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Speech
by Mr Lim Swee Say, Minister for Prime Minister's Office and 2nd
Minister for National Development, at the Launch of the Singapore
Botanic Gardens Calendar 2006 Showcasing Singapore Garden Festival
on 3 September 2005
Professor Leo Tan, Chairman, National
Parks Board;
Mr Kwa Chong Seng, Chairman & Managing Director, ExxonMobil
Asia Pacific Pte Ltd;
Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen.
Remaking our Greenery
1. It is always a delight to
be here at the Singapore Botanic Gardens. SBG was established 146
years ago by a group of public-spirited citizens. Amongst them was
the famous Singapore pioneer Mr Hoo Ah Kay, better known as “Whampoa”.
The Gardens has come a long way since 1859. It has evolved from
a mere park with roads, terraces and a bandstand, to become one
of the finest tropical botanic gardens in the world. Its transformation
mirrors the aspirations of our people and the progress of Singapore.
2. At the National Day Rally,
Prime Minister called for a remaking of Singapore into a vibrant
global city. This applies to our “Green Singapore” too.
Even though we are well known as a Garden City today, we need to
continually reposition and upgrade our parks and gardens to stay
ahead. PM’s announcement of the 3 new waterfront gardens at
Marina Bay, together with its green linkages and the skyrise elements
in the Marina developments, will truly position Singapore, and our
new downtown, as one of the best places to live, work and play in.
3. As we develop more green “hardware”,
we also need to build up our green “capital”. Globally,
cities are organizing large-scale international and regional events
to draw crowds, and to infuse hype, activity and life to the city.
These mega events give character to these cities and offer excitement
and fun for their residents and visitors.
Mr. Lim Swee Say spoke with
the lady butterfly at the opening ceremony |
Singapore Garden Festival
4. To add to Singapore’s
calendar of “wow’ events, we have decided to stage our
very own international flower and garden show, beginning in 2006.
The Singapore Garden Festival will be held over 10 days from 15
to 26 December next year at the Suntec Singapore International Convention
and Exhibition Centre.
5. Having been greening Singapore
through the years, this Show is significant in that it is iconic
in showcasing Singapore’s passion for greenery, and reinforcing
our Garden City brand to the rest of the world.
6. The Singapore Garden Festival
2006 will feature spectacular garden displays by some of the award
winning garden designers from the best shows around the world. Visitors
can expect to see colorful and creative flower and landscape displays,
featuring blooms that are not normally see in Singapore and this
part of the world.
7. The Singapore Garden Festival
will be more than just an exhibition. It will be a celebration and
a festival, with activities and entertainment for everyone. For
example, there will be a market place for garden and landscape products
for aspiring gardening hobbyists to bring home plants and materials
to augment their gardens, or to start new ones. There will be workshops
conducted by experts to give gardening enthusiasts tips and ideas.
All in all, it will be an event for all to enjoy.
8. We hope the Singapore Garden
Festival will help rally our people to play a part in evolving Singapore
from a Garden City into a City in a Garden. We believe many Singaporeans
will be inspired by the interesting and refreshing garden and floral
displays, and start bringing more greenery into our homes, workplaces
and the community. This show will encourage more people to take
up gardening as a hobby, helping us to relax and de-stress better.
It will also uplift the standards of our horticulture industry,
gardening societies, and associations.
9. This evening, as an appetizer,
NParks will treat us to a preview garden display by Jim Fogarty.
Jim is an award winning garden designer from Australia, who has
won prestigious awards at Chelsea, Melbourne, and Sydney flower
shows. Right here, we will get to see his creations of a Fantasy
Garden and a Reality Garden. The Fantasy Garden uses colorful plants
from temperate regions and features sculptures. The Reality Garden
is smaller in size, and is suitable example for Singapore balconies.
At the Singapore Garden Festival, we will get to see many more garden
creations of such standards by award winning garden designers.
Partnerships
10. Partnership is key to the
success of the Singapore Garden Festival. This evening, I am happy
to learn that in support of the Singapore Garden Festival, ExxonMobil
is going to sponsor a nation-wide photographic competition for students.
The winning entries will be exhibited at Singapore Garden Festival
2006. I am also happy to learn that BreadTalk has donated a “Mypod”
swing, which can be seen in the preview garden display this evening.
11. I look forward to receiving
the strong support and active participation of our 3P Partners in
making the Singapore Garden Festival a memorable event for Singaporeans
and overseas visitors. With 3P Ownership, I am confident that Singapore
can successfully showcase to the world our horticultural expertise
and passion for parks, flowers and greenery. Together, we can bring
our “Green Capital” to a much higher plane.
SBG 2006 Calendar
12. The launch of SBG 2006 Calendar
this evening is yet another outstanding example of partnership.
ExxonMobil has, since 2002, sponsored the Botanic Gardens’
Calendar project. This is an interesting and popular project because
it introduces people to the flora and fauna of the Gardens in a
simple and effective manner through pictures. The 2005 calendar
showcased a selection of the variety of orchids that can be found
in SBG. The 2006 calendar will showcase the animals and insects
that can be found in the Gardens. It will help generate greater
awareness and appreciation for the Gardens. Also, proceeds from
the calendar sales will be channeled to the Gardens’ Public
Exhibition Programme.
Conclusion
13. The challenge of transforming
Singapore into a vibrant global city is a big one. There are many
things we can do to contribute to this national vision. One of these
is for us to capitalize on the Garden City foundation we have built
all these years, and launch Singapore into the world stage of renowned
garden and flower shows. Please mark the Singapore Flower Festival
in your calendar, and join us to make this special Show a great
success. Have a pleasant evening. See you at Singapore Garden Festival
2006.
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