Speech by Minister Chan Chun Sing, at Vesakhi Mela 2024, at Singapore Khalsa Association

1.A very good afternoon to all of you. Thank you for inviting me to join you on this significant occasion. For all the young award winners, you might think that this is just another occasion where you will get another award, but I hope you remember that this has always been a significant occasion.

2.The Singapore Khalsa Association (SKA) has been around for many years, and the Sikh community, while not necessarily the biggest group in Singapore, has always punched above its weight. The reason it is able to do so is because it has people who do not just take care of themselves. They have people who reach out, not just to the wider Sikh community, but to the wider Singaporean community and beyond. The events taking place over these two days are a simple exemplification of this.

3.First, look around us today. We have young students coming here to get an award. I used to be like you, receiving an award from a community organisation. This does not happen in many countries, where either the Government does it or not at all. In Singapore, we do it in a unique way where both the Government and the community do it. You may argue that the Government could have done it all and there is no need for any community organisation to do anything.

4.But we have a philosophy that even if the Government can do it all easily, we would like the community to play a part. For those of us who have succeeded, it is incumbent upon us to pay it forward and we want every generation to remember this.

1. Some of us sitting here would have benefited from the previous generation. I hope one of these days, our young like those receiving an award today will remember this moment. It will be your responsibility and duty to stand here to take over the leadership of this organisation and the country.
2. I hope that just like the previous generation, you will see your success beyond the individual achievements. That is why in MOE we always say, do not just define our success by our individual achievements, but by our collective contributions.

5.The second thing that I encourage the younger generation to remember is how unique this community, small as it might be, has been able to preserve its culture and heritage. The responsibility will rest upon your shoulders to keep this going.

6.In Singapore, unlike other countries, we have chosen the hardest of all paths in our nation building. To build a sense of identity, we could have done one of two things. We could have asked every community to preserve your own culture, and never the twain shall meet; or we could have done as some other countries do, which is to develop a whole new identity and we ask every community to forget about your past. In Singapore, we allow and encourage every community to deeply remember your roots, and upon that diversity, we build something meaningful in common - a shared sense of ethos, meritocracy, incorruptibility, and service to our nation. This is the hardest of all.

7.There is another important point to bear. In Singapore, if you belong to the majority or bigger group, it is always incumbent upon the bigger group to lean forward and take the extra step to take care of a minority group. That is why we have been able to live in peace and harmony. The bigger group has the responsibility to lean forward, and that allows our minority groups to have the confidence that they can punch above their weight.

1. This is exactly what the Sikh community has done over all these years. You have made significant contributions to the Singapore nation building journey.
2. Amongst you and in your history as shown on the walls downstairs, many significant Sikh personalities have made contributions to Singapore, and we thank you for that.

8.Finally, I am pleasantly surprised that you are not only taking care of Singaporeans here, but also the migrant communities here. It is a testimony to the generosity of spirit, the kindness that you have, and we hope that this will be an example of how Singaporeans take care of those who come to Singapore to work with us.

1. It is one thing for us to be rich and materially well-endowed today, but a day may come where others may be richer than us. When we treat others with respect and take care of those who are not as well-off, people will look upon us kindly when perhaps we are not doing so well one day. On the other hand, if we do not take care of the weaker, less fortunate or privileged amongst us, it can be a very different story if the tables are turned one day.
2. That's why in Singapore, it is a positive testimony not just to be able to take care of ourselves. For all migrant workers that come through our shores, we want them to see Singapore as not just a materially well-off society, but one that is filled with people with that kindness of heart to take care of everyone. I thank the SKA for doing this for our migrant community because you are a positive testimony to the Singapore spirit.

9.On that note, I thank the SKA for inviting me to this significant event, significant because we are:

1. Planting the seeds for the next generation to continue a culture of contribution to the country;
2. Planting the seeds in our next generation to keep your own unique culture alive as part and parcel of the Singapore identity; and
3. Planting the seeds that we will continue to take care of one another regardless of where we come from to demonstrate that positive spirit, the big heartedness that we can be known for.

10.Congratulations to the management committee and to all the children who are getting the awards today. I look forward to even greater contributions from the Sikh community.

Thank you.

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