Staff Appreciation Dinner

Mr Chew Hock Yong

Permanent Secretary

Ministry of Social and Family Development

Current and former staff from :

            President’s Office

            Security Command, Singapore Police Force

            National Parks Board

            President’s Challenge Secretariat

            Protocol Directorate, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good Evening

My wife and I are very pleased to be here this evening, to personally express our heartfelt appreciation for all your support during my tenure as President.

The role as President is multi-faceted. Domestically, Singaporeans see the President as a unifying force for the people, as well as a custodian of our reserves and the public service.   Internationally, the President is the Chief Diplomat for the nation. To perform these duties well, I have to be constantly aware of what is going on, both at home and in the world. And for this, I am fortunate to have your good staff support and attention to details, enabling me and my wife to put Singapore in a positive light both at home and to our friends abroad.

Over the six years, I have observed how all of you work. An analogy that comes to mind is that of an orchestra. All of you are masters of your own craft. You have an intimate understanding of your responsibilities and have a great sense of pride in the work that you do.

And when we put all of these individual parts together, it is like musical notes coming together to form a magical symphony. The result is nothing short of being stunning and elegant.

As I reflect upon these past six years, I appreciate the thorough discussions we had.

Whether it was a proposal on reserves management, a briefing on a ceremonial procedure or a new project to generate greater awareness of the Istana, you have given me many perspectives and food for thought. Very often, your views helped me better crystallise my thoughts and refine my ideas.

My Presidency coincided with a historic period of Singapore’s nationhood. There were many events this period, a highlight was the SG50 celebrations.

Many of you worked extremely hard to make the year-long Golden Jubilee celebrations a memorable one for all Singaporeans. We hosted many SG50 events at the Istana, both for Singaporeans and for foreign dignitaries. We also started a few commemorative initiatives, such as the launch of the Istana book, as well as the Istana Spice Garden and the Vanda Ms Joaquim Garden within the Istana. The Istana Spice Garden and the Vanda Ms Joaquim Garden were the initiatives of Mrs Tan. All these would not have been possible without your strong support.

Ladies and Gentlemen, as my wife and I bid farewell to you next week, we wish you all the best. We will always remember fondly your dedication and sense of pride when you performed your roles. Everyone plays a part in nation building. We are assured that Singapore is in good hands because of you. I leave you now with a quote from America poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and (I quote), “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honourable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well” (unquote).

Thank you, Mary and I look forward to having the opportunity to interact with you later.

Have a good evening.