Aloha!

By Mah Yi Xin

Year 3, Political Science Major


US President Barack Obama during the APEC 2011 CEO Summit


Yi Xin (second from right) with Prime Minister Lee (centre)
Photo Credit: National Youth Achievement Award Council


Student performance at the Kamehameha Schools

I have always wanted to say "Aloha" in its exact context without sounding silly. From 7 to 13 November 2011, I had the opportunity to say "Aloha" as many times as I wished alongside 75 youth delegates of the "Voices of the Future" family in stateside Hawaii.

Held annually since 1998, "Voices of the Future" involves youths from the 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies. The event, hosted by a different member country each year, is held alongside the APEC CEO Summit.

Hearing APEC leaders speak
As a political science major, I was interested in hearing APEC leaders comment on the twin impact of the US presidential elections and Chinese leadership renewal, slated to take place in 2012. Although the latter topic was not touched on, what struck me particularly was hearing Chinese President Hu Jintao comment that the revaluation of the Renminbi should and would be done through a gradual, piecemeal approach so as to keep pace with China's domestic context.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was quizzed if she had plans to run for presidency in 2012. Her introspective reply that since Day one, she had not the chance to leave the meeting rooms of Waikiki Sheraton to explore Hawaii properly and needed time off for a well-deserved holiday in 2012, was thought-provoking to youths such as us. It serves as a reminder that while we keep ourselves busy in work and daily life, it is also important to leave time for ourselves and others.

Meeting PM Lee in Hawaii
The Singaporean delegates had the opportunity to meet with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. It was an honour meeting PM Lee and sharing with him my personal experience as an exchange student at Peking University

The Aloha spirit
In Honolulu, youth delegates interacted with high school students of the Kamehameha Schools, all of whom are descendants of native Hawaiians. One could easily sense their pride in their culture.

It is amazing how welcoming Hawaii is as a melting pot of racial and national diversity. The openness and receptivity of the Hawaiians to immigrants is an aspect Singaporeans could look up to. At the same time, Hawaiian descendants hold on dearly to their traditional culture with pride and passion, amidst the great forces of globalisation which threaten to erode their cultural identity. I felt there were many lessons we could apply to Singapore as a community from diverse backgrounds striving to forge a unique national identity.

I would encourage NUS undergraduates to take the opportunity to participate in Voices 2012 slated to take place in Vladivostok, Russia. There, they would have the chance to forge precious friendships with youth delegates of the APEC region, and to learn to say 'здравствуйте'(Hello) in an authentic Russian accent, to top things off!

For details regarding participation, please visit www.nyaa.org and http://apecvoices.org/

23 December 2011