Acting Minister for Information, Communications &

The Arts

Mr Lim Chee Onn, Chairman, National Heritage Board

Excellencies

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

I am very pleased to join you tonight for the launch of the Heritage Festival 2002. The sixties was a very eventful period for those of us who are old enough to have lived through it. Those were years of our early nationhood. They were tough years, with many tests for the government and the people. Those were the critical and formative years of our nation’s history. The many momentous events and milestones of the 60’s which shaped our nation’s history and heritage are very much a part of our collective memory of the Singapore Story.

2 Our rapid transformation as a nation, in every aspect of our society in the last 40 years, makes it a tremendous challenge to recount these early chapters of the Singapore Story. To the younger generations of Singaporeans, who grew up with little visible and conscious reminders of our past, creative ways must be found for these early chapters to be re-told. This part of our heritage is important, as it is a reminder to our children, and to the generations to come, of our common identity and the sense of nationhood.

3 This year’s Heritage Festival aims to help Singaporeans re-live some of the nostalgic times of the 60’s. To some, this period of the 60’s brings back many fond memories, be it the music of the Beatles, the popular Pontianak series of Malay movies, or popular movie stars and entertainers such as P. Ramlee, Wahid Satay and Sakura Teng. For others, it would be memories of the swinging 60’s - the popular dances, the fashion of those times, the youth and pop culture of Woodstock. And for many of us, it might be reminiscing the delightful treats from the "tuk tuk" hawkers, or even just having an evening of fun at the carnivals at the many Worlds, like New World, Great World and others.

4 During the course of this year’s week-long Heritage Festival - the second of its kind - we have the opportunity to share these and other special memories of the 60’s with our families and friends. The organizers have paid close attention to presenting a fun and interactive programme, aimed at bringing everyone closer to the 60’s via different sensory appeals.

5 Our expatriate friends living here and our visitors from many lands would also be able to share and enjoy this throwback into the loves, likes and hopes of Singaporeans of the 60's. It will be a wonderful way to participate in and learn a little about Singapore’s heritage.

6 Looking back, the 60’s was indeed a decade that was shaped by many defining and memorable moments in our social and national history. But all these shared experiences, whether searing moments which bond us closer as a nation, or lighter ones when we celebrated the simple pleasures of life and pursued the latest craze of those times, are all part of the Singapore Story.

7 All these form part of our common heritage, our cultural DNA. It defines our Singaporean identity and provides all of us the stabilising ballast so necessary to meet the changes and challenges we face. The Heritage Festival, with its events and programmes, helps to draw and sustain interest in what has been passed down through the generations. It uses creative and fun ways to help re-tell some of the early chapters of the Singapore Story, and hopefully, arouse the interest of Singaporeans in other aspects of our history and heritage. We need the support of the entire community - individuals, families, associations and corporations - for the Heritage Festival to achieve its ends.

8 I would like to thank all the donors, sponsors, corporations, and individuals for their generous time, resources and support that has made this Heritage Festival possible in these economically troubled times. The National Heritage Board and its partners are to be congratulated for the effort put in to bring this Festival to all Singaporeans.

9 It is now my pleasure to declare the Heritage Festival 2002 open.