LIM BO SENG AND US

"OUR WRITTEN ENTRY"

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

A Hero

Bob Dylan once commented, “I think of a hero as someone who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with freedom.”

A hero is an everyday person that can change the world. Usually people think of heroes as people who fight crime in movies or comic books, but those people do not exist in the real world. In our world, anybody can be a hero like police officers, fire fighters, doctors, or people you walk by on the streets.

A hero possesses many qualities and has many goals to accomplish. Heroes never stop no matter what obstacles get in their way. They persevere all the way to the end and may even risk their life to save another life.

What makes a hero?

A hero is not someone that hurts another person or does bad things, but someone that helps people and improves their lives or change the world for the better. A hero doesn’t always fight crime or always have an opposition. They don’t even have to work with people; they could be designing a product that helps many people.

For example, a hero who doesn’t necessarily work with people could be people who invent things. The person that invented the wheelchair is a hero because he has helped millions of people in the world. Without the wheelchair people who cannot walk would not be able to move around as easily. This person is a hero to people all around the world.

A hero must always think of others first. Without this trait, a hero does not do any good because a hero is a person that affects the people around him. A hero also has to be humble.

A hero must exhibit traits of selflessness. A true hero is always searching for a way to help others. If a person is always worrying about himself then how are they supposed to influence others? Some fire fighters sacrificed their lives to help others and this is why we remember these people today and will always remember them. This is what separates a hero from a normal person.
A hero affects people and causes change. A hero is a person that everyone can look up to.
A hero must be a leader but not one who puts him or her in power. A leader worries about themselves and whether they are doing the right thing and does not worry about their followers. This is because they know that if they are doing the right things, their followers will follow their example. By leading through example, followers will not question the actions of a leader.

What makes a hero a hero is that they accept the call to adventure and overcome perils in a manner that requires courage and sacrifice. They may meet a guide or gain a companion who is with them through the adventure. The hero faces three trials and a reversal and the enemy. They must find a way to overcome the enemy. The hero may survive or doesn't survive the aftermath of defeating the enemy. However, whether they return or did not return home, they bring with them a key or a gift for those left behind. This key may benefit the community.

In conclusion, heroes are people that accomplish great deeds. They are willing to take the risk and sacrifice themselves in exchange for something that will benefit others.

There are many different types of heroes. Mr Lim Bo Seng is a sacrificial hero. But why is Mr Lim considered a hero?

A caring and responsible person
Firstly, he participated in anti-Japanese activities in Singapore, supporting the China Relief Fund and also in activities organised to boycott Japanese goods. He then formed the Chinese Liason Committee to assist in civil defence and joined Force 136, where he was trained by the British for intelligence work. His work required him to leave his family behind in Singapore, and had to face all the hardships and settle problems regarding the secret force. Even so, he still remained as a caring father and treated his children well by kissing them on their foreheads before he left for work.

A loyal and trustworthy person
Through hardships, he recruited and trained hundreds of secret agents through intensive military intelligence missions from China and India. He set up an operation where its aim is to establish an espionage network in Malaya and Singapore to gather military intelligence about the Japanese forces to aid the British in planning their re-capture of the colonies from the Japanese, codenamed Operation Zipper. However, when the operation failed and Lim Bo Seng was betrayed, he was being captured by the Japanese soldiers and was tortured badly by them as they wanted him to tell them the names of the people in the secret force. However, he kept mum about it and revealed nothing despite facing all the harsh conditions, and even knowing the fact that he may die in the hands of the Japanese.

"Since I’m in your hands now, I have nothing to say. I’m prepared to die."
This was what Mr Lim said when he was being caught and interrogated by the Japanese counter-espionage headquarters.

"The Japanese tried to force Lim Bo Seng to cooperate with them but he refused. They even got his friends in Singapore to come over to persuade him, but he was not moved.”

"Instead, he reminded the rest of us to remain firm and not to surrender to the Japanese."
Mr Tan Chong Tee recalled what Mr Lim said when he was locked up in the prison. Mr Lim protested against the ill-treatment of prisoners-of-war by refusing food. He asked the warders to distribute his portion of sweet potatoes to the rest of his comrades.

"Even when his life was hanging by a thread, Bo Seng still showed so much concern for his comrades. I was deeply touched by his noble character and kept pleading with him to eat. Bo Seng’s selflessness moved the warders, too."

Mr Lim was later struck by dysentery, but he refused medical treatment. A few days later, Mr Lim was bundled up in an old blanket and left without food or water in an empty room meant for dying prisoners. For the next three nights, Mr Lim continued to struggle for his life. He finally died in the early morning of June 29, 1944.

"I am very touched by what Mr Lim Bo Seng had done. He loved Singapore and Malaya with all his heart, and was even willing to lay down his life to win back his country. He is indeed a great man, a national hero."

“真正的英雄，早就死在沙场上，而不是回来拿奖章的人。”
“Real heroes died in wars, and not come back with medals.”

His loyalty and bravery will never be forgotten.

So, are heroes only those who have achieved what they want to achieve or did they arise from some ‘special’ circumstances?

Heroes do not achieve things for themselves. They think about others before them and they are always prepared to sacrifice themselves for others or even for a nation. If heroes were to achieve things for themselves, I bet the world would now be a terrible place to leave in as everyone, including people known as heroes, care only about themselves! Most people do not become a hero overnight. It is through their actions, words, behaviors, attitudes and the way they analyze and handle situations.

One example of a hero that arises from some ‘special’ circumstances is LIM BO SENG.

Lim Bo Seng was just an ordinary man who loved his family very much. He also cared a lot for Singapore during World War II when the Japanese were ill-treating the people living in Singapore.

Lim Bo Seng was very caring towards his loved ones and that was also what made him persevere on. Singapore was where his family - his wife and 7 children – lived in. Therefore, he even needed to protect Singapore not only because for his family, but also because he cared for the well-being of the people living in Singapore.

He joined the British resistance group, Force 136, and was trained by the British for intelligence work. Besides, he also trained many of his comrades who were in Force 136.

Above is one point that made Lim Bo Seng a hero. He protected Singapore and defended her from the Japanese.

Lim Bo Seng also travelled round many countries with Force 136 to recruit more secret agents to train so as to defend Singapore. This shows that Lim Bo Seng was very determined to defend Singapore and he had leadership qualities because he was able to lead his people and influence them into wanting to protect Singapore.

When Lim Bo Seng was being locked up in the prison, instead of protesting for himself, he protested against the ill-treatment of the prisoners-of-wars by refusing the food given by the Japanese. He had even asked the warders to distribute his portion of sweet potatoes to the rest of his comrades.

Although he was feeling really hungry himself, he thought about others and sacrificed what he had for others. That was another point that made Lim Bo Seng our hero.

When he was being betrayed by a fisherman and got caught by the Japanese, Lim Bo Seng refused to let out any information of Force 136. He did not breathe a word about it despite the ill-treatment by the Japanese. He persevered on and struggled to stay alive.

He was very loyal towards Force 136 until the day he passed on. He did not betray Force 136 like what the fisherman did. This is also a point that made Lim Bo Seng a hero because he was loyal.

It was mentioned that Lim Bo Seng had showered a lot of care for his comrades even when he was about to die due to the ill-treatment in the prison. He was more concerned about his fellow comrades than himself.

One of his comrades mentioned that Lim Bo Seng’s selflessness had also moved the warders. Lim Bo Seng’s selflessness is a point that made him a national hero.

Our national hero, Lim Bo Seng was willing to lay down his life for Singapore. All the above mentioned points are a few out of the many situations that made him our national hero.

Lim Bo Seng is definitely a hero who arises from many ‘special’ circumstances. We greatly appreciate what he had done for Singapore and her future generations and promised to defend Singapore if anything bad were to happen to Singapore.

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