SPEECH BY MR SIDEK SANIFF,SENIOR MINISTER OF STATE (ENVIRONMENT) AND MP FOR ALJUNIED GRC AT THE EUNOS CC COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT ORGANISED BY NORTHEAST CDC AND TAMAN BACAAN FSC ON SUN, 18 APR 99 AT 11.00 AM IN EUNOS COMMUNITY CLUB

Good morning, boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen.

1 On behalf of the Eunos community, I thank you for coming together to help out in today’s community service project. I am sure the residents of Eunos and beyond, will be most grateful for your help in sprucing up the community centre, which is a place for everyone.

2 I understand that you are beneficiaries of the Northeast Bus-stamp Subsidy Scheme, which is a pilot programme jointly implemented by the Northeast Community Development Council (CDC) and the Taman Bacaan Family Service Centre (FSC). Under this scheme, you are strongly encouraged to render community service for at least once a month. You may like to know why this is so. The reason is simple. We would like you to take an interest and be involved in the community you reside or study in. Indeed, we hope that you who have benefited from the concern of your community will be led to care for it when you are able to do so. Of course, we also hope that through your involvement in community work, you will be able to widen your horizons and life-perspective.

3 It is easy to see why it is crucial for a community to be bonded together by mutual respect for, and acceptance of one another, albeit differences in culture, race and religion, when you look at the examples which abound around the world. The recent unrest and tragic happenings in nearby Indonesia and even far-away Yugoslavia are examples which highlight the importance of community bonding and harmony in a country.

4 We in Singapore live in a multi-racial society and we have made the choice to make this feature of our society an asset. However, the peace and harmony we are enjoying now cannot be taken for granted. Who could have predicted a year ago, the ethnic unrest that Indonesia is currently facing? Harmony is a fragile asset and we need to work at it constantly. It is our hope that youths such as yourself, will contribute positively to the building up of our community.

5 Coming back to the Northeast Bus-stamp Subsidy Scheme, I am pleased to announce today that this pilot scheme will be extended to more students from July to December this year. The scheme has been granted to some 250 students schooling or residing within the Northeast District for the first half of this year. The organisers will evaluate the existing beneficiaries and if you still require help, it will be extended to you for another half a year.

6. I hope that you will make many friends today, and enjoy your time in Eunos CC.

 

7. Thank you.