SPEECH BY MR SIDEK SANIFF, SENIOR MINISTER OF STATE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, AT THE OPENING OF THE EXHIBITION ON SIKH HERITAGE HELD ON 21 JUN 2000 AT 8 PM IN THE SINGAPORE HISTORY MUSEUM

Mr Davinder Singh,

MP for Bishan and Toa Payoh GRC

Mr Inderjit Singh,

MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC

Mr Bhajan Singh,

Chairman Sikh Advisory Board

Heads of Sikh Institutions, elders of the Sikh Community,

Ladies and Gentlemen.

I am very honoured to join your community today for the opening of the exhibition on Sikh Heritage at the Singapore History Museum.

This evening’s gathering is a wonderful testimony of the rich cultural heritage we have here in multiracial Singapore. We can take pride in our rich heritage and should continue to work hard to preserve it. In this regard, the various communities must continue to seek avenues and opportunities to promote their culture and heritage amongst the younger generation and endeavour to appreciate the cultural heritage of the other ethnic communities. In this way, we can help preserve our racial and religious harmony based on mutual understanding and acceptance of each other's way of life and cultural traits, and build a more vibrant society with a rich and colourful heritage.

I have had a long and close relation with your community over the past decade and I have noted the special emphasis you have placed on promoting the Punjabi and Sikh heritage amongst the young against our multicultural backdrop. I have also been informed of the special efforts your community has made to share your way of life and values with the other communities through conferences, heritage inculcation programmes, overseas heritage tours and various heritage-related activities and programmes.

This exhibition is a continuation of this process. I am happy to learn that the exhibition covers various aspects. These include the depiction of universal Sikh values which will promote religious harmony in Singapore; features of Punjabi culture which add to the richness of the Republic’s cultures; and the contributions of Sikh pioneers to the development of Singapore.

I wish to congratulate the entire Sikh Community for yet another milestone in sharing their universal heritage with their young and with fellow Singaporeans.

I hereby declare the exhibition open. Thank you.