Speech By Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry Of Education, At The Awards Ceremony For The Words+Art Creative Writing Competition On Tuesday, 26 September 2006, At 5.50 pm At The National Museum Of Singapore

SPEECH BY MR MASAGOS ZULKIFLI, SENIOR PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, AT THE AWARDS CEREMONY FOR THE WORDS+ART CREATIVE WRITING COMPETITION ON TUESDAY, 26 SEPTEMBER 2006, AT 5.50 PM AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF SINGAPORE

1. I am pleased to be here with you this evening for the awards presentation to the winners of the 2006 WORDS + ART Creative Writing Competition, and the launch of the 5th WORDS + ART Book.

2. Photography is a powerful medium of expression and communication that opens the door to an infinite variety of perception and interpretation. What I see in a photo may be different from what the photographer wants to capture, which may again be different from what each one of you may see.

3. When viewing photographs it is not only what the photographer captures within the lens that is of significance, but also that which lies beyond the image. I have had a glimpse of the WORDS + ART stories and am very delighted to see how our young writers are able to ponder about how images can communicate emotions and ideas. I admire how they express their feelings when weaving their creative stories around their interpretations of the six selected photographs, some of which were taken as far back as in the 1920s.

4. The process requires the writer to think consciously of the various elements that go into the making of a photograph. Not only would he need to examine how the image was composed, he would also need to be sensitive to the various nuances that could be conveyed by the photograph. Having done this, he would be able to draw inspiration from within to write a story that would touch his readers.

5. Our budding writers have done just that. They drew inspiration from decades of memories and rich history and touched us with their tales of hardship, childhood, friendship, love, and personal triumph. Their stories of hope, sorrow and joy continue to be relevant even in modern society.

6. For example, in Category A, Zacharia Low’s story on the Necklace Of Friendship is a sensitive portrayal of a grandmother’s treasured necklace. Through that necklace, he brings the reader easily through the decades with memories of childhood, friendship, war and marriage. Then as easily, he brings the reader back to the present day. Wee Jia Wei’s story about The Little Boy In Chinatown is a beautiful story that spans three generations and brings across important values of empathy, hard work and dignity.

7. In Category B, Minerva Lim’s Portrait from the Past cleverly taught a young boy the value that “Not all good things need to be expensive” with a love story that tugs at the heartstrings of the reader with feelings of hope, sadness and happiness. Sheralyn Loh’s story, The Smiles in the Photograph about the 2004 tsunami is peppered with rich and moving vocabulary. Her story also contains a poignant lesson in life for everyone, “…We smiled because we survived…I learnt that in the face of disaster, people can choose to smile…”.

8. In Category C, the writers are able to powerfully describe the surroundings and feelings in their stories, while exploring personal and social issues. Amos Nadan’s story Against One’s Will delves into arranged marriages, while Ong Eng Yian’s Art Appreciation explores the significance of photography and art. Theresa Lee’s story on dealing with death and loss is poignantly captured in this extract, “…Courage is not the absence of fear, but the realization that something is more important than fear…They have moved on because they know they’re alive and life goes on…Now, it’s my turn to let go”.

9. Talented writers are a treasure, especially in our small country, where we need creative people to courageously explore their ideas or thoughts, and to express themselves skillfully and effectively. In order to sustain confidence in the economy, Singapore must have a growing population with talents in every field.

10. I’m glad to see that we have produced strong talents among our local writers. Many of these talented individuals have been invited to prestigious international literary events, like the International Literature Festival Berlin, and The Man Hong Kong International Literary Festival. We are proud of our local writers, and I hope that through events like Words+Art Creative Writing Competition, we will continue to inspire budding writers among our youth.

11. Our local writers have a vital role to play in defining our past and present, and exploring our aspirations as a people. In our schools, we have incorporated the works of local writers into our language and literature curriculum. For instance, our Malay Language texts feature the work of poets such as Masuri S. N. and Rasiah Halil. At ‘O’ and ‘A’ levels, Liang Wern Fook and Dan Ying feature in the Chinese Literature syllabuses. Our revised ‘A’ level Literature in English syllabus features the works of Kuo Pao Kun, Suchen Christine Lim and Boey Kim Cheng. In reviewing the current literature syllabus, we are studying ways to give students a more varied selection of set texts, including more home-grown literature.

12. Among us tonight could be the next Catherine Lim, Masuri S. N. or Philip Jeyaratnam. To the budding writers among us, dare to imagine, dare to dream. Continue to put your thoughts on paper, take time to express yourselves, and enjoy yourselves writing.

13. My warmest congratulations to the winners of WORDS + ART Creative Writing Competition 2006. Your stories are captured forever in the 5th WORDS + ART Book and I hope that you will enjoy this very special moment.

14. Congratulations, too, to parents and teachers who have helped the winners in their pursuit of literary excellence.