REFLECTIONS TWO.

The national museum has decided to erect a statue in front of its entrance. They have to choose between Stamford Raffles and Tan Tock Seng. If you were working for the museum, who would you choose, and why?

I think a statue of Tan Tock seng should be erected instead of Sir Stamford raffles. One reason is because there's already a statue of Stamford raffles erected outside the Victoria concert hall, while there is not a single statue of Tan Tock Seng despite the facts that he was a resident of Singapore and had contributed alot to Singapore as well.
Everyone keeps on thinking that without Raffles Singapore would not be the way it is today, which is true, but because of this, they tend to forget that Tan Tock Seng had contributed a lot to Singapore too.
Tan Tock Seng was a prosperous Singapore businessman of the early 1800s, known particularly for his generosity to the poor. He contributed tremendously to the construction of a new hospital for the indigent in 1844, which was then named Tan Tock Seng Hospital. He helped the poor and built new hospitals for the indigent willingly. He gave money to the sick and poor people and even paid for the funerals of the dead for the dead's poor family and relatives who could not afford it. After he died of an serious illness, his descendants continued his legacy.
I do agree that Raffles has contributed alot. But without Tan Tock Seng, on whom many people depended on for their lives, many people would have died. He was not a self-centered man and gave all his time and effort for the benefit of others. Therefore, I believe a statue of him should be erected as a form of respect and appreciation of his efforts.
This way, Singaporeans and tourists who come to Singapore would know more about what and how he contributed to Singapore.

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