By Olivia Siong | Posted: 02 September 2012
1424 hrs
SINGAPORE: Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean hopes
Singaporeans will heed the call to cultivate a generous
spirit.
Mr Teo made the comments in response to questions about Prime
Minister Lee Hsien Loong's National Day Rally speech, which focused
on making Singapore a "home with heart and hope".
The deputy prime minister said Mr Lee's message was a powerful
one.
"Generosity of spirit and openness in Singapore is something which
has been part of Singapore for many generations," Mr Teo
said.
"If you look around you, all our families, we have always been
generous to others, contributing to charity, open to foreigners as
well.
"I think this is one of the things we hope Singaporeans will
internalise."
Mr Teo also welcomed the move to grant paternity leave to
fathers.
Some employers have voiced concerns over the issue, saying that the
move may impact productivity and business costs.
Mr Teo, who is also the Minister in charge of population policies,
said stakeholders are being consulted.
The views of both employers and families will need to be balanced,
he said.
Mr Teo was speaking on the sidelines of Singapore G1, an event
branded as Singapore's "largest environmentally-sustainable
lifestyle event".
The deputy prime minister said that combating climate change will
require a whole-of-nation approach.
The event was organised by the Singapore Environment Council.
As part of the event, more than 20,000 people walked for a green
cause on Sunday morning, making it Singapore's biggest ever
walk-for-green event.
Mr Teo also launched a new climate change exhibition called "Our
Green Home", organised by the National Climate Change
Secretariat.
It is hoped that the exhibition will encourage more to do their
part for the environment.
The exhibition also provides information on Singapore's climate
change plans and highlights the importance of individual and
community actions to address climate change. It will travel to
selected libraries, community clubs and shopping malls in the
heartlands till January next year.
"Climate change affects all of us, not just in Singapore but around
the world. It's going to affect our lives and our economy. We are
much more of a consumerist society today than we were, say, 20 or
30 years ago. And even if we want to consume, there are also green
ways of consuming," said Mr Teo, who is also the chairman of the
Inter-Ministerial Committee on Climate Change.
Singapore G1 was created with a no-waste objective. For example,
there are no event posters or banners.
Instead, all publicity was done online and through word of
mouth.
Organisers hope that more events will take on an eco-friendly
approach.
Already, there are plans to make the 2015 South East Asian Games,
which will be held in Singapore, an all-green affair.
- CNA/wm/ir
how much did the gov lose in business this time overseas?i bet they
will be saying it was generosity etc.
