S'pore 45th Birthday.

With the impending 45th Birthday of the Nation, there is one burning issue I have been mulling over the past few years. Inevitablly after August 9 large and loud advertisements in our newspapers congratulating our Medals Honour winners are splashed for all to see. These advertisements will go on for days, weeks and even months only filling the advertising coffers of the Straits Times. These advertisements are put by businessmen, business conglomerates, MPs, residents committees and even Town Councils. I feel such unnecessary & "you-scatch-my-back-I-scatch-your-back" wontonly-wasteful spending is distasteful. I feel a more altruistic deed will be to contribute such spending (which I estimate to run into thousands if not millions of dollars) to Charitable Organisations. Maybe our MPs can take the lead in this! I wrote to the Straits Times on this matter last year. For obvious reasons the matter never surface in the Forum Column.