Opening Remarks by President Tony Tan at the Appreciation Lunch for Sponsors and Donors of Chingay 2017

OPENING REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TONY TAN KENG YAM AT THE RECEPTION FOR CHINGAY 2017 KEY REPRESENTATIVES, MAJOR DONORS, PARTNERS AND SPONSORS ON 13 FEBRUARY 2017, 1230PM, ISTANA

Mr Desmond Tan

Chief Executive Director

People’s Association

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good afternoon

Let me first wish everyone a very Happy Chinese New Year. May the Year of the Rooster bring you and your family good health, prosperity and good fortune. It is with great pleasure that I am hosting this reception to congratulate and thank each and every one of you for making this year’s Chingay a resounding success.

Chingay Parade celebrates its 45^th Anniversary this year.Since it was started by the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew in 1973, Chingay has evolved from a simple street parade to a “must-see” international extravaganzaBut while its scale has grown, the essence of Chingay has not changed.It is still a parade that exemplifies our diversity, our dreams and our pride as one people. Chingay is truly a people’s parade – by the people, for the people and for Singapore.

My wife and I were at the parade last Saturday, and we were again totally amazed by the passion, the creativity and the energy level of everyone – be it performers, the parade volunteers, and even within the audience. This year, we were especially heartened to see how Chingay rallied the entire nation together. “Soundwaves Chingay, WeCare Singapore” – the theme for this year creatively weaved our homegrown living cultural heritage into the parade. Through Xinyao, this year’s parade took its audience on a journey back to the 70s, reminding us how far we have come as a nation and the values that have been our foundations for success.

I am also very encouraged to witness strong multi-ethnic bonds as well as the resilience and confidence of our youths. We also see many friends from abroad joining us to celebrate Chingay 45. This goes to show that Singapore has become a global city with friends from across the world.   

Chingay 45 was possible because of the strong support given by each and every one of you and the organisations that you represent. I would like to thank you for your strong commitment towards staging such a wonderful celebration.

I would also like to take the opportunity to commend and thank the People’s Association and major partners, including the Singapore Totalisator Board and the Singapore Tourism Board, and all the donors and sponsors and participating organisations for your valuable contributions in making Chingay a parade that all of us are extremely proud of. I hope that all of you will continue to support Chingay in the years to come, and make this iconic event of Singapore even more successful.  

Thank you once again, and have an enjoyable afternoon.

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