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SPEECH BY MR THARMAN SHANMUGARATNAM, SENIOR MINISTER OF STATE FOR TRADE AND INDUSTRY & EDUCATION AT THE SINGAPORE BUDDHIST LODGE EDUCATION FOUNDATION’S BURSARY AWARD PRESENTATION CEREMONY AND PRESENTATION OF DONATION TO THE COURAGE FUND ON SATURDAY, 26 APR 2003 AT 4.00PM AT SINGAPORE BUDDHIST LODGE AUDITORIUM

 

Mr Lee Bock Guan, Chairman, Singapore Buddhist Lodge Education Foundation

Mr Abu Bakar Maidin, President, Jamiyah Singapore

Mr V R Nathan, Chairman, Hindu Endowments Board

Principals, Teachers & Students

Ladies and Gentlemen

1.          It is my privilege to be here today for the Singapore Buddhist Lodge Education Foundation's bursary award presentation ceremony for secondary school students.

Benefits of the Bursary Awards
2.          The Singapore Buddhist Lodge has placed great importance on education for our young as a means of individual and social upliftment. It is committed to helping the young of all backgrounds to concentrate on their studies so as to fulfill their aspirations, without the burden of financial worry. Over the past 24 years, nearly 15,000 students have benefited from its awards, which have amounted to more than $5.3 million. I commend the Singapore Buddhist Lodge for its generosity and farsightedness.

3.          I am heartened to note that many of the beneficiaries of the Lodge's generosity, have, in their own way, contributed back to society. For example, Li Tian Shou, who benefited from the bursary during his undergraduate days. The award enabled him to focus on his studies and excel academically. Tian Shou now contributes a sum of money to the Lodge each month. He not only seized the opportunity provided by the bursary to develop himself, but is now playing his part for the community.

All Races and Religions Benefit
4.          One of the important features of the bursaries provided by the Singapore Buddhist Lodge is that they benefit all those in need, regardless of race or religion. I am told that this year, half the number of recipients are Malay-Muslim and Indian students [49%, compared to 45.5% last year].

5.          I am pleased to note also that the Lodge has involved Jamiyah Singapore and the Hindu Endowments Board this year, in organising and implementing the bursary awards. This pooling of efforts allows the three groups to leverage on each other's strengths in meeting their shared vision to help their fellow Singaporeans. By coming together to organise the bursary awards, they promote trust between our communities, and demonstrate the value of our uniquely multi-racial and multi-religious approach to community life in Singapore.

How We Will Beat SARS
6.          Our strength as a people, and as a country, is now being tested by the SARS crisis. It is a severe test of our collective will. We will succeed.

7.          Our battle against SARS is comprehensive. It embraces every aspect of Singapore life. We are taking actions to prevent the spread of the disease, in our hospitals, and across our society - in our kindergartens and schools, our hawker centres, our gateways at Changi, the Causeway, the ports and ferry terminals, at the workplace and in the home.

8.          We are confronting SARS with greater vigour than any other society affected so far. Only in Singapore can you imagine every student being given a thermometer to take his temperature daily, before school and at school. And every home being given a thermometer. There is no choice. We are not just a city in a country. We are both city and country. If we do not succeed in this fight against SARS, we will lose our role in the world, as a hub for people and businesses. That is also why we cannot just close our borders, and retreat to our homes. If we do so, we would bring Singapore to a halt and have lost the battle. We cannot close shop as a city.

9.          Neither can we pretend that the world is unchanged, and that we can continue with our usual ways, customs and habits. We have to change the way we go about our daily lives. By exercising responsibility and taking sensible precautions, we can continue with our lives with spirit and confidence - at school and at work, with relatives and friends, and at restaurants and community events. We should be prepared for a long battle, and never allow our spirit to be defeated.

10.          This is every Singaporean's fight. Every individual, every parent, every student, every worker. Look after yourself well, look after your family, and look out for your classmates and fellow Singaporeans. Follow the rules and advice given by the Ministry of Health. Encourage your friends, neighbours and relatives to do the same.

11.          We have the spirit, the discipline and the trust between people and Government that will allow us to succeed in our battle against SARS. And when we do succeed and emerge from this crisis, we would be a stronger society. We would be a more caring, civic-minded people. Every individual will be more conscious of his actions, and how they impact on his family and the rest of the community. We will have recognised how everyone counts - from the nurses and doctors at the frontline of the current battle, to the teachers who are taking great effort to instil good habits in our young, and to the cleaners in every eating centre and neighbourhood who are keeping the place clean for all of us. We would have welded together more closely as a people.

Conclusion
12.          I wish you and your families good health. My congratulations to all recipients of the bursary awards. I am sure you the awards will help you realise your dreams. Study hard, remember those who have helped you, and give what you can back to society when you have graduated.

Thank you.