07 Sep 2015
Home is where the heart is. SG50 festivities were brought to Geneva on 29 August 2015, as Singaporeans and their families gathered at the Singapore Permanent Mission in Geneva to celebrate Singapore’s Golden Jubilee.
Coming from as far as St Gallen and Lyon, some 170 Singaporeans and their family members were treated to an evening of SG50-themed activities and Singapore food. Guests had the opportunity to savour food from “Pasar Malam” style stalls, including Geneva’s first-ever live-Ramly Burger station and a kacang putih stall. Both young and old re-lived the experience of playing traditional Singapore games and “transported” themselves back to Singapore at a photo booth complete with the beautiful skyline of Marina Bay. Many also penned well-wishes and birthday greetings to Singapore. Clad proudly in red-and-white, Singaporeans from all walks of life came together, singing Majulah Singapura, and pledging themselves as one united people. In honour of their contributions to Singapore, members of the Pioneer Generation were invited to join the cake cutting ceremony.
On this special occasion of Singapore’s 50th birthday, Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ambassador Tan Yee Woan reminded the Singapore community of the three factors which contributed to Singapore’s success, as highlighted by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during the National Day Rally 2015 – namely, Singapore’s determination to be a multi-racial society, the culture of self-reliance and mutual support, and the faith maintained between the government and its people.
Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Foo Kok Jwee paid tribute to Singapore’s pioneers. He recounted an anecdote with a senior foreign official to illustrate how other countries marveled at Singapore’s progress and the way we maintained our social harmony in the past 50 years. He added that while we must always be humble enough to know that there is always room for improvement in our policies, there is also much for Singapore to celebrate as a nation this SG50 year. Ambassador Foo said that if we are to keep Singapore special, and strong, for our families and future generations, then everyone must strive to contribute to Singapore, and help our fellow Singaporeans, in our own way, where we can, wherever we are. This spirit was best summed up in Prime Minister Lee’s National Day message, where he said “Together, we believe in Singapore; together, we belong to Singapore; together, we are Singapore.”
President of the Temasek Club in Switzerland Mr Bernard Sin took the opportunity to inform Singaporeans that the SG50 Swiss Edition held this June had raised CHF 5000 for Autism Geneva and the Singapore Autism Association. Mr Sin also invited Singaporeans to continue to come forward and be part of the Temasek Club and its activities.
Half-way around the world in Switzerland, the Singapore spirit shone brightly that evening in Geneva. Majulah Singapura!
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