinion at that time.
Secondly, the riot lets us remember what the people at that time had gone through and that we must cherish the Singapore today. In 1955, we sure made mistakes, not respecting people, not treating them with dignity and making harsh decisions. But through these mistakes, we make improvements so that such incidents or riots will not happen again. Our current government is trying hard to improve on that flaw. They even have a “Meet-the-People Session” event that allows people to meet their MP and voice out their opinions. The MP will then address it to the Parliament, who will try their best to solve it for them.
Therefore, our group thinks that Hock Lee Bus Riot is very important to remember because it serves as a reminder of the mistake our government made back then; neglecting the people’s opinion. We will also remember the sufferings our pioneer generations went through. Their sufferings allow us to have the peace we enjoy now so we ought not to destroy the peace, but instead improve it by understanding each other and voice out our opinions politely.
