Good afternoon,

I am delighted to be here to celebrate the first anniversary of Mister Mover with you.

I have keenly watched the progress Mister Mover has made since I officially launched the project in June. I am heartened to learn from your chairman that Mister Mover earned a gross income of more than $220,000 in your very first year of operation. This is no mean feat. I congratulate Mr Kong Mun Kwong and Mr Tan Hup Foi, the Management of ISCOS, the seven halfway houses, and everyone who has helped to make this first year a success.

One of the most effective ways of helping those who have lost their way in life get a fresh start is to teach them a life-long skill. When residents of halfway houses are able to apply the skills they learn here to earn an honest living, they will be less inclined to return to bad habits. Instead, they are motivated to return to society as productive and law-abiding members. Mister Mover is a good example to follow in our rehabilitation efforts.

Also noteworthy is the level of co-operation amongst the halfway houses participating in Mister Mover. Any halfway house which cannot cope with excess bookings pass them on to other halfway houses. I hope that this corporate co-operation for mutual benefit will filter into the hearts of individual inmates - a one for all and all for one spirit as each resolutely spurns drugs and old habits.

I understand that Mister Mover is fast becoming a brand name in the transport industry. Your workers add value to this brand name when they provide quality service. In turn, Mister Mover provides them value through training and inculcation of good work ethics. When these inmates leave the halfway houses to join the world at large, the Mister Mover name serves as testimony to the quality of service they are capable of.

With the positive results you have achieved in your first year, we all look forward to Mister Mover reaching greater heights. Once again, I congratulate you all on your success and may you have many more happy birthdays to celebrate. Keep on moving upwards. Do not let success get to your heads. Don’t take it for granted. Be thankful for it, and press on with achieving even more. Whilst the profit-margin is something that brings cheer, what is more significant to me are transformed lives. Stand firm against drugs. All of us can do it by supporting each other.

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