Speech by President Tony Tan at Overseas Singaporean Reception in London

Ms Foo Chi Hsia
Singapore High Commissioner to the United Kingdom

Distinguished guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

Fellow Singaporeans

        Good evening. I am very pleased to conclude my State Visit to the UK with this get-together with fellow Singaporeans. My wife Mary, and I, as well as Minister Grace Fu, Minister of State Dr Maliki Osman, Members of Parliament  Arthur  Fong  and  Sitoh  Yih  Pin,  look forward to meeting all of you during the course of this evening. 

        Many Singaporeans are now living, working and studying overseas as the world becomes more globalised and connected through technology.  There are now more than 210,000 Overseas Singaporeans living outside Singapore. The Overseas Singaporean community here in the UK is one of our largest. Every one of you is our Ambassador to the UK in your daily interactions with the British community. Some of you are students studying here. Many of you are successful leaders and professionals in fields ranging from the academia, banking and finance, medical and legal. 

        Our talents who have established themselves here have achieved remarkable results not only as businessmen and entrepreneurs but also in other areas such as the arts and culture. Last but not least, let us not forget the many selfless community leaders here who have spent considerable time and energy to serve in various capacities in Singapore Associations and Organisations. Thanks to you, the Overseas Singaporean community in the UK is a truly active and vibrant one. My wife and I experienced home away from home when we celebrated Deepavali or Diwali as the festival is called here, with some members of the Singapore-UK Association (SUKA) on Wednesday. In true Singaporean spirit, the celebration was complete with  colourful  decorations,  friends  from various cultural groups, and of course festive snacks all the way from Singapore! My delegation and I are very thankful to SUKA for making the arrangements for us to be part of the celebrations which we enjoyed very much.

        While on my visit to Bristol University yesterday, I met many of our Singaporean students there. Earlier this afternoon, I also met a strong Singaporean community at Imperial College, comprising both students and faculty staff. I learnt from them about the series of student productions which have become a unique and highly anticipated feature of Singaporean student life in the UK. Our students are involved in several productions each year    around    the    UK,    including    in    London, Nottingham and Warwick among others. These are home-grown productions, written and performed by Singaporeans. Our talented students write their own scripts, music and choreography and their productions are enjoyed by many of their fellow students from the UK and around the world. 

        Singapore will be celebrating 50 years of nation building next year. I was pleased to learn that the Imperial College Singapore Student Society is planning an SG50-themed production next year and I am looking forward to hearing about more such ground-up initiatives from the Singaporean community here to celebrate this milestone for Singapore. As  we  celebrate  SG50,  I hope that all Singaporeans, whether at home or overseas, will jointly commemorate our nation’s growth journey, celebrate the ties we have established with our families and friends back home and around the world, and look ahead to building our future together as one people.

        In closing, let me wish the Overseas Singaporean community in the UK continued success in all your endeavours. Please continue to build on the strong links you have with one another and back home with Singapore. Mary and I look forward to meeting with you during the reception and hearing about your experiences here in the UK, as well as your aspirations and hopes for Singapore.

        Thank you.