SINGAPORE needs to remain an open, fair and inclusive society – whether it is about people with disabilities being included; differences on the basis of race, language or religion; differences between the wealthy and not so wealthy; differences between foreign sports talent and local sports talent, or foreign talent in general and local talent; and so on and so forth. If you agree with me that our survival depends on us maintaining an open and inclusive society, then I hope you would also agree with me that the key thing is to maintain integration – not assimilation, not uniformity, not selfish pride, but integrating all the different threads that make up Singapore society.
1 Good morning and welcome to the Children’s Conference 2011.
2 I am sure we all agree that “Every child deserves a life free of violence and abuse”.
3 Today’s conference theme, “From Trauma to Tenacity: Helping Children In Need of Care or Protection” is apt. As professionals, our duty is to ensure that individually, we have the right skills and that collectively we have the appropriate systems and processes in place to support and protect children at risk. This conference is an important step in that direction.
