Record Date

Recorded Duration

Recording Language

Accession No.

Type

Format

Conditions Governing Access

Conditions Governing Reproduction

Synopsis :

Recording is a compilation of 5 speeches delivered at separate functions. These are:

1. Minister for Foreign Affairs S Rajaratnam's speech at the Singapore Medical Association's Annual Dinner And Dance at Orchid Lantern, Tropicana Restaurant on 20/03/1970. Mr Rajaratnam elaborates on his 'conception of the doctor, not as a money maker, but as a shaper of society', stressing that the medical profession and most other professions 'have forgotten the social role they originally performed'. He urges the doctors to 'if it could reinject into itself the social responsibilities implicit in their profession'.

2. Minister for Health Chua Sian Chin's speech at the Nurses Graduation Ceremony on 02/05/1970. He talks about the 'high level of development' in Singapore's nurse-training programmes and the 'job situation' in the future for trained nurses.

3. Minister for Science and Technology Dr Toh Chin Chye's speech at Polytechnic Building Society's Award Presentation Ceremony on 20/07/1970. Dr Toh focuses on Singapore's urban development, particularly its building programme. He adds its experience in building  has led Singapore to extend building overseas, such as in Christmas Island.

4. Minister for Health Chua Sian Chin's speech before he opens Cancer Week on 01/04/1970. Mr Chua stresses 'cancer is one of the great problems now facing the Medical Services in Singapore', and hopes the 'cooperative effort of the Medical Service, the individual doctor and those of the Cancer Society will all contribute in some measure' to the fight against cancer. The Cancer Society organises the Cancer Week jointly with Ministry of Health. Singapore commemorates 1st April as World Health Day.

5. Minister for Foreign Affairs S.Rajaratnam's speech before he opens Joint Exhibition of Paintings by 6 Local Artists on 06/05/1970. He says opening this exhibition allows him to reflect on what he calls the 'life of imagination and of enhanced sensitivity to what is enduring and beautiful'. He explains that as the more urgent and mundane issues of 'bread and survivial' are 'sufficiently under control', the government is now able to look into 'better living' for Singaporeans, which Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew describes as 'the quality of life'. Mr Rajaratnam adds that the 'government alone cannot inculcate the aprreciation and yearning for beautiful things', there must be support and patronage from the people, who must 'learn to value beauty instead of just pricing everything' and must be 'prepared also to pay the price that gives beauty'. He warns if Singapore is not careful it could 'create a society of Ugly People - prosperous, affluent but surrounding itself with thrash of unrelieved crudeness and ugliness' and who 'know the price of everything and the value of nothing'.