Wee Kiat in ReTRIeVIA remembers the time when one didn’t have to place the fist the the chest when reciting the pledge.

Most old folks, including yours truly here, would remember singing the national anthem, Majulah Singapura in school way back in 1959. Taking the Pledge, “We, the citizens of Singapore, pledge ourselves…” only started some years later in 1966. The protocol then was to stand ‘at attention’ with both hands at the side. Some years later, I think it was in 1989, the hand-position was amended, as shown in the stamp.

But why didn’t we have the gestures all bundled together in the first place? The (simple) answer can be found on ReTRIeVIA.

Tags: Singapore pledge, National Anthem