City of Good: Welcome Address of Mrs Mildred Tan
President Halimah Yacob,
Minister Grace Fu, MCCY
Ms Tan Gee Keow, Permanent Secretary, MCCY
Deputy Secretaries
Our generous sponsors Keppel Care Foundation, Mediacorp and NTUC Income Insurance Co-Operative Ltd
Distinguished guests and leaders of the City of Good
Welcome Address
1. Good afternoon everyone!
2. We have gathered you today because in the City of Good, we believe that leaders not only give their best, they give their best for others.
3. Giving our best for others is ultimately what makes us human. It is also a value core to the City of Good, which is a vision of Singapore that NVPC is offering of what and who we can be.
4. Countries are usually measured by their economic progress, military might or political stability. But I also like to think of countries that have at their very core, the heart and pulse of the people.
5. Professor Tommy Koh recently commented that Singapore is a First-World country with Third-World people, who can be selfish and unkind. It was a wake-up call. I found his comments provocative and looked at it from the perspective of, “What’s the opportunity here for us?”
6. Perhaps, it begins with the stories we tell ourselves. If stories help shape our collective sense of who we are and what we aspire to be, then can we write a new story for Singapore? Can we write a story in which Singaporeans are giving our best for others? Where we are not a ‘me-first’ nation – but a City of Good?
7. Stories such as that of Teresa Hsu, for instance. The late social worker inspired the short film One At A Time, a part of the 15 Shorts film anthology that NVPC co-produced with film company Blue3Asia. Born into poverty, Teresa was driven to help the needy. She started hospitals and nursing homes, often contributing as a volunteer. When I met her in the 1980s, she was in her late-80s and still caring for the poor through Heart-to-Heart Service, a non-profit group she founded that visits elderly and needy families, providing them with food and cash allowances. She expressed her other-centredness beautifully when she said: “The world is my home, all living beings are my family, selfless service is my religion.” Through serving others, Teresa kept active, and found immense joy and purpose. Perhaps it is no wonder she lived till 113!
8. What would the world be like without Teresa Hsus? Good-hearted people who give their best for others, for no reason other than it makes them feel good and it’s the right thing to do? I believe it would be a world without joy. Where it is every man or woman for him or herself. Surely, that’s not a home we want ourselves or our children.
9. Like Teresa, I believe many Singaporeans have an other-centred spirit. Because deep down, we know how lucky we are. We are a miracle nation, not expected to make it, much less thrive. But we have more than thrived.
10. As a member of the Merdeka generation, I still remember the hardships our generation faced growing up. I remember curfews and floods. I also remember pasar malams and nearby kampung houses where people shared water and chickens ran freely. I know that in life, there are 2 choices: To be full of gratitude for all that we have become. Or to believe that our abundance is owed to us. That it is someone else’s job to fix our problems. But ultimately, what good is it if we only seek personal gain? What good is a safe and clean house in a neglected neighbourhood?
11. This choice faces us all and is all the more important as we consider the challenges ahead of us today. Singapore is known for its glitz and glamour – so lavishly shown in the movie Crazy Rich Asians. But beneath that, we also have issues including loneliness and emotional and environmental stress.
12. As we move towards a Smart Nation where our lives become increasingly digitized, is there a place for the human touch and human kindness? I believe there is. This is the core and the strategic value of City of Good: One where everyone gives their best for others, and where we value people first and foremost.
13. We believe that there are three pillars, or building blocks, for a City of Good: People of Good. Organisations of Good. And Leaders of Good.
14. People of Good is a community where people care for each other and take action to make a difference. This can be expressed through acts like volunteerism. In an interview this year, historian Professor Tan Tai Yong at Yale-NUS College commented on a growing volunteer culture among Singaporeans, especially youth. As he said: “One of the most significant ways to impact society and be regarded as responsible global citizens is to get involved in volunteer work that can change people’s lives for the better.” Through volunteerism, we can embrace a diversity of views and experiences. NVPC’s Individual Giving Study 2018 also revealed that volunteers report higher life satisfaction and better health compared to those who do not volunteer.
15. People of Good can also manifest themselves in little acts of kindness which collectively help us be greater as a society. To share an anecdote: My friend Mr William Wan’s wife recently injured her foot. Without being asked, her neighbour made trips to the supermarket to buy her groceries. It was a simple gesture that made Mrs Wan feel that someone was looking out for her.
16. People of Good is enabled by platforms like giving.sg, which has 200,000 registered users and has catalysed over $155M in donations to over 500 charities and groundups. It is also supported by habit- and norm-forming initiatives like Giving Week, an annual season of giving in December when public spaces from shopping centres to sports facilities, offices and neighbourhoods are transformed into giving environments for people to get involved in causes and celebrate the good we can do together.
17. While people can be the creators and guardians of culture, it is organisations that sustain culture. Nearly 120 private companies are represented here today. Many of you have been conferred Champions of Good, and The Business Times, our media partner, has written about your impact. Some of you are also our mentors, Fellows and givers of time and talent.
18. In a City of Good, we will see organisations putting people and communities at the center of what they do. Take local company Greenpac, known for environmentally-friendly packaging solutions. Greenpac sponsors hydroponic units to schools in Jurong and the Jurong Residents’ Committee, help students and residents to learn how to sustainably grow their own vegetables and discover alternatives in food cultivation. This in turn raises awareness of food wastage and imparts important practices about the environment and sustainability.
19. Lastly, a City of Good consist of Leaders of Good; the path finders who break new ground in the new land and also inspire us with higher goals. Leaders can be found anywhere – in our towns, HDB estates, and even the humble gardens around us! Take Mr Benjamin Ee, a retired project manager. He started a community garden at Dover Crescent. His brainwave was to transform half of the space into an open garden where residents could come and take whatever herbs and spices they needed for free. This sparked interest among residents. Some now volunteer to maintain the garden while others come to check out the produce while also forging friendships with neighbours in the open space. Mr Ee’s garden is one of thousands of community gardens in Singapore, thanks to National Parks’ nationwide gardening movement, Communities in Bloom. Imagine the kampung spirit that these gardens can collectively foster! As Mr Ee has shared in an interview: “The garden is all about relationships. It’s not just about plants.”
20. All of you are Leaders of Good, and we thank you for your sacrifices and passion. Thank you for the risks you have taken and the struggle that is part of any worthy cause.
21. The African proverb goes: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Building a City of Good is a long game, and we will achieve it by collaborating, enabling and uplifting each other. While a collaborative style of working comes with challenges – longer decision-making processes, partners who wish to protect their “turf” – we must overcome these. Because building a City of Good is not the job of one, but the responsibility of all. Together we can see Singapore become a City of Good, where we are known for the good we do and stand for.
22. We need ambassadors who can act with heart and the power of love.
23. We need storytellers to capture the hidden good, to affirm those who are life-giving and hope-inspiring.
24. We need thought leaders and researchers who will help prepare data with a soul to shape policies and norms for us all.
25. We need people with skills to offer them to those in need.
26. We need groundup leaders to respond to unmet needs.
27. We need educators who will shift the culture of schools so that our young will be gracious, curious and relational – ready to collaborate and co-create, not just compete and regurgitate.
28. We need parents and family members who will model what it means to share, to care for others, to show gratitude, and teach us the startling mathematics of giving – that a sorrow shared is halved and a joy shared is doubled.
29. Change is hard and long. We need one another, good company and a good meal once in a while to encourage and affirm us to dare a little greater and never let our fears overshadow our dreams.
30. May you always know we have a home here in the City of Good.
31. Thank you for helping to make our home a City of Good.
